"Does it still hurt?"
These three words, hoarse yet gentle, like three of the softest feathers, lightly brushed against Lin Wanwan's heartstrings, which were taut with extreme tension.
In that instant, all the heavy, oppressive, and tense atmosphere melted away like snow blown away by the spring breeze.
He didn't press further, didn't scrutinize further, and didn't coerce him any further.
He ended this deadly standoff, which was enough to destroy all trust between them, with the simplest, most clumsy, yet most tender question.
He chose to...believe in her.
Or rather, between cold reason and burning emotion, he ultimately chose the latter.
Lin Wanwan's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, a thin layer of moisture instantly surging within them. She forced herself to hold them back. She shook her head, her voice trembling with a sob she herself didn't even realize: "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Xiao Che withdrew his hand, and the tearful heart emoji disappeared, his aura returning to its usual coldness. But in his deep black eyes, there was a complex and tender feeling he had never seen before.
This crisis of trust has been temporarily resolved.
And what followed was the return of Xiao Che's hilarious "domineering caregiver" mode.
"Serve the meal," he said calmly to the outside of the tent.
Soon, a palace maid carefully entered carrying a tray. On the tray were a bowl of steaming medicinal soup and a bowl of light and nourishing chicken porridge.
Just as the palace maid was about to step forward to serve him, Xiao Che reached out and took the tray from her.
"You may leave." His tone was calm, yet brooked no argument.
"Yes." The palace maid dared not say more and quickly bowed and withdrew.
Xiao Che placed the tray on the small table beside the bed, picked up the bowl of dark, murky medicine, and said to Lin Wanwan in a matter-of-fact tone, "Time to drink your medicine."
Lin Wanwan looked at him, somewhat bewildered: "I can do it myself."
“Your injury is on your left shoulder,” Xiao Che said, offering a plausible reason. “The imperial physician said that the wound cannot be moved.”
After saying that, he held the bowl in one hand and picked up a spoon in the other, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, and brought it to her lips.
His movements appeared incredibly natural, as if he had done this a thousand times before. However, his slightly stiff arms and his overly focused, almost serious expression completely betrayed him.
This emperor, clearly, was doing this kind of servant's work for the first time.
Lin Wanwan felt both annoyed and amused, but looking at his serious expression, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She had no choice but to obediently open her mouth and drink the spoonful of bitter medicine.
The bowl of medicine was fed in this slightly eerie and awkward atmosphere.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Che picked up the bowl of chicken porridge.
This time, he moved with even greater caution.
He imitated how Lin Wanwan used to take care of him, scooping up a spoonful of porridge and gently bringing it to his lips, blowing on it repeatedly until he felt the temperature was just right, before carefully feeding it to her.
His movements were stiff and clumsy, even somewhat comical. The dignified ruler of a nation was now like a child learning to take care of someone for the first time, his face filled with the expression, "I'm serious, don't mess this up."
Looking at him, Lin Wanwan's helplessness was gradually replaced by a warm and tender emotion.
She ate the porridge he fed her quietly; the atmosphere inside the tent was warm and tranquil.
However, the pleasant atmosphere was quickly shattered by the novice caregiver's mistake.
Perhaps because he was tired from maintaining one position for a long time, Xiao Che's hand trembled slightly, and a small spoonful of warm porridge spilled onto the brocade quilt covering Lin Wanwan, leaving a small damp patch.
Xiao Che's movements froze instantly.
He stared at the stain, his brow furrowing deeply, a clear look of annoyance and...embarrassment on his face.
Looking at his frustrated expression, as if he had messed up a huge thing, Lin Wanwan finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
That smile seemed to break a certain constraint, instantly easing the slightly awkward atmosphere in the tent.
Xiao Che felt a little uncomfortable at her laughter, a faint blush rising to his ears. He coughed lightly, forcing a serious expression, and used a deliberately authoritative tone to hide his embarrassment: "What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing," Lin Wanwan said, trying hard to suppress a laugh, and shook her head. "Your Majesty, I'll do it myself. It's really no problem."
"No way!" Xiao Che refused without hesitation, his tone domineering. "I said the wound can't be touched!"
As if to prove himself, he scooped up another spoonful of porridge, this time with even more care and slowness, and brought it to her lips.
Lin Wanwan had no choice but to continue to let him have his way.
After some effort, the bowl of porridge was finally finished. Although there were a couple of minor mishaps along the way, the task was completed in the end.
Lin Wanwan leaned against the soft pillows, feeling as if she had just fought a battle.
She instinctively stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth, only to find a grain of rice stuck there. She was about to raise her uninjured right hand to wipe it off when a slender, well-defined hand moved faster than she could.
Xiao Che almost instinctively extended his finger.
His fingertips, calloused from years of martial arts training and exuding a heart-pounding heat, gently, so gently, brushed past the corner of her mouth, wiping away the mischievous grain of rice.
This action was incredibly natural and intimate, as if they had done it a thousand times before.
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
The two of them were stunned at the same time.
Xiao Che's fingers were still on her lips. The soft, delicate touch and the burning heat seemed to carry an electric current, instantly coursing through his body and making him freeze in place.
Lin Wanwan stared blankly at his handsome face so close to hers. She could clearly see the fleeting surprise in his eyes, and see her own shocked expression reflected in his deep black eyes.
An ambiguous atmosphere, like incense that has been lit, silently and quickly spread between the two of them.
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