Chapter 26, 026: His fingertips traced the mole on the arch of her foot.
System: "It's not surprising that he has such a perception. Host, have you forgotten? This sea of consciousness was not left here by Duan Lansheng of his own volition. It was the lustful demon who was trying to trap him here."
There is a gap between Duan Lansheng's childhood and adolescence. In order to prevent him from discovering that this world is not the real world, there must be a natural and smooth explanation to connect the two, blurring the years in between.
Duan Lansheng is a half-demon, while she is a human without a golden core. In other words, she could neither be Duan Lansheng's brother or sister, nor could she be his master who guided him in cultivation.
The answer is the most reasonable one after eliminating all rigid explanations.
After all, the two appear to be of similar age, and despite having the means to live in separate rooms, they have been sharing a room for "many years." There is no more reasonable explanation than that they are a married couple.
After hearing the system's words, Lu Yuanyuan's feverish and somewhat confused mind felt as if a small hole had been punched through it, letting in the winter wind. The words of rebuttal welled up in her throat, but she swallowed them back down.
In an instant, countless thoughts rushed in.
Lu Yuanyuan's chest heaved.
Now, what should she do?
Initially, she was able to successfully approach Duan Lansheng by pretending to be an old friend of his mother because Duan Lansheng did not have any preconceived notions about her.
Now, his memories have been rewritten by another force stronger than hers.
Just like the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," as a guest who was dragged into this situation, without the system's guidance, she would most likely be hypnotized and, like the other NPCs in her sea of consciousness, submit to Duan Lansheng's perception.
In other words, if Duan Lansheng believes they are a couple, then everyone they meet on the street will think they are a couple. If she were to jump out and refute this, she would become an outcast.
Moreover, given how things have developed, should she still refute it?
Lu Yuanyuan's fingertips dug into her palm as she quickly pondered.
She had hoped that Duan Lansheng would remember her as a benefactor who had helped him in his sea of consciousness. Whether he knew she was conscious or not was irrelevant. She only wanted him to remember this life-or-death bond.
But now, he mistakes her for his wife. After leaving his sea of consciousness, what will Duan Lansheng think when he recalls the time they spent together?
It's important to understand that Duan Lansheng's meticulous care for her now is not directed at her personally.
This only means that Duan Lansheng treats his chosen wife this well. And this is the kind of treatment the little fox, Xiao Ruo, should receive.
She certainly didn't intentionally enter his consciousness or impersonate his wife. However, some things happen, and their impact doesn't diminish simply because someone is at fault.
Even if Duan Lansheng rationally doesn't blame her, he'll inevitably find it hard to control his emotions. Thinking about what happened today, he'll most likely feel embarrassed, ashamed, disgusted, or even nauseous.
Once Duan Lansheng develops such feelings for her, her plan to "be Duan Lansheng's close friend" can be declared over.
Therefore, for the long term, she must minimize the impact of this incident on their relationship.
First, if she couldn't win, she would pretend to join in. She needed to absolve herself of responsibility and absolutely could not let Duan Lansheng know that she was conscious. She had to make him believe that she was also a guest who had been brainwashed by his consciousness and cooperated with him, even helping him escape from his sea of consciousness.
If there is a bad experience, then the responsibility lies entirely with him.
Secondly, after leaving her sea of consciousness, she must pretend that she has no memory of what happened during that time.
Nonsense. Put yourself in her shoes; she would rather suffer in silence by herself than deal with such an embarrassing situation.
If someone knew her hidden secrets and kept hanging around her every day, she would only feel annoyed. Because every time she saw that person's face, it was like reliving her own dark past.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuanyuan had made her decision.
She had cried so hard that her temples ached, her nose was blocked, and she could barely breathe, only able to breathe through her bright red lips. Her eyelids were swollen and hot, perhaps already swollen like two walnuts. Looking up, she belatedly realized that Duan Lansheng was still staring at her. She couldn't understand what he was thinking, but remembering her outburst, a sense of embarrassment welled up inside her. She raised the back of her hand and hastily wiped her eyes, falling silent.
She had no idea what kind of couple they were in Duan Lansheng's mind, so she decided not to get involved.
