Chapter 101 Avoiding "What I truly desire is for your genuine understanding..."

Jiang Xu's hands were large and his body temperature was extremely high. When their skin touched, Shi Wan looked at him with surprise and doubt. Seeing the weakness in his eyes, she was moved and her heart skipped a beat. "You really... said that willingly?"

If Jiang Xu had been more open-minded in the past, perhaps... the two of them wouldn't have ended up in such a deadly situation today. But at the same time, Shi Wan almost instinctively harbored a natural suspicion towards anything Jiang Xu said.

He was indeed deeply troubled, but at the same time, he was also ill.

It's best not to believe anything a sick person says.

Jiang Xu knew the person in front of him very well. Seeing her lower her eyes and withdraw her hand after a few breaths, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious, but at the same time, he was also overjoyed.

Shi Wan's attitude had softened somewhat, which undoubtedly gave him a lot of confidence. Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, he decided to bring up the subject, saying, "Of course, I am both willing and unwilling."

Shi Wan was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?" Was this person trying to play some kind of word game?

Jiang Xu quickly explained, "I am unwilling because I do not want to proceed slowly like this. I wish I could immediately express my feelings to you and recount every little detail so that you would soften your heart."

The man's voice was low and husky, especially the last few words, which were spoken in a sticky and lingering tone, extremely tender and affectionate. As Shi Wan listened, her ears involuntarily felt hot again, and she became annoyed for a moment, "If you're here to say these things, then there's no need for that."

"Between you and me, can an apology erase everything?"

"You call yourself a gentleman, but is all you know how to say is this pretentious and nonsensical phrase?"

Jiang Xu shook his head. Seeing her scold him, he felt even more delighted. This tiny bit of sweetness he had just detected was enough to make him even more smug. His tone softened considerably. "But, I am willing too."

"I'm extremely unwilling, but if you say the word, I'll do it." These words were even more unsettling than his previous attempts to befriend her. Shi Wan's expression turned cold, and she looked at him without saying a word.

The bitterness she had been suppressing welled up in her heart, and she blinked her eyelashes unconsciously, afraid that she would shed tears at this moment. She said with a normal expression, "It's been a long time. Your Majesty's eloquence has improved quite a bit."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu understood that she was soft-hearted. She was already feeling unwell, and now she was exaggerating her discomfort to the point of looking like she was about to die.

"It's late tonight, could I... stay the night?" he asked cautiously, while staring at Shi Wan's expression. Almost as soon as she frowned, she coughed violently a few times. Who would have thought that after holding on for so long, she couldn't control her strength and actually aggravated her wound.

After a few exchanges, despite her poor acting skills, Shi Wan saw the ferocious look on his face for a moment, hesitated for a couple of breaths, and still didn't say anything more.

After a moment, he said, "The bedding is in the cabinet behind you on the left. Take it and go sleep in the next room."

"How can that be?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu, with a sudden burst of strength, staggered to his feet. "I'll just sleep on the floor. Going out in the middle of the night... it's creepy."

Seeing him dawdling left and right, Shi Wan remained silent for a long time before responding softly. Then she simply pulled the covers over herself, pretending not to see it.

The rain fell incessantly, repeatedly.

She slept soundly through the rest of the night. The next morning, as soon as Shi Wan got up, she saw Jiang Xu had found a chain somewhere. The chain was silver-white and dragged on the ground, making a piercing sound.

She stood at the doorway, under the eaves, as Jiang Xu strode over. Several hours had passed, and the man's pale complexion had improved somewhat, but he still looked weak. He had probably taken medicine, and there was still a hint of illness about him.

Seeing this scene, Shi Wan suddenly sighed for some reason.

Surprisingly, I slept soundly in the same room as Jiang Xu. Now, looking at his posture, it seems that he really... no matter how you look at it, could it be that he is truly repentant?

But... perhaps this person was just putting on an act. With that thought in mind, she watched as Jiang Xu walked up to her, stopped, and handed her the chain.

Shi Wan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings and asked, "Where did you find this chain?"

“When I got up this morning, I saw you were still asleep, so I looked around briefly but couldn’t find the dog leash you mentioned.” Jiang Xu met his gaze frankly. “After thinking about it, I took the liberty of preparing one myself.”

"You want me to tie you up?" she asked with a hint of amusement.

"If it's a dog leash, it should be for dogs." In the past, Shi Wan might have been bold enough to be so audacious, but things were different now. In the distance, Jiang Xu was already the emperor, extremely noble; in the closest distance, the man was more than a head taller than her, casting a large shadow that blocked out the warm sunlight she had finally seen.

She paused for a moment, then said, "Don't give it to me."

When Shi Wan didn't answer, Jiang Xu felt inexplicably anxious, wondering if Shi Wan was going to ignore him again. He coughed a few times unconsciously, and after a moment, seeing no effect, he knew that his old trick was useless. So he naturally changed his expression to holding her hand, and loosely grasped her with his large palm, pulling the chain onto his ankle.

