Chapter 34 I hope you are safe
Night fell, rain pattered on the eaves, and streetlights flickered.
The two remained deadlocked for a long time, but in the end, Lin Xiao was the first to give in, saying, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from the princess."
Shen Panyan looked at him with clear, watery almond-shaped eyes, slightly misty, "Why did you hide it from me, Lin Xiao?"
If it weren't for the strong smell of blood, she probably would still be in the dark.
Judging by the time, she had been awake for quite some time now. Even though Lin Xiao had been whipped, the medicine on his body was changed every day, and the scabs should have formed by now. How could there still be such a strong smell of blood?
Either he was injured again, or his injuries were simply ignored.
Shen Panyan leaned towards the latter, her eyes red-rimmed, "Your leader has gone too far. Making you suffer punishment is one thing, but he won't even send anyone to treat you. What if... what if you lose your life because of this..."
As she spoke, her tears rolled down her cheeks like beads.
"Princess, this has nothing to do with the leader. The leader actually cares about his subordinates very much. It was I who acted on my own initiative and aggravated my wound, which is why..."
Seeing her tears fall even more fiercely, her almond-shaped eyes filled with mist, Lin Xiao's expression changed, his knuckles clenched, and his voice stammered unusually.
"Princess, please, please don't cry..."
"It was my fault that the princess was worried. I humbly request punishment..."
"You..." Seeing him say this, Shen Panyan was both angry and sad. "Who wanted to punish you? You knew you were injured, so why did you take it upon yourself to aggravate the injury?"
"Do you know, do you know...?"
Shen Panyan still remembers what Physician Lin said. Her voice lowered, "Last time, Physician Lin said that your old injuries had not healed and new injuries had been added. I'm afraid you won't live past thirty. Linxiao, I don't want you to be like this."
That's why she ordered him to rest properly last time and not to move around, but now...
Lin Xiao stood there stunned. He truly had no idea that Physician Lin had discussed this matter with the princess.
For him, how long he lives or how long his lifespan is, it doesn't matter.
"Princess," Lin Xiao said in a low voice.
"I am just a bodyguard, and one day..." He pursed his lips, ultimately not making his point clear, "...it doesn't matter whether my lifespan is long or short."
“How can you say it’s unrelated?” Shen Panyan retorted. “So what if they’re secret guards? Don’t their lives matter?”
"If you don't take care of your own health like this, how will you protect me in the future?"
Lin Xiao suddenly looked up, "Princess..."
He suddenly lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "This time I'm only coming back for a month."
He will have to leave in a month.
Chen Panyan remained silent for a moment.
"I see."
She forced a smile. "Alright, let's stop talking about this. Let's eat quickly, or the food will get cold."
Lin Xiao: "...Yes."
Shen Panyan found the meal extremely unpleasant.
But she didn't want to bring up that topic with Lin Xiao again; it was suffocating her.
After dinner, Lin Xiao got up to take his leave. Shen Panyan watched his back, her hand holding the peace buckle clenching tightly. Just as his figure was about to disappear into the night, Shen Panyan couldn't help but speak up.
"Lin Xiao".
Lin Xiao turned around, "Princess."
Shen Panyan lifted the hem of her skirt and ran towards him, stopping in front of him, looking up at him with an extremely serious expression.
"Lin Xiao, I don't care what your identity is, but I hope you will cherish your body and not hurt yourself again. I hope that after you return to Father's side, I can hear news of your safety again."
Lin Xiao's eyelashes trembled. "Princess..."
Shen Panyan's eyes curved into crescents, her gaze shimmering. "Stretch out your hand."
Lin Xiao slowly extended his hand.
"Open your palm."
Lin Xiao did as instructed.
Shen Panyan placed the safety buckle into his palm.
His hands were slightly cool to the touch, his knuckles strong and powerful, possessing an explosive force that seemed poised to take a life at any moment. Yet, at this moment, they obediently allowed themselves to be manipulated by others.
Shen Panyan gently tightened her grip on his knuckles, her almond-shaped eyes soft and gentle. "This is a safety amulet I made. I didn't know you were coming back today, so I made it in a bit of a hurry. Try it on and see if it fits. If it doesn't, I'll make some changes for you."
"I hope this safety charm will protect you and keep you safe and sound from now on, so that you will never be punished or injured again."
"Lin Xiao, even if you return to your father's side in the future, you must take good care of yourself, understand?"
Lin Xiao said softly, "Mmm."
Shen Panyan's nose stung with tears, but she held them back. "Lin Xiao, after you return to Father's side, will you still come to see me?"
Suddenly, she remembered something and shook her head repeatedly, "Forget it, Lin Xiao, you'd better not come to see me. If your leader finds out, you'll definitely be punished again."
Lin Xiao slowly gathered the safety buckle bracelet, his voice low and hoarse, "This subordinate will come back to visit the princess in the future."
"There will be no punishment."
Shen Panyan paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes. "Okay."
It's a deal.
"It's a deal!"
A light drizzle fell from the eaves, and as the night grew darker, the rain intensified, creating an extremely damp atmosphere.
Lin Xiao put away the bracelet and reminded her, "Princess, it's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Having just met him today, Shen Panyan felt reluctant to part ways, but she didn't want to bother him any further.
"good."
"You should also get some rest. Don't stay by my side for the time being. Focus on recovering from your injury."
Lin Xiao lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Having spent some time with him, Shen Panyan understood his personality quite well. Seeing his reluctance, she said, "Alright, then remember to take care of your health and don't push yourself too hard. I'll ask Physician Lin, so you can't lie to me again."
