Chapter 71

Qingyun stared intently at the man's arm in her hand, her gaze unwavering. The room wasn't well-lit, but fortunately, Song Junwu's veins were easy to spot, so she found the acupuncture point after only a short while.

After she inserted the new IV, she looked up and met the man's eyes. Song Junwu seemed to want to speak, but her lips moved up and down, and she could hardly squeeze out a syllable. She raised her other hand and gestured in the air. Qingyun understood, but he still told her honestly that she couldn't write in this state.

Upon hearing this, the man paused slightly, looked at his arm with the needle in it, and became lost in thought. Seeing this, Qingyun explained, "This kind of medicine needs to be injected into the bloodstream."

After saying that, she stood up again and continued, "Are you hungry?" Because he had been giving people IV fluids and saline for the past few days, which was quite embarrassing to admit, he had even put a urine bag on them, otherwise what would happen if they became incontinent?

However, healing and saving lives are not gender-specific. I would like to have someone else do it for me, but I'm afraid others might think I'm trying to murder Song Junwu.

If we can eat next, we can put these things away and let someone else clean them up.

Song Junwu shook his head, slowly raised his hand, and gestured in Qingyun's palm.

After everyone finished writing, Qingyun grinned and said, "You're welcome." Her two dimples looked incredibly cute.

The man wrote a few more words on his palm: "You've been very tired lately, you should go and rest now." He looked around, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had never seen these things before. His gaze returned to Qingyun, and he felt that the man exuded a mysterious aura, but he didn't want to delve into his secrets.

Qingyun: "It is indeed very tiring. If you don't build me a house or reward me with a fortune of gold afterward, you will be letting me down."

Seeing this, Song Junwu chuckled lightly, but then a violent cough followed. He tasted a metallic flavor in his mouth, and that uncomfortable feeling surged up again, as if his whole body was in constant pain. He didn't make a sound, but instead turned his gaze back to the other person, subconsciously pursing his lips.

I have a question for you, could you please tell me the truth?

Qingyun nodded in acknowledgment.

[It may be abrupt, but I may not have much time left, and I really want to know the answer.] As he wrote, his brow furrowed unconsciously. [I want to know, did you ever have feelings for me?]

The figure that fell into my arms on that cold, rainy night, the way he ran through the fields—these images intertwined, and for some reason, all my gazes were drawn to him from then on. Because of the difference between men and women, I never expressed or showed my feelings, afraid that my love would burden him too much, afraid that he would be afraid.

When Song Junwu learned of the imperial decree of marriage, he did indeed have fantasies. However, the other party's attitude of resisting the marriage with his life made him wonder if she disliked him. Even after hearing Qingyun's explanation, these feelings still lingered in his mind and could not be dispelled.

A woman like Qingyun relies on herself for everything. If she were after money and power, she would have asked for him long ago. Thinking about it carefully, he was indeed not good enough for her. If he had some value, he might be able to use her as a bargaining chip. But even knowing what her answer would be, he still couldn't help but ask.

He wanted to know if there was anything, even if it was just for appearance or something he already possessed.

Seeing Qingyun suddenly fall silent, Song Junwu's heart sank little by little.

"A man as handsome as you is pleasing to the eye." This ambiguous statement was because Qingyun didn't want to give the other party the answer so quickly.

Honestly, having never been in a relationship with a man before, and never been confessed to, this sudden turn of events has certainly left me with mixed feelings. As for whether I was moved, I could say for sure—maybe it was around the time I was busy with potato farming? There's also a bit of discomfort; I wonder if it's wrong to like a virtual person.

But these past few days, treating and saving lives, Qingyun seems to have gradually become more open-minded. Although she's in a world created by the system, these people feel real to her; she might as well treat them as human beings. (This sounds like an insult, though.)

Qingyun thought to herself, but putting that aside, it seemed like she really had nothing to worry about with Song Junwu. He was a handsome guy, and their sex life was guaranteed. The only problem was that he didn't want to have children, or else they could use condoms?

System: [Don't you feel like you're holding a very conservative mindset, yet you always say incredibly bold things?]

Qingyun: ...

System: [Do you have feelings for her? That's the important thing.]

After listening to the system's words, she thought about it again and concluded that there should be something to it, at least it wasn't unpleasant.

System: [That settles it then. While you're young, it's not a bad thing to be a little bold.]

Qingyun: [Feelings are hard to explain; there are many things to consider.]

System: [So, do you feel comfortable and happy when you're with him? Do you feel relaxed and unrestrained? In other words, does it release dopamine?]

Upon hearing this, Qingyun couldn't help but retort, "I'm afraid people will change their minds."

The moment he finished speaking, an electronic screen popped up, displaying a digital face with an expression that said, "I knew it!" [So that's what you're worried about? And whether or not he'll take a concubine?]

