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墨書 Inktalez
"Is this girl really not going to let love cloud her judgment?"
Shen Muhan gazed at her, his large hand ruffling her hair until it resembled a bird's nest. Then, with a hint of meaning in his voice, he said, "I haven't seen you lose your head."
His voice was deep and resonant, like a cello. Moreover, his lips brushed against her earlobe, startling Xia Muxin and reminding her of their passionate encounter from the night before. She couldn't help but blush, grateful that the lantern's light was dim and red; otherwise, Shen Muhan might have taken advantage of the moment right there.
Meanwhile, after Yan Zhouwan entered the house, she hopped on one foot toward the kitchen. Watching her hop like a rabbit made Shen Muqing furrow his brow in annoyance. He muttered under his breath, realizing he hadn't even noticed she had hurt her foot.
But even with an injured foot, she still wanted to eat some cold watermelon. Had she knocked her head?
Still, he followed her into the kitchen without showing any signs of concern.
Once inside the kitchen, Yan Zhouwan scanned the area. Xia Muxin must have worried she would be in the dark because there were candles lit inside. The candles had burned down quite a bit, but they still provided enough light to illuminate the entire kitchen.
She spotted a watermelon covered with a cloth on the table, surrounded by ice cubes in a basin. The smaller cubes had nearly melted away, while some larger ones remained intact. She jumped over and grabbed a piece of ice from the basin, then hopped onto a chair. As she lifted her skirt to take off her shoes, she suddenly felt something was off and looked up.
Shen Muqing was standing by the doorframe with his arms crossed, his lips pressed tightly together and his expression unreadable. However, his eyes were fixed on her injured foot with an intense warmth.
Yan Zhouwan's face flushed red as she quickly pulled down her skirt. A woman's feet should only be seen by her husband, yet her heart raced at the thought that he had been following her all along. But remembering how silently he moved like a ghost made her snap at him.
"Don't you know that scaring someone can be deadly?"
She couldn't apply the ice now; what was worse was having to endure the piercing pain as she returned to her room. Hopping in on one foot had already drained all her energy; now she felt completely weak. Would she even be able to muster enough strength to make it back to her room?
Thinking about it, Yan Zhouwan felt that today must be her unlucky day; otherwise, how could trouble come knocking at her door?
Shen Muqing raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly finding this woman increasingly unreasonable, or rather, bolder. She frequently cursed, which was not typical behavior for a woman.
However, he was also good at verbal sparring. He straightened up and walked directly toward Yan Zhouwan, retorting, "Weren't you scared to death?"
Yan Zhouwan was so infuriated that she almost laughed. She turned away from him and noticed his gaze drifting toward the chilled watermelon on the table. Pouting, she quickly removed the cover and moved the bowl closer to herself, reaching for the largest piece and taking a big bite.
She had only heard of such rare and expensive items but had never seen one before; how could she let someone as foolish as Shen Muqing get to it first?
After all the jumping around earlier, she was exhausted and drenched in sweat, feeling as if her heart was on fire. But with that first bite of watermelon, she felt completely refreshed. Curiously, she looked at the watermelon; it was sweet and melted in her mouth—truly one of the best fruits she had ever tasted.
As soon as she swallowed that first bite, she couldn't wait to take another.
Just then, a hand grabbed her foot, and her shoe was taken off. She gasped in surprise, nearly dropping the half-eaten watermelon.
Still startled, Yan Zhouwan placed the watermelon on the table and tried to retract her foot in resistance. She looked at Shen Muqing, who was bending down to reach for her sock, stammering for a long time before finally managing to say, "You... you... you... it's inappropriate for men and women to be so close..."
In the end, her face turned red as she shouted it out loud.
Indeed, it was a shout.
Shen Muqing glanced at her impatiently and scoffed, "You've already kissed in all the places that matter, what else is there to kiss?"
Yan Zhouwan was taken aback by Shen Muqing's sudden words, feeling a mix of embarrassment and confusion. Was this really the same Shen Erlengzi that Xia Muxin had described as unapproachable?
At the same time, his words reminded her of their first encounter, causing her delicate face to flush with shame, wishing she could find a mouse hole to hide in.
While she was lost in her thoughts, Shen Muqing had already deftly removed her socks, revealing a delicate foot before him.
