Chapter 24 Peeking at You Like Me
Yu Wenxue woke up after only half an hour of sleep.
My chest ached slightly, and the wound on my back, soaked in water, was even more excruciatingly painful.
With less than a day left until the mission deadline, her time was running out.
If she fails to complete the task, she fears that this healthy body will no longer belong to her.
The rain pattered softly, and the night grew deeper and deeper until she could see nothing at all, completely becoming "blind."
She groped her way to her feet and accidentally touched something as soft as silk.
It looks familiar; it seems to be something like a sachet.
Before she could react, her wrist was gently gripped.
"Are you hungry?" Gu Yunshen asked.
"I'm not hungry." Yu Wenxue shook her head. "Second Young Master, when shall we go back?"
If she doesn't go back soon, the wound on her back will probably fester.
Gu Yun Shen rekindled the extinguished fire, revealing the girl's sleepy and charming innocence.
He looked for a long time, then lowered his eyes and said, "The rain hasn't stopped. I'll go back tomorrow morning."
"Alright."
Anyway, I can confess my feelings at night, so there's still time.
However, I probably won't be able to attend the sacrificial ceremony as scheduled, and I wonder if the Empress Dowager will be angry.
Yu Wenxue sighed and asked, "Second Young Master, can you do me a favor?"
"What kind of help?"
"If I die one day, could you scatter my ashes in the lake?"
"Being reduced to ashes is no good thing." Gu Yunshen frowned, his lips curving into a slight smile. "Aren't you most afraid of death?"
"I am afraid, but that day will come sooner or later." Yu Wenxue smiled, her breath growing weaker and her voice gradually lowering. "It would be best if I could live a few more days. If not, at least I can make arrangements for what happens after I die."
As if sensing something, Gu Yunshen reached out to touch her forehead.
There was no fever, but the pulse was weak and feeble.
Compared to when she was terminally ill when we first met, what exactly did she do to survive until now?
He raised his hand and placed it on his chest.
For the first time in my life, I actually felt uncomfortable there.
Why is he unhappy even though she's the one with a heart condition?
The feeling was strange, yet uncontrollable.
Yu Wenxue roused herself, patted her face to keep herself from falling asleep, and casually started a conversation: "Why don't you like the Marquis?"
"Why would I like him?" Gu Yunshen tried to laugh, but found he couldn't at all. He asked in return, "So, you still like him?"
"I don't like him..."
"Oh, right, you said you like me."
"..."
Whatever you say goes!
Yu Wenxue gave a forced smile and chuckled twice. Undeterred, and wanting to understand the conflict between the two brothers better, she asked again, "Has he ever bullied you?"
Gu Yun Shen finally glanced at her: "No."
With her back injured, Yu Wenxue dared not lean against the wall, so she secretly leaned against him, making good use of the readily available human cushion, and asked, "Since there's nothing wrong, and I see he treats you quite well, why don't you two become loving brothers, respectful and affectionate? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Brothers in love?" Gu Yun Shen chewed on those two words repeatedly. "That's called [illegible]."
"..."
Yu Wenxue rolled her eyes inwardly.
Why does this person always only listen to half of what others say?
Is this the key point?
She wanted to retort, but then Gu Yun Shen twirled her hair, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against her ear, his smile revealing a hint of seriousness, and said, "Since you like me, do you want to be in love with me?"
Even though she knew he was joking, Yu Wenxue was still momentarily stunned. She shrugged and said, "This will disappoint Young Master Gu. Someone said I won't live past twenty. What, do you want to be a widower?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yun Shen's mood, which had just calmed down, plummeted again, and he broke the branch he was using to add fuel to the fire.
An inexplicable irritability.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Yu Wenxue generously gave him half of her clothes.
After all, this person came to save her, and her old wrist injury almost flared up again; she couldn't be ungrateful.
Thinking about it carefully, he had saved her many times. Even though he always liked to scare people, he had never hurt her.
Thunder rumbled, and white smoke billowed from the heavy rain could be vaguely seen, while the leaves of the trees around rustled in the wind.
As she raised her hand, she pulled at the wound on her back, and she couldn't help but hiss.
The voice was very soft, but Gu Yun Shen still heard it.
He asked, "Do you have any other injuries?"
Yu Wenxue paused, then shook her head and said, "No..."
The person in front of her clearly didn't want to believe her story. He tapped his fingers a few times and said coldly, "Confess honestly or have your hands and feet broken. You choose one."
