Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Why is she everywhere!
When he regained consciousness, it was dawn. The sunlight outside the window stung Hua Lang's eyes. He propped himself up and sat up, touching his face. The pain from Zhan Yunmei's hard slap yesterday lingered. He tried to calm the lingering fear brought on by the conflict.
His attempts to kill himself and his escape hadn't provoked Zhan Yunmei's anger; she wouldn't fight back. But now it was different. He lost his temper and struck first, and she retaliated. He couldn't tell if she was truly angry this time. He wasn't afraid of losing her; he was only worried about her taking revenge. After all, slapping someone was a humiliating act, and the consequences of humiliating a founding general were predictable.
Hua Lang remained silent and lay back down. The moment he lay down, his fingertips touched something warm, which startled him so much that he turned around abruptly. It was Zhan Yunmei.
She lay on her side at the foot of the bed, quite a distance from him. She was asleep, her eyes serene, the shadows of her eyelashes falling on them.
Hua Lang was on guard and moved back, trying to get away from her. But as soon as he moved, she woke up and looked at him with half-closed eyes.
Hua Lang felt uncomfortable looking at them and just wanted to get away, because this was the main room, Zhan Yunmei's bedroom, and they were still lying on the same couch, one at the head of the bed and the other at the foot.
"Does your face hurt?" Zhan Yunmei slowly stood up, grabbed Hua Lang's wrist, and wouldn't let him back down.
“It doesn’t hurt,” Hua Lang glared at her.
She held Hua Lang like that for a while, and all he did was glare at her, like a wild dog that was clearly timid but still pretended to be fierce. She laughed and, taking advantage of his inattention, leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips.
"It was my fault. I offended you yesterday. Please don't take it to heart," Zhan Yunmei said, releasing Hua Lang and ignoring his flushed face. She smiled as she put on her outer robe and left.
Zhan Yunmei called Yao Shuniang over and asked her about yesterday's events.
“General, Eunuch Hua Lang didn’t report to me yesterday. He ran out on his own, and I don’t know where he went. The mansion is clearly sealed off,” Yao Shuniang didn’t have a chance to explain to Zhan Yunmei yesterday. She stayed in her room and didn’t want to disturb her.
After finishing her breakfast, Zhan Yunmei wiped her mouth and said, "Next time he tries to run away, secretly send some people to follow him and protect him."
Yao Shuniang agreed.
"Hmm... While we're at it, let's check over at the market to see who injured Hua Lang yesterday."
"This servant has remembered."
.
With the establishment of the new dynasty and the pacification of the country, Zhan Yunmei was able to relax, occasionally going to the training ground to provide guidance, but mostly staying in the martial arts hall.
Geng Qi saw that she was easygoing and became even more prejudiced against her.
Is it acceptable for a general to harbor remnants of the previous dynasty? And to let those remnants roam freely, does he really think no one in the capital knows Hua Lang?
She's so unrestrained even in the capital garrison. Doesn't she feel guilty sitting in the position of general?
Thinking this, Geng Qi deliberately emphasized his words, walked to Zhan Yunmei's side, and snorted disdainfully.
Unexpectedly, Zhan Yunmei was talking to the Imperial Censor and didn't hear him at all. He was immediately annoyed, sat down in the chair, and deliberately made a louder sound as he poured tea from the bowl.
“There’s no rush to recruit soldiers next spring…” Zhan Yunmei looked in the direction of the voice, and Geng Qi turned his face away unintentionally. She turned back to him, “By the way, didn’t you say that Princess Rongning is coming to gain experience? When will she come? I need to adjust my schedule.”
The palace official said, "As for the events of the past two days, we would have to ask the princess for details. I don't know either."
Geng Qi pricked up his ears. He had heard of Princess Rongning. She was the emperor's niece and the only daughter of a prince. She was only sixteen years old this year, just a little girl.
Is this little girl coming to the drill ground too? She really treats the drill ground like her own private quarters.
