Chapter 324 Let's not owe each other too much.
Tushe'er's eyes flickered for a moment, then he said, "I just went back to get it."
"..."
Just now? She's been following me the whole time, when did she get this?
And—almost immediately, she smelled a familiar scent from the cloak that tightly wrapped around her body, almost exactly the same scent that had soothed her from the nightmare last night.
Suddenly, her breathing became heavy.
Cheng Qiao noticed her suddenly pale face and asked cautiously, "Young Madam, are you... are you alright?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head: "I'm fine... goodbye."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the cabin.
Tushe'er hurriedly followed, but after taking only two steps, she saw Shang Ruyi silently take off the cloak and hand it to her. Tushe'er quickly said, "Miss, what are you doing? It's windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold!"
Shang Ruyi's face was a little pale. She glanced at her and said calmly, "I'm going back to my room. There's no wind in the room, so I don't need this."
"..."
"Take it away, this isn't mine."
After saying that, she went back to her room without looking back.
Tushe'er held the cloak in his arms and looked at her thin yet stubborn back, not knowing what to do for a moment.
For the rest of the time, Shang Ruyi did not step out of that room again.
Even when Tushe'er came to keep her company, she simply said she wanted to rest and sent her away. Naturally, the other servants dared not disturb her. This small cabin, which was originally a fortress to shelter from the wind and rain, felt more like a tomb in this tranquil environment.
It was so quiet, there wasn't a sound.
However, quiet does not mean peaceful.
Even as night fell and she gradually drifted into sleep, Shang Ruyi still felt uneasy. She felt as if she were in the deepest darkness, unable to see any light or hear any sound.
That feeling of emptiness was like death.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she regained some awareness. It was her hand, as if another hand was grabbing it and holding onto something tightly.
When she realized it was a longsword, her breath caught in her throat. She desperately wanted to stop something, but she couldn't do anything. She could only watch helplessly as her hand raised the longsword. The cold light flashing from the blade illuminated her eyes and also the other side of the longsword, revealing a handsome and unparalleled face.
Chu Yang......
He stood before her once more, smiling as he looked at her, his long, narrow phoenix eyes filled with longing and tenderness.
Shang Ruyi was momentarily dazed, even unable to distinguish between a dream and reality—perhaps she hoped it was all real, that the dashing and unparalleled man before her was still alive and well.
But the next moment, she felt her hand being pulled up, and the longsword was once again raised in front of him. In her terrified gaze, the blade sliced across his throat—
"No!"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly tried to stop it, but it was too late.
All the longing and tenderness in those slender phoenix eyes turned into a cold, dark gray at this moment, and scalding blood once again surged towards her, engulfing her in an instant.
"No! No!"
Shang Ruyi struggled and cried desperately, trying to grab onto something, but she couldn't grasp anything. Even the person who fell in front of her disappeared into the sea of blood. After the blood engulfed her, it suffocated her. Her cries grew weaker and weaker, and she didn't even have the strength to struggle anymore. Just like that, she slowly fell into the sea of blood.
Just then, a pair of hands grabbed her tightly.
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
There was a familiar warmth and a familiar strength; it all felt like it had happened before. Those hands grasped her and immediately pulled her into a warm embrace, gently stroking her back to soothe her. A deep, magnetic voice whispered in her ear, "It's alright, I'm here..."
Those hands, that voice, even the familiar scent emanating from that embrace, all seemed to be comforting her.
Shang Ruyi gradually calmed down.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally regained her senses, but immediately felt a shiver run down her spine.
Was that a nightmare?
However, the reality of waking up was not much better than the nightmare—she immediately felt herself being held tightly in someone's arms.
This person is Yuwen Ye.
He was only wearing a thin, close-fitting garment, as if he had rushed over in a hurry. He hadn't even tied his belt properly, and a large expanse of his muscular chest was exposed. As he held her tightly, he inhaled and exuded his scent and fragrance onto her body.
Shang Ruyi trembled involuntarily and immediately broke free from his embrace.
There wasn't a single light in the room, but she could still clearly feel that those bright eyes dimmed for a moment.
After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "You had a nightmare."
"..."
"I... I just heard the noise from your side, so I came to check."
"..."
