"Let go of my hand." Jiang Chuting knew that Pei Jing was just feeling resentful, which was why he was trying even harder to cling to him than usual. She had to admit that she was always easily fooled in these kinds of situations; Lin Zhi was the one last time, and Pei Jing was the same this time.
Pei Jing rested her chin on his shoulder. "No, I won't just let you go. I want you to stay with me."
Jiang Chuting's clothes were also wet, and she hadn't brought any change of clothes. Going up there would only mean waiting for a long time while soaking wet, so she decided to stay in the warm water and said, "Let go of me, I'll stay here with you."
Pei Jing gave an "oh," but hesitated for a while before finally untying his hands from his waist.
Jiang Chuting sat down about a person's distance away from him, thought for a moment, and then said to him, "Xiao Jiu, don't do this again. Otherwise, if you really have a problem next time, I won't believe you."
Pei Jing, however, could see right through him and said with a smile, "I know you too well. If I do this again next time, you'll still believe me. Alright, alright, don't be angry with me. If you could pay attention to me every time you come with me instead of just standing there in a daze, I wouldn't be like this."
"Soaking in a medicinal hot spring requires a calm and peaceful mind for the best results. The faster your body recovers, the sooner you can go home."
Pei Jing looked displeased and felt rather unhappy. Jiang Chuting was right; it was indeed better for him to return to the palace as soon as possible. However, the way he said it made Pei Jing feel that he actually wanted him to recover quickly and leave the Nine Heavens.
He moved to Jiang Chuting's side, hugged his arm, and said softly, "Master, I like you so much. I wish you were mine alone. I want to lock you up and keep you by my side. I don't want you to see other people."
Jiang Chuting glanced at him sideways and said patiently, "No one who isn't liked would be willing to do this."
Pei Jing's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled, "So, I was just saying that. I can only try my best to make Master like me more and not abandon me."
Jiang Chuting glanced at the hands that were wrapped around him. He was increasingly fond of these intimate gestures, and occasionally he couldn't help but say a few words to him, at which point he would look aggrieved and say that if Wei Jia could do this, why couldn't he, and then conclude that he was being biased.
Having such a clingy apprentice is indeed a bit of a headache, but it's not exactly annoying. Just let him be.
As a result, she didn't let go of Pei Jing even after she finished soaking him.
After Jiang Chuting finished regulating his breathing, Pei Jing offered to give Jiang Chuting his clothes to change into, but Jiang Chuting refused and told him to change. She went back soaking wet.
A strong wind had picked up on the road. Pei Jing fell behind a few steps at first, then caught up with him and asked, "Master, aren't you cold?"
Despite her damp clothes clinging to her body, Jiang Chuting walked leisurely and replied, "It's alright."
Because of practicing that evil art, Pei Jing was somewhat sensitive to cold, and he always wrapped himself up very tightly in winter. Although it wasn't the dead of winter now, and he had changed into dry clothes, a sudden gust of cool wind made him feel a bit cold. Seeing Jiang Chuting so calm and composed, he felt quite envious.
Jiang Chuting was the one who was deliberately tricked into going into the water, and Jiang Chuting was also the one who returned to the wooden house with wet clothes, but it was Pei Jing who fell ill with a headache and fever the next day.
Pei Jing was burning up with fever and listless, lying on the couch unwilling to get up. For several days, Jiang Chuting personally brought him medicine, stayed by his side, and chatted with him to keep him company. Every time Pei Jing heard Jiang Chuting's gentle and elegant voice, he felt his heart cleansed, and a smile would unconsciously appear on his lips. He always possessed a magical power that calmed people's hearts.
In fact, even if he were in the palace, he wouldn't be this lazy even if he were dying.
But it's different here. In front of Jiang Chuting, he would even deliberately exaggerate his frail side, so that Jiang Chuting would be considerate and attentive to him, and take care of him with tenderness.
At first, his closeness to him was indeed driven by ulterior motives, but Pei Jing found himself genuinely enjoying his company more and more. His desire to lock this person away, to have him all to himself, wasn't just a thought or empty talk…
Jiang Chuting reached out and gently touched his forehead, smiling with relief. "The fever has almost subsided. One more day of medicine and you'll be much better."
Pei Jing sat up and rested her head on his lap. Her voice was slightly hoarse from coughing, and her pleading tone was even stronger as she spoke, "But I still have a headache, Master. Please massage it for me."
"Okay." Jiang Chuting responded softly, gently massaging his temples with her fingers.
Pei Jing didn't close her eyes, staring intently at his face, her gaze gentle and warm. "Master, you are so good."
As if possessed, he suddenly raised his hand and lightly and quickly brushed his fingertips across Jiang Chuting's lips.
The soft touch sent a shivering, tingling sensation through his entire body, making his blood boil instantly.
Jiang Chuting paused in her kneading motion, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Pei Jing gazed at him and naturally withdrew his hand. "Just now, the candlelight flickered, and I misread it, thinking there was something on your lips."
Jiang Chuting subconsciously pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions.
At night, Pei Jing lay on the couch, the hand that had touched his lips pressed against his heart. His mind was hopelessly filled with images of Jiang Chuting: his rosy lips, his waistline clearly outlined by his wet clothes, and his gentle, breeze-like smile... He felt restless and couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, and a strong desire arose in his heart to tear, devour, and destroy something.
Pei Jing let out a long sigh of relief.
Because he was not fully recovered, a light was left on in the room for convenience. In the dim light, Pei Jing looked towards Jiang Chuting with his dark eyes, only to find that he was still awake, staring quietly at a certain spot in the air, lost in his own thoughts, completely unaware of Pei Jing's direct gaze.
Pei Jing's gaze deepened, and the corners of his mouth hardened. He knew that he couldn't sleep because of Jiang Chuting, but Jiang Chuting's insomnia was definitely not because of him.
Who are you really thinking about? Pei Jing stared at him, his intense gaze lingering for a long time.
Two days later, Pei Jing was completely recovered, and Mo Lin returned. Jiang Chuting said he was going down the mountain again. This time, Pei Jing didn't throw a tantrum; he just watched him leave with a slightly resentful look in his eyes.
Actually, there was still one day left before the time he was supposed to meet Lin Zhi, and he didn't know why he had gone down the mountain early. After arriving at the entrance of Xiangsi Xiaozhu, Jiang Chuting stood quietly for a moment, then left. He stayed at an inn for the night and didn't return until after noon the next day.
When he arrived, he happened to see Lin Zhi talking to a young woman as they walked out. Lin Zhi looked up and saw him, her eyes suddenly lighting up. She strode closer and said, "Chu Ran, you're here!"
Jiang Chuting smiled and hummed in agreement, then looked at the woman beside him. She was fully armed and dressed in a very smart and capable manner. She nodded to Jiang Chuting as a greeting and then walked away first.
After she left, Lin Zhi immediately grabbed Jiang Chuting's wrist and said, "She's just an ordinary friend of mine. She just happened to come to see me about something. Please don't overthink it or misunderstand."
"Oh." Jiang Chuting realized what he meant and couldn't help but smile. "So what if we're not just ordinary friends? You don't need to care about my opinion, and I won't overthink it." Although he was an elder, Lin Zhi didn't need to explain these things to him. He was at the age where he should be thinking about marriage, so it wasn't strange that he had a girl he liked. It was a good thing.
Lin Zhi tightened her grip on his hand upon hearing this, gazed at him silently for a moment, then turned her head and smiled at him, "Don't you care? But I do care."
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