Chapter 52 You are real, you are me...
Jiang Shiyuan hadn't slept in such a comfortable bed in a long time.
As soon as her body touched the bed she hadn't touched in so long, she almost immediately went limp and fell into a deep sleep.
The dormitory at the archaeological site didn't have mattresses, and she hadn't brought her own personal belongings with her, so for a long time, she slept on a thin blanket that she could feel the bed frame.
In addition, she was constantly afraid of being found by Huo Lan, so she could hardly sleep at night and woke up very early in the morning.
Although she was caught, she felt a sense of relief; at least she could finally get a good night's sleep.
Jiang Shiyuan didn't know how long she had been asleep. In her hazy state, she felt herself being helped up from the bed and half-lying in a warm embrace. Huo Lan gently coaxed her.
"Good boy/girl, get up and drink your medicine before you go back to sleep."
Jiang Shiyuan was burning up and had a terrible headache. She shook her head and whimpered, trying weakly to break free from Huo Lan's embrace, but to no avail.
Huo Lan was extremely patient now, and looking at Jiang Shiyuan lying limp in his arms, his eyes were almost overflowing with satisfaction.
He gently patted the top of her head and continued to coax her, "You'll get better faster if you drink your medicine. Be a good girl and listen to me."
Jiang Shiyuan remained stubborn, keeping her eyes tightly closed even after waking up, refusing to listen, look, or open her mouth.
Huo Lan sighed softly and chuckled, "Looks like we'll have to use another method..."
Jiang Shiyuan didn't hear those words. She was still unconsciously asleep when she suddenly felt someone pry open her mouth, and a medicinal scent instantly enveloped her.
She instinctively tried to struggle, but he held her down forcefully, preventing her from moving an inch.
Immediately afterwards, soft lips pressed against hers, and her lips and tongue were easily pried open, warm liquid spreading from her mouth.
The medicine was so bitter it made her feel nauseous, but the other person persisted, forcefully pressing against her tongue and pouring all the medicine into her mouth.
After taking a sip, just as Huo Lan was about to give her a second sip, Jiang Shiyuan finally opened her eyes.
The moon still casts its shadow on the sparse paulownia trees outside the window; the rain had long since stopped.
There was only one soft light on in the bedroom, which wasn't glaring, so she didn't feel any discomfort.
Jiang Shiyuan's cheeks were burning hot, and her mind was a little sluggish, but she still subconsciously reached out and covered Huo Lan's mouth with both hands. "I...I won't drink, and I don't want you to feed me."
Huo Lan chuckled softly, licking her palm with the tip of his tongue, making her feel a little itchy, and she quickly withdrew her hand.
Jiang Shiyuan frowned and muttered, "Shameless..."
"I have even more shameless tricks up my sleeve, wanna try them?"
After Huo Lan finished speaking, he grabbed Jiang Shiyuan's arm tightly, pretending to bully her, which made her heart pound wildly.
But he simply pressed his forehead against hers, feeling her temperature, and after a long while said in a deep voice, "It hasn't gone down at all. If you don't take your medicine soon, I'll get angry."
Huo Lan straightened up and looked down at her, smiling broadly. "For example, how about we start having a child tonight?"
"ah?"
Jiang Shiyuan's mind was still reeling from the heat, but she knew what he was saying wasn't anything good.
"I'll be good... I'll take my medicine."
Huo Lan ruffled her hair, somewhat pleased. "This is my good Shi Yuan. Drink up."
Jiang Shiyuan obediently took the bowl of medicine, but as soon as she smelled the bitterness of the medicine, she subconsciously felt nauseous.
After failing to swallow the medicine twice despite mustering her courage, Jiang Shiyuan asked somewhat hesitantly, "Dr. Qiu didn't prescribe any pills? I'd like to take some..."
"Tsk, they're even making demands now."
Huo Lan smiled, but despite saying that, she still reached for two fever-reducing pills on the bedside table, which had been prepared from the beginning.
Jiang Shiyuan was stunned for a moment after seeing the pills in Huo Lan's hand.
Huo Lan asked, "What?"
Jiang Shiyuan pouted, "You lied to me. There are pills that you can swallow, but you still insisted on feeding me the medicine with your mouth."
Huo Lan chuckled softly, his fingertips gently caressing her lips. "Wasn't it because I was afraid you wouldn't want to get up? Since you don't want to, let me help you swallow..."
Jiang Shiyuan was seething with anger, but her body simply couldn't support her going against him any longer.
She could only obediently swallow the medicine from the water glass Huo Lan was holding, but after taking the medicine, she couldn't open her eyes again and lay drowsily in his arms.
Huo Lan straightened the pillow behind her, laying her body flat, without forcing her to wake up. "Go to sleep, you'll feel better tomorrow morning."
Jiang Shiyuan didn't say anything. Her whole body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. She fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.
Huo Lan then lifted the blanket at the foot of the bed, placed her swollen ankle on his knee, and took out some medicinal wine to rub it on her foot repeatedly.
He had never served anyone so wholeheartedly, yet he did it with great joy and even wished it could continue forever.
Because of this, Shi Yuan could not live without him.
After massaging her ankles thoroughly, Huo Lan turned off the light, crawled into bed, and lay down in front of Jiang Shiyuan, gently pulling her into his arms.
Her body was no longer as hot as when she arrived. The soft and comfortable bed made her relax completely, and her breathing was light and shallow. At this moment, she was incredibly docile and obedient.
Huo Lan couldn't sleep; he was afraid that if he closed his eyes, Jiang Shiyuan would become a dream of his.
For as long as she disappeared, he would have sleepless nights.
