In the end, Shen Qingyao couldn’t participate in the latter part of the palace banquet.
After she slipped from the stone, Lu Zhao promptly caught her. She didn’t suffer any major injuries, but her foot was sprained.
Shen Qingyao was unable to walk, so she was held in Lu Zhao’s arms. When she left, she felt the various gazes of the people watching the drama by the lake, and she felt extremely embarrassed. She even lost the intention to stay and watch the main leads abuse the scum, and her mind was filled with thoughts of how others, when transmigrating, upgraded with a golden finger, while she, on the other hand, experienced a hundred ways of social death as cannon fodder.
Suddenly being princess-carried, Shen Qingyao blushed thoroughly. She no longer had her previous arrogant demeanor. She gently struggled in Lu Zhao’s arms and whispered, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, let me down. I can walk by myself.”
Lu Zhao lowered his eyes and looked at her with a serious expression, devoid of his usual gentleness. He held her tighter, his voice carrying unclear emotions, saying, “Don’t move.”
It meant that she should behave and he wouldn’t let her go.
Shen Qingyao fell silent for a moment and stopped struggling. However, she couldn’t help feeling nervous. Lu Zhao was obviously angry, and from the perspective of an onlooker, she had indeed gone too far today.
Not only did she ignore her Elder Sister’s safety, but she also humiliated Lu Zhao in public.
It was inevitable for him to be angry, Shen Qingyao thought, feeling a bit down.
Lu Zhao seemed to notice her unease. His steps paused, and he lowered his head to look at the girl in his arms. However, he didn’t say anything and continued to carry her out of the palace.
Initially, Shen Qingyao could still think a few random thoughts, but later, perhaps due to the secure feeling in Lu Zhao’s embrace, she couldn’t control herself and fell into a deep sleep, her head resting completely on Lu Zhao’s shoulder.
Cui Qiao was left in the palace to inform Shen Qingli of the news, while Lu Zhao took Shen Qingyao back to the Shen’s mansion. He entered Shen Qingyao’s courtyard with ease as he was familiar with the route.
The maid on duty was startled when she saw someone suddenly returning. Fortunately, the charcoal in the room was still burning; otherwise, Shen Qingyao would have awoken due to the cold.
Lu Zhao carefully laid her down and covered her with a blanket. Lu Zhao looked at the girl’s rosy face as she slept, with a hint of indulgence in his eyes. He didn’t expect her to be so bold; even daring to make threats like jumping into the lake. Truly, she could come up with such ideas.
His gaze shifted, and Lu Zhao noticed several books scattered by Shen Qingyao’s pillow. With a casual flip, several book titles came into view.
<The Obedient Boyfriend of The Paranoid Miss> and <The Yandere Miss Falls for Me>.
…Lu Zhao furrowed his brows in confusion, then he saw a page tucked inside one of the books, seemingly a mark left by Shen Qingyao. Out of curiosity, he raised his hand and opened the page.
The Young Lady was standing at the edge of a cliff, with her eyes filled with resentment, craziness, and helplessness. She shouted hoarsely, “Fourth Brother! If you insist on leaving, I will jump from here! I’ll make you feel guilty for the rest of your life.”
Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow; the words sounded somewhat familiar. Didn’t he just hear something similar a moment ago? Puzzled, he continued reading :
She saw the man looking at her indifferently, snorted coldly, and he left, leaving the Young Lady silently shedding tears…
There was a small comment at the end, seemingly written by Shen Qingyao : [This male lead is so thoughtless! At this moment, he should rush up and hug her from behind!!!]
Lu Zhao chuckled while looking at it, appreciating the girl’s style. Suddenly, he understood the origin of the drama earlier. He closed the book and casually picked up another one. As he lifted his eyes and saw the maid in Shen Qingyao’s room still nervously watching him, his smile faded a bit, and he asked softly, “Are these books… Yaoyao’s?”
The little girl maid was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes, Miss always complained about being bored a few days ago, so she found some story books from somewhere and has been reading them every day.”
So that’s how it is. Lu Zhao turned his head to look at Shen Qingyao on the bed, feeling that she wasn’t annoying at all. He thought the young girl was quite cute. Reflecting on the events in the palace, he couldn’t help but think, I shouldn’t have tried to persuade her at that time; I should have just picked her up directly…
He also thought that if there is a next time, he will definitely be more ‘thoughtful.’
When Shen Qingyao woke up, Lu Zhao had already left, and the one guarding her bed was Shen Qingli, who had returned from the palace.
