The Ah Que she liked?
You Yuji was silent for a long time. She began to question herself, first driving away the anger and grievances, and calmly asked herself what she liked about him before, and how deep her affection for him was.
Most of the time, she could clearly understand her own heart.
She vaguely understood that her affection for Si Que stemmed from initial admiration and later continuous pity.
Was it really like that?
A hint of confusion appeared in You Yuji’s eyes, and this confusion became increasingly sticky, tangling in her thoughts, preventing her from thinking calmly.
You Yuji’s prolonged silence made Si Que raise his eyes to scrutinize her. He stared at her eyes, carefully discerning her thoughts from the subtle changes in her gaze.
Si Que suddenly began to fear.
He feared that she would smile and shake her head, saying it didn’t matter and that she wasn’t angry.
— Only when one cares does one get angry.
In his youth, he had many things he longed for. He longed to not drink medicine every day, to not stay indoors daily, to see the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas outside. He once longed for a healthy body and longed for his father and mother to look at him the way they looked at his crown prince brother.
Until he learned the truth, all those longings became a joke. Probably from then on, there was nothing in this world that he particularly desired or wanted. Even emotions became a luxury. He began to concoct poisons, coming up with ingenious ways to poison people.
He watched coldly as people died in various strange ways, trying to stimulate his senses, to make him feel something, even if it was unpleasant.
Anything was fine; nothing really mattered.
Day after day, year after year, living or dying didn’t make much difference to him.
The woman in front of him was initially just an object of his lust, but later her gentleness gained special significance against his wretched past.
He deceived her and himself. Those days when she protected him were like a poisonous gentle trap, more potent than any poison he had ever concocted.
Immunity to all poisons is just a myth when one hasn’t encountered a fatal one.
You Yuji spoke gently, “Why do you still come to find me?”
Si Que stared into her eyes, absurdly afraid to answer, fearing it wasn’t the answer she wanted.
You Yuji sighed softly, then smiled, a seductive glint appearing at the corners of her eyes. She asked softly, “Can’t let go?”
Si Que didn’t know how to respond. Perhaps even he doubted this feeling. With You Yuji, he experienced emotions in his numb life. These emotional fluctuations were what he had been seeking. He was uncertain if another woman could bring him such emotional upheaval.
He was a gambler, and he had bet on everything before. At this moment, he held the chips but hesitated to place his bet.
Suddenly, You Yuji leaned in and kissed the corner of Si Que’s lips.
Si Que was stunned, staring at her in shock. The tender, sweet feeling at the corner of his lips was so familiar. In an instant, many past memories flashed before Si Que’s eyes.
You Yuji looked at him, smiling, and after a light kiss, she quickly pulled away. The brief touch of their lips made the moment even more intoxicating.
After a moment, Si Que regained his composure and looked at You Yuji again, his eyes deepening. Beneath the calm surface of his gaze were emotions he hadn’t even realized were there.
After a long while, Si Que slowly spoke, “Fox spirit.”
For the first time, he said it in front of her.
You Yuji smiled sweetly, realizing this was how he usually referred to her.
She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing Si Que’s cheek, and softly asked him, “No longer calling me ‘sister’?”
Si Que pressed his lips together, gazing at her intently.
He didn’t understand what she wanted to do.
“My surname is You, my name is Yuji, and my nickname is Yuan Yuan. I am nineteen years old, and my birthday is on the twenty-second of August.” You Yuji twisted a strand of Si Que’s hair that had fallen on her shoulder around her finger, winding it slowly, circle after circle.
She looked at him gently and said softly, “Really not calling me ‘sister’ anymore?”
Suddenly, Si Que raised his hand and grasped her slender wrist tightly, causing the hair wrapped around her fingers to unravel and fall away.
Looking at Si Que’s expressionless face, You Yuji chuckled softly and said, “I’m a bit thirsty. Pour me a cup of warm water.”
Si Que maintained his grip on her wrist, not moving.
You Yuji wasn’t in a hurry, gazing at him with gentle eyes and a patient smile, waiting until the pressure on her wrist gradually loosened.
Si Que got up from the bed, walked to the table in the room, and poured some water.
You Yuji watched Si Que’s back, the gentle smile in her eyes fading slightly.
She had just tested herself—
When she kissed the corner of his lips, she carefully discerned her own feelings. There was no aversion or resistance; it felt similar to the way she used to feel when being intimate with him. She realized she still liked him, beyond the tender pity, there was still some affection. Some inexplicable, purer kind of affection. Even if it was just a physical attraction, it still existed.
Though this kind of dissected affection wasn’t much.
As for why he still came to find her? As for what he thought of her before and now, it was both important and unimportant.
She had asked her own heart.
The fact that she still liked him was the most important thing.
As Si Que finished pouring the water and turned around, You Yuji sat up and took the water he handed her.
“Thank you,” she said first, then took a small sip. As the warm water entered her mouth, a slight displeasure immediately appeared on her forehead. She looked up, gazing at Si Que standing in front of her, and said in a weak yet still gentle voice, “It’s a bit cold. Please go to the outer room and call someone to boil another pot.”
After a pause, she curved her lips into a smile. “Is that alright?”
Si Que lowered his eyes and glanced at her, capturing her beautiful features in his gaze.
Fox spirit.
He bowed slightly, took the porcelain cup from her hand, raised his chin a bit, and drank all the warm water inside. Only then did he turn around, place the cup on the table, and go out to call someone.
You Yuji gently wiped the moisture from the corner of her mouth with her fingertip, her eyes following Si Que’s departing figure. Whether he was toying with her now was no longer that important.
