Yun Qi gave a bitter smile, “She has me in her heart, but not in the way I want. Now I don’t want anything else, I just hope Bing Zhi gets better soon so I can take her away from this place of trouble and return to Luo Xia Palace. I think, as long as I can stay by Bing Zhi’s side, that’s enough. I don’t expect her to forget Xiao Jin because of my tenderness, I just hope to have a place in her heart.”
“Qi’er, I never thought you would be as devoted as your father. Back then, he almost lost everything because of me,” Xun Luo Xia sighed softly. “I don’t want to interfere with your thoughts. As long as you feel you won’t regret it later, I can only bless you and Zhi. That child is truly heartbreaking!”
Xun Luo Xia hadn’t expected such a complex history between Yun Qi, Bing Zhi, and Xiao Jin. She already liked Bing Zhi, and hearing her story made her even more sympathetic.
At this moment, Bing was running a fever due to the medicinal effects of the warming pill, though not severe. However, Xiao Jin kept changing cool compresses for her, gently placing the cloth on Bing’s forehead time and again. Yun Qi discovered that whenever Xiao Jin’s fingers touched Bing’s forehead, Bing would appear serene, an expression she had never shown when with Yun Qi.
Yun Qi watched this scene, feeling like an outsider, as Xiao Jin and Bing seemed like blue sky and white clouds, naturally dependent on each other.
Yi Mu’er stood speechless beside them. If she could be heartless, she would question him about why he came, knowing Yun Qi had already married Bing. But she couldn’t bear to break their tranquility and happiness.
“What time is it now?” Yun Qi forcibly withdrew his gaze.
“Past noon,” Yi Mu’er thought briefly, caught off guard by Yun Qi’s sudden question.
“Could you help me send lunch to my mother’s room and keep her company?” Yun Qi pleaded, wanting to be alone. Asking Yi Mu’er was the best option.
Yi Mu’er immediately agreed, “Of course. I’ll bring the meal right away. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your mother.”
“Thank you for supporting me, Mu’er,” Yun Qi was touched.
During this time, Yi Mu’er had truly changed for him, abandoning her former stubborn temperament and bad mood.
Yi Mu’er silently supported everything he did, being his backstop on their wedding night and today. But what could he offer in return? Nothing more than a weak “thank you”.
Yi Mu’er tilted her head with a playful smile, turning away without saying anything. Everything was fate, and perhaps her fate had been wrong from the moment she met Yun Qi. But what did it matter? As long as Yun Qi remained in her sight, even if it was a mistake, it was worth it.
Chapter 4: Concealment (1)
Yun Qi stood alone in the courtyard for a long time, unable to calm his emotions. During this time, he saw Yi Mu’er carrying food to Xun Luo Xia’s room, feeling both touched and guilty. Yi Mu’er had devoted all her thoughts to him, yet he could give her nothing in return.
The fate of the three of them – himself, Bing Zhi, and Yi Mu’er – was truly strange. He seemed to have come to repay Bing Zhi’s debt, Yi Mu’er appeared to have come to repay his debt, while Bing Zhi was always repaying Xiao Jin’s debt. It seemed that in this world, emotional debts were the hardest to settle.
Yun Qi bitterly smiled and shook his head, thinking that Bing Zhi must be hungry after being tormented by the poison. He walked to the kitchen, intending to retrieve the jar of cloud slice cake that Bing Zhi had accidentally discovered yesterday.
Yesterday, he had almost thrown it away as Bing Zhi suggested, but couldn’t bear to do so. He believed the cloud slice cake must hold a story between Bing Zhi and Xiao Jin, which was why Bing Zhi had been so upset upon seeing it, insisting she didn’t like it.
Yun Qi opened the jar and took a piece, putting it in his mouth. This time, the taste was much better than before, but the originally sweet and delicate flavor spread bitterly in his mouth.
Yun Qi scooped out the remaining cloud slice cake and walked towards Bing Zhi’s room. He handed the plate of cloud slice cake to Xiao Jin, thinking this was the only thing he could do for Bing Zhi now.
Xiao Jin looked at Yun Qi in surprise, wondering if he was unaware of the cake’s significance to Bing Zhi, or if he knew but could let it go without dwelling on it.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just doing what I should. Whatever Bing Zhi needs, I’ll do for her,” Yun Qi awkwardly turned his head, pushing the plate forward, signaling Xiao Jin to take it. His mother was right – some things were unavoidable.
A look of appreciation crossed Xiao Jin’s eyes as she took the plate. “If she hadn’t married you, I would have immediately taken Bing Zhi and fled far away.”
Yun Qi didn’t respond and walked to the outer room, sitting down without another word. Xiao Jin didn’t mind the additional person, continuing as she was before.
“Bing Zhi, smell this. It’s your favorite cloud slice cake. You’ve been feeling bad all day and must be hungry. Open your mouth and eat a little, okay?” Xiao Jin softly spoke near Bing Zhi’s ear. Bing Zhi seemed not to hear.
“Bing Zhi, don’t worry me. At least eat a little,” Xiao Jin persisted.
Bing Zhi, who had been in a deep coma, slightly opened her mouth, seemingly trying to say something. Xiao Jin, overjoyed, quickly tore a small piece of cake and gently placed it in Bing Zhi’s slightly open mouth. “Don’t rush, eat slowly.” After the cake slice slid from Bing Zhi’s mouth corner into her mouth, she returned to her previous tightly closed state, pursing her lips and frowning. But Xiao Jin noticed Bing Zhi’s slight movement – she had chewed and swallowed the cloud slice cake.
“Qi, what happened to me?” Bing drank the tea handed to her by Yun Qi, moistened her throat, and barely raised her voice to ask. She only remembered encountering a princess on the street, getting into an argument, and accidentally having her face scratched, but she had forgotten everything after returning home. She only vaguely saw Yun Qi’s anxious face and heard a familiar voice… What exactly happened in between?
Yun Qi seemingly naturally withdrew the cup and said, “That princess added some poison to her fingernails.”
After you returned home, the poison took effect, and you fell into a coma. However, now it’s fine, the poison has been neutralized.” After speaking, Yun Qi felt that Bing seemed skeptical, so she added, “Oh, right! It was the medicine you carried with you that detoxified the poison.”
“It wasn’t Lie who asked me to give him the medicine…” Bing blurted out almost without thinking.
Chapter 4: Concealment (3)
Yun Qi didn’t expect Bing to remember her reluctant impersonation of Xiao Lie, and her heart panicked. She tried to keep her tone steady, “Do you remember anything?”
“Nothing more. But I always feel like someone was talking to me and calling my name while I was in a coma, though I can’t recall who. It must have been you, Qi.” Bing said this deliberately to reassure Yun Qi. In fact, she had already begun to piece together her fragmented memories. The person who had been by her side, watching over her, was Lie. He had even fed her her favorite cloud cake.
Yun Qi didn’t directly respond to Bing’s words, only saying, “If you can’t remember, don’t force yourself. You’ve just recovered, don’t tire yourself out. We’ll think about other things later.”
” Bing laughed lightly, her gaze passing over Yun Qi to Yi Mu’er, who was holding a small plate, “Mu’er, you’re here. I’m starving, this porridge smells so good!”
