Chapter 29
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He firmly held Lin Qingyang’s restless hand, turning back to gaze coldly at Lin Qingyang. All he could see, however, was a forehead covered in cold sweat, eyebrows tightly furrowed, as if Lin Qingyang was in extreme pain.
This guy really didn’t mean it!
Chu Lishu endured, attempting to pull Lin Qingyang’s hand away. However, Lin Qingyang’s hand, which was locked around his waist, unexpectedly maneuvered its way up as well. It was like a pincer attack from both sides.
At this point, Chu Lishu’s collar had been completely pulled open in the struggle. Lin Qingyang’s icy cold hand soon satisfactorily made contact with warmth.
As one side was chilled by him, he shifted to the other, constantly absorbing heat.
Chu Lishu finally grew angry. Regardless of whether Lin Qingyang was truly unconscious, he lifted his hand and prepared to strike with his elbow, attempting to directly hit Lin Qingyang’s face.
As a result, when he lifted his arm, it gave Lin Qingyang an opportunity. Lin Qingyang raised his hand and directly touched the sensitive area.
The most sensitive part of the upper body was grazed by a wave of coldness. The stimulation caused Chu Lishu’s arm to go limp, and misty tears welled up in his eyes.
The slow grinding sound of back teeth echoed, resembling the ominous quiet before a storm.
The words “courting death” were already engraved on Lin Qingyang’s forehead.
However, unconscious people are utterly illiterate.
Finally, the hand that had been heated up was not content with just enjoying the warmth.
After all, other parts of him were still cold.
Lin Qingyang was utterly unreasonable. He directly leaned over, rubbing his head against Chu Lishu’s neck, forcibly turning him around. He wanted to warm himself by rubbing his cheeks against the warmth—chest, neck, cheeks, anywhere with the warmth. He wanted his entire body to be pressed against the warmth.
Chu Lishu looked at Lin Qingyang, who was almost dangling above him, and was infuriated to the point of turning away. How dare he take advantage of him like this! If it weren’t for Lin Qingyang saving him before, he could think of a hundred ways to deal with this audacious guy.
Just as he was about to lift his foot to kick Lin Qingyang away, he felt a moist itch near his ear.
Chu Lishu’s scalp exploded instantly, and his body hair stood on end. His breath stopped.
He heard Lin Qingyang, whose voice was already hoarse, whispering with a messy breath in his ear, “Give me… give me… I’m cold.”
With a muffled sound, Lin Qingyang completely fainted, collapsing onto Chu Lishu.
Chu Lishu’s chest heaved violently, and he forcefully pushed Lin Qingyang off. In a disheveled state, he simultaneously struggled with his own clothes and got off the bed.
In the lamplight, he looked like a distressed girl who had been molested, with a deep blush on her face—of course, if one were to ignore the almost protruding veins.
Clearly a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Chu Lishu fixed his clothes, restoring a dignified posture, but he couldn’t suppress the turmoil inside him.
His ears were also intensely itchy. No matter how much he rubbed them, he felt he was unable to erase the lingering sensation of the damp itch from earlier, as if there were creepy crawlies on them.
Chu Lishu had never encountered such an embarrassing and awkward situation, even in the face of difficulties and injuries. He would have preferred a couple of stabs instead. The person responsible for these awful experiences happened to be the one who had saved him, making Chu Lishu only able to shoot Lin Qingyang a fierce glare.
He was so angry that he wanted to leave.
However, the distressed murmurs from Lin Qingyang on the bed made it difficult.
Even though he had been knocked out, it was impossible for him to wake up again unless his body was in extreme discomfort.
Yet, here was Lin Qingyang, waking up in discomfort. He was no longer cold, but now he was convulsing, curled up in bed, looking pitiful.
Chu Lishu closed his eyes. “We’ll settle the score… later.”
On the other side, Shuncai drove the carriage, escorting Lin Qinglan back to Marquis An Nan’s residence overnight.
The gatekeeper was quite surprised when he opened the door. Lin Qinglan didn’t want to disturb everyone, so she went straight to her old chamber.