No matter what, her own heart was the most important.
This was the only time she had ever fallen for someone, so how could she let herself become a plaything for the other person?
She wanted him.
She wanted him to love her wholeheartedly, to be infatuated with her.
Not long after, Si Que returned with a pot of water. This pot of water was freshly boiled, too hot to drink. Standing by the table, he poured the hot water into a porcelain cup, then took another empty cup, and repeatedly poured the water back and forth between the two cups to cool it down faster.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the trickle of water.
He handed the slightly cooled water to You Yuji.
“Thank you.” She smiled and lightly touched the water with her lips before handing the cup back to him. “It’s still a bit hot.”
Si Que squinted slightly, easily sensing her deliberate difficulty. Silently, he took the cup and continued to pour the water between the two cups.
After tasting the temperature himself, he handed the now-cooled water to You Yuji once again.
“Thank you for your trouble.” She smiled as she accepted it.
Si Que kept his eyes lowered, watching coldly to see what she would do next.
Sure enough, she soon looked up with a hint of feigned embarrassment in her shimmering eyes. She said softly, “Why is it cold again?”
Si Que calmly took the cup, placed it on the small table by the bed, and then raised his hand to remove the jade clasp holding two strands of his black hair. In front of You Yuji, he gently broke the jade clasp and poured the powder inside into the cup.
Watching his actions, You Yuji slowly furrowed her brows.
He picked up the cup and, while looking at You Yuji, slowly swirled it to dissolve the powder.
“What is that?” You Yuji couldn’t help but ask.
He wouldn’t be so furious as to poison her directly, would he?
Si Que didn’t answer. Instead, he leisurely swirled the cup a bit more and then drank a few sips himself.
“What are you drinking?” You Yuji was genuinely worried about what crazy act this little trickster might do, given he was the type to jump off a building or let her feed him poison.
Si Que didn’t answer but instead asked, “Does Sister still want to drink water?”
“No,” You Yuji replied, lifting the quilt and getting out of bed.
Just as she was about to stand, Si Que’s arm blocked her, making her sit back down on the edge of the bed.
Si Que turned his head, took a mouthful of water without swallowing it. He bent down, pressing one hand against You Yuji’s waist, lifting her chin with the other, and prying her mouth open.
“You…”
Si Que leaned in, feeding the water from his mouth to hers.
You Yuji’s eyes widened in shock, her eyelashes not blinking as she stared at him so close. She reached out to push him away, but he was never as fragile as she had thought. Her push had no effect. Instead, her wrist was easily restrained by Si Que. As You Yuji leaned back, Si Que’s whole body pressed against her. Her wrists were crossed and pinned above her head.
In the intimate kiss, he fed her the water mixed with medicine from his mouth.
Si Que watched her shocked eyes, his dark gaze slowly breaking into a smile.
You Yuji’s struggle gradually ceased.
Si Que left her lips and moved to her ear, gently nibbling and kissing her earlobe before whispering, “Fox spirit.”
Two people, both feverish from their colds, their bodies burning hot.
You Yuji slightly turned her face, looking at the subtle swaying of the bed curtain. The next moment, her chin was grabbed by Si Que, forcing her to turn back.
Si Que looked at her, his naturally cold face slowly spreading into a smile, growing brighter and more dazzling. He said, “Sister, why don’t you ask what I added to the water?”
Everyone knew that the master of the Poison Pavilion had poison all over his body, so no one would be surprised by any poison he took out.
“What did you add?” You Yuji asked as he wished, though she didn’t believe it would be any kind of poison.
“An aphrodisiac powder.”
You Yuji froze, looking at him in disbelief.
Si Que chuckled lowly, amused.
You Yuji grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at Si Que, but he didn’t even dodge, continuing to laugh softly.
You Yuji exhaled lightly, the corners of her eyes, reddened from illness, curving into a smile. She reached out, grabbing Si Que’s collar, pulling him closer.
She looked into Si Que’s eyes with a smile, her voice, husky from illness, taking on a special seductive quality because of its gentleness.
“Ah Que, which young gentleman should Sister go find for fun?” Her smile gradually took on a bewitching charm. “Ah Que, don’t tell me you think Sister only has you?”
Si Que’s smile faded.
You dare? Fox spirit!
Lady Jing hurried back, bringing along Zhuo Wen and Zhuo Wu. You Yuji had asked her to investigate something that morning, and now there was a lead. Zhuo Wen also had news about the bandits who had abducted Lin Yingying back then.
“Where is Madam?” Lady Jing asked Zhenxu.
Zhenxu hesitated for a moment before replying, “Madam has caught a cold. The doctor prescribed some medicine, and she should still be asleep now. If it’s not urgent, could you wait a bit before reporting?”
“Waiting a while longer won’t matter. Madam’s health is the priority,” Lady Jing sighed, thinking of You Yuji’s mother.
Zhenxu nodded and said, “Madam has been too busy recently. There are still many things pending.”
She pointed in the direction of the flower hall and said, “Concubine Hongzan is still waiting.”
Lady Jing followed Zhenxu’s gesture with her eyes.
Earlier this morning, when Concubine Hongzan came to pay her respects, You Yuji had sent a message asking her to stay a while longer after the other concubines left.
Having received the message, Hongzan had been waiting anxiously. However, she hadn’t expected to wait from morning until afternoon. She anxiously looked out the window, worried that if this continued, Madam might not see her until after dark.
A vague sense of unease settled in Hongzan’s heart.