Shen Qingyao blinked slowly before reacting. She quickly sat up, but the sudden movement caused a sharp pain in her sprained ankle. She hissed, successfully earning a complaint from her elder sister.
“Slow down! Be careful with your feet!” Shen Qingli scolded while carefully helping Shen Qingyao sit properly. “You just recovered from an illness not long ago, and now you’ve sprained your foot again. Do you want to worry people to death?”
Shen Qingyao pouted and lowered her head, very tactfully admitting her mistake, “Elder Sister, I’m wrong.” After a moment of hesitation, she spoke in a smaller voice, “Elder sister, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to keep Elder Brother Lu Zhao1 from helping you…”
Shen Qingli was taken aback, but then understood what Shen Qingyao meant. She smiled and looked away, reluctant to blame Shen Qingyao. “Sorry for what? Didn’t I ask Yun Yu to inform you? It’s good that you didn’t let Lu Zhao come over to avoid causing trouble.”
Shen Qingyao lifted her head. It turned out Yun Yu really had come to inform her at that time! She breathed a sigh of relief, glad she hadn’t caused trouble for the female lead! Then, curiosity that had been suppressed in her heart surged up again. Unable to resist, she asked, “Elder Sister, what happened in the palace today?”
Shen Qingli’s expression changed, but she casually said, “Nothing much, just a small matter, and it’s already resolved.”
“Oh.” Seeing her sister’s unwillingness to discuss it further, Shen Qingyao wisely gave up digging deeper. Then, she remembered something and couldn’t help but wonder, “When did I fall asleep? Wasn’t it Elder Brother Lu Zhao who brought me back? Where is he?”
The more she asked, the more Shen Qingli felt annoyed. She pointed at Shen Qingyao’s forehead with one finger, scolding her, “You still dare to mention this? I haven’t even scolded you! He took you away without saying anything. What? Do you want him to stay here and watch you sleep? You two aren’t married yet!”
Shen Qingyao blushed at her Elder Sister’s words. What did this have to do with anything? She just casually expressed concern! When she was brought back, she was princess carried so she couldn’t see above White Moonlight’s head, so she didn’t know whether his blackening value had increased. Besides, her Elder Sister and the Fifth Prince also hadn’t married yet, but he still sneaked into her Eleder Sister’s room that night!
Shen Qingyao mumbled to herself, forgetting that she had also watched the moon with Lu Zhao that night…
Seeing her sister’s reaction, Shen Qingli knew that the girl didn’t take her words seriously at all. She sighed, giving up on wasting her efforts, and started chattering about other things…
Days passed quickly, and after a few days, Shen Qingyao felt like her bones were about to melt from lying down. Previously, when she was recovering, she could at least take a few steps outside. Now, with her sprained foot, she couldn’t even go for a walk in the courtyard!
Finally, when the medicine patch on her foot was removed, and she could take a few steps, Shen Qingyao felt so light that she could fly. However, no one dared to let her actually walk on the ground.
Shen Qingyao, bored to death, lay on the window sill directing the servants outside in building snowmen. Her mood was gloomy, but she soon realized that there were more annoying things waiting for her.
“Miss, it’s time to take your medicine.” Cui Qiao, punctual as always, entered the room holding a bowl of medicinal soup, looking cheerful. Shen Qingyao immediately put on a sullen face.
She is not afraid of taking medicine, but she is afraid of taking it every day, and even more afraid of the repetitive daily three doses.
As she consumed more and more medicinal soups, she feels that her whole being is now filled with bitterness, inside and out, thoroughly marinated in the taste of medicine.
“Cui Qiao, I’m already fine…” Shen Qingyao pitifully stared at Cui Qiao, trying to escape the ordeal.
However, Cui Qiao remained unmoved, as if accustomed to this drama, and said without changing her expression, “Even if you’re fine, you still need to take it. This is good for strengthening your bones, this is for treating heart ailments, and this one now is for nourishing your body, not considered medicine, not bitter…”
Shen Qingyao looked at the dark bowl and didn’t believe it at all.
Shen Qingyao’s occasional accidents finally succeeded in uniting the Shen family against her. No one sided with her on the matter of not taking medicine. Moreover, they sent medicinal meals to Shen Qingyao’s courtyard every day as if it were free, making Shen Qingyao even more distressed.
Seeing her in so much pain, the system not only encouraged her but also began to paint a rosy picture for her: [Host, endure it! Drink more medicine and persist until the grand finale! Just think about it! What if you get cured by these medicines before completing the mission? Wouldn’t that be a happy ending for everyone?]
