[Host…]
After Shen Qingyao finally went to wash up and change out of her blood-stained clothes, the system sensed something was off with her and couldn’t help but call out to her. Shen Qingyao’s face was deathly pale, and she let the water droplets from her hair fall without drying them. After she had calmed down, she neither cried nor made a fuss. She was unnaturally quiet, which was unlike her at all.
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Shen Qingyao’s eyes moved slightly, and she mechanically began to dry her hair.
This task had recently been done by Lu Zhao, so she found it awkward and unfamiliar to be doing it herself again. Shen Qingyao laughed self-deprecatingly, thinking how hard it was to go back to frugality after living in luxury.
Suddenly, she thought of something and asked softly, “System, if… I mean if Lu Zhao doesn’t wake up after three days, can I transfer my mission rewards to him?”
The system was stunned and asked in disbelief, [What do you mean… transfer to him?]
“I mean, instead of curing my heart disease, cure him,” Shen Qingyao’s gaze was resolute. It seemed less like a question and more like a decision she had already made.
The system couldn’t speak for a long time, and after a while, it said stiffly, [Host, are you crazy? If you transfer the reward, there will be no way to cure your heart disease! You will die!]
Shen Qingyao smiled indifferently and said calmly, “So what? It’s not like I haven’t died before. Coincidentally, I’ve died in similar ways.”
She glanced at the dressing table not far away, where a pair of jade foxes were placed. They were gifts from her and Lu Zhao to each other, now put together. Shen Qingyao’s voice grew softer, clearer than ever, “Besides… there are always things more important than living.”
The system, unable to empathize with humans, saw the current situation as just a minor glitch in the plot, not a big deal. It didn’t understand why Shen Qingyao was considering the worst-case scenario, but that didn’t stop the AI from getting angry. The youthful voice became sullen, and it said unhappily, [No, you can’t! Moreover, your mission is not yet complete, so you can’t exchange rewards early!]
Shen Qingyao didn’t get angry upon hearing this. She simply responded with an indifferent “oh” and didn’t bring it up again, as if what she had said was just a casual joke. But the system knew she was serious. If something really happened to Lu Zhao, its Host might indeed take some prohibited actions.
The system’s alarm sounded faintly twice, and it silently reminded itself to keep a close watch on Shen Qingyao for the next three days.
After quickly tidying herself up, Shen Qingyao, without resting much despite her aching limbs, insisted on putting on a coat and heading out. After Lu Zhao was injured and fell into a coma, he was placed in another cabin, and she still wanted to be with him.
Lu Zhao had taken the medicine prescribed by the old doctor, and his wound had been carefully treated. However, the arrow had pierced deeply, and the wound had been repeatedly torn. The gauze that had just been changed was now seeping with blood again. Shen Qingyao’s pupils constricted as she walked over and sat down.
She traced Lu Zhao’s features with her eyes, suddenly realizing that her feelings for him had long surpassed that of towards a strategy target. This person had gently and assertively occupied a very important place in her heart.
“Madam,” Hong Yun entered with a small tray, a row of bottles and jars neatly arranged on it. Shen Qingyao was momentarily confused and looked at the bedridden Lu Zhao, wondering if there was another wound that hadn’t been treated.
Hong Yun walked straight to her, then knelt halfway in front of her, gently taking her hand, “Madam, your own hands are injured too. How can you not care at all?”
Only then did Shen Qingyao remember that her hands were scratched from the hasty escape, and she had also inflicted some wounds on herself. When she was washing up earlier, Hong Yun must have seen them. Shen Qingyao awkwardly retracted her hand, feeling that such minor injuries were not worth attention. However, Hong Yun was unusually adamant about treating them.
“Madam is already weak. If you’re not careful, a small wound left untreated could worsen and cause more discomfort. When Young Master wakes up, he surely wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
Hearing that Lu Zhao might be worried, Shen Qingyao stopped moving. She bit her lip and silently extended her hand, letting Hongyun wrap her left hand like a rice dumpling.
“…” Shen Qingyao looked at the layers of bandages on her hand and then at the blood seeping from Lu Zhao’s arm. She couldn’t help but say, “Um, Hong Yun, do you think Elder Brother Lu Zhao might need these bandages more than I do?”
Hong Yun also felt she might have overdone it and couldn’t help but laugh. Shen Qingyao, temporarily relieved of her heavy heart, laughed along with her, feeling much lighter.
With her goal achieved, Hong Yun sighed with relief and left with the tray.
Shen Qingyao stayed by the bedside day after day, refusing to leave no matter who tried to persuade her.
By the morning of the third day, Shen Qingyao’s anxiety had grown. Why hadn’t Lu Zhao shown any signs of waking up after three days? She was so worried she couldn’t sit still. Hong Yun, seeing this, tried to persuade her to rest, but Shen Qingyao couldn’t calm down and didn’t listen at all.
Three days had drained her mentally and physically. Shen Qingyao’s vision darkened, and the familiar nausea returned, accompanied by a heavy pain in her chest.
[Host, your stamina is rapidly decreasing. If you continue like this, you won’t make it until your heart condition flares up—you’ll go offline first,] the system warned, monitoring her with extreme caution over the past few days, afraid she might die if it didn’t pay close attention.
