Chapter 24
The bamboo shadows outside the window had faded to inky black, and only the light from the lanterns under the eaves shone through the window paper, casting shimmering spots of light on the back of his hand.
"Fool." Su Zhelan chuckled softly, but his throat tightened slightly. He had thought this protection was just a mutually beneficial arrangement, but he hadn't expected these two to value him so much.
The scar on the back of my neck felt faintly hot, but it was no longer a burning pain. Instead, it felt like a warm current was spreading along my veins, soothing the tension of the past few days.
The wooden door creaked open, and Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun walked in carrying a copper basin. The steam from the hot water, along with the scent of soapberry, wafted towards them.
"The water's here." Sheng Xuan rushed forward first, placed the copper basin on the low stool, and didn't care that the splashing water wet his trouser legs. He reached out to unbutton Su Zhelan's clothes. "Hurry up and finish drying yourself so you can go to sleep. We'll be going back tomorrow."
Xiao Qiyun followed closely behind, putting down the clean cloth in his hand. He gently pressed down on Sheng Xuan's hand, which was reaching for the button, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "Be careful, he's just recovered."
As she spoke, she walked around to the other side, picked up a handkerchief and soaked it thoroughly in hot water, "Let me do it, you're clumsy, don't touch the wound."
"You're the clumsy one!" Sheng Xuan slapped Xiao Qiyun's hand away. "Didn't you hurt him when you applied the medicine last time? How dare you say that?"
"It's better than someone almost choking to death while feeding him medicine." Xiao Qiyun calmly stepped aside to block Su Zhelan, his handkerchief half-dry, and was reaching towards Su Zhelan's neck.
As Su Zhelan watched the two vying for attention so close to each other, the warmth she had felt earlier was suddenly shattered by this familiar rivalry and jealousy.
He helplessly pressed down on their wrists.
“I can do it myself.” Su Zhelan’s voice was tinged with laughter, yet it carried an undeniable certainty. “The wound on my shoulder has long since healed, and I feel quite well now.” He glanced up at the screen, where bamboo shadows swayed gently on the plain gauze. “Wait over there for a moment?”
Sheng Xuan opened his mouth to retort, but met Su Zhelan's helpless eyes. The words that came out were just a muttered, "Who cares about looking at you?" But he still picked up the copper basin and moved it behind the screen, the soles of his boots scraping against the blue bricks with a dull thud.
Xiao Qiyun gave Su Zhelan a deep look, placed the handkerchief on the low stool, paused his fingertips on the edge of the cloth, and finally just nodded: "Call me if you need anything."
In the shadows behind the screen, the two stood back to back, with a three-foot gap between them, but both were listening intently to the sounds outside. The sound of water dripping was mixed with Su Zhelan's occasional suppressed groans—perhaps she had touched a wound that had not yet healed.
Sheng Xuan clenched his fist and pressed it against the screen, the texture of the bamboo strips making his fingertips numb. He remembered the patch of skin on Su Zhelan's neck that had just faded to a light pink, now flushed a pale red from the steaming hot water, like rouge spreading on fine Xuan paper. This kid clearly couldn't move on his own, but he insisted on being strong; he'd definitely rush to help him wipe his back later.
Xiao Qiyun lowered his eyes to look at the ground, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade bottle in his sleeve pocket—he would have to find a way to get him to agree, at least to let him apply the medicine for him.
The sound of water outside gradually subsided, and Su Zhelan's voice, still damp, came through: "It's done."
The two people behind the screen took a step almost simultaneously, then bumped shoulders in the middle with a dull thud.
Sheng Xuan glared at Xiao Qiyun and took the lead in going around, but when she saw Su Zhelan wearing an outer robe and with her hair wet and hanging around her neck, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Xiao Qiyun caught up with this scene and his eyes darkened slightly. He reached for a dry towel and said, "You need to dry your hair so you don't catch a cold."
This time, Sheng Xuan didn't fight over it anymore. He just stared at the scar on the back of Su Zhelan's neck that was covered by his collar. He suddenly felt that all the thoughts he had been scheming behind the screen were not as important as seeing him safe and sound at this moment.