Shang Ruyi's breathing was still a little erratic.
She didn't know how much noise she had made that made him come to check on her in the middle of the night. She just felt a sense of exhaustion and weakness all over her body, as if the near-death struggle in her dream was real. She didn't even have the strength to support herself and move away from him.
After struggling for a while, she could only whisper, "Thank you."
The person in the darkness remained silent for a long time before saying, "Even this, you want 'fairness'?"
Shang Ruyi felt her heart pounding so hard that it was hard for her to breathe. At this moment, facing him, she didn't have the strength to make any sense of it.
She simply hummed in response.
Yuwen Ye fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, he spoke, his voice tinged with self-mockery, saying, "Shang Ruyi, you really know how to make people feel bad."
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly and looked up at him.
Even in the dim light, only a faint glimmer could be seen in those bright eyes. She thought for a moment and said softly, "I just feel that it's best if we don't owe each other too much."
After saying that, she used a little more strength to support herself and finally managed to back up a bit.
Then he said, "I'm fine now. You may leave."
"..."
Yuwen Ye did not move.
In the pitch-black room, his eyes remained bright as he stared intently at her, saying, "I have some more questions for you."
Shang Ruyi felt a sharp pain in her head; that persistent weakness had returned. She could only manage to say, "It's too late, I won't—"
Why didn't you respond to Cheng Qiao during the day?
"...?"
Shang Ruyi's heart stirred slightly.
At this moment, she couldn't care less about what had happened between her and Cheng Qiao during the day. How could he know? How could he know what they had said? She simply struggled to lift her heavy head and asked, "What?"
Yuwen Ye said, "His information was very timely. I also interrogated Wo Xue, and she said that after you received that message, you immediately went to see—that person."
"..."
“But you did not report it, nor did you take any action to save yourself.”
"..."
"Why?!"
Shang Ruyi's body trembled once again.
Whether it was the lingering fear from the nightmare or the penetrating sharpness in his words that made her heart ache, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak, her voice slightly hoarse: "It's all in the past now, there's no point in asking."
"No, there is!"
Yuwen Ye's voice was deep and resolute, as firm as his eyes, which shone brightly even in the darkness, as he stared at Shang Ruyi, seemingly not allowing her any room to back down.
He said, "At least, it made me understand one thing."
"..."
Shang Ruyi felt a chill followed by a burning sensation, as if she were being tortured by some invisible force. In front of this person, she had no way to escape and could only curl up and hug herself tightly, saying in a hoarse voice, "I don't know what you've figured out, but I don't want to hear it. Go away."
Instead of leaving, Yuwen Ye leaned forward even closer, almost whispering in her ear.
He said in a deep voice, "I know why you didn't report the message Cheng Qiao sent you, but instead devoted yourself to him! You accompanied him to the garden, to the spring outing, to drinking and having fun, and even to the Hall of Light. Even in the end, you didn't care at all when facing the Imperial Guards."
At that moment, his words brought all those memories to life.
Even more vivid than the scene in her dream, Shang Ruyi reached out to cover her ears, but Yuwen Ye grabbed her wrists with both hands and pulled her into his arms, saying clearly, word by word, "Because a message entered Jiangdu that day—the message that Father raised an army!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi leaned against him and suddenly trembled.
Yuwen Ye clearly felt her trembling. He gritted his teeth, looked down at the somewhat weak and seemingly feverish body in his arms, and said through gritted teeth, "You think I raised an army with him, right?"
"..."
"You think I don't care whether you live or die, right?"
"..."
So, you stay with him—
"I don't!"
Shang Ruyi interrupted him abruptly, trying to pull her hands away, but Yuwen Ye's iron grip gave her no chance to escape. Her struggles seemed so futile in front of him, and she could only desperately deny it: "I didn't!"
But at this moment, Yuwen Ye completely ignored all her arguments.
Even though the rebuttal was so pale and powerless.
He even pulled her into his arms, staring intently into her tear-filled eyes in the pitch-black night, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Shang Ruyi, I told you long ago that even if our relationship is just a transaction, even if I have no feelings for you, I will not take advantage of a woman, nor will I disregard her life."
"..."
"Besides, about you, my feelings for you—"
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