The hand that was roughly wiping her face was quickly grabbed by the wrist. Duan Lansheng picked her up and let her lean against the headboard. He wiped away her tears with his fingers. Her eyelashes were wet and sticky. He realized that wiping them like this was not enough. He paused for a moment, then went to wash a clean silk handkerchief and came back. The warm steam made her breathing much easier.
Then, seeing the quilt that she had cried on and kicked halfway to the floor, Duan Lansheng seemed to have his cleanliness instincts kick in. He carried it to the outer room and replaced it with the quilt he had been using that night. This quilt was soft and fluffy, still retaining his body heat.
When the blanket was pulled away, Lu Yuanyuan shivered slightly, but quickly felt the warmth of the new blanket. She shivered, then burrowed under the blanket, facing the wall, closing her eyes, pretending not to hear Duan Lansheng tidying up behind her, and not wanting to hear whether he had gone out to wash the tub.
The intense struggle had exhausted her strength, and now that she was still, her eyelids were even more swollen, and she didn't want to open them. The charcoal stove in the room was burning brightly, and her shivering body slowly warmed up. Only her hands and feet remained like ice, as if blood couldn't reach them. But she was too tired, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
When Duan Lansheng returned, he had already taken a bath, changed his clothes, and his black hair was loosely tied up with a hairband.
The person in the bedroom seemed to be asleep. Perhaps her sprained leg was a little sore, because her sleeping position was not natural; one leg was curled up, and the blanket was rolled up crookedly.
Duan Lansheng reached out and pulled the blanket up for her. She suddenly stirred in her sleep, revealing her feet under the blanket.
Since her second fall outside, her ankle was visibly swollen even more, looking pitiful. As she moved, a small mole in the arch of her other foot caught his eye.
Duan Lansheng's gaze sharpened.
Her feet were very beautiful; he should have liked them.
But for some reason, staring at the mole made him inexplicably unhappy, and some blurry images seemed to flash before his eyes.
A rainy night with flickering candlelight, a leg wrapped around a boy's waist...
Upon closer examination, these seemingly plausible but ultimately illusory images vanish into thin air.
Suddenly, Lu Yuanyuan seemed a little uncomfortable and let out a soft hum.
Duan Lansheng came to his senses and realized that he had actually reached out and grabbed her foot, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the mole on her arch and pinching it hard, as if he were playing with it.
His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately let go. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the bed.
Her feet were so cold, they had no warmth at all.
...
In the middle of the night, Lu Yuanyuan's hands and feet suddenly warmed up.
To be precise, it wasn't just her hands and feet; her whole body felt like it was soaking in a pool of warm water.
The next morning, when Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes, she realized that she had changed the direction she was sleeping in.
More importantly, Duan Lansheng was sleeping right next to her.
Because of his broad shoulders, when he lay on his side, the undulating lines of his body were slender and beautiful, completely obscuring her. She actually fell asleep in front of him, her head resting on his arm, and she could smell the faint fragrance of his hair.
When he was in Shushan, his clothes smelled of sandalwood. Now, they smell of soapberry.
Lu Yuanyuan looked down and finally understood why her hands and feet had become so warm—it was because he was there, like a natural furnace. Moreover, after being pressed against him all night, her life points had also increased significantly.
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then pulled her hands and feet away from his embrace and rolled towards the wall, only to find that she was still pressing down on Duan Lansheng's hair.
As soon as she moved, Duan Lansheng woke up. His long eyelashes fluttered and slowly lifted, his eyes gleaming with a strange, emerald light in the dim light.
These are truly beautiful eyes. When he was a child, his eyes were rounder, giving him a cute and innocent look. By this age, his eyes had elongated, taking on their later shape, beautiful yet aloof. This is especially noticeable when he's not smiling.
Recalling last night, Lu Yuanyuan felt embarrassed again. Not wanting to show weakness, she preemptively asked, "When did you come up?"
"After you fell asleep last night," Duan Lansheng sat up, placed his hand on her forehead, and after a moment said, "I'm still not better. I'll go and brew the medicine."
Illness strikes like a landslide, but recovery is slow and gradual. In ancient times, there were no effective antipyretics, and for the next few days, Lu Yuanyuan's health fluctuated between fever and sweating improvement. Her ankle injury also needed time to heal. Inevitably, the same dilemma of needing to urinate occurred more than once.
