Chapter 71
For some reason, Sheng Xuan's gaze shifted from the scar on Su Zhelan's heart to Su Zhelan's downcast face.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window and fell directly on Su Zhelan's tightly closed eyelashes, which trembled violently with nervousness and seemed to still have a little dampness on them, caused by embarrassment.
Su Zhelan's profile, softened by her tightly closed eyes, revealed a breathtakingly fragile beauty under the light. For a fleeting moment, Sheng Xuan was captivated by this unprecedented and powerfully impactful fragile beauty, completely forgetting the movement of his fingertips!
His fingertips, dipped in ointment, which had been hovering loosely above the wound, unconsciously and tentatively pressed down during that moment of distraction!
"Ugh—!"
A short, sharp cry of pain suddenly escaped from Su Zhelan's tightly clenched lips! The sound wasn't loud, but it was filled with unexpected, intense pain and unbearable vulnerability!
Su Zhelan's body arched upwards abruptly! His neck snapped straight! His tightly closed eyes snapped open, instantly filling with tears, the immense pain causing his pupils to dilate slightly! He instinctively tried to curl up, but Xiao Qiyun's arms tightened around him from behind, holding him firmly! He trembled with pain, fine beads of cold sweat instantly forming on his forehead, his face turning from flushed to a deathly pale, bloodless color!
The sudden, intense pain and Su Zhelan's suppressed cry of agony were like ice water poured over his head, instantly snapping Sheng Xuan out of his daze!
"Ze Lan?!" Sheng Xuan snapped back to reality, seeing Su Ze Lan's deathly pale face, her tear-filled eyes, and her body arched in agony. His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand! Overwhelmed by panic and self-reproach, he was instantly engulfed! "I...I'm sorry! I...I didn't mean to!" His voice trembled as he frantically tried to pull his finger back, but in his panic, his fingertip unconsciously brushed against the edge of the wound!
"Hiss..." Su Zhelan gasped again, her body trembled, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face, mingling with cold sweat, and fell onto the brocade quilt beneath her.
He bit his lower lip hard, swallowing back the pain he was about to cry out. He could only let out suppressed whimpers in his throat. His lower lip was bitten until it turned white and was almost bleeding!
The moment Su Zhelan cried out in pain, Xiao Qiyun tightened his arms around her to their fullest extent! Almost instinctively, he pressed Su Zhelan deeper into his embrace, using his chest to support her body, which was arched in agony! His usually gentle and composed eyes instantly turned sharp as knives, filled with barely concealed tension and heartache, as he stared intently at Sheng Xuan's flustered hands!
"Sheng Xuan!" Xiao Qiyun's voice was low and urgent, carrying an unquestionable command tone that instantly suppressed Sheng Xuan's panic. "Don't move! Stay calm!"
This low shout was like a spell to freeze people, making the flustered Sheng Xuan freeze abruptly!
He stared in horror at Su Zhelan's pale face and the tears streaming down her face, overwhelmed by guilt that almost suffocated him. He forced himself to stop all movement, frozen in place, his fingertips still tingled with the coolness of the ointment and... the warm, fleshy touch he had just felt when he pressed down. This sensation made his fingertips numb and his whole body cold.
Xiao Qiyun's gaze quickly swept over Su Zhelan's chest wound, confirming that there was no bleeding or tearing, only the sharp pain caused by external pressure.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tension in his heart and a hint of dissatisfaction with Sheng Xuan's clumsiness. He lowered his head, his chin gently brushing against Su Zhelan's sweaty forehead, his voice low and soothing, whispering in Su Zhelan's ear:
"Bear with it...it will be over soon...don't bite yourself..." he said, while using his free hand to gently but firmly pinch Su Zhelan's tightly clenched jaw, forcing him to release his lower lip, which had turned white from being bitten.
Su Zhelan was forced to loosen her tightly clenched lips, and her rapid and painful breathing could no longer be suppressed, accompanied by a heavy nasal tone and sobs.
He leaned weakly against Xiao Qiyun's chest, his body trembling slightly from the intense pain and immense grievance, tears streaming silently down his face.
Looking at Su Zhelan's state, Xiao Qiyun felt a pang of heartache. He looked up at Sheng Xuan, who was frozen by the bed, her face deathly pale, her eyes filled with immense panic and self-reproach. His voice returned to its usual steady tone, but carried an undeniable command:
“Continue.” His sharp gaze locked onto Sheng Xuan. “Be gentle, keep your composure. Don’t hurt him again.”
Sheng Xuan felt a chill run down his spine under Xiao Qiyun's calm yet extremely oppressive gaze. Looking at Su Zhelan's pale face and the silent tears streaming down her face, he was overwhelmed by immense guilt.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and refocused his gaze on the scar on Su Zhelan's chest. This time, his movements were even more careful than before, with an almost apologetic devotion and focus. He held his breath, his fingertips dipping into the ointment with the lightest touch, applying it with a force as light as a feather, afraid of causing Su Zhelan even the slightest pain.
Su Zhelan's body was still trembling slightly, but the intense pain had passed, leaving only a lingering dull ache in her chest and immense grievance.
