Ye Feishuang reached out to touch the noble young master's forehead—indeed, it was burning hot.
Large ships usually carried basic medicines, so Ye Feishuang decided to go buy a fever-reducing prescription.
She didn’t want her wealthy patron to suffer brain damage from the fever, especially since she had already taken quite a few of his banknotes.
Just as Ye Feishuang withdrew her hand, his fingers suddenly closed around her wrist.
His long, slender fingers gripped her wrist tightly, the scalding heat of his palm spreading through her skin.
"Don’t go." Though delirious with fever, the man on the bed held her with surprising strength, making it impossible for Ye Feishuang to break free.
Ye Feishuang pried his fingers off one by one. "You’re sick. I’m going to buy medicine for you."
Unexpectedly, his other hand suddenly pulled her, causing Ye Feishuang to stumble and fall.
She landed directly on top of him.
A faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted into her senses.
His eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed, and his lips were pale. Sweat trickled from his temples into his dark hair, his entire being radiating palpable agony.
Yet he showed no intention of letting go of Ye Feishuang. The hand gripping her shoulder slid to her back, holding her tightly. His other hand still clasped her wrist, firmly restraining her as if afraid she would leave.
Ye Feishuang was nearly suffocated by his embrace.
Their temples pressed together, so close that when he spoke, his breath brushed against the shell of her ear, sending a tingling sensation through her.
"I was wrong, Elder Sister. I know I was wrong. Please come back. Don’t abandon me." His words sounded sorrowful and pleading, tinged with a pitiful desperation. "I was truly wrong. I’ll never do that again. Elder Sister, I’ve searched for you for so long. I’ve finally found you…"
Ye Feishuang: "…"
Maybe you should open your eyes and check our ages before you speak?
After struggling for a long time without being able to break free—instead, his embrace only tightened—she couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. Leaning close to his ear, she raised her voice, "You’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not your elder sister!"
"You are. You are Elder Sister. Elder Sister, please don’t abandon me."
He murmured his pleas, his low voice raspy and strained with pain, carrying a hint of breathlessness that somehow sounded intimate and tender.
Perhaps it was the humble, cautious tone of his voice, or perhaps it was the pitiful, sorrowful expression on his handsome face that moved her, but Ye Feishuang didn’t bother correcting him again.
Fine, why argue with a sick person? If he wants to call me that, so be it.
After all, she had lived two lifetimes. Combined, her age was more than enough to be called "Elder Sister" without shortening her lifespan.
Ye Feishuang wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been held, but her clothes were already damp.
He repeated those words over and over in her ear, like a small animal terrified of being abandoned, his pleading tone heartbreaking to hear.
His elder sister must have been someone incredibly important to him.
After what felt like an eternity, the delirious man finally fell completely silent. His high fever had tinged the corners of his eyes with a faint red, yet his face remained deathly pale. His long, thick eyelashes were damp with sweat, as if he had been crying.
Such a beautiful face, yet it looked so pitiful.
Ye Feishuang almost felt like helping him find his elder sister.
She carefully moved his arm aside and got up from the bed.
After straightening her clothes, she left the room and headed to the medicine hall to buy medicine.
Uncertain of the noble young master’s exact condition and not daring to call for a doctor to examine him, Ye Feishuang simply requested a prescription to reduce fever and alleviate discomfort.
In an upper room on the deck, officers from Mianzhou were reporting to Chen Yan.
"Young Master, we have searched every cabin on the ship but found no trace of the assassin. It is likely they took advantage of our distraction and jumped into the river to escape."
The room was divided into inner and outer sections by a large landscape screen. The officers outside could not see the person inside but could hear his voice: "Are you certain every cabin was thoroughly searched?"
"Yes, we even searched under the beds and inside the trunks. There was only one cabin—occupied by Fifth Miss Zheng of the Xingyang Zheng family—that we did not enter."
Chen Yan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I understand. Let the matter rest here. You may leave now, and thank you for your efforts."
After the officers departed, Chen Yan's attendant Jinfeng immediately spoke up: "Young Master, we cannot let this go. We must find the person. Otherwise, if they failed this time, there will surely be a next attempt, and you will be in danger."
Chen Yan walked to the window, gazing at the dark, vast expanse of the river, and replied indifferently, "Then we will catch them next time."
Jinfeng frowned. "We have never made enemies with anyone. Who would want to kill you, Young Master?"
The memory of the incident a few hours earlier still sent a chill down Jinfeng's spine. The assailant had acted swiftly and decisively, with an aura of lethal intent. If not for their numbers and the assailant's sudden withdrawal, the Young Master might truly have been in peril.
Receiving no response, Jinfeng followed his master's gaze—
Wasn't that Fifth Miss Zheng?
Why was she still awake in the middle of the night? What was that bowl she was carrying? Medicine?
Hah! When she was dealing with those officers earlier, she was arrogant, willful, and full of energy—hardly the picture of someone ill!
He had always felt there was something off about this Fifth Miss Zheng!
Ye Feishuang saw someone standing outside her cabin door.
For a moment, she was startled when she recognized the face.
Jinfeng—why was he here?
He was Chen Yan's personal attendant, almost always by his side. Did that mean Chen Yan was also on this ship?!
Ye Feishuang's heart seemed to skip a beat, her mind suddenly flooded with thoughts.
Why was Jinfeng right outside her cabin door?
Did he suspect something?
Was this Chen Yan's doing?
Or had Chen Yan already learned that she had used his name to brush off the officers and grown suspicious, sending Jinfeng to investigate her?
As these thoughts raced through her mind, Ye Feishuang clenched her fists, walked straight past Jinfeng without glancing at him, unlocked her door, and was about to slip inside when Jinfeng suddenly pushed past her and barged into her room!
Ye Feishuang immediately blocked him. "What are you doing?"
Jinfeng was surprised—she had actually managed to stop him?
But he wasted no time on words, shoving her aside and striding into her cabin!
Ye Feishuang's heart began to pound wildly.