Lin Xiao: "...Yes."
After bidding farewell, Shen Panyan turned and walked back to her bedroom.
Lin Xiao did not leave, but escorted her to her room before disappearing into the shadows.
—
After Lin Xiao returned, he didn't like to stay in his room to rest. Instead, he stayed by Shen Panyan's side and followed her wherever she went.
Although the New Year holiday has passed, it is still chilly. In addition, it has rained for several days in a row. Finally, the sky cleared up. Chen Panyan had nothing to do and saw that the plum blossoms in the garden were in full bloom. So she asked Mu Ying to bring a basket and planned to pick some to make incense balls.
Looking at the tall plum tree, even if she stood on tiptoe, she couldn't pick many.
Looking at the plum blossoms covering the tree, Shen Panyan was at a loss.
Suddenly, the basket she was carrying was taken away, and Lin Xiao's voice rang out, "Princess, your subordinate will help you."
He was tall enough that he could easily reach out and pluck the plum blossoms.
However, he had never done this before, and before he knew it, he had used too much force.
In an instant, the dew from the plum blossom tree pelted him, soaking his hair and clinging to his face, making him look like a drowned rat.
Lin Xiao stood there with his basket, looking rather bewildered and helpless.
It was rare to see him so disheveled, so Shen Panyan covered her mouth and chuckled, "Lin Xiao, it rained a few days ago, and there's still dew on the trees. Be careful."
As she spoke, she handed him her embroidered handkerchief, saying, "Quickly wipe your face; it's all wet."
Lin Xiao shook his head: "It's just some dew, I'm fine."
He said calmly, "Princess, you should go some distance away."
Shen Panyan took two steps back, puzzled. She thought Lin Xiao was going to take his anger out on the plum tree and was about to persuade him when she saw Lin Xiao slap the plum tree trunk with his palm.
Almost instantly, the plum tree trembled violently, and countless transparent dewdrops fell from the branches, lingering in mid-air like tiny pearls, each one distinct and crystal clear, refracting light.
The next moment, as if a gust of wind blew, all the raindrops were swept away and fell into the flower bed next to them.
"Lin...Lin Xiao, you can do magic tricks?" Shen Panyan exclaimed in surprise.
Lin Xiao's voice was gentle: "It wasn't magic; I just used a little internal energy."
"Does the princess like it?"
Shen Panyan nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, I like it."
She lifted the hem of her skirt and came to his side, reaching out to tug at his sleeve, her voice soft and pleading, "Lin Xiao, I want to see it one more time, please do it one more time?"
Lin Xiao's knuckles twitched slightly. His gaze fell on her cheek, and he said softly, "Okay."
He stretched out his hand, gathered his inner strength in his palm, and slapped it onto the plum tree.
In an instant, pure white plum blossom petals fluttered down from the tree, like a silent winter frost, pure white and clean, carrying the fragrance of plum blossoms as they gently landed on her shoulders.
Shen Panyan reached out her hand, and a few petals quietly fell into her palm.
Her slender fingertips gradually closed, and the petal was held in her palm.
Shen Panyan smiled and turned her head. When she saw that Lin Xiao was covered in plum blossoms, her smile widened.
"Lin Xiao, lower your head a little."
Lin Xiao lowered his head as instructed, and the next moment, a delicate fragrance wafted over him, and a soft, white hand gently landed on his hair.
“You’re covered in flower petals, let me brush some off for you.”
Lin Xiao's mind went blank: "Thank you... thank you, Princess..."
"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you. It was really good just now, I really liked it. Thank you, Lin Xiao."
She brushed the petals off his shoulder and gently wiped the dew from his forehead with an embroidered handkerchief.
Lin Xiao's breath hitched slightly: "No...it's just a small matter...Princess, there's no need for thanks."
Shen Panyan shook her head, put away the embroidered handkerchief, and looked at the soft petals falling from his basket.
There are already quite a few.
"There are enough plum blossom petals to make incense balls. Linxiao, let's go back."
Lin Xiao: "...Okay."
He carried the basket and followed behind her all the way back to Xiyuan.
"Princess, Guards Linxiao, you're back." Mu Ying saw them early and greeted them with a smile, "The kitchen just sent over some hibiscus cakes, would the princess like to try some?"
"Hibiscus cake?" Shen Panyan's eyes lit up, and she reached out to pick up a small piece and took a bite.
However, the next moment, she frowned and quickly spat it out, "Why is it so bitter?"
"Bitter?" Mu Ying picked up a piece and tasted it, puzzled. "It's not bitter."
Hibiscus cake is soft and fluffy, and its sweetness is not cloying. How could it be bitter?
"Could it be that the one I have is different? Lin Xiao, why don't you try it?" With that, Shen Panyan fed the pastry in her hand to Lin Xiao.
Her movements were so natural that Mu Ying didn't react at all. She was stunned for a long time before whispering a reminder, "Princess, you just ate that pastry."
Shen Panyan looked at the pastry in her hand that had been bitten in it. She handed it to him so naturally, and he ate it just as naturally, so neither of them realized that there was anything wrong with it.
Shen Panyan noticed that the side Lin Xiao had bitten was exactly the same side she had just bitten. This meant...
"I...I..." Shen Panyan's face flushed crimson. "I...I didn't pay much attention."
She hurriedly put the remaining pastries into the tray, saying, "I...I have something to do, I have to go now."
After saying that, she lifted the hem of her skirt and went into the room, slamming the door shut.
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