Shi Wan felt disgusted and said coldly, "What's past is past. What are you trying to achieve by putting on this show today?"

Sensing the dissatisfaction in her words, Jiang Xu glanced at her expectantly and said, "It's something I can't get over."

Shi Wan paused, then immediately lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. "You apologized yesterday."

"Yes, but what I truly desire is for you to genuinely understand me."

"See my changes, and then give me a chance." Jiang Xu's expression was calm, but his tone was full of stubbornness and obstinacy. Perhaps he had waited too long, and now that he had suddenly seen the light, he was always unwilling to turn back until he hit a wall. "Instead of forgiving me on the surface, but actually... distancing himself from me."

When her thoughts were exposed, Shi Wan couldn't help but feel flustered. "How could that be?" After nearly a thousand days and nights, she had grown a lot and knew that things couldn't be avoided, otherwise she wouldn't have forced herself to face them.

As long as she got involved with Jiang Xu, it was truly a messy and troublesome affair. She cursed inwardly for a moment, but when she looked up again, her expression was much calmer. "Where do you want me to tie you up?"

Jiang Xu stared at her intently for a few moments, then tentatively asked, "Ankle... is it alright?"

Without saying much, Shi Wan squatted down with the chain in hand. Fortunately, the binding method wasn't too difficult, and it didn't take her too long to endure. As soon as it was finished, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "All done."

Jiang Xu's heart was beating a little fast. Hearing this, he gave a perfunctory "Mmm" and went along with it, saying, "There's some porridge warming in the kitchen. Shall I bring it over now?"

Although he asked several times, Shi Wan could easily see through his intentions from his behavior. This guy had clearly prepared in advance, just waiting to half-heartedly agree to achieve his goal!

But she wouldn't push her body too hard, so she saved her energy, simply nodded, and went inside to wait at the square table. A little while later, Jiang Xu calmly brought over two bowls of fish porridge and several plates of appetizers, along with a basket of steaming meat buns.

Shi Wan's lips twitched slightly as she stared at the basket of buns and asked, "Did you make these too?"

Jiang Xu naturally wouldn't tell her that he had inquired about Shi Wan's recent food preferences long ago, found an imperial chef, and brought him all the way to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, all for this day. He nodded without changing his expression, "With the master's guidance, it's passable."

Shi Wan didn't want to say much. She picked up a piece with her chopsticks, and with a little force, the plump meat filling instantly overflowed. The outer dough was soaked in oil, and the aroma became even stronger and more tempting. With one bite, the salty and fragrant taste filled her taste buds.

Seeing that Shi Wan had eaten two small meat buns but still showed no interest in drinking porridge, Jiang Xu couldn't help but feel disappointed. He coughed lightly and said, "Try the porridge."

"Do you see any difference between this and what we used to drink in the cabin?"

He spoke so naturally, but Shi Wan became increasingly uncomfortable as she listened. What happened this morning seemed more and more like a scene of "husband and wife returning home together." She was really not worthy of such a performance, so she gave a perfunctory reply, drank half of her drink, and then made an excuse to send him away.

When Jiang Xu returned after finishing his work, he quickly brought out his prepared speech, "I'm going on a long trip tomorrow."

"A long trip?" He was now particularly sensitive to this word. Realizing something, the relaxed and easygoing demeanor he had deliberately cultivated gradually disappeared, leaving only a worried look on his face.

His brows furrowed slightly. "...How many days?"

Shi Wan closed her eyes slightly. "At least six or seven days." She hadn't decided yet, but she happened to be going to other places to check out shop locations, and she could also avoid the strange people in front of her. It was a win-win situation, so she simply moved up her original plan for the next few days.

Once the words were out, the rest was easy. She continued, "You told me before to be myself, so this time, I'll take that as true."

"During the trip... I also selected a few women's clothes."

“Outside of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the development is also quite good now. If you want to do business for a long time, you naturally need to see more, look more, and travel more.”

She spoke very quickly, as if she had already made up her mind. Jiang Xu had expressed his opinion beforehand, and the atmosphere was just right now, so he would definitely not dig his own grave. Helpless, she could only nod reluctantly.

He opened his mouth to ask again, but felt it would sound somewhat mournful. He hesitated for a moment, and after a long while, he managed to utter, "Of course I mean it."

I felt terrible on the way here yesterday. After a good night's sleep, my heart was at ease and my body gradually recovered. In addition, Jiang Xu is already strong, so it would be ridiculous for him to pretend to be sickly now.

Seeing that Shi Wan was about to leave after speaking, for some reason, a sense of crisis suddenly welled up in his heart. "Wan Wan."

Soon to be away from Jiang Xu and this mess, Shi Wan was in a great mood and didn't care. She simply focused her attention and gestured for him to continue.

Jiang Xu rarely felt this way, but he didn't dare to stop him now. His lips moved slightly, "Then... be careful on the road."

"And remember, I'll be waiting for you at home."

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Author's Note: I'm really craving meat buns, writing this has made me hungry... [crying emoji]