During those feverish, hazy days, someone had indeed held him repeatedly, carefully cooling the soup and feeding it to him spoonful by spoonful. He had struggled, but the person was surprisingly gentle and patient, nothing like the rough nursemaid in his memories. Someone would softly coax him, even the spoon touching his lips was gentle, and after feeding him medicine, they would give him a spoonful of light honey water.
Yan Xiaohan adjusted to a comfortable position: “Let’s try again and see if it works. Just this once, never again. Open your mouth.”
Fu Shen wanted to find somewhere to hide for the first time in his life, yet was trapped in this small space within the other’s arms. A spoonful of medicine was immediately brought to his lips, the movement gentle yet leaving no room for refusal. As the first spoonful of soup flowed down his throat, he heard Yan Xiaohan laugh softly overhead, seeming both helpless and indulgent: “No matter how you put it, you still need someone to take care of you… young master.”
Fu Shen saw him, his heart already softening, though his expression remained stern.
Because they were surrounded by ears, even in the carriage, they couldn’t be too intimate. He said coolly: “I’ve traveled between the Northern Frontier and the capital at least eighty times, if not a hundred. What could you possibly be worried about? Go back, you have an official position, don’t delay too long.”
Yan Xiaohan said: “After parting today, we won’t meet again until next year. I hope the Lord will keep the marriage promise and not fail the previous commitment.”
Outside the carriage, Xiao Qun, who was eavesdropping, felt a chill down his spine, thinking that Master Yan must be a fool. He clearly knew the Lord was unhappy about the arranged marriage, yet he insisted on bringing up the most sensitive topic.
Inside the carriage, Yan Xiaohan suddenly pulled Fu Shen into his embrace, hugging him tightly, and whispered: “Be careful when you’re out. The North is cold, take good care of yourself and don’t worry me.”
Fu Shen unusually softened and responded: “My heart is with you.”
The warm embrace, cheeks pressed together, their heartbeats gradually synchronizing. Fu Shen gently touched his cheek to Yan Xiaohan’s, extremely tender.
