Chi Yao snatched her hand back as if shocked by electricity, her expression turning somewhat flustered.
"Senior Brother…"
"Was it you who took care of me last night, Junior Sister?"
To her surprise, Shen Yu made no mention of their fingers having been interlocked, and even cast her a slightly grateful look.
Chi Yao felt all the more guilty.
She hadn't taken care of her Senior Brother at all—last night she had been busy stealing kisses and taking liberties.
But that wicked streak in her bones kept urging her to claim the credit quickly. That way, in her Senior Brother's heart, she would be just like the little Junior Sister—someone who had cared for him too.
Perhaps, seeing how she had tended to him all night, her Senior Brother would treat her more fondly than the little Junior Sister in the future.
"Yes, it was me taking care of you, Senior Brother."
Chi Yao couldn't refuse such a great temptation. Even if her Senior Brother hadn't given her the chance to steal the credit, she might well have fabricated a lie about nursing him through the night.
"So that's how it was. You've worked hard, Junior Sister."
A faint smile appeared on Shen Yu's pale face, and then he weakly clutched his chest and began to cough.
Chi Yao instinctively stepped forward to soothe him, and as her gaze fell on his bloodstained clothes, she finally couldn't hold back the question in her heart.
"Wasn't the little Junior Sister the one taking care of you yesterday? Why didn't she treat your wounds?"
"No one was taking care of me. Yesterday I was healing alone in the hall, and I never got around to treating my wounds."
There was even a hint of pitifulness in Shen Yu's weak voice.
Chi Yao found it hard to believe, and then an immense joy washed over her.
So the little Junior Sister had been lying yesterday—the master had never ordered her to look after their Senior Brother at all.
"Junior Sister."
Shen Yu called out to Chi Yao, and when she looked over, he stubbornly repeated:
"No one was taking care of me."
Chi Yao didn't know why Shen Yu felt the need to repeat himself, but the words gave her an idea.
Since her Senior Brother believed she had cared for him all last night, and he now lacked someone to look after him, couldn't she naturally offer to continue caring for him?
"You were injured because of me, Senior Brother. So how about letting me take care of you?"
Afraid that Shen Yu might refuse, Chi Yao even added the pretext of repaying his kindness.
Shen Yu's gaze rested on her expectant face, and a dark glimmer flashed through his eyes.
"Then I'll trouble you, Junior Sister."
"It's only right."
There was a trace of smug delight in Chi Yao's voice. Especially when she saw the gratitude surface on Shen Yu's face, that dark emotion kept festering in her heart, giving her a faint thrill of excitement.
Her Senior Brother had no idea what she had done to him last night, yet he naively believed she had been caring for him—he was even grateful to her.
This feeling of deceiving Shen Yu, of wantonly desecrating him right under his nose, utterly fascinated Chi Yao.
She stared at Shen Yu's lips, a lingering aftertaste rising within her.
She hadn't had her fill of those lips. She wanted another taste.
Just as Chi Yao's gaze grew ever more brazen, Shen Yu raised a hand to his own lips, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Senior Brother… what's wrong?"
Chi Yao panicked slightly, a note of nervousness creeping into her voice.
"My lips…"
The words were only half out of Shen Yu's mouth when he suddenly stopped. Chi Yao's heart rose into her throat, her expression growing more and more tense—so tense that she failed to notice the fleeting smile in Shen Yu's eyes.
"Nothing. I must just be a little thirsty."
Shen Yu shook his head, and his fingertip finally moved away from his lips.
"Then I'll go pour Senior Brother a cup of tea."
Chi Yao's heart finally settled, and she immediately used pouring tea as an excuse to turn away and catch her breath.
The moment she turned around, Shen Yu's fingers brushed over his lips again, his dark eyes following Chi Yao's figure closely, with a trace of savoring the moment in them.
By the time Chi Yao returned with the tea, Shen Yu's expression had long since returned to normal, and even his complexion was pale to just the right degree.
This pitiable appearance indeed stirred Chi Yao's sympathy. After handing over the tea, her gaze fell on Shen Yu's bloodstained clothes.
"Your injuries can't wait any longer, Senior Brother. Let me treat your wounds first."
With that, Chi Yao went to fetch some clean water, and under Shen Yu's direction, found some healing salve.
But after she had done all this, Shen Yu still leaned against the couch without moving, seemingly with no intention of removing his clothes to reveal his wounds.
Chi Yao assumed Shen Yu was unwilling to let her see his body.
But the more he resisted, the more the darkness in Chi Yao's bones stirred, wanting to force Shen Yu to do things he was reluctant to do.
So, using the treatment of his wounds as a pretext, she coaxed, "Senior Brother, please take off your clothes first, otherwise the wounds can't be treated."
"My arm is injured too, so it's a bit inconvenient. Could you help me, Junior Sister?"
The moment the voice reached her ears, Chi Yao almost thought she was hallucinating.
Her expression turned to shock, and only after a moment did she finally register what Shen Yu had said.
Senior Brother was actually asking her to undress him!
"Alright."
Chi Yao's tone was fairly calm, but inside, her heart was already surging like stormy waves.
She had long fantasized about undressing her Senior Brother, though she'd assumed it would necessarily have to happen while he was her captive.
She never expected the opportunity to come so soon—and for him to offer it himself, no less.
