Сhaptеr 22: Аftеr Shе Rесovеrs Неr Mеmorу, She Cаn Dеal with Мe аs Shе Рleаsеs.
Gu Chаngсе’s tеnsе аrms wеre brаcеd оn either side of hеr.
Aftеr lowеring his hеаd аnd calming himsеlf for a mоmеnt, hе mоved аwaу from her.
Shеn Zuihuаn rоllеd hеrself uр in the quilt and tumbled tо thе innеrmоst рart of the bеd.
Неr faсe wаs flushed bright red, аnd shе tuggеd thе quilt up hard, wishing shе сould cоver her еntirе fасe.
Right nоw, shе didn’t want to see the man befоre hеr аt аll.
Аt thе samе time, she felt а chаotiс mess in hеr heart, like a tangled knot of hemp.
How… how could she have done such an embarrassing thing with that annoying Gu Changce!
Her lips were tightly bitten, turning a deep crimson that looked almost as if they might bleed.
Gu Changce lay beside her.
He had an extremely stern and fierce appearance.
But now, with a faint blush on his face and his clothes loosely draped, he inexplicably exuded a sense of refined charm.
Shen Zuihuan lowered her eyes and stole a glance at him.
The surging tide that had just subsided in her heart rose once more.
She felt her heart pounding wildly.
The sound was deafening.
Shen Zuihuan: ?
…How could this be!
Afraid the man beside her might hear the commotion, she immediately withdrew her furtive gaze.
She wrapped the brocade quilt around herself even tighter.
Gu Changce noticed her movement.
He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips curving as he looked at her. With clean, slender fingers, he gently tugged down the brocade quilt that was covering most of her face.
He asked with a smile, “Wrapped so tightly in the quilt, aren’t you stuffy?”
The moment his fingers reached over, Shen Zuihuan almost flinched away reflexively.
But she restrained herself.
Hearing his question, she didn’t respond.
To avoid awkwardness, she closed her eyes again and simply pretended to be asleep.
But with her erratic breathing, how could Gu Changce, a trained martial artist, not tell whether she was truly asleep or not?
Shen Zuihuan struggled with her pretense. Moments later, she heard the man’s low, husky chuckle by her ear.
Flustered and angry, her fair hands unconsciously clenched the quilt.
But just before she opened her eyes, she heard the sound of Gu Changce getting off the bed.
Then, the faint light filtering through Shen Zuihuan’s eyelids vanished.
He had extinguished the Palace Lantern.
As the soft mattress beside her dipped slightly, Shen Zuihuan felt Gu Changce lie down next to her.
He stretched out a long arm and loosely drew her into his embrace.
Shen Zuihuan’s heart began pounding again.
Her eyelashes fluttered lightly.
But the man holding her did nothing further.
His scent was clean and refreshing.
On the second day after Shen Zuihuan lost her memory,
nestled in his arms, she felt a long-lost sense of peace.
As her embarrassment faded, drowsiness gradually washed over her. Shen Zuihuan lay against his chest and fell into a deep sleep.
Once he heard the breathing of the person in his arms grow steady, Gu Changce lowered his eyes.
He gazed at her peacefully sleeping, gentle and harmless profile.
His arm gradually tightened, pulling her closer against him.
He wished he could meld Shen Zuihuan into his very bones and blood.
After a moment, he closed his eyes, allowing himself to indulge in this illusory, beautiful dream.
…After she recovers her memory, she can deal with me as she pleases.
Noon.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves by the eaves corridor, casting shifting, dappled patterns of light on the ground.
Today, not only was Gu Changce on leave from official duties, but Gu Tang also had a day off.
But after rising early and having her meal at Yulu Hall, she hadn’t encountered either her father or her mother.At the time, she simply thought the two had matters to attend to and couldn’t make it. Though somewhat disappointed, she didn’t dwell on it.
But she never expected that by lunchtime, they still hadn’t arrived.
Now Gu Tang couldn’t sit still anymore.
Her father had clearly promised yesterday to teach her archery today, yet she hadn’t seen him all day.
Unhappily, she pouted her lips and muttered quietly to herself, “Father is a liar.”
Suddenly, she wanted to go find her mother.
After hastily finishing two bowls of rice,
she toddled off on her short legs, clattering toward Shen Zuihuan’s courtyard.
When she reached Shen Zuihuan’s bedroom, she was surprised to find that, despite the sun already high in the sky, the door to her mother’s room was tightly shut.
Recalling her mother’s recurring high fever after falling into the water a few days ago,
Gu Tang grew both anxious and worried, fearing her mother had relapsed and was lying unconscious inside.
She tiptoed, trying to push open the tightly closed door,
when she was startled by a woman’s exclamation from behind.
“Miss Tangtang! You mustn’t!”
Gu Tang turned around to see Qiu Yan walking from around the corner of the covered corridor, holding a basket of medicinal herbs in her arms.
Her face was flushed with urgency.
She had only stepped away from the doorway for a moment to collect the dried herbs, never expecting such a situation to arise.
Seeing Gu Tang about to open the door, she hurriedly called out to stop her.
Quickly walking up to Gu Tang, she bent down and stammered an explanation.
“Miss Tangtang… the General and Madam haven’t risen yet.”
Hearing this, Gu Tang was taken aback.
Baffled, she asked, “Why haven’t they gotten up even though the sun is already high?”
Her mother and father were usually not the type to sleep in.
Especially Gu Changce—barring any unexpected events, he was usually practicing swordplay at the training grounds by mao hour (5–7 a.m.) every day.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan suddenly recalled the creaking of the bed that had persisted until midnight the previous night.
Her face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
She hemmed and hawed, unable to explain clearly.
Just as she was at a loss for what to do,
the previously tightly shut door suddenly swung half-open.
Gu Changce’s tall, imposing figure appeared before Gu Tang.
Gu Tang was momentarily stunned.
She saw that her father hadn’t even tied up his hair yet. Usually a man of utmost solemnity and rigor, he now had his dark hair half-loose.
She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened inside the room.
Craning her neck, she tried to peek inside,
but Gu Changce subtly blocked her view.
His eyes slightly darkened as he looked down at her. “What brings you here?”
Gu Tang: “”
Couldn’t she come if she had nothing to do?
Speaking of which, she was feeling quite aggrieved.
Gu Tang pursed her lips and accused the man before her, “Father, you promised to teach me archery this morning! Have you forgotten?”
At these words, Gu Changce’s fingers, resting on the reddish-brown doorframe, paused slightly.
He suddenly remembered—it seemed there was such a thing.
But he had been “occupied” with Shen Zuihuan until too late last night and had momentarily forgotten.
His eyes flickered, his thin lips moistened as he pressed them together, and he looked apologetically at Gu Tang before him.
“That was my fault. Rou Jia, go to the training grounds and warm up first.” He paused, then remembered Shen Zuihuan, who was still drowsy with sleep inside the room.
After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I’ll join you shortly.”
Gu Tang nodded but still wanted to go inside and see how her mother was doing.
Just as she was about to step into the room, with a “bang—” she was shut out by Gu Changce.
Gu Tang: “”