"You living devil, can't you speak normally?" Yu Wenxue muttered softly, "I have a back injury, are you going to apply medicine for me?"
Why do you think I would refuse?
Upon hearing this, Gu Yun Shen glanced at her slender neck, then drew his sword, slashed his sleeve, cut off a piece of cloth, and handed it to her: "If you are not at ease, you can blindfold me."
The rain gradually subsided, dripping onto the rocks.
It was as if the hardest part of her heart was melting away little by little, until it disappeared completely.
That's one of the downsides of ancient people; their clothing and accessories were too complicated, so much so that it took Yu Wenxue a long time to untie the sash on her chest.
Gu Yun Shen's eyes were bound with strips of cloth, but his hand holding the medicine found the exact spot. "If it hurts, just scream."
That sounds really strange.
Yu Wenxue didn't think much of it and bit her lower lip hard to keep herself from making a sound.
The wound on the thin spine was so deep that the bone was visible.
How could he find the wound so easily when his eyes were covered?
Not a single step is wasted; even with your eyes open, that would be difficult to achieve, right?
Yu Wenxue couldn't help but ask, "Isn't your dress a little see-through?"
Gu Yun Shen paused for a moment: "Not transparent."
I don't believe it.
You should believe it.
"Then let me see it." With that, Yu Wenxue turned around, ripped off the blindfold from his eyes, and held it up to her own eyes.
The Marquis's mansion treats him poorly; who knows if they might dress him in some substandard fabric?
"It really isn't transparent." She first looked with her eyes open, then took it off to compare, and indeed, she couldn't see anything.
But instead of doubting herself, she questioned others: "Did you secretly pick it just now?"
"No."
Gu Yunshen denied it.
"Then how come you can find the right spot even though you're so dark?"
"It smells bloody."
"...You have such a keen sense of smell?"
Yu Wenxue couldn't believe it: "Were you born in the Year of the Dog?"
Gu Yun Shen curled his lips into a smile: "We seem to be the same age."
"......" Okay.
Yu Wenxue also realized that he was overthinking things; he would never do something so pointless.
The air suddenly became quiet, and even time seemed to slow down.
Gu Yun Shen gave a short laugh, his gaze falling on her, and his fingers, which were taking back the strip of cloth, suddenly paused.
Under the firelight, the girl's flawless white skin dazzled the eyes.
Noticing his gaze, Yu Wenxue's face flushed red instantly, and she hurriedly tried to cover his eyes: "Why are you still keeping your eyes open!"
Ancient corsets didn't cover much and were basically just for decoration. She specially drew a sketch and asked Lin Qingwan to find someone to help her customize a new corset, which was similar in style to modern ones.
Beneath my palm, long, delicate eyelashes brushed lightly, yet a ticklish sensation spread to my heart.
Yu Wenxue feigned fierceness: "You're still opening your eyes!"
Gu Yunshen's throat bobbed, and he stopped moving.
"Close your eyes. You can only open them when I say open them."
"good."
Yu Wenxue quickly put on her clothes, and only after the bow at her chest was perfectly tied did she say, "That's it."
Why is there a scar on your chest?
"What?" Yu Wenxue stammered, "You've misread it."
"Is that so?" Gu Yun Shen scoffed lightly. "Who hurt you?"
A doctor? Who else could it be?
Yu Wenxue wouldn't be foolish enough to say she was a time traveler; he'd probably think she was crazy.
After thinking it over, she made up a reason: "When I was little, I met a bad guy and was slashed with a knife."
“A knife cut wouldn’t leave a shape like this.” Gu Yun Shen stared into her eyes: “Unless, someone wants to dig out your heart.”
Yu Wenxue fell silent.
He really knows a lot.
Gu Yun Shen continued, "Can a heart transplant cure your illness?"
"How could that be?"
Even in the 21st century with its advanced medical technology, a 100% success rate for surgery cannot be guaranteed. Under the medical conditions of ancient times, the person would likely be dead the moment the knife was inserted.
Yu Wenxue smiled wryly and said, "I'm very healthy now. I can eat and jump. There's nothing wrong with me."
As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, she stood up and paced around a few times, saying, "See? I told you..."
She fainted as soon as she stood up.
......
The grand ceremony to worship Heaven, originally scheduled for the first day of the fourth lunar month, was postponed by one day due to heavy rain.
Yu Wenxue finally woke up after being unconscious for a night.