The first time was shameful enough, but the second time was still unbearable.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped crying. She tried to reason with Duan Lansheng, even punching his back in anger, pulling his hair, and struggling in his arms, but it was all in vain. He remained unmoved, and each time it ended with her closing her eyes. And he, as always, wiped and cleaned her up.
At night, he would sleep next to her to warm her hands and feet.
After several days of this ordeal, Lu Yuanyuan finally woke up with her fever gone. Her clothes were damp and stuck to her back, and her chest was covered in sweat, but she felt a refreshing sensation after sweating.
Duan Lansheng had been sleeping in the same bed with her for the past few days, but he was very proper in his actions. He was not one to stay in bed long; once he woke up, he would get up, tuck the blankets in, turn his back to her, put on his clothes, and comb his hair.
Lu Yuanyuan touched her sweaty clothes and stared at him.
She had just organized her thoughts when Duan Lansheng, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly lowered his hand, turned around and looked at her, his profile revealing a nose as straight and beautiful as a mountain: "What's wrong?"
Lu Yuanyuan whispered, "I feel sticky and sweaty. I want to take a shower."
Duan Lansheng shook his head: "Your body is still very weak."
Lu Yuanyuan gently pressed her front teeth against her lower lip, arguing her point: "My fever has gone down. I'll just boil some water and wash in the room. I won't catch a cold. Soaking in the water can also dispel wind and cold."
Seeing him staring at her, she pouted and said, "I'm covered in sweat, it's so uncomfortable."
Yes, she was the cleanest person he had ever met. Even in winter, she would shower every day. These past few days, she had only wiped herself down with hot water.
Duan Lansheng lowered his eyelashes, considered for a moment, and agreed to her request, but on the condition that he must watch over her, because he was afraid she might faint or slip into the bathtub. Lu Yuanyuan naturally refused, and since she couldn't reveal the real reason, she made up the excuse that "even if we're husband and wife, it would be embarrassing to have our bodies seen in broad daylight."
After some haggling, Duan Lansheng ended up waiting for her with his eyes closed, just like on the first day.
Lu Yuanyuan felt a little uncomfortable having someone else next to her while she was showering. Fortunately, he couldn't see anything.
The steam rising from the bathtub and the comforting feeling of immersing herself in the hot water gave Lu Yuanyuan goosebumps. Drying herself with a towel never felt quite right; this was the only way to truly enjoy the experience.
Lu Yuanyuan carefully washed every inch of her skin with soapberry leaves, and only when the water started to cool down did she get up and wrap herself in a towel.
Duan Lansheng's voice rang out from behind: "All done?"
"Okay," she replied somewhat reluctantly.
Because the bathtub was very high, and one of her legs was now useless, even using a small stool, climbing in and out on such a slippery platform would be inconvenient. So, when Duan Lansheng told her she had to call him when she came out, she resigned herself to her fate and agreed.
Anyway, things like urinating have already happened before, so what's the big deal?
She didn't want to fall again and then be confined to the bed and suffer forever.
Duan Lansheng slowly walked to the edge of the bathtub. He hadn't removed the blindfold, and he didn't want to reach into the tub to rummage around, so he simply held onto the edge of the tub with both hands, quietly lowered his head, and bent his neck, waiting for her to lift him up herself.
His face was naturally fair, and with the upper half of his face covered by a strip of cloth, people's attention would be drawn to his beautifully shaped lips.
Those who are willing will take the bait. Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips as she thought of these four words, and like a modern person who has just finished soaking in a hot spring, she wrapped her body in a towel before wrapping her arms around his neck.
Thinking about the suffering she had endured these past few days, she was still somewhat annoyed. So, when she hugged him, she deliberately retaliated by rubbing the water from her arms onto his body and neck.
The hot water cooled down quickly after leaving the bathtub and slid into his clothes, which must have made him uncomfortable.
Her bare arms pressed against his neck, and as she moved around under the pretense, Duan Lansheng's breath seemed to pause briefly, and his fingers curled slightly. But he didn't say anything, tightened his grip, and lifted her out of the bathtub.
And so, by the time Lu Yuanyuan's ankle had healed and she was able to go out, the world in her mind's eye was already almost celebrating the New Year.
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