However, Nanny Ding still got wind of the situation and hurried over. Knowing the temperament of this young lady, she was sure she wouldn’t return in the middle of the night without a reason.
Lin Qinglan was raised by Nanny Ding, and as soon as she saw her, she couldn’t contain her emotions and burst into tears before even speaking.
Even the personal maid dared to say a word only after seeing Nanny Ding, “Nanny, our young miss wants to divorce her husband.”
Nanny Ding immediately exclaimed in anger, “Did her husband do something to wrong the Young Lady? Don’t worry, Young Lady, Nanny Ding is here. Tell me everything.”
“Nanny, please don’t disturb Mother; her health is not good…”
“Don’t worry, I came quietly. Your mother is still asleep. Quickly, tell nanny what happened!”
Lin Qinglan, like an unmarried girl, leaned into Nanny Ding’s arms, pouring out the events of the night.
Nanny Ding’s stern face contorted with anger, but she wasn’t impulsive. Suppressing her temper, she comforted Lin Qinglan, “Young Lady, rest assured. Yang’er and the lad Chu have done the right thing, following their instructions. If you can’t obtain the divorce letter, don’t leave Marquis An Nan’s residence. Even if the marquis comes, I’ll stand in your way. Those filthy scoundrels won’t be allowed to harm our Young Lady again. We’ll have plenty of opportunities for revenge in the future.”
“Thank you, Nanny.” Lin Qinglan’s emotions finally improved a bit. “On mother’s side, Nanny, please keep it a secret for now. I don’t want her worrying about us while she’s ill.”
“Alright, I will just say you’ve been wronged. Your mother cares for you. If you’ve suffered injustice and want a divorce, she’ll surely support you.”
“If it weren’t for Yang Yang’s persistence and cousin’s planning this time, I really…”
“These two kids don’t usually show it, but in critical moments, they really act like true men.” Nanny Ding said with satisfaction, “Yang’er has grown up.”
“Yes, Yang Yang has grown up, and cousin is truly outstanding. If Yang Yang could always be with Cousin, that would be great. Yang Yang would become even better.”
The next day, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Qi Yan, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, floated back to the courtyard.
Knowing that his brother could be in a foul mood in the morning, he discreetly opened the door, intending to bring something for his brother.
However, as soon as he glanced to the left, he immediately met a pair of vigilant eyes. It was as if a wild beast lurking in the darkness suddenly noticed an intruder entering its territory. The piercing gaze from the dark phoenix eyes was like a sharp sword, pointing directly at Qi Yan’s throat.
Qi Yan instinctively held his breath until the gaze disappeared. It was only then that he realized what he had seen.
Chu Lishu… sitting by Lin Qingyang’s bedside. Lin Qingyang was lying on his side in bed, hands tightly intertwined with Chu Lishu’s beside him.
It seems that Qi Yan’s gaze was too intense, prompting Chu Lishu to suddenly realize the situation. He quickly withdrew his hand and stood up.
Qi Yan’s mouth was nearly wide enough to fit a fist.
Chu Lishu, Lin Qingyang, two single men in the same courtyard?
No wonder Old Lin didn’t go out with him for fun. It turned out he had a new love interest! He hadn’t returned for two nights, and who knows what kind of romantic activities they had been indulging in.
The way Chu Lishu looked when he just woke up was indeed a hazy and charming sight with sleepy eyes.
Wait a minute, wasn’t their relationship quite hostile before? Could it be that Old Lin forced himself onto Chu Lishu? Did he manage to seduce him?
Seeing the lecherous expression on Qi Yan’s face, Chu Lishu knew that he must be thinking of something unsavory.
“Cousin was ill last night. The physician advised that someone needs to take care of him. Since you weren’t around and his attendant had other matters to attend to, I had no choice but to do it.” Chu Lishu maintained his ‘Chu Lishu’ persona for outsiders.
Qi Yan still considered Lin Qingyang a good brother, so upon hearing this, he immediately became concerned. “What happened to him?”
