Chapter 69
Luo Yan took the booklet and flipped through it, then said with a sigh of relief, "Now the evidence is irrefutable."
She returned it to Zhu Yun, instructing him to keep it safe and return it to its rightful owner once Cui Wuyang returned, thus completing her mission successfully.
"Please bear with it for the next few months. Minor squabbles are fine, but don't risk your life." Luo Yan shook his arm. "I'm begging you."
Zhu Yun nodded: "We'll leave after we give him the list. We won't need to see him again, so we naturally won't cause him any trouble."
The plot involving poisoning has been avoided, and it has even done the protagonist a great favor. Although grudges are hard to erase, there is no need to worry that the two of them will end up in a life-or-death battle.
Luo Yan agreed, saying, "My cousin will eventually return to the capital. Once he ascends to that position, we won't be able to see him even if we want to."
Luo Yan deliberately slowed her pace, listening to Yang Si say affectionately, "If you really don't want to divorce your wife, I'll make the sacrifice and be your second wife."
Zhu Yun ignored him and looked at the servants of the Yang family who were carrying things in the distance.
Yang Sizheng was getting into the swing of things and, without any discouragement, continued, "Don't underestimate my father just because he's only a minor county magistrate. He actually has quite a background, and the person he relies on has a lot of influence in the court."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yun glanced at him indifferently, her tone mocking: "I know."
Miss Yang was still young and didn't know how to read people's expressions. Especially with her heart filled with her husband's seemingly radiant eyes, she couldn't help but blush. She twisted her handkerchief between her fingers and said, "Since you understand, why don't you marry me and enjoy the wealth and honor that you could never have in several lifetimes? Why bother being a lowly merchant?"
Luo Yan felt a tightness in her chest after hearing this, and her hands, which were hidden in her sleeves, clenched into fists.
Little did she know, Qingyang reacted even more intensely, urging her urgently, "Madam, are you just going to stand by and watch others humiliate the young master like this?"
"Humiliation?" She was slightly taken aback. "Why go to such lengths?"
The shoving still caught the attention of the two people in the pavilion. Luo Yan hurriedly composed herself, abandoning her indifferent expression, and called out to Zhu Yun in a high-pitched voice, "Husband~"
Zhu Yun felt a tingling sensation in one ear.
Qingyang then revealed a relieved and gratified smile.
"A bridge is a bridge, a road is a road"—these six words were like a wake-up call, alerting Zhu Yun and exposing his less-than-honorable selfishness.
As the time for parting came, Zhu Yun handed her a candied fruit. She subconsciously opened her lips and put a piece of her long, porcelain-white finger into her mouth.
He could feel it with perfect clarity—his fingertips were pressing against the girl's wet, slippery tongue, and the slight pressure from her teeth biting down was not painful at all; instead, it felt like a silent attempt to hold him back, to entwine him, and to cherish him.
All was silent, except for the strong, frantic beating of his heart.
Luo Yan was also stunned by the sudden intimate contact. She blinked slowly and saw that Zhu Yun's face was visibly flushed with a rosy hue.
The awkwardness of being concealed made it impossible for the usual aloofness and indifference to coalesce again. It was as if gods and Buddhas had fallen to the mortal world, attracting the atmosphere of everyday life, and becoming more vivid and lively.
Perhaps it was the intensity of her gaze, for Zhu Yun's voice trembled slightly as he said with difficulty, "Give in..."
Luo Yan seemed to wake from a dream, and hurriedly swallowed the candied fruit, the sweetness spreading from her taste buds to the depths of her heart.
She coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkwardness: "Is there anything else?"
"Yes." Zhu Yun shoved the bowl and plate into her hands, his chest heaving.
Seeing his eagerness to avoid her, Luo Yan felt annoyed and deliberately challenged him, "You feed me."
Zhu Yun's gaze faltered slightly, and her breathing, which had just calmed down, became erratic again.
However, in his contest with Luo Yan, he never seemed to have the upper hand. After a moment of stalemate, Zhu Yun picked up a plump, colorful candied fruit and, feigning composure, offered it to her lips.
Luo Yan swallowed it with a smug look on her face, but this time, she kept her distance and did not touch each other.
After feeding her half a dish in a strange manner, Zhu Yun's expression returned to normal. He washed his fingers, wiped Luo Yan's temples and forehead, and seriously considered that he would need to buy a few maids to serve her in the future.
Luo Yan gradually regained her strength and was no longer sleepy. Reluctant to let Zhu Yun go, she took out a storybook from beside her pillow and looked at him hopefully: "Read it to me."
The more someone ordered him around, the more adept he became at doing it.
"Hurry up, hurry up." Luo Yan folded the cool handkerchief in front of her forehead, letting Zhu Yun know which chapter she had read to, and crossed her hands, pretending to listen attentively.
After a long silence, Zhu Yun raised an eyebrow with a hint of frustration, bent his fingers slightly, and conceded, "A quarter of an hour."
She had already closed her eyes comfortably and replied lazily, "Fifteen minutes it is."
Zhu Yun's voice was clear and melodious, like the sound of jade striking the ground or frost falling, and at this moment it carried a subtle hoarseness that was exceptionally alluring. Luo Yan didn't even last a quarter of an hour before falling into a deep sleep with a faint smile on her face.
The hour of Yin has arrived, and even the chirping of insects has ceased.
Seeing that Luo Yan's complexion had improved, he changed the damp cloth one last time, tucked the blanket in, and left quietly.
Qingyan was standing guard outside the door with his sword. He followed Zhu Yun back to the room and reported the whereabouts of the Lin couple that had been sent by carrier pigeon. After a pause, he tentatively asked, "Master, you seem to care too much about Miss Luo."
It was because he didn't want to part ways.
