Chapter 141: Back to Drizzle
From the moment she fell asleep, Xie Huailing knew she was going to get sick.
Traveling day and night, working tirelessly day and night, coupled with half a month of overwork and her body just recovered from a fire, and then traversing through torrential rain—it was no wonder she fell ill. At this rate, anyone would have become extremely sick, but she was the bravest one, stubbornly holding on until she managed to rescue Su Mengzhen.
She didn't know how long she had slept. The grayness seemed endless, and she didn't dream. She just kept sinking and occasionally rising frantically. In this darkness, she didn't think about anything or worry about anything. She knew she could sleep peacefully, and as for finding a doctor, seeing a physician, and taking medicine, someone would naturally take care of that for her.
She just needs to fall asleep, as soft as a feather.
The feathers drifted endlessly. Along the way, the scorching heat tormented her, and she drifted with the heat. Sometimes she would feel pain somewhere, or a heart-wrenching cough would burst from her chest, only to disappear suddenly as if it were just an illusion. Sometimes she would taste a long, not bitter, medicinal flavor in her mouth, and she would think to herself that Doctor Shu's taste in medicine had finally changed a bit, touching the edge of her tolerance. Any more bitter and she would definitely spit it out.
Sometimes, she would feel someone wiping her face and cleaning the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't a maid; a maid's movements would be softer. The person who touched her hesitated slightly and then left immediately.
So who is it? Xie Huailing didn't know either. The higher-ups said not to expect a patient to be able to think like they've been lubricated at this time.
Sometimes, she would hear voices, intermittent and not soft. It wasn't that the people were speaking quietly; she was just drowsy and could only make out one sentence at a time.
Half of the talking was done by Bai Feifei, who would say a few words about her health and then a few words about Liu Fenbantang (none of which were kind). Xie Huailing wondered where she got those words from; she wasn't usually that talkative. If she had so much to say, she might as well save it for when Bai Feifei woke up and argue with her. Two people arguing is always more satisfying than one person arguing.
The other half was a jumble of voices: maids whispering about her illness; Shaman finally managing to utter a concerned sentence; and Lin Shiyin's rambling…
And then, you could sometimes hear Su Mengzhen's voice.
He didn't speak to her while she was unconscious; Su Mengzhen didn't have that habit. He spoke only to those who cared for her and visited her, at different times, but the only constant was that they all came from her bedside. She didn't know how many times a day he would come, or if he was always there, but in any case, Su Mengzhen tirelessly inquired about her condition, how well she slept the previous night, what kind of porridge he had fed her that day—leaving no detail unattended.
She had also overheard him talking to Doctor Shu. He must have tasted her medicine and was discussing with Doctor Shu whether the bitterness could be reduced further. Doctor Shu said good medicine tastes bitter and advised Su Mengzhen not to indulge her too much and not to spoil her any further. It turned out she had praised him wrongly; almost a year had passed, and Doctor Shu's taste was still as bad as ever.
Xie Huailing thought to herself, "Why not just not change it at all? Who knows, it might wake her up from her near-death state."
But she only complained, and after complaining, she didn't think about it anymore. Firstly, being woken up by pain sounded worse than dying, and secondly, she just found the dreamless slumber too boring and needed to find something to think about.
As she drifted further into sleep, she truly lost consciousness, swaying in the darkness, unable to hear or think anything. This obscurity pulled her away and surrounded her. She only knew that she wouldn't die, but she didn't know when it would end or when it would be over.
Until the feathers fell to the ground and more than half of the heat dissipated, she could hear some sounds again. Then, at this moment of extreme exhaustion, a sliver of light opened the crack in her eyelids, and a bright light rushed in, giving her the real feeling of returning to the world.
The first thing you see, unsurprisingly, is the carved tatami ceiling.
How long it had been since she slept in this bed had become a question Xie Huailing needed to calculate. She used to be someone who couldn't sleep in a particular bed, but three months of travel had smoothed out her rough edges. The experience of almost dying from sleeping in the Divine Marquis's mansion for just one night was no longer possible. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, and then—
A hand reached out, its knuckles deeply defined, its color even more sickly than before, and covered her forehead, checking her temperature.
"She's awake." Su Mengzhen's words came faster than her reaction; she didn't even have time to finish her reflection.
This time, without the screen, she touched his chilling hand, and Xie Huailing realized that her fever hadn't subsided and how incredibly hot she must be. Then, belatedly, she noticed that her internal organs were still burning, just on a different scale. She turned her head, her body still steaming, and saw Su Mengzhen sitting beside her bed, dressed in light gray, his eyes shining as he gazed at her.
Xie Huailing wanted to say something, but she hadn't prepared enough. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter the first syllable; her throat felt unbearably hot. She raised her voice a little, and a soft, gentle voice slowly drifted out: "...Mmm."
She was stunned after saying that. Her voice was so weak and frail. She decided that she had to see Bai Feifei immediately and disgust her without delay.
But before that, there was something more important. Now that she was awake, she absolutely had to ask about this first, even though she was ill: "How are things going? What are the movements of the Six and a Half Hall and Cai Jing? What about Bai Feifei? She's been a great help. And what about the Southern Prince's Mansion, Wang Yunmeng, and Fu Zongshu...?"
She did so much, and had so much to say, all of it bursting out like a flood. As long as she was awake, she never stopped thinking about the situation, never stopped thinking about the grand plan.