Lin Qingwan stayed by her bedside, her eyes red and swollen, looking like she had been crying for a long time.
Seeing that she was awake, he quickly pressed her wrist to take her pulse, saying, "I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I trusted that child so easily..."
Yu Wenxue blinked, then smiled and said, "Look, I'm still alive. I'm so lucky!"
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I heard from the Second Young Master that you were seriously injured, your body riddled with cuts and wounds from the rocks..."
Lin Qingwan would stop and cry for a while after each sentence she spoke. If it were in the past, Yu Wenxue would definitely have a headache.
But not now.
It turns out there really are people who cry like this because of her safety.
However, she found it even harder to imagine the exaggerated abilities Gu Yunshen possessed.
It's riddled with holes, wouldn't that be like a sieve?
She shook her head: "How long have I been asleep?"
Lin Qingwan sniffed: "It should be eight hours from midnight last night until now."
"So long!" Yu Wenxue suddenly stood up, accidentally pulling on the wound on her back, causing her to gasp in pain.
"Then, where is the Second Young Master?"
"He left after bringing you back, and I don't know where he went." Lin Qingwan touched her forehead: "Eat something first."
Yu Wenxue's wounds on her arms and thighs were treated very well. She applied medicine immediately after getting wet in the rain, so they did not fester severely.
But she wasn't so lucky with her back. After Lin Qingwan looked at it, she told her that she must not lie flat on her back and could only sleep on her side.
There are only a few hours left; tonight is the last chance.
After the rain cleared, Yu Wenxue put on her outer robe and secretly ran out to pick a full basket of hibiscus flowers.
When Gu Rongting returned from his official duties, he went to see her first. As soon as he entered the door, he anxiously called out, "Wenxue..."
Here we go again.
Yu Wenxue braced herself for his nagging, but today Gu Rongting didn't launch into a long tirade; instead, he kept feeding her lots of delicious food.
"Xun Han asked me to bring this."
"There's medicine for wounds, pastries, and candied fruit..."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "He also told me not to disturb your rest and to talk to you less."
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who nags? When I was your age, I often found Grandma nagging too, but now I'm all grown up, and many things..."
Yu Wenxue raised her hand to interrupt him: "Don't forget the original plan."
"Alright, there's no rush. Your recovery is the priority. Wan-mei is not in the mood right now."
"No, this is an auspicious day I calculated. There will be a meteor shower tonight. If you successfully confess your love, you two will be very loving and will even have a pair of exceptionally beautiful twins!"
Seeing her so confident, Gu Rongting almost believed her, but then he thought better of it and refused her request: "No, you should recover first."
"I'm all better now, look how fast I can run, even faster than a rabbit!"
Yu Wenxue was practically ready to perform a set of military boxing moves on the spot.
After a long stalemate, Gu Rongting finally relented when Lin Qingwan's voice rang out from outside the door: "Then we'll do as you say. It wouldn't be right for you to worry about us for nothing."
"But always prioritize your health and don't overexert yourself."
As evening falls, the spring hunt's reward ceremony will begin.
Lin Qingwan was reluctant to let Yu Wenxue get out of bed, but she couldn't resist her temper, so she had no choice but to accompany her out the door and stay by her side.
Yu Wenxue glanced at the sky; everything was almost ready, and all that was missing was for everyone to arrive.
She lied and said her leg hurt, and then retreated ahead of everyone else.
Lin Qingwan stopped her, saying, "Then I'll go back with you."
Yu Wenxue: "I want to see the Second Young Master."
“This…” Lin Qingwan sighed, “Never mind, I’ll take you there.”
"No need, no need, you can stay here." Yu Wenxue smiled and pointed behind her: "The Marquis has arrived."
Lin Qingwan pursed her lips, a blush rising to her cheeks.
When she turned around, Gu Rongting was walking towards her with a flower wreath in his hand.
Yu Wenxue didn't go far. She retreated behind the flower bushes, squatted down, took out the oil-paper umbrella she had prepared beforehand, and waited quietly for good news.
She watched intently, and appeared immediately whenever Gu Rongting made a gesture.
"three."
"two."
"What are you doing here?" Gu Yun Shen didn't pick her up, but squatted down next to her and asked with interest, "Are you... peeping?"
Author's Note: Since this is my first time writing on this topic, I've been doubting myself, and with the recent poor data, I was worried my writing wasn't good enough. Thank you all for your comments, I just burst into tears! [crying emoji]
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