Chi Yao tried hard to suppress her excitement, but her hands still trembled slightly as they reached Shen Yu's waist—she couldn't even undo a simple belt.
After several failed attempts, Chi Yao began to grow nervous.
She was afraid Shen Yu would notice her feelings because of it.
Just as she was considering whether to simply destroy the belt, a hand suddenly covered hers, guiding it to the right spot.
"It's here."
Chi Yao's mind suddenly went blank. After a brief ringing in her ears, all she could hear was her own heartbeat growing faster and faster.
To her, this gesture from her Senior Brother was no different from outright seduction.
And yet she knew perfectly well that her cold, self-possessed Senior Brother would absolutely never do such a thing.
She could only lower her head and hide her excitement.
Until she had him, she absolutely could not expose herself.
Chi Yao quickly pressed the hidden clasp, finally undoing the belt that had troubled her for so long.
After that, she calmed down considerably, her movements gaining a measure of composure—though when undoing the last inner garment, her fingertips still couldn't help trembling.
What she didn't know was that all her reactions were seen clearly by Shen Yu.
Especially when her fingertips trembled, Shen Yu's eyes darkened, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"What's wrong, Junior Sister?"
That seemingly offhand remark made Chi Yao nervous all over again.
"I… I was just startled by your wounds, Senior Brother."
Fortunately, in her flustered state, Chi Yao managed to find a reasonable excuse.
"They're just minor injuries, Junior Sister. There's no need to worry."
Though Shen Yu said this, his voice had grown even weaker, accompanied by a bout of coughing.
As expected, Chi Yao's heart ached at the sight. She quickly fetched a handkerchief to wipe his wounds.
Shen Yu's injury was on his abdomen—a long gash, the blood around it still uncoagulated. It looked like the work of some large Spirit Beast.
Chi Yao's movements grew ever more gentle, afraid of hurting him.
At first, Chi Yao truly had no other intentions—she focused entirely on tending his wound.
But Shen Yu's physique was simply too tempting. Up close, Chi Yao could see everything clearly. She could even touch it.
Her hand applying the medicine paused for a moment, and a bold thought surfaced in her mind.
If she took liberties with her Senior Brother while he was awake, how would he react?
Chi Yao's fingertips strayed a few inches, quietly landing on the firm muscle, and she pretended to accidentally poke at it.
Shen Yu's body trembled first, then instantly went taut.
Chi Yao was quite satisfied with this reaction, and a secret thrill instantly flooded through her entire body.
Yet when she looked up, her face carried a trace of apology.
"Sorry, Senior Brother. I didn't mean to."
"It's nothing. Please continue, Junior Sister."
Shen Yu's voice had taken on a hint of hoarseness, but Chi Yao didn't notice—she was too absorbed in the excitement of defiling her Senior Brother.
After that, Chi Yao used "accidental touches" as an excuse to run her hands over the abdominal muscles she had been longing for.
Shen Yu's reactions grew stronger each time, and Chi Yao simply couldn't bear to stop.
When she reached the last wound, she grew even bolder. Her fingertips drifted lower, and the pressure of her hand increased, leaving a faint red mark on that patch of skin.
To Chi Yao's surprise, this time Shen Yu's body trembled even more violently, and a faint, low sound escaped his throat.
Chi Yao froze for a moment. Just as she was about to look up at his face, her gaze involuntarily drifted downward, landing on a certain spot.
The change she witnessed with her own eyes made Chi Yao's body stiffen, her face full of disbelief.
Her Senior Brother… he… he was actually aroused…
Chi Yao's heart rate instantly spiked, and she forgot to look away.
It wasn't until Shen Yu pulled the blanket over his lower body that she finally raised her head in a fluster.
She saw a trace of panic flicker across Shen Yu's usually cold face, and when their eyes met, it was Shen Yu who looked away first.
"Senior Brother…"
"Thank you for applying the medicine, Junior Sister. I'm a bit tired—I'd like to rest now."
Shen Yu spoke much faster than usual, his gaze fixed elsewhere, never meeting Chi Yao's.
"Alright."
Chi Yao was equally flustered. She agreed and hurriedly left the bedchamber.
Still, Chi Yao hadn't forgotten her duty to look after Shen Yu, so she didn't leave Yuheng Palace. Instead, she went to a quiet pavilion to calm herself while waiting for Shen Yu to call her back in.
But she ended up waiting until evening, and the palace door nearby remained tightly shut, showing no sign of opening.
Is Senior Brother angry with me?
Chi Yao stared at the closed door, her anxiety growing.
After much deliberation, she ultimately couldn't hold back and pushed the door open herself.
To her surprise, Shen Yu wasn't resting at all—he was sitting stiffly by the window, lost in who knew what thoughts.
Only when Chi Yao approached did he finally look over.
"It's getting late today, Junior Sister. Go back and rest for now, and come again tomorrow."
Shen Yu's tone was no different from usual, and his expression remained calm as ever, which put Chi Yao somewhat at ease.
Still, she didn't want to leave. She was afraid that once she left, she would lose her chance to look after her Senior Brother.
So she hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Senior Brother, may I stay here tonight?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the teacup in Shen Yu's hand suddenly dropped, spilling tea all over his clothes, leaving him looking utterly flustered.