After she finished speaking, Su Mengzhen said reassuringly, "I have already made arrangements for Miss Bai. From now on, you will be staying at the Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Pavilion. I will never forget her contributions. As for more detailed arrangements and other developments, she said she would wait until you are in good spirits before discussing them. Don't worry, everything is fine. As for the things you wanted to discuss with me, Miss Bai has already told me most of them on your behalf. If you still want to talk to me about them, at least do it tomorrow. Take good care of your health."
As for his appearance at this moment, there seemed to be some changes. After touching her face, he hesitated for a moment and then touched her forehead, telling her to open her eyes wide to look. But his features were softer, and his face still hadn't gained any weight. Perhaps this was more a sign of genuine concern. When this concern came, Su Mengzhen also became gentle, not to mention how weak she was.
However, Xie Huailing was still the same Xie Huailing, staring at him and saying regretfully, "It has to be tomorrow."
There's no way to wait until tomorrow; time is precious, time is life. She was confident in her plan, certain that Zhao Mengyun would understand her arrangements and help her shift the blame, and also confident that Cai Jing wouldn't cause trouble—he didn't have the time; the news of Fu Zongshu's death would only reach him in the next couple of days, and he would inevitably face a short-term loss of power.
Therefore, she still needs to talk to Grand Tutor Li about how to make good use of this time. There are too many other preparations to be made. She has always advocated killing three birds with one stone, and she will definitely not be satisfied until she gains some more benefits.
He didn't know what she was thinking, but he could guess she wouldn't stay still. Su Mengzhen felt the temperature of her forehead; thankfully, it wasn't as hot as yesterday. After thinking it over, he finally gave in and said, "If you're still worried, just tell me what to do. Rest and recuperation are the priority. How are you feeling?"
Xie Huailing finally agreed, wrapped in the quilt, her face flushed with a sickly red. Even though she was awake, she didn't look very clear-headed. She quietly placed herself in his hand: "Not good. I'm dizzy and hot. Master, am I really cooked?"
"Nonsense."
"Just kidding. I slept for a few days?"
"Two days," Su Mengzhen replied.
"Overwork has led to illness, the burns haven't healed, and then she caught a cold, forcing her body to continue her illness." He listed her illness as if reciting a menu, but didn't say anything bad about her. He withdrew his hand and covered her with the blanket. "Dr. Shu said that she is still far from fully recovered and needs to rest for another half month. Fortunately, it won't leave any lasting effects. If there are no recurring symptoms after half a month, she will be fully recovered."
Xie Huailing looked on expectantly. Although she was a lazy person, being sick was still too much to bear. She asked again, "How long will it take for my fever to break? Can I not stay in bed?"
The unhealthy fever still lingered on her fingertips. Looking at this truly pitiful person, Su Mengzhen felt worried and had an urge to sigh: "After taking today's medicine, the fever should subside by tomorrow morning. You can get up and walk around, but you are not allowed to go out. I will have someone keep an eye on you."
Xie Huailing didn't need to go out, so it wasn't a restriction for her at all. After listening, she nodded. Although she didn't have much strength and felt uncomfortable anywhere in her body, she still naturally started to tormenting people and said, "Then can I ask Bai Feifei to come and keep me company?"
What she was actually asking was whether Bai Feifei could enter this building, since it was also where Su Mengzhen was located.
Su Mengzhen readily agreed: "Sure, if you want to."
Xie Huailing nodded again and shrank even deeper into the blankets.
The two remained silent, and Su Mengzhen continued reading his documents. When she awoke, the maid had gone to fetch the doctor, leaving only the two of them in the bedroom. Now, it was quiet and peaceful, and both were at ease.
Feeling extremely weak, Xie Huailing wanted to sleep again. She blinked, not quite roused, but decided to consider it an effort she had made. She slowly pulled the blanket over her lips and quietly closed her eyes.
Su Mengzhen clearly hadn't looked at her, but somehow she noticed. She tapped the edge of her bed with her knuckles and said, "Wait for the doctor to come."
"Oh." Xie Huailing pulled the blanket down again.
But she still felt sleepy, and after less than two seconds, she turned back to her side. Thinking of his unusually kind attitude today, she decided to bother Su Mengzhen again, intending to cause him some trouble so she wouldn't fall asleep: "Master, Master, Master, Master..."
Then, when Su Mengzhen looked up at her, he asked, "If Bai Feifei has something to do, and I'm bored, who can I ask to keep me company?"
Who should she look for? She only has a few friends, and she's introduced them all to him. Apart from Bai Feifei, no one else is in Bianjing. As for Shaman, spending all her time with Xie Huailing is less appealing than working overtime. This is indeed a problem.
Just as Su Mengzhen was about to think about it, Xie Huailing's eyes drifted over, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow: "Can I look for you?"
He then realized that it was another malicious scheme.
Seeing that he was gentler than usual today, she decided to provoke him again. She sometimes couldn't stand not getting a word in edgewise, a sentiment Bai Feifei, besides Su Mengzhen, should understand all too well. Logically speaking, wouldn't Su Mengzhen be busier than Bai Feifei? And even if he did have time for her, who knew what other tricks she would pull, or how much more demanding she would become? In the past, he would have already called her out by name.
But Su Mengzhen said, "Okay."
Xie Huailing tilted her head and stared straight at him.
It's interesting, extremely interesting.
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Ms. Xie: What is this? A limited-edition, gentle version of my boss. Click here!
The next chapter will describe Ms. Bai Feifei taking office.
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