Tang Zhou’s instinct was to pull back.
Not out of disgust, but… shyness.
Not to mention kissing a girl, he had never even held hands before—except for that spring dream he had after his fever, where he thought Shen Zhixi had kissed him.
He wanted to retreat, but Shen Zhixi held him tightly.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, leaving him no room to escape.
This kiss was heavy and filled with deep affection.
Tang Zhou felt as if his breath had stopped; in a moment, he would suffocate.
Gradually, Shen Zhixi’s kiss changed in flavor.
She began to bite, as if nibbling on a sugar bean, yet not hard enough to hurt—only enough to leave one dazed and tingling. Tang Zhou’s hands, which had been gripping her arms, gradually loosened their hold. Though he had intended to push her away, he found himself inexplicably entranced by her gentle bites.
“Tang Zhou…”
She murmured his name, giving him a brief moment to catch his breath.
“Tang Zhou… Tang Zhou.”
She called softly, like a kitten seeking affection.
“Tang Zhou.”
As Shen Zhixi leaned in again to press her lips to his, Tang Zhou gently tilted his head back, causing her to miss. Then, with one arm wrapping around her waist and the other cradling her head, he pulled her into his embrace, guiding her to rest against his shoulder.
Next came his slow, drawn-out breaths.
The night breeze blew ceaselessly, yet it could not extinguish the flames of desire that had been ignited within him.
He had nearly lost control.
“It hurts.”
Shen Zhixi’s soft cry of pain startled him, making him hastily loosen his grip, fearing he had held her too tightly in his daze.
“My foot hurts.”
Only then did he realize it was her sprained ankle causing the pain.
“It hurts so much…”
“I…” Tang Zhou lowered his head, his voice tight, clearly still reeling from the shock of having his lips bitten moments earlier. “Which foot hurts?”
Shen Zhixi stretched out her right leg, pouting like a spoiled child. “This one’s sprained.”
“I… I’ll massage it for you.” Tang Zhou reached down, feeling along her calf until he reached her ankle. He indeed found her right ankle unusually swollen. After carefully examining it, he reassured her, “Don’t worry, it doesn’t seem like the bone is injured.”
“Does this hurt?” he asked, applying pressure with two fingers.
Shen Zhixi held back tears, answering softly, “It’s bearable.”
Her sprained ankle wasn’t feigned; she had genuinely twisted it while entering the mountains.
“That’s good. Let me take off your shoe and sock, and I’ll massage it to ease the pain. Once we’re back, apply a warm compress for a while. Since the bone isn’t injured, it should heal quickly.”
With that, Tang Zhou reached to remove her shoe and sock.
But Shen Zhixi pulled back, her tone coy and shy as she said, “A girl’s feet shouldn’t be touched so casually.”
This time, it wasn’t an act of feigned innocence. The snake venom had left her mind foggy; she didn’t even know what she was doing or saying.
Tang Zhou pulled her leg back, chuckling. “Your feet can’t be touched, but my body can be looked at freely? Lily, you’re not at a disadvantage.”
He placed Shen Zhixi’s leg on his knee, carefully massaging the swollen area around her ankle.
His touch was neither too light nor too heavy, and it didn’t cause any pain.
It felt as if he were pressing on specific acupoints or using a special technique—not uncomfortable in the slightest.
Shen Zhixi drifted in and out of consciousness, as if in a dream.
Watching the overlapping shadows behind Tang Zhou grow more numerous, her smile grew increasingly innocent and sweet.
“Tang Zhou, you’re really handsome.”
Tang Zhou paused his hands, not responding but curling his lips into a smile.
“I want to have a baby with you.”
At these words, Tang Zhou lost his composure. The gentle, soothing motions of his hands suddenly intensified, causing Shen Zhixi to grimace in pain.
“Ouch, that hurts so much.”
“I’m sorry.” He released his grip, flustered and unsure whether to continue.
“You’re unwilling?” Shen Zhixi asked.
Tang Zhou lowered his gaze, blinking as he denied it. “No, it’s just…”
Since he had decided to marry her, he was naturally willing to have children with her. It was just that he had never thought about this before, and the suddenness of it left him momentarily at a loss for words.
“It’s just…”
“Tang Zhou, I’m not ugly. Quite a few people have pursued me. Don’t worry, our child will definitely be beautiful, not unattractive at all.”
“I know.”
Tang Zhou suddenly grew serious, his tone turning solemn.
“I know you’re not ugly. How could you be ugly? You are the most beautiful woman I’ve met, aside from my mother and sister. Lily, no one else besides my mother and sister has treated me so well or given so much for me. I am willing, truly willing.”
Shen Zhixi’s mind was still hazy, and she wasn’t sure if she had heard him clearly.
She reached out and touched Tang Zhou’s face, tilting her head as she asked again, “So you’re willing to have a child with me?”
Tang Zhou placed his hand over hers, his bright eyes filled with certainty.
“Don’t worry, I will ensure you have someone to rely on in old age. You won’t die alone. We will have filial children to bring us joy in our later years and care for us.”
“Okay.”
Shen Zhixi smiled foolishly, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Tang Zhou.
A gust of wind blew by, and she shivered, tucking her neck in.
Tang Zhou seemed to notice. He took out a sugar-coated bean wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, unwrapped it, and offered it to her. “Have a piece of candy. If your heart feels sweet, maybe you’ll forget the cold.”
Her vision was too blurry, and it took Shen Zhixi a while to accurately grasp his hand.
She leaned forward, opening her mouth to take the candy, inadvertently sucking his finger into her mouth as well.
Tang Zhou froze, the soft sensation making his heart race uncontrollably.
Suppressing his fluttering heart, he waited until the candy was safely in her mouth before slowly withdrawing his hand.
“I’m still cold.” Shen Zhixi snuggled closer to him.
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his embrace. With his back shielding her from the wind and the warmth of the campfire in front of them, her trembling finally subsided.
With candy in her mouth and Tang Zhou’s warmth behind her, the already dizzy Shen Zhixi soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Sweet candy and a warm embrace—how could it not bring peace to one’s heart?
It was the first time Tang Zhou had held a girl so intimately, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous. Yet, as he listened to Shen Zhixi’s soft breathing, he gradually relaxed, holding her tighter, wanting to give her more warmth.
Even his courage grew.
He quietly raised his hand to caress Shen Zhixi’s cheek, his fingertips tracing her nose, eyes, and brow…
As if trying to etch her into his memory this way.
Before, he had wanted to regain his sight to return home. Now, he had another reason—he wanted to see the lily in his arms clearly and earnestly.
The words from that day, “A thousand twists and turns, all to meet you,” resurfaced in his mind. He couldn’t help but think that perhaps it was true.
Injured and fleeing, he had wandered and ended up in this place, all to meet her.
Recalling the past half-month, every day, every moment he couldn’t see but remembered in his heart, filled him with immense gratitude. It seemed fate had its own plans—perhaps they were destined to meet.
Her kindness, he would engrave in his heart and never betray.
By the time Yuanyang returned with the medicinal herbs, Shen Zhixi was already fast asleep.
The herbs were crushed into juice with a stone and applied to her wrist. Tang Zhou tore a strip of cloth from his clothing to wrap the herbs inside. Throughout the process, Shen Zhixi remained in a deep sleep.
After finishing these tasks, Tang Zhou carried her on his back and returned to the bamboo forest cottage.
By the time they arrived home, Shen Zhixi had just woken up.
As Tang Zhou placed her on the bed and covered her with a blanket, she grabbed his wrist.
Seeing this, Yuanyang tactfully stepped outside.