Seeing Zhu Yun remain silent for a long time, his brows and eyes as cold as if they were frozen, Luo Yan bit her lip guiltily and began to reflect: She hadn't said anything harsh just now, so why did he look so devastated? Could it be that he really had something to do with some princess?
Completely baffled, she leaned closer and poked Zhu Yun's cheek with her finger: "Hey—"
Zhu Yun looked up at the sound, her eyebrows slightly raised, her eyes asking a question.
Luo Yan's heart softened at his innocent gaze, and her tone immediately lowered as she playfully scolded, "I'm still sick, you're not allowed to bully me."
Zhu Yun responded instinctively, then belatedly realized he had moved her fingertips away and was now holding her hand instead: "When have I ever bullied you?"
She was both unreasonable and defiant: "You all eat and drink well, but I only get plain porridge. Isn't that bullying? And you actually compared me to other women."
"I see."
The crux of the matter lies in this last sentence.
Zhu Yun followed up by asking, "How can I apologize and appease the young lady?"
"I wasn't angry." Luo Yan withdrew her hand.
He couldn't help but smile, and quickly changed his words, saying, "How can I apologize and make up for my mistake?"
His tone was extremely sincere.
Yan was so pleased with herself that, despite her efforts to restrain herself, her almond-shaped eyes still curved into crescent shapes. She said, "Considering your sincerity, I'd like to go release a sky lantern! Even if you're busy, you'll have to come with me."
Zhu Yun smiled and said, "Okay." Luo Yan: "..."
Was the acting overdone?
Fortunately, although her appearance was concealed, it was still not as plain as Zhu Yun's; her features were quite delicate and charming. Yang Si was so focused on examining his enemy's appearance that he didn't notice her sickeningly sweet voice.
Zhu Yun took three steps in two, passing Yang Si, and stepped forward with a faint smile, her tone gentle and tender: "Why has Madam come out?"
Yang Si was completely taken aback, never expecting that the aloof and unapproachable gentleman also had a tender side. He stared at him, his eyes wide with disbelief.
But then Luo Yan familiarly wrapped her arms around his, pouted her lips, and said with a mournful tone, "I miss you so much since you haven't come back yet."
Zhu Yun knew it was all an act, but she couldn't help but blush, forcing herself to look at him and saying, "It's my fault."
Enraged at being completely ignored, Yang Si shouted, "Hey!"
Luo Yan, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, leaned her face close to his, feigning shyness, and whispered, "Have you finished with your business?"
"Okay." Zhu Yun put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go."
The two nestled intimately together, their figures perfectly matched.
Feeling comforted, Qingyang turned around and stopped Miss Yang, who was chasing after him, and gave a casual bow: "Farewell."
How sudden. Just as she was about to struggle, the wet cloth was covered again, and Zhu Yun's clear voice rang in her ear, saying, "Don't move."
As if frozen in place, Luo Yan obediently allowed the old man to insert needles into her fingertips. Only the sensation on the back of her neck told her that she was resting her head on Zhu Yun's lap.
"It's just a common cold. Madam is in good health and will recover quickly with a few days of rest," the old man replied to Zhu Yun, then respectfully withdrew with his medicine box. A servant followed the young physician to the kitchen to prepare the medicine.
Thank you.
Luo Yan reacted more slowly than usual, and after a long while, she turned her head and asked, "Why are you in my room?"
She had only asked casually, but the listener took it to heart and seemed to be accusing Zhu Yun of being a lecher. He blushed slightly and quickly helped her sit up, saying apologetically, "I came to deliver some ointment to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis last night. I saw that the light in your room was still on, but no one was responding, so I was worried that something had happened and went in on my own."
"Oh." Luo Yan rubbed her temples. "She must have sweated and been exposed to the wind for a long time, so she caught a cold."
A few strands of black hair clung to her jade-like cheeks, her lips were pale, and she appeared so delicate that she inexplicably aroused pity in those around her.
Zhu Yun's eyes softened, and she wrung out the handkerchief again, handing it to her: "Wipe it again."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yan leaned towards him, bringing her face close, and said in a voice as melodious as a nightingale, "It's all your fault, you have to take responsibility."
Meeting the girl's ambiguous gaze, Zhu Yun lowered his eyes, his face as unapproachable as a flower on a mountain peak, but his ears were already red: "Just now... it was an expedient measure in an emergency. Now that you are awake, I'm afraid it's not appropriate."
She was about to tease him a bit more when Qingyan brought over a dark, murky medicine and called out through the screen, "Master."
Zhu Yun breathed a sigh of relief, got up to take the money, and brought over a plate of candied fruit.
A bitter smell filled the tent, and Luo Yan frowned: "I won't drink it."
"Good medicine tastes bitter." Zhu Yun was anxious but helpless, so he spoke even more gently, "Wouldn't it be better to drink some candied fruit to help you recover sooner?"
Luo Yan pouted: "I'm not a three-year-old child."
Luo Yan blushed and pressed her lips to his. The touch was soft and moist, so she couldn't help but rub them a few times. After she had played with him enough, she slowly sat back down on the low stool.
He had almost finished washing and asked Luo Yan to hand him a towel, where he leisurely dried himself off.
Because there was nothing to cover it up, a certain spot stood out, and Luo Yan pretended to casually glance at it.
She had never seen it asleep before, and she hadn't expected it to be so impressive even while quietly dormant. However, its soft appearance and gentle demeanor made her unable to believe that it would become so fierce after waking up.
It's pink.
Luo Yan was so curious that she was completely unaware that half of her body was turning around as she was openly watching.
Zhu Yun's ears instantly burned, but she didn't show it on her face. She held the finger and pointed at her, saying, "Look again, it's going to get bigger again."
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