The movement of the soft cloth wiping the ends of her hair suddenly stopped. Xiao Qiyun picked up a strand of hair that was still damp with moisture with his fingertips. The silvery moonlight shone through the window paper and cast dappled shadows on the light pink scar on the back of Su Zhelan's neck.
He draped a cloth over the back of the chair, his voice still soft and moist: "Dry your hair, go to sleep."
Sheng Xuan immediately dragged a low stool from the corner of the wall, shoved it next to the bed, and the wood made a dull thud as it hit the stool: "I'll sleep here."
He patted the seat, his knuckles turning white from the force. "I'm close by when he needs to drink water or turn over at night."
His gaze swept over the bed, and his Adam's apple bobbed—he couldn't let Xiao Qiyun sleep with Su Zhelan anymore; it was time for him to take over today.
Xiao Qiyun didn't look at him, but bent down to tuck the blanket around Su Zhelan, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against Su Zhelan's waist: "This stool is too low, you sleep soundly, I'm afraid you can't hear the noise."
As he straightened up, strands of hair falling from his temples brushed against Su Zhelan's earlobe. "I'll keep watch. I've always been a light sleeper."
"You're a light sleeper? Last time in the General's study, who fell asleep while reading military books?" Sheng Xuan lightly tapped Xiao Qiyun's shoulder with her finger. "Don't think I don't know, you just wanted to take advantage of him!"
Sandwiched between the two, Su Zhelan listened to their familiar bickering and shrank further under the covers: "How about... I sleep in the middle?"
Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun turned their heads at the same time and said in unison, "No way!"
The air seemed to freeze. Sheng Xuan blushed first, stiffening her neck and turning her eyes away: "Your wound hasn't healed yet, what if it gets crowded?"
Xiao Qiyun softened his tone, gently pressing his fingertips on the back of Su Zhelan's hand: "Be good, lie down properly." He glanced at Sheng Xuan, the contest in his eyes becoming more and more obvious, "Let him sleep on the stool."
"Why me?" Sheng Xuan gripped the wolf-tooth pendant at his waist. "If anyone's going to sleep, it's your turn!"
The silver charcoal in the stove crackled and sparked, casting the three people's shadows crookedly on the wall. Su Zhelan looked at Sheng Xuan's tense profile and Xiao Qiyun's seemingly calm but tightly pursed lips, and suddenly chuckled softly.
“Actually…” He pulled their hands and pressed them onto the blanket, the moonlight shimmering on the backs of their hands, “the bed is wide enough.”
Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the tips of his ears turned so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
Xiao Qiyun's fingertips trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He gently patted Su Zhelan's hand with his fingertips, his gaze first falling on the light pink scar on the back of Su Zhelan's neck, then sweeping over Sheng Xuan's taut jawline. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable certainty: "The bed is wide enough, but if it gets too cramped for you at night, or if it touches your wound, you must tell me."
He paused, deliberately emphasizing the word "definitely," as if giving a reminder, or perhaps issuing a silent warning to Sheng Xuan.
Sheng Xuan was about to retort, "Who would crowd him?", but was silenced by the look Xiao Qiyun gave him. There was no anger in that gaze, only a calm "If you dare to mess around, I have my own way of dealing with you" attitude, which made Sheng Xuan swallow hard and mutter, "I know, I know, why be so particular?"
Despite complaining, he quickly put on his outer garment, leaving only his undergarments, and stiffly lay down against the wall, the bed creaking softly under his weight.
Xiao Qiyun nodded in satisfaction and adjusted the angle of Su Zhelan's pillow to ensure that the scar on the back of his neck would not be disturbed.
He then went around to the other side of the bed, calmly took off his outer robe to reveal his inner garment, and deliberately kept a half-fist distance from Su Zhelan as he lay down.
Su Zhelan was caught in the middle, with Sheng Xuan's tense shoulders on her left and Xiao Qiyun's steady breathing on her right.
Moonlight filtered through the window paper, weaving a fine silver net on the quilt. The residual warmth from the charcoal stove rose up, enveloping the two people's scents, strangely intertwining into a comforting aroma.
