Chapter 83 *End of Main Text*
The next day, as dawn broke and the warm winter sun began to appear.
Chenfeng Academy —
Mu Geng carried a basin of water and quietly pushed open the door to the main room.
As soon as I went around the screen and entered the inner room, I saw that the person on the bed had already woken up and was reaching out to reach the cups on the small wooden table next to him.
Mu Geng was stunned, then overjoyed, "My lord, you've finally woken up!"
Chu Xiao looked up, his gaze sweeping over the area behind him, and his first words were, "Where is she?"
Mu Geng quickly put down the basin of water, hurried to the bedside, handed him the cup, and replied, "Miss Shen has been taking care of you for several days and only rested yesterday. I will go and inform her right away!"
After saying that, he turned to leave, but was stopped by Chu Xiao.
The man had just woken up, his voice hoarse, "No need to go."
"Don't wake her, let her rest."
“...Okay,” Mu Geng stood to the side grinning foolishly, “I’ll go and inform Uncle Chen to have Doctor Lin come over and take another look at you.”
“Hmm,” this time Chu Xiao didn’t stop him.
Uncle Chen and Doctor Lin arrived quickly. The latter took Chu Xiao's pulse and checked his temperature, then smiled and said, "The Duke of Zhenguo is indeed a lucky man."
Although he lay in bed unconscious for several days, his speed of recovery is something that ordinary people can hardly achieve.
It must be because he was always healthy and strong, otherwise he wouldn't have recovered so quickly.
"Take the medicine prescribed yesterday on time every day. Eat a light diet for the next few days after waking up, and you will be fully recovered soon."
"Very good!"
Everyone present was delighted. Chu Xiao looked at Lin Gu and said earnestly, "Thank you for your help during this time, Doctor Lin."
“This is a doctor’s duty,” Lin Gu said with a smile and a wave of his hand. “In that case, I will return to Baicaotang first.”
Chu Xiao nodded slightly, looked up at Uncle Chen, and Uncle Chen understood and saw Lin Gu out.
The door closed, and Chu Xiao immediately lifted the brocade quilt, saying, "Change your clothes."
Mu Geng was puzzled. "My lord, you just woke up. Where are you going?"
"Go next door."
Shen You was resting, and he didn't want her to come over, so he went over by himself.
In the bitter cold of winter, a chilling wind rushes towards you as soon as you step out of the door.
Outside, the sunlight was warm and soft, casting the man's tall shadow long on the ground.
The floor heater in the side room was burning warmly, while in the bedroom, Shen You was fast asleep.
More than ten days have passed since Chu Xiao was poisoned, and she has been on edge the whole time. Until yesterday when she saw him wake up, although he was delirious with fever, Doctor Lin said that he was fine.
Shen You felt a little relieved and slept soundly for a long time.
At this very moment, the man she was worried about was sitting by her bedside, looking at her with tenderness and a hint of guilt in his eyes.
"Shen You, are you disappointed in me?"
He remembered everything in his dream while he was unconscious, and was able to recall that when he left the capital for the border, he did indeed save a little girl in the snow on the outskirts of Lin'an.
Later, whether they reunited in Qingxi Town after their marriage, or after their divorce and return to Lin'an City, he failed to recognize her.
Shen Youying was disappointed in him.
Thinking of this, Chu Xiao felt as if his breath was being choked, and a sense of guilt washed over him like a tidal wave.
He took her hand, pressed it against his cheek, gently rubbed it, and whispered, "Chen You, I'm sorry."
He had disappointed her too many times, but now Shen You was still willing to give him a chance to stay by her side.
He must have done many good deeds in his past life to be able to meet her in this life.
Chu Xiao's gaze fell on her face.
Perhaps because she had been living an uneasy life lately, she even frowned slightly when she slept. Although she was in a deep sleep, she was hiding a little unease.
She had lost a lot of weight in just a few days, and her face was so pale it was heartbreaking.
Chu Xiao's heart pounded harder and harder. He turned his head slightly and gently kissed her palm.
A moment later, the tall body bent down.
However, just before the tender, warm kiss was about to land, Shen You suddenly let out a soft groan, and then slowly opened her eyes.
Their eyes met, and she blinked blankly, somewhat taken aback. "Are you going to steal a kiss from me?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized, "Chu Xiao, you're awake!"
Shen You tried to sit up, but he pressed down on her shoulder. "Don't get up."
Chu Xiao took off his cloak, lifted the corner of the quilt, and lay down next to her, saying, "I'll sleep with you a little longer."
But she was already fully awake. He pulled her back into bed, but she sat up abruptly. "Why didn't you rest properly? Why did you come here?"
She reached out to check his forehead temperature and was relieved to find that his fever had completely subsided.
Chu Xiao held her hand with one hand and gripped her waist with the other, pulling her close and pressing his leg against her.
He pulled her into his arms in an extremely entangled way.
“Chen You…”
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly; for a moment, he had so much to say, but in the end, all those words were reduced to just two sentences.
"Thank you."
"I love you."
Shen You's heart skipped a beat, and his heartbeat became rapid and heavy in an instant.
But upon waking up and hearing such a direct confession, Shen You took a deep breath and wondered if the man was still not thinking clearly.
Why are you suddenly bringing this up?
After their reunion, Chu Xiao expressed his love for her in many ways, whether it was through jealousy, clinginess, or carefully lowering his stance. Even in bed, she could feel that he put her first.
But this was the first time she had ever heard "I love you" so directly.