He leaned against Xiao Qiyun's chest, feeling Xiao Qiyun's steady heartbeat and the silent yet powerful support, as well as Sheng Xuan's careful touch with an air of atonement. His chaotic emotions gradually calmed down, but tears still kept falling.
Xiao Qiyun held Su Zhelan in his arms, one hand still gently pinching his chin to prevent him from biting him again, while the other hand steadily supported his body.
His gaze remained fixed on Sheng Xuan's movements, carrying a silent supervision and... a subtle, complex emotion.
The subsequent dressing change process took place in a near-frozen silence, filled with atonement and heartache.
Sheng Xuan's movements were exceptionally focused and gentle, as if he were repairing a priceless, fragile item. He carefully applied the ointment, then covered it with a clean cloth, and finally wrapped it with gauze, securing it with meticulous care. Every movement was extremely gentle, filled with the utmost caution.
Su Zhelan closed her eyes, feeling the careful touch on her heart and the solid support behind her. The immense sense of grievance was slowly replaced by a kind of weariness and a kind of... indescribable warmth mixed with pain. Her tears gradually stopped, leaving only slight sobs.
When Sheng Xuan finally tied the last knot and secured the gauze, he looked as if he had just survived a battle; his back was already soaked with cold sweat. He looked up at Su Zhelan, his eyes filled with immense guilt and a barely perceptible plea, his voice terribly hoarse: "...It's done. I...I'm sorry..."
Su Zhelan slowly opened her eyes, her gaze somewhat unfocused.
Xiao Qiyun felt Su Zhelan's body relax and saw the exhaustion in his eyes. He slowly released his grip on Su Zhelan's chin, and his arms around her loosened slightly, but he still held her firmly in his embrace.
His gaze swept over Sheng Xuan's guilty face, then he looked down at the exhausted Su Zhelan in his arms, and finally just sighed softly, his voice low and gentle: "Alright, get some rest."
Su Zhelan gave a soft "hmm," his eyelids drooping heavily, as if all his strength had been drained away. The dull pain in his chest followed him like a shadow, reminding him of the chaos that had just occurred.
He could feel Sheng Xuan's burning, guilty gaze still lingering on him, and he could feel Xiao Qiyun's arms still carrying a steady warmth. But right now, he just felt that all of this was... noisy.
It wasn't the noise of the voices that was loud, but the noise of the emotions. Sheng Xuan's overflowing self-blame and Xiao Qiyun's omnipresent attention were like fine grains of sand, pricking him painfully. Even thinking felt like a struggle.
"I'm tired." Su Zhelan's voice was soft, with a thick nasal tone, like a murmur, but clear enough to ring out in the silence. He didn't look at Sheng Xuan or Xiao Qiyun, his gaze lowered, staring at the intricate embroidery patterns on the brocade quilt, his eyes somewhat unfocused. "Let me lie down for a while."
Su Zhelan turned her back to the two of them, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, leaving only a silent, curled-up figure.
Xiao Qiyun's gaze lingered for a moment on Su Zhelan's tired profile. Her drooping eyelashes and unfocused eyes spoke volumes about her desperate desire to sink into darkness.
He raised his head and looked at Sheng Xuan, who was frozen by the bed, his face still deathly pale. Sheng Xuan's gaze was still fixed on Su Zhelan, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but Xiao Qiyun's calm voice cut him off:
"Let's go." Xiao Qiyun's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable calmness, as if putting an end to this chaos. "Ze Lan is tired, let him rest well."
Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed violently as his gaze swept back and forth between Su Zhelan's huddled back and Xiao Qiyun's calm face. He opened his mouth, but the words "I'll stay and take care of him" stuck in his throat remained unspoken—Su Zhelan's earlier words "I'm tired" and her turning away had extinguished all his impulse to stay, like a bucket of cold water.
“…Okay.” Sheng Xuan’s voice was so dry it was almost inaudible. He looked at Su Zhelan deeply, almost greedily. Then, he turned around, his movements hurried and stiff.
He stumbled towards the door, his movements clumsy and awkward, the sound of his boots scraping the floor particularly clear in the silence. Reaching the door, he couldn't help but look back one last time, his eyes a complex mix of emotions—guilt, worry, reluctance, and a hint of bewilderment at being rejected.
Xiao Qiyun didn't follow immediately. He bent down and very naturally tucked the blanket around Su Zhelan, his fingertips brushing against the blanket. His gaze lingered on Su Zhelan's slightly reddened ear tips for a moment before he straightened up.
"Get some rest." Xiao Qiyun's voice was very low, almost brushing against the air in the room, as if he were talking to himself.
When those two familiar auras completely disappeared from her perception range, Su Zhelan's tense body seemed to have had its last bit of strength drained away, and she completely went limp.
The world is finally quiet.
There was no scorching, self-reproachful gaze from Sheng Xuan that almost burned him through, no omnipresent, scrutinizing, and steady look from Xiao Qiyun, and no chaotic, clamorous emotional turmoil that nearly overwhelmed him.
He was left with only himself, the stubborn dull ache in his chest, and an overwhelming weariness.