"Go to sleep," Su Zhelan said softly, snuggling deeper into the covers. She deliberately ignored Sheng Xuan's subtle half-inch shift towards her and pretended not to notice Xiao Qiyun's hand, which was resting on the edge of the bed, slowly moving closer to her.
Sheng Xuan held his breath and could clearly hear Su Zhelan's breathing, which was much more steady than during the day.
He secretly turned his head and, by the moonlight, saw the faint shadow cast by Su Zhelan's eyelashes beneath her eyelids. Xiao Qiyun on the right, though his eyes were closed, had his shoulders taut, clearly not asleep either.
He cursed inwardly for "pretending," but unconsciously moved his arm off the bed, afraid of actually bumping into Su Zhelan.
The bed was right next to the carved screen. When Sheng Xuan lay down against the wall, the back of his head touched the cool brickwork. He faced Su Zhelan, his back against the solid wall. Su Zhelan lay flat in the center, while Xiao Qiyun was on the far side.
The space between the three of them was so narrow that they could hear each other's breathing. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice and fell precisely on Su Zelan's eyelids, casting dappled patterns of light.
Su Zhelan's eyelashes trembled, and she could hardly open her eyes because of the ray of light.
He tilted his head to the side, using the action of turning away from the moonlight to slowly turn his back to Xiao Qiyun, while his face gently leaned towards Sheng Xuan.
Sheng Xuan's breathing suddenly stopped, but his eyelids opened a crack at that moment. By the moonlight, he saw Su Zhelan frowning and leaning towards him—Su Zhelan's hair brushed against his arm, carrying a cool, damp feel, like a fish swimming into warm water.
He hadn't really fallen asleep; his fingertips were still rubbing the soap pods that had gotten on Su Zhelan when he wiped her body.
Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he peeked through the dim light filtering through the screen—Su Zhelan's profile glowed porcelain white in the moonlight. He suddenly felt that even if Su Zhelan was hiding a huge secret, her docile appearance at this moment made it worthwhile for him to put all those risks aside.
As the wind outside subsided, Xiao Qiyun's gaze was drawn to Su Zhelan's retreating figure.
The features that could be seen just now were hidden behind Shengxuan, leaving only her thin back swaying in the moonlight, like a reed by the water.
He recalled the cautious expectation in Su Zhelan's eyes when she tested him during the day, and a pang of sadness suddenly welled up in his heart—so this is what it feels like to fall in love.
Xiao Qiyun's fingertips curled under the blanket, but he couldn't resist the thought in his heart. His hand slowly reached out, and when his fingertips finally touched Su Zhelan's waist, he pulled back half an inch as if he had been burned.
The lingering warmth from wiping Su Zhelan's body was still on his fingertips. Touching her again through her undergarments, the warmth seeped through the coarse cloth, carrying Su Zhelan's unique body temperature mixed with the scent of medicine, making his fingertips tingle. He gently rubbed his fingers against Su Zhelan's waistline, where the muscles rose and fell slightly with her breath.
He deliberately used a light touch, his fingertips tracing a shallow arc along the fabric, sliding from the waist to the lower abdomen, then slowly withdrawing, as if confirming the warmth of every inch of the body.
The silver charcoal crackled softly in the stove, startling his fingertips, which then tightened their grip—his palms pressed firmly against Su Zhelan's skin, his fingers even wedging into her waistline, as if branding a hidden mark.
Su Zhelan trembled slightly from the continuous touching, a muffled moan escaping her throat, her waist and abdomen instinctively shrinking towards Sheng Xuan.
Xiao Qiyun felt the subtle resistance at his fingertips, and his eyes darkened in the shadows, but he did not let go. Instead, he tightened his arms around her waist, and his fingertips even gently pinched the soft flesh of Su Zhelan's side—as if he were being coquettish, or as if he were declaring his ownership. Only when he heard Su Zhelan's breathing become steady again did he stop and maintain the position, letting the warmth of his palm and Su Zhelan's body temperature blend under the covers, like two drops of water flowing into the same hot spring.
From the left came Sheng Xuan's deliberately soft breathing, and from the right was Xiao Qiyun's hand around his waist, the warmth of his palm seeping through his inner garment like a piece of jade warmed by charcoal fire.
The three of them remained silent, their breathing rising and falling in the night.
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