Chapter 54 You Earned My Respect
Yuwen Ye remained silent until she finished speaking, then slowly raised her eyes to meet those clear, bright eyes.
He said, "I'm sorry."
"...!?"
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment, and after a long while, she stammered, "What, what did you say?"
Yuwen Ye said, "I said, I'm sorry."
"..."
"I did take advantage of you. This injury of yours should be blamed on me."
Shang Ruyi still couldn't quite believe it. Although she didn't expect Yuwen Ye to explain or apologize when she said those words, she never thought that Yuwen Ye would apologize to her.
However, when he actually apologized, she was at a loss for words.
Yuwen Ye added, "However, my apology is not because I took advantage of you."
"Then, why?"
"I didn't expect you to win, but after hearing what you said, I thought—"
Shang Ruyi glared at him: "Make me look bad?"
Yuwen Ye seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. He coughed lightly before saying, "I don't like to joke about matters of generals and soldiers, but I have to admit that what Huang Gongyi said was right."
"..."
"Your skills among women surpass those of many men, or rather, your will is stronger than that of many men—of course, there are women stronger than you, but you competed with great composure, and although you lost, you lost with brilliance."
"..."
"So you have earned the respect of the military."
"..."
"And it earned my respect."
Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips, as if she had been pricked by a needle. The shivering sensation rushed from her fingertips into her heart, and her chest began to pound wildly.
Unexpectedly, Yuwen Ye would say these things to her.
She knew all too well that Yuwen Ye was a proud and arrogant person who rarely softened his words even when speaking to his own parents, yet he would say "respect" to her!
Shang Ruyi looked up at him, speechless for a moment.
Yuwen Ye rubbed her fingertips until they were hot and red before letting go and saying, "Don't do anything for the next couple of days. You'll get better on your own if you rest."
Shang Ruyi silently withdrew her hand, clenched it tightly, and pressed it against her heart.
Yuwen Ye, however, seemed oblivious to her strange behavior. He got up and went to the side to change into a light robe, then said, "However, my apology only extends to my contempt for you. As for your claim that I took advantage of you, I can only say that we are equally guilty."
Shang Ruyi looked up at him: "What do you mean?"
Yuwen Ye looked at her with a faint smile on his lips: "What do you think?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi's face suddenly flushed red, feeling a little embarrassed that she had been seen through. She coughed twice to cover it up, and was about to say something when she saw Yuwen Ye walk to the other side of the bed and lie down, saying, "Alright, you're tired today too, get some rest."
After saying that, he closed his eyes.
Just as he was getting ready to sleep, he heard a very light knock on the door. It seemed that Tusheer had brought something. After the door closed again, footsteps slowly approached him.
Yuwen Ye opened his eyes and saw Shang Ruyi holding a small bowl, which she presented to him.
Yuwen Ye frowned: "What?"
Shang Ruyi handed him the bowl: "This is goat milk that I asked She'er to prepare."
"Goat milk? What's it used for?"
“Didn’t you say you’ve been getting cramps a lot these past two years? When I was in Turkic territory, I saw that boys there also had this problem. They would give the children goat’s milk and cow’s milk, or at the very least, mare’s milk. Drinking that would stop the cramps.”
Yuwen Ye frowned as he glanced at the steaming, milky-white liquid and said, "Who's so old and still drinking this?"
"..."
"Besides, my cramps are a minor thing, I don't need to worry about it."
Shang Ruyi said seriously, "This is no small matter. If you are usually at home, it's fine, but if you go into battle like that day and suddenly get cramps and can't ride your horse, that could be fatal."
Upon hearing her words, Yuwen Ye immediately stiffened.
Shang Ruyi said, "If you feel this is inappropriate, then next time, I will use goat milk and some fruit to make sweet cheese?"
"..."
Seeing her serious expression, which showed she was genuinely thinking of him, Yuwen Ye suddenly felt a strange tenderness in his heart, leaving him somewhat at a loss.
He took the bowl from him: "No need."
He then downed the drink in one gulp.
Seeing that he had drunk it all, Shang Ruyi smiled and took the empty bowl from him, saying, "From now on, I will have She'er prepare a bowl every day. Don't worry, just say that I drank it, and no one will know that it was you who used it."
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, Yuwen Ye was momentarily lost in thought.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi turned back to look at him again, hesitating as if to say something. Yuwen Ye asked, "What do you want to say?"
Shang Ruyi blushed and whispered, "If you're going to wake me up tomorrow morning—remember to do so first."
She didn't want to be so close to him again without any preparation, or for him to see her helpless and flustered state again.
Yuwen Ye was stunned for a moment, then he understood.
He smiled slightly and said calmly, "Go to sleep."
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