“He fell into a cold pond yesterday and got chilled. I’ll go find the physician to take another look. Can you please take care of him in the meantime?” After explaining, Chu Lishu checked the time and prepared to leave.
Qi Yan approached the bedside and indeed saw that Lin Qingyang’s condition was quite bad. He didn’t feel like teasing anymore and obediently stayed by his side, waiting for the physician to arrive.
After the physician arrived, he mentioned that Lin Qingyang’s body had weakened significantly and needed several days to recover gradually.
Chu Lishu earnestly explained the situation from the previous night to the physician. While he wasn’t a medical professional, he had some understanding of medical principles, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with Lin Qingyang from last night.
However, the physician couldn’t pinpoint any specific issues after examining Lin Qingyang’s pulse.
Chu Lishu had to give up on pressing further.
Qi Yan, breathing a sigh of relief upon hearing that Lin Qingyang was going to be fine, looked at the time and lazily said to Chu Lishu, “It’s almost time for morning classes. A diligent student like you can’t be absent. Go ahead and help me request leave. I’ll stay here to take care of Brother Lin.”
Chu Lishu was about to refuse outright, but the words got stuck in his throat.
He had stayed back last night to take care of Lin Qingyang because Qi Yan and Shuncai were both absent. Now that they were here, he had no obligation to stay any longer.
With this in mind, Chu Lishu nodded. “I’ll trouble Young Master Qi.”
Qi Yan waved his hand, let out another sigh, and began to remove his outer robe.
Chu Lishu couldn’t understand Qi Yan’s actions and furrowed his brow, asking, “What are you doing?”
Qi Yan pointed to Lin Qingyang’s bed and said, “I’m tired too. This bed is big enough for two; it’s no problem. I’ll sleep with him. In case his condition worsens, I can notice it in time.”
With that, he naturally pushed Lin Qingyang a bit towards the inside.
While the bed could indeed accommodate two grown men, it was highly problematic for Qi Yan to sleep with Lin Qingyang. Chu Lishu remembered that Qi Yan was not particular about the gender of his sleeping companions.
Moreover, if Lin Qingyang experienced the same symptoms as last night—feeling cold, and then…
Chu Lishu’s expression changed. “I just thought about it. Young Master Qi, let’s go to morning class together.”
“Ah?” Qi Yan, feeling extremely tired, found his brain working insufficiently.
Chu Lishu maintained a smile and smoothly said, “Being in the same courtyard, both of you taking leave might displease the head master. I’m sure he won’t be pleased if both of you are absent from morning class.”
Qi Yan tightened his skin and suddenly became more alert. “I… I’m taking care of a patient.”
Chu Lishu was about to say, “I’m his cousin; I’ll take care of it.”
But the next moment, there was a sound at the door. “Young Master Chu, Young Master Qi…”
Chu Lishu raised an eyebrow and turned to say, “Perfect timing. We’re heading to morning class. Can you take care of cousin?”
Qi Yan: My perfect excuse for skipping class!
“Oh dear, Young Master isn’t feeling well. Fortunately, I rushed back ahead of time. Young Master Chu, rest assured about the class. I’ll take good care of Young Master,” Shuncai hurriedly approached to check.
Chu Lishu watched as Shuncai approached and couldn’t help but furrow his brow. Suddenly, he asked, “Shuncai, do you have a rope?”
When Lin Qingyang slowly regained consciousness, he felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he were being wrapped layer by layer in something. He even doubted if he woke up because of difficulty breathing.
But when he opened his eyes, he was dumbfounded.
“Who… who tied me up while I was asleep?”
On the bed, Lin Qingyang was wrapped in two quilts, tied up with a rope like a rice dumpling. At the moment, he couldn’t sit up and could only roll around on the bed like a pitiful little caterpillar.
“Young Master, you’re awake. That’s great.”
Shuncai rushed in upon hearing the commotion and said, “Young Master, don’t worry. I’ll untie you now. Young Master Chu instructed me. He said you have strong reactions when you’re sick, and this way of binding helps induce sweating, which is beneficial.”