The courtyard gate closed gently, shutting out the huddled figure inside and the heavy silence.
Outside the courtyard, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange, casting long, thin shadows of the two people.
Sheng Xuan's steps were still unsteady, and the cold sweat on his back was blew by the cool evening breeze, making him shiver. His mind was still full of Su Zhelan's pale face, her silently falling tears, and the warm flesh and blood still on his fingertips—the excruciating pain caused by his clumsiness was branded on his heart like a mark.
Just then, Xiao Qiyun's calm, almost rigid voice pierced the stillness of the night like an icicle:
"Heh." A very soft chuckle, filled with undisguised mockery, "Didn't the Second Young Master just now confidently say that he could do it?" Xiao Qiyun's steps stopped in the moonlight, and he turned to the side, his figure gilded by the setting sun.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Sheng Xuan's tense profile, a faint yet extremely piercing smile curving his lips. "What? The result of 'it can be done' is that Zhe Lan is in so much pain that she's trembling all over and can't stop crying?"
Every word was like a poisoned needle, precisely piercing Shengxuan's most painful spot.
Sheng Xuan abruptly stopped and turned around! His chest heaved violently. The guilt and self-blame he had just suppressed were instantly ignited by Xiao Qiyun's casual words, turning into a scorching fire that rushed straight to his head.
"You!" Sheng Xuan's voice suddenly rose, filled with suppressed anger, sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet night.
He glared at Xiao Qiyun, his eyes shining brightly with anger and the lingering redness, like two flames burning within them. "Stop being sarcastic! If it weren't for you..." He suddenly remembered how Xiao Qiyun had completely embraced Su Zhelan in the room, how he had pinched Su Zhelan's chin... That image was like a thorn, piercing his heart.
"If you hadn't suddenly gotten so close! Trapped him... trapped him in your arms!" Sheng Xuan's voice trembled with excitement. He took a step forward, almost bumping into Xiao Qiyun's chest. "How could he... how could he..." He wanted to say "how could he be so nervous," "how could he not dodge," but the words that came out were a deeper sense of frustration and anger. "What right did you have to hold him like that?!"
Xiao Qiyun stood still, motionless.
Faced with Sheng Xuan's almost fiery glare and approach, he merely raised an eyebrow slightly, his mockery deepening. He even leisurely raised his hand to brush away non-existent dust from his moon-white sleeves.
"Trap him?" Xiao Qiyun's voice remained calm, even tinged with amusement. "Second Young Master's words are amusing. If I hadn't steadied him in time and pinched his jaw to stop him from biting himself, do you think Su Zhelan would have just been trembling and crying from the pain after that one blow?"
He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over Sheng Xuan. "He even bit his own lip until it bled. As for hugging him..."
Xiao Qiyun's gaze passed over Sheng Xuan's shoulder, seemingly piercing through the tent canvas, and landed on the curled-up figure. His tone carried a sense of self-righteous possessiveness: "He's in so much pain he can't sit up. If I don't hold him, am I supposed to let him fall onto the bed? Or..."
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Sheng Xuan again, the corner of his mouth curving into a cold, sharp smile. "Does the Second Young Master think that you, in your panicked state, were more composed than him?"
"You!" Sheng Xuan was so choked that his face turned ashen, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"What I do is none of your business!" Sheng Xuan retorted, but his voice betrayed a hint of weakness and embarrassment. "Ze Lan and I...we..." He wanted to say, "We have just expressed our feelings," to assert his dominance, but Xiao Qiyun interrupted him lightly.
"You?" Xiao Qiyun chuckled softly, the laughter ringing out clearly in the quiet night, carrying a chilling, all-knowing quality.
"Second Young Master, are you referring to those few vague 'heartfelt' words before you recklessly hurt him?" He shook his head, his tone carrying a condescending pity. "Heartfelt intentions are one thing, but skill is another. Second Young Master, the former alone cannot protect someone."
He spoke those last few words very softly, yet they struck Sheng Xuan's heart like a heavy hammer.
Sheng Xuan's chest heaved violently, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at Xiao Qiyun, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Xiao Qiyun's words were like poisonous vines, suffocating him. Anger, resentment, immense guilt, and a hint of shame at having his secret exposed churned within him.
The two figures faced off in silence. One was burning with rage but speechless, while the other remained calm and composed, his eyes gleaming with a cold, all-encompassing sharpness.
Finally, Xiao Qiyun's gaze lingered for a moment on Sheng Xuan's face, which was filled with anger and frustration, as if he had enjoyed the other's disheveled state enough, before he gracefully turned away.
"Let's go." He didn't turn around, his voice returning to its usual calm, but colder than the night wind. "Ze Lan needs to rest. As for you..." He paused, leaving a meaningful trailing tone, "You should think about how to calm Su Yan down first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Qiyun's figure disappeared around the corner, leaving Sheng Xuan standing there, surrounded by the increasingly cold evening wind and an even colder sense of defeat.
He slammed his fist against the wall beside him, panting heavily. He took one last, unwilling look at Su Zhelan's courtyard before turning and striding away, filled with pent-up anger and heavy guilt.
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