Chapter 103
The next morning, the misty morning light shone through the window curtains, casting dappled shadows on the messy bed.
Xiao Qiyun woke up before the person in his arms, his arms still wrapped around her. He lowered his gaze, looking at Su Zhelan's peaceful sleeping face, a slight smile playing on his lips. But when his gaze shifted downwards and he noticed the faint red mark on Su Zhelan's wrist, his brows furrowed instantly.
The medicine box made a soft "click" sound when it was pushed open. Xiao Qiyun paused for a moment as he dipped his fingertips in the ointment, making sure Su Zhelan was still fast asleep before continuing.
When the cool ointment touched her skin, Su Zhelan unconsciously curled her fingers in her dream, but Xiao Qiyun held her wrist with a gentler yet unyielding force.
Su Zhelan was awakened by the soreness in his lower back and legs. The moment he moved, the discomfort made him gasp. Memories of last night surged back with the pain, and he abruptly closed his eyes, his ear tips burning red, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the blankets.
"Awake?" A deep voice, hoarse with the sound of early morning, came from above.
Su Zhelan froze, his eyes meeting Xiao Qiyun's deep gaze. Xiao Qiyun reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs on Su Zhelan's forehead, his knuckles brushing against his burning cheek: "Feeling unwell?"
Su Zhelan instinctively turned his head to avoid it, but was pressed back to his original position by a sudden increase in force on his waist. Xiao Qiyun's arm was across his waist, and the heat came through his thin inner clothes.
“…It’s alright.” Su Zhelan tried to remain calm.
Xiao Qiyun chuckled softly, straightened up, and brought a bowl of warm medicinal food from the bedside.
"Drink it." Xiao Qiyun held the bowl to his lips, her tone leaving no room for refusal. "It's to soothe your throat."
Su Zhelan pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered her head to take a sip. The medicinal food was slightly bitter, but sweet with honey. It slid down her throat and did relieve the dryness.
He sipped his drink, unaware that Xiao Qiyun's gaze remained fixed on him.
Xiao Qiyun suddenly reached out and brushed his thumb across Su Zhelan's lips, saying casually, "You got some medicine on your lips."
Su Zhelan's ears turned slightly red, and she looked away.
Xiao Qiyun acted as if nothing had happened, placing the empty bowl aside and then touching Su Zhelan's neck with his fingertips: "This area needs to be covered."
Su Zhelan suddenly remembered something and raised her hand to cover her neck: "...Sheng Xuan last night..."
I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth.
Xiao Qiyun's eyes darkened instantly. He gripped Su Zhelan's wrist, his voice low and menacing: "Now, you still have the mind to think about others?"
Su Zhelan's breath hitched; she instinctively sensed danger.
Xiao Qiyun took out a small jade jar from his sleeve at some point, and when he opened it, a clear medicinal fragrance wafted out.
"Turn around." Xiao Qiyun's voice still carried lingering anger, but his fingertips, smeared with ointment, were already pressed against Su Zhelan's lower back.
The cool touch made Su Zhelan shudder, only to be immediately covered by the burning heat of his palm. His massage technique was surprisingly skillful; his thumbs pressed slowly down along both sides of the spine, increasing the pressure to knead and loosen the nodules at each sore acupoint.
Su Zhelan bit her lip, but couldn't stop her waist from trembling. Xiao Qiyun suddenly leaned down, his breath brushing against her ear: "Relax."
The ointment transformed into a warm current that seeped into her skin, gradually softening Su Zhelan's tense waist and legs. When Xiao Qiyun's hand moved to her calf, she even unconsciously let out a comfortable groan before freezing up in shame.
In the quiet, fragrant atmosphere, Su Zhelan suddenly noticed that Xiao Qiyun's breathing was more rapid than usual, and his forehead was beaded with sweat. This discovery made his heart skip a beat, and he instinctively reached out and wiped Xiao Qiyun's chin with his sleeve.
The two of them froze after the action was completed. Xiao Qiyun grabbed his wrist, which was about to pull back, and turned the unfinished action into a gentle handshake.
The medicine pot rolled off the bed with a dull thud, and Xiao Qiyun's voice softened: "What would you like for lunch?"
Then Xiao Qiyun walked towards the pear wood wardrobe in the corner of the room.
The morning light outlined his tall, straight back. When Xiao Qiyun returned to the bedside with the clothes, Su Zhelan noticed that his fingertips were unconsciously tracing the patterns on the bamboo leaves.
"Raise your hand." Xiao Qiyun's voice was lower and husky than usual as his fingers looped around Su Zhelan's waist to tie her sash. Su Zhelan instinctively flinched, but Xiao Qiyun gently stopped her: "Don't move."
The action of tying the ribbon paused for a moment, and in the end, the ribbon was simply loosely tied into a knot.
Xiao Qiyun had already turned around, his tone returning to its usual calm: "Sleep a little longer, I'll bring lunch over."
The door closed gently.
Su Zhelan sat alone on the tatami mat, slowly curling up and burying her face in her knees. She was truly panicked… What should she do after Sheng Xuan returned?
Well... things will work themselves out. There's no point in dwelling on it now. So Su Zhelan simply closed her eyes and lay down on the bed, giving up all hope.
When Su Zhelan woke up again, the room was filled with the faint aroma of food. He opened his eyes groggily and met Xiao Qiyun's gaze as he leaned down to look at him.
"Awake?" Xiao Qiyun's voice was gentler than in the morning. He placed his palm on Xiao Qiyun's forehead to check his temperature. "It's alright, no fever."