Indeed, partner loyalty is very important.

The system, having seen through the illusions of the world, said, "[It's just a casual relationship, isn't it? If he really changes his mind, you're not without the means to leave him. Besides, Song Junwu seems to be a gentleman, so I'm sure you'll part ways amicably.]"

Most importantly, don't overthink things; just follow your heart.

Before Qingyun could answer, Song Junwu seemed to have gotten impatient. His staring gaze made Qingyun feel uneasy, as if urging her to give an answer.

"I don't want to have children," Qingyun suddenly said.

Both the system and Song Junwu were taken aback.

Song Junwu lowered his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. After a long while, no one spoke, and the room fell silent. Even the agitated emotions that had just stirred seemed to have calmed down.

System: [This girl is really bold!]

"Then I will cleanse myself."

A moment later, Qingyun's eyes widened involuntarily as she finished reading the contents. Her gaze shifted to the man lying on the bed, and she thought to herself, "This man actually has such determination?!" She was so shocked that she forgot to investigate the truthfulness of his words.

"I meant I want to plant trees. The time needed for production is wasting the time spent planting trees," she quickly explained, afraid that this person really wanted to become a eunuch. Oh well! If it were a lie, this person would be amazing to even say it. What was she afraid of?

Upon hearing this, Song Junwu nodded and then said, "That's still too far."

Seeing the other person's serious expression, Qingyun suddenly realized that this made her seem very thirsty!

Suddenly, she really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

At this moment, when the two realized that they seemed to have just exchanged feelings, neither of them spoke, and they became very awkward. Perhaps they should say something, but no matter how hard they racked their brains, they couldn't think of anything to say.

Qingyun had a terrible headache, so she decided to stop thinking about it. She left him with a "Take a good rest" message, put her hands on her hips, and walked out to get some fresh air and calm down.

I think I just did something amazing.

The system didn't answer, but it did remind her of the current progress of the rat infestation.

It seems that Lin Wanjun is more capable than she imagined. Qingyun gazed at the distant horizon and thought to herself, "Perhaps I've been here too long and my heart has become narrow. Why can't women climb up by using anything they can? It's a prejudice to think that they will be bound by emotions."

A woman who can achieve such things is naturally capable of taking things in stride when it comes to relationships.

Thinking about it carefully, she realized that she was initially afraid that the other party would join forces with Song Chaohua to deal with Song Chaoyun. However, after learning that Song Chaohua was a sister-complex, she suddenly felt that her previous thoughts were very foolish.

Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief, "Looks like I'll have to find some time to go check out the sand dunes."

After saying that, she asked the system to check Song Junwu's current physical condition. Then she found Song Chaoyun, greeted him, and rode the little donkey to the city to replenish the medicine, check Song Chaohua's condition, and see if Yinglian and the others were infected. After receiving a reassuring answer, she rode the little donkey up the sand dune.

Qingyun narrowed her eyes, shielding her eyes from the glaring sunlight. She spotted a familiar figure, seemingly the woman who had been abused by her husband and tried to return home. The woman was bent over, scooping something out of a large ditch in the ground. Hearing the noise behind her, she straightened up slightly from her stiff posture.

When she saw who it was, a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face. She lowered her eyes and greeted Qingyun, then quickly pointed behind her and said, "I heard that we were short-staffed here, so I came first."

Qingyun looked at her, her face expressionless. She always looked like this when she was thinking; she just hadn't expected the other woman to come. She couldn't help but wonder if the other woman had suffered some hardship, after all, she knew very well what kind of person her husband was.

This expression only made the woman more embarrassed, and she couldn't help but clutch her sleeve to hide her awkwardness.

Qingyun: "If you have nowhere to go, stay at my house first."

The woman was stunned by these words and hadn't quite grasped what they meant. But when she understood Qingyun's meaning, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She hurriedly wiped away the tears that were about to spill with her dirty sleeve and explained, "He died. He got that strange disease in the city, so I rushed out."

After saying that, she added that she had a place to stay, which Mu Helian had arranged. However, the control was strict now, otherwise it would be easy to go back. They all lived in some sand caves on the hill.

Upon hearing this, Qingyun couldn't help but frown. "A sand cave? What if it collapses?"

"It's alright. When we go out into the desert, we always live in those sand caves. They're all handmade, so they don't collapse easily. And we know when they're about to collapse." She wanted to explain, but her words became incoherent.

Actually, she despised herself. To others, she was a fool who knew that person was no good, yet ignored everyone's advice and insisted on going back. But what could she do? There were too many unavoidable circumstances. If she could, she would have liked to leave without a trace.

Fortunately, he died tragically, deservedly, and painfully. She was finally free. Moreover, someone understood her decision and accepted her. This feeling is indescribable.