Lin Qingyang felt weak all over, and his body was damp with sweat, making him extremely uncomfortable. However, hearing that it was the decision of the male lead, he naturally believed without any doubt. His condition wasn’t great yesterday, and he seemed to lose consciousness at the foot of the mountain. It must have been troublesome for the male lead the entire night.
Once the rope was untied, Lin Qingyang could move again. “Alright, I can handle the rest. My body is too uncomfortable. Prepare hot water for me to take a bath.”
“Would you like a medicinal bath? Young Master Chu instructed that if you woke up and wanted to bathe, you should use a medicinal bath.”
Lin Qingyang was touched. The male lead’s consideration was truly thoughtful.
As he comfortably soaked in the tub, he began to feel alive again. However, his body still had various subtle discomforts. It was difficult to describe that feeling—like a thirsty person unable to drink water or a hungry person unable to eat. It was a sense of missing something, and the mental fatigue, even when forcibly mustered, could only be sustained for a short while. He had never felt so lethargic during his past hospitalizations. Could it be that the ancient medicine wasn’t effective?
Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but open the Exchange Shop, hoping to find effective medicine. However, the better medicines were too expensive, and he was too poor to afford them. Moreover, he couldn’t target the specific issues. Even the potent medicine from yesterday didn’t last long. It seemed that he had suffered from severe cold exposure and needed slow recovery.
After washing his face to refresh himself, Lin Qingyang took the opportunity during the bath to eat something. However, he found himself only able to have a few sips of warm porridge. Despite his stomach growling from hunger, his appetite was still poor. Looking down, he felt like he had lost weight overnight.
Lying back on the bed, he felt weak as he drank his medicine. Now that he had a bit more energy, he inquired about Shuncai’s situation.
In fact, Lin Qingyang knew Shuncai must have left early when he saw him return so soon, probably unaware of the subsequent events.
Sure enough, Shuncai knew that Nanny Ding had found his eldest sister, but it hadn’t caused a commotion among the others.
Lin Qingyang also remembered Nanny Ding, the woman exuding the aura of a formidable presence. With her around, he figured his eldest sister wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.
After some contemplation, Lin Qingyang felt it was difficult to focus his attention.
It wasn’t until Qi Yan returned.
“Oh, everything’s okay now?” Qi Yan, who had shaken off his drowsiness, appeared lively.
Lin Qingyang sat down with effort and said, “No other issues, I just feel weak all over. My body alternates between feeling hot and cold, but… it seems like it was worse last night. Now, I should be getting better.”
“When I came back, I saw that Chu Lishu guy by your bedside, and you were even holding his little hand,” Qi Yan teased, winking.
Lin Qingyang widened his eyes. “You must have seen it wrong. He’s just worried about me, which I can understand. Holding hands? That’s impossible!” Just the thought of the male lead giving him a hand to the face sent shivers down his spine.
Qi Yan wanted to argue, but then he heard Lin Qingyang seemingly lost in recollection. “But last night, I did feel something good.”
Thinking about it, Lin Qingyang started searching the bed.
“What?”
“I remember when I was very cold, I touched a warm jade. The texture was silky and delicate, smooth to the touch, like mutton fat jade. And it was hot. It might be one of the jades I collect, but why can’t I find it now?”
The original body had a penchant for extravagance and naturally possessed many fine jades.
He remembered touching it last night.
“Warm jade is quite valuable. You have it? Why don’t I remember?”
“I really touched it, and there was a small protrusion.”
“A distinctive shape? Well, look for it. I haven’t seen a real warm jade before.”
At this moment, the two individuals who were about to enter the room stopped in their tracks.
To be precise, it was Chu Lishu who halted, and Shuncai, carrying a food box, was blocked by Chu Lishu.
“Warm jade? Young Master doesn’t have warm jade.” Shuncai casually commented, unaware that the man standing in front of him had a face turning iron-blue and eyes filled with a murderous rage.
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