Su Zhelan instinctively tried to dodge, but a sudden ache in his lower back made him groan. Xiao Qiyun immediately wrapped his arm around him, firmly supporting his lower back: "Slow down."
“I can walk by myself…” Su Zhelan struggled for a moment, but her legs went weak as soon as her feet touched the ground, and she fell into Xiao Qiyun’s arms.
Xiao Qiyun pulled him even tighter, saying, "Pretending to be strong." There was a hint of helplessness in her voice.
Su Zhelan's ears burned, so he simply buried his face in Xiao Qiyun's shoulder and let him half-support, half-carry him out.
After lunch, Su Zhelan leaned lazily against the soft pillows, his eyelids half-closed, his whole body feeling soft from the warm food. Xiao Qiyun finished clearing away the dishes, turned around and saw him like this, and the corners of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Lie down." Xiao Qiyun sat back on the edge of the bed and gently tapped Su Zhelan's waist with his fingertips. "Let me massage you again."
Su Zhelan looked up at him, her voice still tinged with the weariness of a full meal: "...No need."
Xiao Qiyun ignored his resistance and placed her palm on his lower back, massaging it with moderate pressure.
Xiao Qiyun chuckled softly, his hands continuing their work, his thumbs slowly moving down Su Zhelan's spine, rubbing away the tense muscles. Su Zhelan initially tried to remain silent, but as Xiao Qiyun's massage deepened, his breathing gradually became erratic.
"Does it still hurt here?" Xiao Qiyun asked in a low voice, pressing and circling his lower back with his fingertips.
Su Zhelan shook her head, then nodded, and finally muttered in despair, "...I feel fine now."
Xiao Qiyun didn't say anything more, but he lightened the pressure on his hands, gently rubbing his skin with his palms, gradually melting the heat of the ointment into his muscles.
Su Zhelan closed her eyes, feeling the warm current spread from her waist to her whole body, which also relieved a lot of the soreness.
Xiao Qiyun noticed his relaxation, and his palm slid down his waistline to his thigh, kneading it with a light but firm touch.
Su Zhelan stiffened, her fingers gripping the blankets tightly, but then she heard Xiao Qiyun say calmly, "Don't be nervous, I'm just helping you relax."
His voice was so calm, as if he were really just doing something perfectly normal.
Su Zhelan pursed his lips, slowly loosening his grip on the blanket, letting Xiao Qiyun's fingertips linger on his leg. After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Qiyun finally stopped, giving Su Zhelan's waist a final pat: "All done."
Su Zhelan opened his eyes and found that he was now half-lying on the bed, while Xiao Qiyun was looking down at him with a calm gaze.
"...Thank you." Su Zhelan muttered softly, turning her face away from him.
Xiao Qiyun didn't respond, but reached out to straighten his disheveled clothes, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against his collarbone, leaving a slightly cool touch.
Xiao Qiyun then got up and walked to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. His fingers gently glided along the spines of the books, finally pulling out an old-fashioned medical book—the very one Su Zhelan had been reading these past few days. He sat back down on the bed and handed it to Su Zhelan: "Want to read for a while?"
Su Zhelan took the book and found it was the notebook he often flipped through, with his herbal notes tucked between the pages. He pursed his lips and lowered his head to read it.
Xiao Qiyun sat quietly beside him. Occasionally, when Su Zhelan saw a prescription, she would mutter a few words to herself, and Xiao Qiyun would lean closer to listen. Although he didn't quite understand, he would still nod or ask a simple question or two.
Su Zhelan gradually relaxed, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the pages of the book. Occasionally, when he encountered a familiar passage, he would quietly explain it to Xiao Qiyun. Xiao Qiyun looked at his serious profile, a slight smile playing on his lips, and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear.
For the next few days, Xiao Qiyun practically lived at Su Zhelan's residence.
As dawn broke, Su Zhelan felt the bed beside him sink. A body, chilled by the morning dew, pressed against him from behind, Xiao Qiyun's lips brushing against his ear, his voice still hoarse: "Sleep a little longer."
Su Zhelan was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, and he mumbled a "hmm" in his sleep, but he suddenly woke up when the other person's hand gently touched his shoulder: "...What are you doing!"
"Let me check on you," Xiao Qiyun said seriously, "to see how well you've rested."
Su Zhelan blushed and pushed his hand away, but his wrist was grabbed in the process.
In the morning light, Xiao Qiyun looked down at his flushed cheeks, then suddenly lowered her head and gently tapped his nose: "Good morning."
While reading medical books in the afternoon, Xiao Qiyun sat next to Su Zhelan. The boy was held tightly in his arms, his back pressed against the other's chest, making it difficult even to turn a page.
"You...don't stand so close..." Su Zhelan protested softly, but Xiao Qiyun gently pressed her shoulder down: "You can see clearly this way."
The words on the pages blurred before his eyes. Su Zhelan's attention was entirely focused on the presence of the person beside him, until Xiao Qiyun suddenly snatched the brush from his hand: "This is a mistake."
"ah?"
"The dosage of Chuanxiong is reversed." Xiao Qiyun held his hand and corrected it on the paper, her tone gentle. "Concentrate."
Su Zhelan nudged backward with her elbow in embarrassment and anger, but heard a muffled groan from the person behind her.
He hurriedly turned around, but Xiao Qiyun took the opportunity to put his arm around his shoulder: "Why so tightly?"
"What nonsense are you talking about..." Su Zhelan's words were interrupted by a sudden close breath, and the medical book fell to the ground with a clatter.
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