"Yuanyuan, you're finally awake. Do you know how many days you've been unconscious?"
Seeing Shen Yuan open her eyes, Chu Yuning's face flashed with a hint of smugness. He took Shen Yuan's hand and said gently, "Yuan Yuan, you scared me to death. I thought you would never wake up again!"
Shen Yuan stared at the man in front of her in disbelief. How could she...?
Wasn't she sleeping in her room just now? How come Chu Yuning is in her room?
"Yuanyuan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Chu Yuning asked with concern.
Shen Yuan coldly pulled her hand away from Chu Yuning's. "Who told you to come to my house! Get out! Otherwise, I'll report you to the authorities for trespassing!"
“Yuanyuan…” Chu Yuning blinked in confusion, “This is my home! Don’t you remember?”
"Your home?"
Shen Yuan froze. She stared at the smile on Chu Yuning's face and felt a chill run down her spine. Goosebumps crawled from her arms to her back.
Why is she at Chu Yuning's house? What exactly is going on?
Shen Yuan threw off the covers and got out of bed, saying as she looked for her shoes, "I want to go back to my pharmacy!"
"What pharmacy? What nonsense are you talking about? Have you lost your mind from being flooded?" Chu Yuning suddenly grabbed Shen Yuan's arm as she tried to put on her shoes, her strength making it impossible for her to break free.
He gripped Shen Yuan's arm tightly and coaxed, "Be good! Lie down properly. The doctor said you caught a cold after falling into the water. You can't be exposed to the wind, and you absolutely can't go outside!"
"Fell into the water?" Shen Yuan was startled. She clutched Chu Yuning's robe, the smooth feel of the brocade sending a chill down her spine.
This is the finest cloud-patterned brocade, costing ten gold coins per foot. Chu Yuning could never afford it before she passed the imperial examination! Unless, of course, the person before her was Chu Yuning, who had already passed the examination with top honors and become the princess's consort!
How is that possible?
Didn't she die and go back to seven years ago?
Was her so-called rebirth really just a dream?
Now, it's time to wake up from the dream.
Seeing Shen Yuan's confusion, Chu Yuning said softly, "Yuan Yuan, I'm sorry! I know that the princess and I pushed you into the water and hurt you. But I really had no choice at the time."
“I come from a poor family and have no official position or real power, how dare I disobey the princess? So I can only wait until the princess has vented her anger before secretly pulling you out of the lake.”
"Fortunately, the princess thought you were dead and didn't know that I was keeping you in this house. Just stay here peacefully, I will come to see you every month."
"From now on, you will be the mistress of this house. When you recover, we will get married in this house, with heaven and earth as our matchmaker and the Milky Way as our betrothal gift. I only wish that you will be my one and only wife."
"absurd!"
Shen Yuan shouted and pushed Chu Yuning away.
How could she possibly be kept in this private residence by Chu Yuning as his mistress?
That's absolutely impossible!
Shen Yuan ripped the silver hairpin from her hair and, without hesitation, stabbed it at Chu Yuning. "You're dreaming! I will never marry you in this lifetime! Even if I die, I will never marry you!"
"Why?" Chu Yuning gripped Shen Yuan's hand tightly. The silver hairpin pierced their palms a little further, and blood flowed out, staining Chu Yuning's moon-colored robe red.
Shen Yuan's pupils contracted; she hadn't expected Chu Yuning to shove that hairpin into her heart.
"Why don't you want to marry me? Haven't you always wanted to marry me? Yuanyuan, have you forgotten that you used to like me a lot? You liked me for so many years. Have you forgotten all of that?"
Chu Yuning's eyes were red and bloodshot, and a tear slid down from the corner of his eye, landing on the back of Shen Yuan's hand that was holding the silver hairpin.
Shen Yuan suddenly felt a little flustered.
No! This isn't right! This is all fake!
Suddenly, a loud banging on the door rang in her ears. Shen Yuan sat up abruptly in bed, her chest heaving. She gasped for breath and looked at the familiar furnishings in the room.
She returned to the pharmacy.
It was a dream!
Everything I just saw was a dream!
Shen Yuan clutched her chest, finding the dream she had tonight utterly ridiculous. If she had truly died at Tranquil Lake in her previous life, Chu Yuning would have felt no regret or remorse.
"Yuanyuan! Cough cough cough! Fire! Get out quickly!"
Outside the door, Granny Liu pounded on the door loudly.
Shen Yuan turned to look out the window. Through the paper window, she could vaguely see the firelight outside. She quickly got out of bed, ran to the door, and opened it.
When Granny Liu saw Shen Yuan come out, she quickly grabbed Shen Yuan's hand, "Oh my! You're finally awake! The fire has spread from the backyard to the frontyard! If we had been any later, none of us would have been able to get out!"
Outside the door, flames soared into the sky.
It's unclear where the fire started, but the woodshed, outhouse, and kitchen in the backyard all caught fire. Flames leaped everywhere, burning most of the eaves of the backyard to ashes, and the fire seemed poised to spread to the two-story building in front.
The downstairs area is full of the medicinal herbs she collected!
Shen Yuan's heart tightened suddenly. She took Liu Mama's hand and ran downstairs quickly.
Just as she was about to descend the steps, Granny Liu lost her footing and stepped into the air, instantly losing her balance and falling forward.
"Grandma!" Shen Yuan exclaimed in surprise, falling to the ground first.
Granny Liu crashed heavily onto Shen Yuan, and the two of them tumbled down the stairs.
Shen Yuan coughed twice in pain, but fortunately Liu Mama was alright. She was old and couldn't withstand such a fall.
Shen Yuan helped Liu Mama up, and the two ran to the street outside the pharmacy. Shen Yuan told Liu Mama to sit for a while in the shed in front of the jewelry shop across the street, and then turned around and ran into the courtyard.
Granny Liu quickly grabbed her, "Why are you going back? The whole place is on fire!"
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