Chapter 321 Between us, there is no transaction!
At this moment, Tushe'er seemed to sense the indifference and coldness emanating from Shang Ruyi's very bones, but she didn't say much, only her eyes revealed a pang of heartache.
After a long while, she said softly, "Miss, don't be sad."
Shang Ruyi said, "What do I have to be sad about?"
Tushe'er didn't say anything.
Her silence caught Shang Ruyi's attention. She turned to look at Tushe'er's somewhat gloomy expression and was about to say something when a servant came to bring the meal.
The meal delivered wasn't much; it was just a bowl of steaming hot soup and rice, along with a few side dishes.
Tushe'er said, "Why did it take so long to prepare such a small item?"
The maidservant said with a forced smile, "The servants downstairs are seasick, and the rice they just served accidentally fell over, so they had to reheat it. Please forgive us for keeping you waiting, young mistress."
After speaking, he bowed to Shang Ruyi.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but glance outside, but her room was clearly deep inside, offering no view of the scenery outside the ship. Tushe'er took the food and simply said, "The ship is moving very fast, so please be careful."
The maidservant agreed and turned to leave.
After she left, Tushe'er first helped Shang Ruyi rinse her mouth, then sat down by the bed with the small bowl of soup and rice, feeding her spoonful by spoonful. Shang Ruyi felt that a large part of her weakness was due to hunger, but she still had no appetite. She only ate two spoonfuls from her hand before shaking her head wearily: "I don't want to eat anymore."
Tushe'er said softly, "Miss, you've been unconscious for two days and haven't eaten much. That's not good for your health. Would you like to eat a little more?"
"..."
It turned out that he had been unconscious for two days.
No wonder he's so weak.
It's just a bit strange. I wasn't injured or had any other illness, so why did I suddenly fall into a coma and stay in it for two days?
However, Shang Ruyi really had no appetite and couldn't eat despite being persuaded. Tu She could only say softly, "Well, you need to take your medicine in a little while. After you take your medicine, Miss, can you eat a couple more bites?"
"..."
For some reason, Shang Ruyi felt that this girl was a little too gentle.
Although the two grew up together and Tushe'er was loyal to her, she had never been so gentle and doting towards her before.
This even made Shang Ruyi feel a little awkward.
Could it be that this "life-or-death separation" frightened her?
Shang Ruyi thought about it and realized that it was indeed inappropriate for her to be living such a "good life" while being filled with anxiety. She nodded gently. Tu She'er immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then put the bowl and chopsticks on the table and covered them with lids to keep them warm.
Shang Ruyi said, "Open the window, I want some fresh air."
Tushe'er immediately said, "No."
Why not?
"Miss, you can't be exposed to the wind."
"I'm not that weak yet."
"...It really won't work."
Tushe'er seemed flustered, and there was a hint of guilt in her fluster. Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown: "What's wrong? You, are you hiding something from me?"
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er immediately shook his head: "No."
But her expression clearly showed otherwise.
Shang Ruyi's doubts deepened. In fact, having just woken up, she didn't have much energy to face certain people and things. But Tu She'er was indeed too strange. Since seeing her, every move she made was cautious, as if she was afraid of breaking her.
What happened to her?
Just thinking about it made Shang Ruyi suddenly feel weak all over again.
She was too weak, and indeed, she had no extra energy to face the people and things in front of her, let alone delve into what others had been hiding from her.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi softly lay back down, her eyes somewhat dim as she looked at Tu She'er's nervous expression, and said faintly, "No, there's no..."
Seeing her like this, Tushe'er's eyes reddened.
She seemed afraid to say anything more, lest she stir up something, and could only say softly, "Miss, would you... would you like to sleep a little longer? Your body—you need to rest properly."
Shang Ruyi looked at her for a while and nodded gently.
Then she closed her eyes.
Although she had been unconscious for two days and no longer wanted to sleep, as soon as she closed her eyes, drowsiness washed over her like a tide, and she gradually fell asleep again amidst Tushe'er's sighs.
But this time, she didn't remain unconscious for long.
A short while later, a familiar, warm breath approached her again, and she gradually regained consciousness, though she did not open her eyes.
Someone entered the room and whispered for Tushe'er to leave.
Then, the man sat down on the edge of the bed.
Suddenly, the entire room fell into an almost oppressive silence. Shang Ruyi couldn't even hear her own breathing. Everything seemed to have stopped at that moment.
Then, a large hand slowly caressed her face.
The sudden contact of skin sent a shiver down her spine. The hand seemed to sense something, stiffened for a moment, but remained on her face, stroking her noticeably thinner cheeks and gently tucking her slightly disheveled hair behind her ear.