"Thank you very much, Your Excellency. I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip," Zhan Yunmei said, instructing Deputy General Chen to fetch some silver for the Imperial Censor.
The palace official accepted it with a smile, bowing and smiling obsequiously.
After he left, Geng Qi said disdainfully, "With such a high rank as General Zhan, does he need to bribe people?"
Zhan Yunmei smiled but remained silent.
Deputy General Chen was not known for his good temper. Hearing Geng Qi's sarcastic tone, he glanced at him and immediately said, "Truly a brute."
"You!" Geng Qi was furious and pointed directly at Deputy General Chen. They were both men, yet Deputy General Chen was actually siding with outsiders!
After giving Geng Qi a good scolding, Deputy General Chen chuckled and said no more.
In the afternoon, Yao Shuniang found out what had happened in the market yesterday and sent someone to tell Zhan Yunmei. Zhan Yunmei was very surprised to hear this.
Although she didn't know why Hua Lang and Geng Qi had a conflict, she remembered that Geng Qi ran from her residence that night, shouting about ghosts. But apart from Hua Lang, there was no one there. In other words, Geng Qi already knew that Hua Lang was in her residence.
Could it be because Hua Lang commanded the Imperial Guards during the previous dynasty, and they had a grudge against each other? Now that they see Hua Lang in her residence, they are hostile to her as well.
Zhan Yunmei didn't think too deeply about it for the time being, but since Geng Qi had already hurt Hua Lang, she absolutely couldn't let him go.
As dinner time approached, Geng Qi prepared to remove his official robes and leave the training ground, but Zhan Yunmei specifically asked him to stay and guard the training ground all night.
Upon hearing this, Geng Qi was both angry and anxious. "Why? I've never heard of someone being temporarily promoted when they're about to be dismissed!"
Zhan Yunmei blinked and said slowly, "Is there a problem?"
"..." No problem, she's his superior, favored by the emperor, whatever she says goes, how could he possibly resist?
Geng Qi sighed, "No problem."
Zhan Yunmei said sincerely, "Thank you for your help, Deputy Geng."
Geng Qi's face showed bitterness, but he still had to agree with her, saying, "It's no trouble at all."
As Zhan Yunmei left, she instructed Deputy General Chen, "You'll be off duty earlier than Geng Qi tonight, so remember to lock the main gate from the outside."
Deputy General Chen didn't understand, but nodded, "This subordinate will remember."
What kind of revenge is this? Where is the revenge? Zhan Yunmei was just giving a small hint. She's not in a good mood.
Having spent a long time on the battlefield, even though her features were not sharp, her expression had become solemn, which was especially noticeable when she was expressionless.
So, during dinner, Hua Lang was puzzled and somewhat anxious.
Her expression was certainly unfriendly, but he hadn't caused any trouble today. Wasn't she being inappropriate with him this morning? How did she turn into such a cold-faced person by evening?
Hua Lang ate his meal quietly, pondering whether Zhan Yunmei would retaliate against him for that slap tonight.
The two ate in silence. That night, while Hua Lang was taking a bath in the bathroom, Zhan Yunmei moved her belongings to the main room and sat by the window to rest.
After Hua Lang moved into the main room, his scent filled the room—a kind of incense that Zhan Yunmei couldn't name, but it was strong enough to mask any other odors.
After Hua Lang finished bathing, Zhan Yunmei fell asleep by the window. He paused, then quietly went to sit on the couch. Unexpectedly, there was an extra soft pillow on the couch, but no extra blankets.
He narrowed his eyes menacingly, wanting Zhan Yunmei to get out, but he didn't have the right to tell her to leave. In the end, his anger swelled up in his chest, and he was angry with himself.
"Does your leg still hurt?" Zhan Yunmei asked lazily, rubbing her eyes as she stood up. She leaned against Hua Lang from behind and gently hugged him as she sat down.
