Yu Jingchen picked up the ointment from the bedside and began applying it to her. Compared to the first time he applied the ointment earlier today, Yu Jingchen's movements were much gentler. However, he wasn't one to do these things, and even though he intentionally made his movements gentle, the pressure was still somewhat painful for Nan Zhiyun.
"It hurts..." Nan Zhiyun seemed to regain some feeling and tried to consciously pull her hand back. But Yu Jingchen was holding her, and she couldn't move. Instead, she bumped into him again because she used too much force.
Yu Jingchen could hear her cries of pain, and his brows immediately furrowed: "Still not behaving yourself? I'll just let you die of pain."
Yu Jingchen seemed a little impatient, but he consciously softened his movements considerably.
"It hurts..." Nan Zhiyun kept repeating this word. Yu Jingchen glanced at her and found that Nan Zhiyun hadn't woken up yet. What was this girl doing?
Yu Jingchen softened his grip once more and carefully cleaned Nan Zhiyun's hands. She had several small blisters on her hands, and Yu Jingchen wasn't very knowledgeable about this, unsure whether to pop them. To be on the safe side, Yu Jingchen didn't touch them, deciding to ask the imperial physician later.
After applying the medicine, Yu Jingchen closed the ointment. Nan Zhiyun had stopped sweating much, but she was still sleeping restlessly.
Yu Jingchen looked at her; Nan Zhiyun seemed incredibly fragile at this moment. Perhaps it was because she was ill, or perhaps she had always been this fragile, but he hadn't noticed it before.
Yu Jingchen suddenly felt a little dazed. He suddenly remembered Nan Zhiyun from his childhood. Back then, she loved to laugh and chattered away all the time, which was a little annoying. But it was just annoyance, not really disgust. He wasn't sure when he started to change his attitude towards Nan Zhiyun, becoming resistant to her, disgusted by her… harsh with her, and abusive towards her.
Perhaps it was due to the subtle influence, but without realizing it, his attitude changed. In fact, if Nan Zhiyun hadn't entered the palace, if she hadn't kept pestering him, then Nan Zhiyun probably wouldn't be in her current state. Perhaps she would still be as happy and carefree as before, always smiling, innocent and pure.
It's a pity she chose this path. Perhaps Yu Jingchen has already believed in her feelings for him. But to say that her feelings have moved him is perhaps not quite accurate. Prolonged indifference breeds apathy towards everything. Yu Jingchen sighed inwardly. He was somewhat confused, actually starting to hesitate. This was the first time he had ever felt such hesitation.
Nan Zhiyun's medicine was quickly prepared, and when Qianxia brought it over, Yu Jingchen was still there guarding the place. Qianxia was somewhat surprised, after all, His Majesty had actually stayed here for so long.
"Your Majesty, the Empress's medicine is ready," Qianxia said as she walked over.
"Let's feed her the medicine." Yu Jingchen stood aside, and Qianxia bowed slightly before stepping forward to feed Nan Zhiyun the medicine. However... the medicine just wouldn't go down, and Qianxia was getting anxious.
"Your Highness...did you take your medicine?" Qianxia was very worried. But no matter how Qianxia tried to feed her the medicine, she couldn't drink it; it all just flowed out of her mouth.
"Alright, put it down," Yu Jingchen said, looking at the current situation.
Qianxia hesitated for a moment, but since Yu Jingchen had already spoken, she put the medicine down. Yu Jingchen stepped forward and gently helped Nan Zhiyun up, letting her lean against him.
Qianxia was somewhat surprised by this action, but she didn't say anything. Yu Jingchen let her lean on him before picking up the medicine.
However, it was still a bit inconvenient for Yu Jingchen to feed her the medicine this way, as Nan Zhiyun still couldn't drink it. He said to Qian Xia, "You feed her the medicine."
"Yes," Qianxia replied. After Yu Jingchen put down the medicine bowl, Qianxia went to take it over and feed it to Nan Zhiyun.
At first, she couldn't be fed, but later Yu Jingchen adjusted Nan Zhiyun's position, and she was practically forced to drink it by pinching her mouth.
This bowl of medicine was difficult to drink, and Nan Zhiyun's clothes were also soiled. Qianxia felt sorry for her when she saw her like this. How much suffering had her empress endured?
"Take it away," Yu Jingchen said, seeing that the medicine was finished. Qianxia obediently took the medicine bowl away.
Nan Zhiyun leaned against Yu Jingchen's chest, her face still flushed. Yu Jingchen tested her temperature on her forehead, and it seemed to be even higher than before.
"Troublesome," Yu Jingchen said, then laid her down again and covered her with the blanket. But this time, for some unknown instinct, Nan Zhiyun gently grabbed Yu Jingchen's clothes.
The movement was actually very light, but Yu Jingchen still felt it. Looking at Nan Zhiyun's movements, Yu Jingchen seemed to hear her saying something.
"I won't leave..." Nan Zhiyun murmured these words.
Not leaving? Yu Jingchen didn't really understand what she meant. Who was this "not leaving"?
"I don't want to be alone... I won't leave," Nan Zhiyun said again. Yu Jingchen's heart stirred slightly. He gently removed Nan Zhiyun's hand and put it back under the covers.
Is she... afraid of being alone? Yu Jingchen sat down next to her, and Nan Zhiyun's furrowed brows never relaxed.
"Nan Zhiyun, what exactly do you want?" Yu Jingchen was now at a loss as to what to do with her.
Whether it was because she heard Yu Jingchen's words or not, Nan Zhiyun finally showed signs of slowly waking up. Her vision gradually became clearer, but when she saw Yu Jingchen, she was obviously dazed. Perhaps she was still dreaming?
"She's awake?" Yu Jingchen was somewhat surprised to see Nan Zhiyun wake up. Had the medicine taken effect? She woke up so quickly?
Upon seeing that it really seemed to be Yu Jingchen, Nan Zhiyun's body stiffened noticeably, her mouth became dry, and she couldn't utter a word for a moment.
Yu Jingchen observed her series of reactions, his heart stirred slightly, and then he asked, "You're surprised to see me? What's this? Are you delirious from a fever?" Yu Jingchen's voice made Nan Zhiyun's understanding become clearer and clearer.
She felt a headache, dizziness, and her body ached and felt weak. She was also thirsty...
"Want some water?" Yu Jingchen asked, quite unusually. Nan Zhiyun didn't react, only looking at Yu Jingchen timidly, her little face quite pitiful.
Yu Jingchen frowned after reading it: "If you want water, just nod. What do you mean by this?" Yu Jingchen's tone was dissatisfied, but he still went over and poured a glass of water.
Nan Zhiyun was caught off guard by this action and couldn't believe that the person in front of her was Yu Jingchen, or... what exactly did he want to do now?
"Your lips are all cracked, aren't you going to drink?" Yu Jingchen brought the water over. Nan Zhiyun was actually in a defensive stance, her body still trying to back away.
"Sit up, or how will you drink?" Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun like this and suddenly felt a little speechless.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
