Shen Zhiyi drank three bowls of rock sugar water before she recovered.
She held up the small bronze mirror, looked at herself in the mirror, and couldn't help but let out another wail.
Waaah...
My lips are swollen from the spiciness...
She reached out and touched it, immediately gasping in pain.
no!
We must not give up so easily!
She suddenly put the mirror down.
Night falls.
The candlelight flickered.
Shen Zhiyi returned to the house carrying a stack of carefully selected storybooks.
Qingyuan raised his head from the water.
He leaned against the edge of the bathtub, gazing at her with a languid expression.
"I thought you weren't coming back."
Her cascading white hair, wet and flowing, draped over her shoulders, shimmering with a bewitching glow in the candlelight.
But it only accentuated his physique, making him look full of hormones and tension.
Some of the lines were visible above the water's surface, their outlines made even clearer by the flickering candlelight.
Some are submerged in the water, swaying gently with the ripples, appearing and disappearing, enchanting and alluring.
Shen Zhiyi's steps suddenly stopped.
She couldn't help but glance at his face and physique.
Hmm...
I wonder how much this beautiful woman emerging from her bath would be worth if it were painted.
She thought about it.
Why not paint one tomorrow and try selling it?
Thinking this, she raised her eyes again and carefully examined Qingyuan, wanting to remember every detail about him.
Qingyuan felt a little uncomfortable under her direct gaze.
The hand that was resting on the edge of the bathtub was slowly withdrawn from the water.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, his cheeks slightly flushed, turning his head away.
Shen Zhiyi then remembered the important matter.
He strode in.
"I just wanted to keep you company so you wouldn't be bored at night."
"Here," she said, unfolding a storybook, "I've found some of the most interesting stories in the world. Shall I tell them to you?"
Qingyuan turned his head and glanced at the book title.
One Hundred Touching Short Stories
A collection of tear-jerking moments
Night after night of sorrow
A Heartbreaking Love Amidst Differences Between Humans and Demons
If you don't cry, I'll admit defeat.
...
Qingyuan: "..."
He smirked, "Your human stories have quite the unique titles."
Shen Zhiyi gave a dry laugh.
I dragged a stool over and sat down next to him.
"Don't worry about the name, the story is really great!" She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. "Shall I tell you about it?"
Qingyuan pursed her lips and looked away.
"Um."
Shen Zhiyi immediately broke into a smile.
She casually opened a book, cleared her throat, and began to tell a story with great emotion about a woman who waited faithfully for a heartless man.
"In the end, she passed away..."
After finishing his thought, Shen Zhi was deeply moved.
She stole a glance at the man beside her.
"How was it? Were you moved?"
Qingyuan frowned slightly. "Since that man hasn't promised a return date, why is this woman waiting for him? Isn't he taking advantage of her sincerity to secure his own future?"
"Not to mention, he didn't even take care of everything for his beloved before he left."
"Why cry for such an irresponsible man, why die for him?"
Promises without binding force are not worth believing.
Shen Zhiyi choked for a moment.
"Well……"
"It is precisely because the future is uncertain that the love this woman has given is so moving!"
"Don't you want to shed tears for her?"
Qingyuan's expression was serious. "She's demeaning herself."
Why should I shed tears for fools?
Shen Zhiyi: ...
All right.
She admitted that he had a point.
Undeterred, she opened another storybook. "That one wasn't good. Let me tell you another one."
This time, she chose a story about family.
"This child even cut off his own flesh to make soup to cure his mother's illness. Such filial piety moved the gods, who granted him a good medicine, and he finally saved his mother's life!"
"Well, Lord Sea God, are you moved?"
Qingyuan paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"If there truly are gods, they would not easily interfere with the cycle of reincarnation in the human world."
"If this man truly wants to save his mother, he should immediately pawn his household belongings and seek out renowned doctors."
"If it is truly incurable, we should ask Mother if she has any unfulfilled wishes and fulfill them for her as soon as possible."
"Human flesh is not a medicine. Doing so is ineffective and a waste of time. If his mother finds out, it will only add to her fear and make her die even faster."
"He's just trying to move himself; he's doing nothing of value."
"Another fool."
Shen Zhiyi: ...
Okay, okay, you're the smartest.
She was starting to doubt that he was heartless.
She then spoke several more.
"stupid."
"This is stupid too."
"This is beyond saving."
Qingyuan parted his thin lips slightly, and every word he uttered caused Shen Zhiyi to collapse.
She really wanted to shake his shoulders and ask him, "Why is it so hard to get him to shed a tear?"
Shen Zhiyi put the storybook aside and rubbed her sore eyes.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me!
Yes!
Since he didn't feel anything when she read it, she decided to make him read it himself!
Read it all night long!
I refuse to believe his eyes aren't sore and he's not sleepy!
When the time comes, won't the tears just start flowing the moment he yawns?
Shen Zhiyi rallied her spirits again.
He casually grabbed a few storybooks and stuffed them into Qingyuan's hands.
"Why don't you read it to me?"
Qingyuan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
He stared at the dark circles under her eyes and her slightly tired and sleepy appearance, and a thought stirred in his mind.
Even though they're so exhausted, they still refuse to go to sleep.
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