Hua Lang waved her hand dismissively at Zhan Yunmei, "It doesn't hurt, just get away!"
“Oh,” Zhan Yunmei said, poking Hua Lang’s injured spot.
With just a slight poke from Zhi Xiao, Hua Lang recoiled violently in pain, groaning in pain as he suppressed it.
Hua Lang gritted his teeth and glared at Zhan Yunmei. Under his piercing gaze, Zhan Yunmei smiled and walked to the door, asking Yao Shuniang to bring ice packs and cloth.
The injury was on the inner thigh, very close to his mutilated area, but not quite there. Hua Lang only pulled down one side of his pants, covered the top of the leg tightly with the blanket, and then covered the bottom of the leg as well, leaving only the swollen part of the leg exposed.
Hua Lang felt his life was unlucky, but what could he do? It was all because Zhan Yunmei was blind and had her eyes on him.
Zhan Yunmei treated the wound very carefully, without any unnecessary movements or glances. Her calmness finally made Hua Lang feel a little better.
After Zhan Yunmei finished applying ice to his skin and gently wrapped the cloth around his neck, she inserted a finger to test the distance, as wrapping it too tightly would affect blood flow.
Hua Lang understood that Zhan Yunmei wasn't harboring any strange thoughts at the moment, but he still felt something was off; it was hard not to notice her rough fingertips touching his skin.
She didn't look up until she was sure the tightness of the wrapping was fine. When she looked up, he was very close to her, their noses almost touching.
Hua Lang quickly grabbed the blanket and backed away, turning her head to the side. But when she turned her head, all she could see was Zhan Yunmei's pillow.
Why is she everywhere?!
He was flustered and clumsy, and his micro-expressions changed repeatedly in the blink of an eye. Watching him, Zhan Yunmei's eyes unconsciously curved into a smile.
Hua Lang is very cute. Although she is fierce, she is not aggressive at all. At least he knows in his heart that she gave him his second life, so he will not hate her completely.
"Hua Lang, I saved your life and put an ice pack on you. Aren't you going to thank me?" Zhan Yunmei raised one knee, pressed it on the couch, and leaned closer.
She was too close, and Hua Lang wished she could twist her head off. She frowned and said, "How can I thank you? What more do you want in return? I have nothing and I can't help you."
"Help me? Help me with what?" Zhan Yunmei understood his implication, but she pretended not to, and gently raised her chin to lightly touch his lips.
The moment they made contact, Hua Lang recoiled as if scalded by boiling water. Zhan Yunmei reacted quickly, grabbing his waist to stop him from going too far. "Tell me, how can you help me?"
"Is this funny?" Hua Lang said angrily. "I'm a eunuch. Don't you understand what a eunuch is? Doesn't the general spend all his time with men? Doesn't he know better than I do?"
"Oh, you mean this?" Zhan Yunmei nodded as if she understood, "I didn't say I needed you."
“…?” Hua Lang stared blankly over. Zhan Yunmei seized the opportunity to step forward and kiss her. Hua Lang wanted to scold her, but she just happened to lean in, and their lips and tongues melted into each other, stirring up an ambiguous and wet heat.
Hua Lang forgot to resist. He had no idea that Zhan Yunmei was this kind of person. Before, it was just a touch, but now it had turned into a kiss, which terrified him so much that his mind went blank.
Gradually, Hua Lang began to tremble. He raised his hand to block Zhan Yunmei. He withdrew, she advanced, he withdrew again, she approached again, until her back was against the edge of the bed, with nowhere to retreat.
Zhan Yunmei rubbed the inside of Hua Lang's lips with the tip of her teeth. Pain and itchiness came at the same time. His breathing became faster and heavier involuntarily, and his face turned red all the way to his ears.
After a long while, Zhan Yunmei released Hua Lang and said with a smile, "Hua Lang, you are very cute."
"Get out...get out!"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Seeing over two hundred bottles of nutrient solution startled me. [frightened]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