Shen Qingyao ignored it.
[Host! If Lu Zhao wakes up and you’re offline, won’t it be futile?] the system continued.
This time, Shen Qingyao hesitated. After some thought, she finally complied and obediently asked Hong Yun for some food.
“Young Madam! Young Master is awake!”
Just as Shen Qingyao picked up a bowl of porridge, someone hurriedly came to report. With a clatter, the bowl fell onto the table, spilling porridge onto the back of her hand, but she didn’t notice.
“What did you say?” Shen Qingyao stood up excitedly but felt dizzy, unsure if it was the boat rocking or her own dizziness. Losing her balance, she almost fell, scaring Hong Yun half to death. Hong Yun quickly came to support her.
“Madam, are you okay?”
Clutching her chest in pain, Shen Qingyao frowned deeply, but she was smiling. She grasped Hong Yun’s hand and, unable to wait another moment, said, “I’m fine. I need to see him.”
She lifted her skirt and rushed out.
No matter how big the boat was, the cabins weren’t far apart. In no time, Shen Qingyao was out of breath as she stopped outside the door. At the moment of pushing the door open, she suddenly felt afraid—afraid that when the door opened, Lu Zhao would still be lying there with his eyes closed. She took a deep breath, made up her mind, and pushed the door open.
Inside the room, the light was just right. Shen Qingyao immediately saw Lu Zhao propped up in bed. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on his pale face and fluttering eyelashes.
He was really awake. It hadn’t even been three days, and Lu Zhao had woken up.
Shen Qingyao’s nose tingled, and her eyes reddened. She stood dumbly at the door, not daring to enter, afraid this was just a figment of her imagination.
Lu Zhao watched her quietly for a while and, realizing she wouldn’t come in unless he spoke, raised his uninjured arm and beckoned to her. His voice, hoarse from days of disuse, called out to her, “Yaoyao, come here.”
Shen Qingyao finally moved. She walked slowly inside, shedding tears as she went. By the time she reached Lu Zhao’s side, she was already a little crying mess.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao… you finally woke up…” Shen Qingyao sat by the bed and, without thinking, threw herself into Lu Zhao’s arms. She cried loudly, expressing the grievances and fears she had felt over the past few days. “You scared me to death! The doctor said if you didn’t wake up in three days, you wouldn’t wake up at all. Today is the third day…”
Lu Zhao held her tightly. His thin inner robe quickly became soaked with her tears. He felt both tenderness and heartache for her and couldn’t help but gently kiss the top of her head, soothing her softly, “It’s okay now, it’s okay, Yaoyao…”
But the more he tried to comfort her, the more wronged Shen Qingyao felt. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lu Zhao’s waist, unable to stop her tears. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao…”
“Mm, I’m here.” Lu Zhao patted her again, feeling as if they had returned to their childhood. The little girl, whenever she was wronged, would only seek comfort in someone’s embrace, crying her heart out but refusing to let anyone else see her tears.
Lu Zhao initially thought she would be fine after crying for a while, but soon he realized something was off. This time, Shen Qingyao was genuinely terrified by Lu Zhao’s two to three days of unconsciousness. She had been holding herself together for three days, and the moment Lu Zhao woke up, she broke down. With her guard down, the overwhelming discomfort, fear, and worry flooded over her. Shen Qingyao’s tears seemed endless, and she cried even harder.
“Yaoyao, be good, stop crying…” Lu Zhao felt distressed but had no idea what to do. Afraid that prolonged crying would harm her, Lu Zhao hesitated for a moment, then suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain.
Shen Qingyao’s voice stopped immediately. She looked up, her tear-streaked face resembling a little cat, her eyes red and swollen. She grabbed Lu Zhao nervously. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao? What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable? Doctor! Doctor!”
Panic set in again, and she stood up to find help but was pulled back by Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao only wanted to find an excuse to stop her from crying. If she went out looking like that, people might think he was a beast for making her cry so much right after waking up.
“No need to call the doctor, it’s nothing.” Lu Zhao smiled, feeling some pain from his wounds but not showing it.
“But…” Shen Qingyao was still worried.
“No buts.” Lu Zhao interrupted her, finding the girl who was entirely focused on him especially endearing.
Shen Qingyao finally realized what was happening. With tears still on her face, she stared at him blankly, looking a bit dazed. It dawned on her that Lu Zhao was teasing her. She breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t help getting angry. She glared at him, but with her red, swollen eyes, she lacked any real intimidation. “You! At a time like this, you’re still teasing me! Are you even human…”
As she spoke, tears began welling up in her eyes again. She couldn’t help but think that Lu Zhao had no heart; she was so worried, yet he still frightened her like this!
*Sigh.* Lu Zhao let out a long sigh and said softly, helplessly, “How can there be so many endless tears?”
Then, before Shen Qingyao could react, he pressed her shoulder with one hand and leaned in.
His handsome face suddenly came close, Shen Qingyao’s eyes widened, her heart skipped a beat, and moments later, her lips touched a cool, gentle kiss…
Thanks for the chapter!!!!