It had to be said that her foot was exceptionally beautiful; unlike the feet of court ladies who bound theirs, hers were not large but rather dainty, with skin as white as snow. At that moment, held in his hand, even her toes seemed shy, curling inward as if trying to hide.
However, what caught his eye was the swollen lump at her ankle, resembling a bun, red and purple. Instantly, the warmth in his gaze was replaced by a cold frost as he picked up some ice from the side and pressed it against her ankle.
He applied the ice with a bit too much force, causing Yan Zhouwan to gasp in pain. In moments, her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Shen Muqing with a reproachful gaze. He lifted his head and showed no sympathy for the tears threatening to spill from her eyes; instead, he coldly scolded her, "You're so stupid."
You're the stupid one; your whole family is stupid. Yan Zhouwan silently yelled back in her mind but dared not voice it out loud for fear that he would use an even harsher method to treat her injured foot.
However, the ice did work wonders; the pain was significantly lessened compared to before.
"Take it yourself. If I see you moving it when I come back, I'll make sure to deal with you properly."
Seeing Yan Zhouwan dazedly shifting her gaze between her injured foot and him, Shen Muqing's expression darkened again. He took one of her hands and pressed it against the ice, coldly saying something before striding away.
"Hmph, what's with the attitude? Muxin was right; a man's mood is like the weather in June, changing at a whim..."
As he walked away, Yan Zhouwan pouted and made a face, then began to mumble to herself.
Yet, why did she feel a soft warmth flowing through her, spreading to her limbs and easing her tension?
Moments later, Shen Muqing returned, holding two bottles. He walked straight up to her and opened one of the bottles.
As he opened it, a fragrant medicinal scent wafted into the air. Yan Zhouwan blinked a few times, realizing he had gone to fetch medicine for her.
Seeing her sitting there obediently without moving, Shen Muqing seemed quite satisfied. His eyebrows lifted slightly, hinting at an indistinct smile.
He removed the ice from her foot and dried it with a clean cloth before methodically applying the medicine.
This medicine was something he had obtained from Shen Muhan. That couple was indeed a sight to behold; before he could even speak, Xia Muxin bombarded him with a barrage of ambiguous questions. He remained silent, knowing that Shen Muhan, who cherished his wife dearly, would never give him the medicine otherwise. In the end, he had to shout that there would be a wedding feast soon.
He had thought Xia Muxin would be pleased since she had always been trying to match him with Yan Zhouwan. To his surprise, she grabbed his collar in shock and threatened him: "What have you done to my Yan Zhouwan?"
At that moment, he truly wanted to throw that woman out of the courtyard.
Shen Muhan perhaps couldn't stand seeing him bullied like that. After asking a few simple questions about his intentions, he readily handed over the medicine.
"This medicine works wonders; that stingy guy treasures it. Just apply it again tomorrow morning and hand it over to Xia Muxin."
It seemed that for a long time, Shen Muqing had never called Xia Muxin "sister-in-law" because he thought she was too young, still just a child, and it felt pitiful that his brother treated her that way. He simply couldn't bring himself to call someone several years younger than him "sister-in-law."
However, he had not considered that Yan Zhouwan was only two years older than Xia Muxin. Moreover, she had also been mistreated in such circumstances. At least Muxin had a husband to protect and cherish her; her suffering was willingly endured.
"Are you saying this medicine belongs to Shen Muhan?"
Upon hearing Shen Muqing's words, Yan Zhouwan reacted quite strongly, nearly jumping up on one foot. However, her vigorous movement caused her to lose balance, and with a loud thud, she ended up pressing him down onto the ground. He hit his head on something and felt dizzy from the pain.
At that moment, his lips softened as Yan Zhouwan unexpectedly landed on him. The position was akin to an octopus clinging tightly, and her soft lips pressed firmly against his.
For a moment, both of them held their breath, staring wide-eyed at each other.
Yan Zhouwan's face, which still bore a hint of redness, turned an even deeper shade of crimson. After realizing what had happened, she frantically pressed her hands against his chest as if trying to get up. However, one of her feet got caught on a chair leg while her injured foot was raised high. Through Shen Muqing's dazed vision, he could vaguely see the little foot swaying above Yan Zhouwan's head.
"I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to..."
Yan Zhouwan finally managed to pull her lips away from his, stuttering as her tongue tripped over her words, sounding almost unrecognizable.
- End of Chapter -
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