Shen You shifted her position in his arms, turned around, and looked up at him intently.
The two lay in the same bed, the man's body temperature returned to normal, and he felt like a large heater in the winter.
The bed was warm, and even his breath was hot.
Chu Xiao tightened his grip on her arm. "Shen You, I remember what you said."
"You won't abandon me, will you?"
He was referring to Shen You's response to him when he groggily said those things after waking up yesterday.
Shen You looked somewhat uncomfortable and pursed her lips without answering.
But Chu Xiao could already read her answer from that silence.
He buried his head in the side of her neck, nuzzled her gently, and whispered, "I'm sorry."
She was only wearing a loose undergarment, and with him jostling her like that, her clothes were already disheveled.
His breath hit her directly, almost burning her heart.
His high, straight nose pressed against her delicate, soft skin without any obstruction.
Shen You's heart raced even faster. Barely managing to stay calm, she asked him, "Why did you suddenly apologize?"
He lifted his head from her chest and looked at her intently. "I remember now."
"Ten years ago, we met in the snow outside Lin'an City, didn't we?"
Shen You was stunned. "...You remembered?"
“I remember now,” he said, adding that he had to thank the delirious dreams he had after his injury, which awakened his memories of that time.
"I'm sorry, I only recognized you now."
Back in Qingxi Town, when she married him with high hopes, she did secretly wish that he would recognize her.
But years of disappointment taught her to convince herself. That year, the snow and frost blinded her, and she was wrapped up in layers of clothing, leaving only her eyes exposed.
It's perfectly normal for him not to know that the little girl was her.
However, the girl's feelings were ultimately tinged with some regret.
However, these regrets were quickly overshadowed by his indifference and the letter of divorce, and the disappointment was even greater, but it was no longer because of the same thing.
Shen You pursed her lips and smiled lightly, "Back then, I was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, so you didn't know what I looked like and naturally wouldn't recognize me."
"No need to apologize."
“No, I have to say it,” he said, burying his face in her arms again, his voice filled with disappointment.
He owed her so much, and although it couldn't be erased with just a few "I'm sorry"s, he couldn't leave it unsaid.
Shen You let him hold her, placed her hands on his waist, and gently hugged him back, enjoying this rare moment of tenderness.
After a moment, as if she had thought of something, she got down to business, "Shen Yao, what do you plan to do?"
"How do you want to handle this?"
Chu Xiao asked for her opinion.
“When Qi Jinling was being interrogated, I heard him cursing Shen Yao.”
Shen Yao was used as a pawn by Qi Jinling to monitor Shen Xiangning in the Shen family. However, Shen Xiangning had been sent out of the Chengde Marquis's mansion by Qi Jinling long ago, but Qi Jinling was completely unaware of this.
It was obvious that Shen Yao had not revealed Shen Xiangning's whereabouts to Qi Jinling, and had even kept it a secret.
Shen You didn't want to investigate whether Shen Yao had a change of heart at the last moment, after all, he had indeed done a lot of things to hurt her before.
Moreover, Qi Jinling is a remnant of Qi Wulin's faction, and the mere fact that she knew about it but failed to report it is enough to sentence Shen Yao to death.
“Let’s do it according to the law,” Shen You sighed inwardly.
The law determines how he is judged, and that is his crime.
"Okay, whatever you say."
Following his tone, Shen You muttered, "It's not about listening to me, it's about listening to the law."
Chu Xiao held her close, in a good mood. He reached out and tucked the blanket around her, saying, "Want to sleep a little longer?"
She shook her head. "I'm not going to sleep."
But I don't want to get up.
There's nothing important going on, and it's so comfortable in bed.
The embrace of the person in front of me is so comfortable.
But comfort makes one drowsy. Although Shen You said she wouldn't sleep, she became somewhat drowsy under Chu Xiao's subtle reassurance.
However, just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a voice come from above her head, "Pregnancy is too hard, let's not have children in the future, okay?"
Shen You suddenly opened his eyes, recalling the words he had spoken yesterday when he was not fully conscious.
Curious, she asked him, "Chu Xiao, do you care a lot about Yao Yiqian?"
Chu Xiao looked at her and nodded sincerely, "Yes, I'm jealous."
For a time, Yao Yiqian was the standard and candidate that Shen You wanted to find another husband for, but he was also glad that Shen You had a friend like Yao Yiqian.
Shen You recalled the listless yet fearful look in his eyes when he woke up yesterday, and her heart trembled slightly. She said, "Your dream was all fake."
She did not marry Yao Yiqian, nor did she say those things.
Chu Xiao's eyes were deep and dark. His hand, which was originally around her waist, slowly moved up to press against her thin back, and he asked in a guiding tone, "So, how many children do you think we should have in the future?"
Shen You pursed her lips, realizing that he was trying to trick her into revealing information, but unlike before, she no longer avoided the topic.
She raised her hand to block his chest, which was pressing closer and closer, and raised her eyebrows slightly. "Doesn't Your Excellency think it's too early to discuss this matter now?"
Chu Xiao keenly caught another layer of meaning in her words, and his dark eyes surged with emotion, layers of surprise gathering in his eyes.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
"I'll do whatever you say."
His joy and excitement were written all over his face. He pressed her back against his body with his large hand and his lips pressed down on hers.
A passionate, sticky kiss, deep and lingering.
Shen You reached out and hugged his shoulders, trying to look up and keep up with his rhythm.
Noticing her response, Chu Xiao kissed her even more fiercely, and the heat between them almost ignited.
It got out of control.
(End of main text)
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