The clues about her were sporadic. Besides the false clues that Jiang Shiyuan himself created, there were also many people who made false reports for the high reward. He was in a state of extreme joy and sorrow almost every moment, and he didn't know how many times he had fainted.
He was terrified. He feared that Jiang Shiyuan might disappear for many years, or even longer, like before, so long that he would never see her again in his entire life.
Looking at Jiang Shiyuan sleeping soundly, Huo Lan began to kiss her cheeks tenderly again, as if he had eaten the sweetest candy, and he never stopped.
His palms caressed her delicate skin, feeling her burning heat. Her unique fragrance surrounded him, soft and sweet, making him tense up, almost driving him mad...
You have no idea how much I like you...
Huo Lan pinned her down, as if he were about to savor his own special food, and sniffed her scent from the crook of her neck.
As if she were having an episode, her face flushed, displaying a morbid pleasure: "I like you so much... I really want to secretly eat you up..."
He only slowly woke up when he heard Jiang Shiyuan's unconscious whimper.
Huo Lan's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the dark, intense emotions welling up in his eyes.
He straightened Jiang Shiyuan's clothes, got off her, and hugged her tightly again.
He could breathe, but it was always heavy and turbulent.
"Fine, I won't sneak any more..."
Huo Lan sighed softly, looking at Jiang Shiyuan's sleeping face in the moonlight, but dared not kiss her again.
"We still have many tomorrows ahead of us, right?"
After confirming Jiang Shiyuan's existence, he pulled her into his arms again before daring to close his eyes. "You won't have another chance to escape from me, because I will never believe you again, you little liar."
*
When Jiang Shiyuan woke up the next day, Huo Lan was still sleeping next to her without getting up, and he was still holding her in his arms.
She shifted her body slightly and saw him frowning, his arm around her waist tightening even more, as if afraid she would run away again.
Jiang Shiyuan's fever had completely subsided, but she was still feeling a bit dizzy.
She was still wearing that light purple dress and hadn't changed. Huo Lan had only taken off his coat and lay down next to her. They probably hadn't left her side all night.
The sunlight streaming through the window was intense, and it looked like it was already around ten o'clock, but Huo Lan was still fast asleep.
This is unlike him; he usually never stays in bed.
It was only at this moment that Jiang Shiyuan realized how tired Huo Lan looked.
His eyes were tinged with dark circles, and he seemed to have lost even more weight than before. Even in his sleep, he exuded a lingering weariness.
Jiang Shiyuan sighed softly and carefully tried to lift his arm that was across her waist, but as soon as she moved, Huo Lan, who was asleep, seemed to have a switch turned on and tightened his arms, pressing her even deeper into his embrace.
"Don't move..." His voice was hoarse, still sleepy, yet it carried an undeniable force. "Let me hold you a little longer."
Jiang Shiyuan had no strength to resist him and could only lie stiffly in his arms.
She stared at the ceiling, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
The panic of running away, the despair of being found, the rare warmth and dependence she felt while she was sick last night, and the sense of destiny that she had nowhere to escape after waking up... all these emotions intertwined, leaving her at a loss.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but just when she thought Huo Lan had fallen asleep again, she heard his deep voice from above.
"Alright." He slowly opened his eyes, the weariness in them seemed to have lessened somewhat, but when he looked at her, that intense possessiveness was still unsettling. "You are real, you are mine."
Jiang Shiyuan pursed her lips and subconsciously turned her head to avoid his gaze.
Huo Lan, however, wouldn't allow it. He reached out and gently pinched her chin, forcing her to turn her head.
He pressed his forehead against hers to confirm that her fever had indeed subsided, and only then did his brow relax slightly.
"Are you hungry?" he asked again, his tone still as gentle as last night, as if her escape had never happened.
Jiang Shiyuan remained silent, expressing her final resistance with silence.
Huo Lan looked at her sulking expression, but instead of getting angry, he chuckled softly.
He held her tightly, rubbing her head affectionately. "Now that your fever has gone down, why don't we sit for a while?"
Jiang Shiyuan, whose fever had just subsided, was still not fully awake and asked, "Sit for a while? Where should we sit?"
Huo Lan's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his breathing gradually became heavy.
He hadn't touched her in a long time, and now that she was lying so realistically beside him, he couldn't control his intense emotions like he had last night.
Last night was his limit, and he doesn't want to wait a moment longer now.
Huo Lan's hand, which was on her waist and abdomen, gradually moved downwards. Jiang Shiyuan regained her senses and grabbed his arm.
"I said I don't want it."
She didn't have much strength at the moment, and the hand gripping his arm didn't hurt him. However, the undisguised resistance in Jiang Shiyuan's eyes made his heart ache.
Huo Lan's mischievous hand stopped on her lower abdomen and he didn't dare to take another step, his forehead veins bulging with suppressed anger.
"When are you going to ask for it? Shi Yuan, do you think I'll still be as tolerant of you as before?"
Jiang Shiyuan knew she couldn't provoke him at this crucial moment, so she immediately softened her tone, "I was caught in the rain all night and ran around all night without eating. I'm starving..."
"Mmm." Huo Lan's chaotic and hot breath still sprayed against her ear, and his hands began to knead the soft flesh on her waist restlessly again. "Then I'll feed you first."
Seeing that Huo Lan was still stubborn, Jiang Shiyuan's eyes instantly reddened. "I really am still feeling a little uncomfortable."
Huo Lan then withdrew his hand, trying to calm the burning desire within him. He pinched Jiang Shiyuan's cheek, his voice hoarse from the heat, "What a vixen..."
In the end, he only left a light kiss on her lips before getting out of bed first.
"It's okay, you'll have your comfortable moments eventually." Huo Lan unbuttoned his shirt, preparing to change his clothes. "Then, we'll settle all the old and new scores together."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