This hand is very rough; you can even feel its rock-like texture. It is precisely because of this that you can feel the texture of this hand more clearly when you touch it.
For some reason, when this hand was stroking her, besides being as careful as Tushe'er's, there seemed to be an emotion on the skin of its fingertips.
It's like, confirming something.
Shang Ruyi didn't quite understand what he was doing, but at this moment, she didn't want to endure it any longer.
So she said, "Let go."
This was the third time she had said those two words to him since she woke up.
The hand froze for a moment again, and this time, it slowly moved away.
Shang Ruyi then opened her eyes and met a pair of eyes with an unfamiliar gentle expression, so unfamiliar that she felt as if she didn't recognize him at all.
Actually, the two of them were never familiar with each other.
Yuwen Ye had changed his clothes again this time. The few red spots that had been there seemed to have been re-bandaged. He smelled of medicine all over his body, but the stronger smell of medicine came from his other hand.
He was carrying a bowl of medicine.
Seeing that she had opened her eyes, Yuwen Ye withdrew his hand, looked at her, and then said softly, "Come and drink some medicine."
"..."
Shang Ruyi wanted to refuse, but if she refused, she would have to talk to him.
She wanted to ask why she had to take medicine when she wasn't in pain or sick, but if she asked, she would also have to talk to him.
But now, she doesn't want to say a single word to him anymore.
So, I closed my eyes, feeling a little tired.
Yuwen Ye looked at her quietly for a while, then said softly, "I know you don't want to see me right now. But there are still some things between us that need to be clarified."
"..."
Even if you don't want to explain, you've already survived.
"..."
"Those who survive should not treat themselves like this."
The survivors...
These words stung Shang Ruyi so much that even with her eyes closed, she couldn't stop the hot tears from welling up and slowly dripping down her cheeks.
Yuwen Ye's breathing suddenly became heavy.
He watched as Shang Ruyi slowly opened her eyes. Although those eyes were filled with scalding tears, they were still devoid of warmth, and even frighteningly gray.
That former clarity and tranquility, I wonder where it has gone.
He said in a deep voice, "Even if you have nothing to say to me, I still have something to say to you."
"..."
"You need to put in a little effort to listen."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was silent for a while, then thought for a moment, and silently propped herself up to sit up. Yuwen Ye hurriedly helped her sit against the headboard, and even pulled over a cushion to support her back so that she could sit more comfortably.
Once she was seated, he picked up a spoon and fed her the medicine from the small bowl little by little.
The herbal medicine was freshly brewed; it was a bit hot and also quite bitter.
He blew on it to cool it down for her little by little, then fed it to her. After she finished drinking, he picked up some candied fruit that had been prepared on the table and put it to her lips.
However, Shang Ruyi shook her head and refused.
Actually, medicine isn't that bitter.
Seeing her like this, Yuwen Ye took a deep breath and could only put the things back. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Shang Ruyi say, "Actually, I don't want to hear what you have to say. But, I do have something to tell you."
Yuwen Ye looked at her and said, "You speak."
Shang Ruyi said, "Thank you."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye's breath hitched.
He said, "What are you thanking me for?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Thank you for saving my life."
Yuwen Ye paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was so low it was almost hoarse: "We are husband and wife. I saved my wife. There's no need for thanks."
Shang Ruyi lowered her eyelids, as if saying just a few words had exhausted her, leaving her too tired to even look at him. She said softly, "Our marriage is nothing more than a transaction."
"..."
"Trade should be fair."
"..."
"I can't think of any way to repay your life-saving grace at the moment. But in any case, I should thank you first."
Yuwen Ye stared intently at her, his gaze so intense it seemed to burn her.
After a long pause, he said, "There is no transaction between us."
Shang Ruyi slowly raised her eyes and glanced at him.
His face was somewhat stiff, as if he was trying his best to restrain something, but even though he was restraining himself, the veins on his hands were still bulging, and the small bowl was almost shattered from his grip.
Shang Ruyi lowered her eyelids once again.
She said, "I'm done."
After saying that, he slowly lay down and turned his face toward the inside of the bed.
Just as she closed her eyes, preparing to shut everything out of the darkness, suddenly, that hand reached out and gently pinched her chin, forcefully turning her to face him.
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes and met Yuwen Ye's slightly red eyes.
He leaned down, his face almost touching hers.
The two were so close that their breaths mingled together.
He looked deeply into her eyes and said, word by word, "There is no transaction between us!"
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