Shen Qingyao lay on the table, glancing over a bowl of unidentifiable medicinal soup, a stew of chicken with thirty-seven poria cocos, and a plate of longan lily almond pastries, barely considered medicinal meals. Shen Qingyao snorted coldly at the thought of these curing her heart disease and unilaterally blocked the system.
“Cui Qiao, did Elder Sister come today?” Shen Qingyao asked weakly.
“Miss, Eldest Miss didn’t come today,” Cui Qiao replied with a smile after seeing Shen Qingyao finally finish the medicine.
Cui Qiao then heard Shen Qingyao say in a lackluster tone, “Elder Sister must be annoyed with me, and Eldest Brother too. They haven’t come to see me recently, *sob*…”
Since the day they returned from the palace, Mother Shen issued a strict order that if Shen Qingyao’s health was not restored, no one could take her out of the house. In the past, this might have been acceptable, as the original owner was not fond of going out. However, the current Shen Qingyao was different; she could stay in this small courtyard for a while, but not for a lifetime. Without a phone and Wi-Fi, she couldn’t live as a shut-in.
So, she behaved for a few days, but soon became restless, trying to find Shen Yushu and Shen Qingli, attempting to persuade them to take her out. However, defying Mother Shen’s orders was not easy. Unable to bear seeing their sister suffer, they were in a dilemma. Shen Qingyao became a hot potato, pushed around by them, and in the end, they simply did not show up anymore….
Feeling frustrated, Shen Qingyao poked the tea tray on the table with her fingers. She had counted the holes on the tray several times! Even Lu Zhao didn’t come to see her. She was about to mold away!!!
When Shen Qingli entered, she saw her sister in such a state and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Shen Qingyao slowly turned her head in a pout, calling out with grievance, “Elder Sister…”
“Hey! I’m here!” Shen Qingli walked over, reached out, and gently pinched the slightly deformed little face of Shen Qingyao due to the compression of her arm. Feeling the texture, she pinched it again.
Shen Qingyao : …
Seemingly aware of her sister’s speechlessness, Shen Qingli quickly stopped, sat down beside Shen Qingyao, and asked, “Do you really want to go out?”
Shen Qingyao nodded.
“But didn’t you used to dislike going out?” Shen Qingli had thought about taking Shen Qingyao out before, but the old Shen Qingyao was self-pitying and unwilling to step out, so the family let her be. However, she seemed to have changed recently.
Shen Qingyao thought, That was not me, but…
Shen Qingyao said, “Well, I like it now.”
Shen Qingli rubbed her head. She also knew that her sister had been recuperating for so many days, going out for a while shouldn’t be a big deal. Turning her eyes, as if thinking of something, she raised her eyebrows and said, “Let’s go! Mother gave me a few storefronts, and I want to check them out. Since you’re so eager to go out, I’ll take you with me!”
Shen Qingyao’s eyes lit up, sitting up straight, and exclaimed with joy, “Elder Sister, are you really taking me out? But Mother…”
“So you must behave when you go out with me! No running around, no being impulsive, and no emotional ups and downs! Don’t get hurt!” She couldn’t afford to be sick again! Shen Qingli pretended to be serious and reminded Shen Qingyao.
“I know, Elder Sister~” Shen Qingyao ran over to hug her, a warm feeling surging in her heart, unconsciously showing a bit of coquetry.
Shen Qingli had no way to deal with her, scolded her with a glance, and let her go prepare to go out.
Then Shen Qingli turned her head and quietly asked the maid beside her, “Did His Highness make an appointment with Lu Zhao and others at the Fisherman’s Lodge today?”
The maid nodded. Shen Qingli showed an expression of ‘I didn’t remember it wrong’ and hooked her mouth, saying, “Go and tell Lu Zhao that Yaoyao is going out, ask him to wait at the Ruyi Pavilion.”
Since they separated after the palace banquet, they hadn’t seen each other again. Shen Qingli was a qualified elder sister and wanted to create some opportunities for her little sister.
The maid nodded and quickly left.
Shen Qingli turned her head to see Shen Qingyao’s excited back, smiled, and shook her head.
- raw said ‘White Moonlight’ but I don’t think Shen Qingyao would call Lu Zhao ‘White Moonlight’ in front of Shen Qingli so I changed it. ↩︎
Thanks for the chapter!!!!!
Thank you!
So sweet (even if there is bitter medicine…)