CHAPTER 362: CHAPTER 324: LET’S NOT OWE EACH OTHER TOO MUCH

Tushere’s eyes flickered slightly, and she said, "Just went back to get it."

"..."

Just now? She had been by her side the whole time, when did she go to get this?

And—almost immediately, she caught a familiar scent from the wind cloak tightly wrapped around her body, almost identical to the one that comforted her from the nightmare last night.

Instantly, her breathing became heavy.

Cheng Qiao looked at her sudden pale complexion with caution, and said, "Young Madam, are you, is your health alright?"

Shang Ruyi shook her head, "I’m fine... excuse me."

After speaking, she turned and walked towards the cabin.

Tushere hurriedly followed, but after just two steps, she saw Shang Ruyi silently take off the wind cloak and hand it to her. Tushere quickly said, "Miss, what are you doing? The outside wind is strong, be careful not to catch a cold!"

Shang Ruyi’s complexion was somewhat pale. She glanced at her and calmly said, "I’m going back to my room. There’s no wind in the room, so I don’t need this."

"..."

"Take it away, this thing is not mine."

After that, she didn’t look back and returned to her room.

Tushere held the wind cloak in her arms, looking at her thin yet stubborn back, unsure of what to do for a moment.

In the time that followed, Shang Ruyi did not step out of that room.

Even when Tushere came to accompany her, she only said she wanted to rest and asked her to leave. Naturally, the other attendants didn’t dare to disturb her. This small cabin, which was once a fortress against storms, in such a tranquil environment, felt more like a tomb.

Silent, without a sound.

Yet, silence doesn’t mean peace.

Even as night fell, gently sinking into dreams, Shang Ruyi still felt uneasy inside. She felt like she was placed in the deepest darkness, not only unable to see light, but also unable to hear any sound.

That emptiness, resembling death.

It wasn’t clear how much time passed before she felt some senses—her hand seemed to be held by another hand, tightly gripping something.

When she realized it was a long sword, her breath halted suddenly, desperately wanting to stop whatever was happening, but could do nothing, only watching with open eyes as her hand raised the long sword. The cold light of the sword’s edge illuminated her eyes, and also the face on the other side of the sword, exceptionally handsome.

Chu Yang...

He stood before her once again, smiling at her, his slender phoenix eyes filled with love and tenderness.

Shang Ruyi momentarily felt dazed, even wondering if she was in a dream or reality—perhaps she wished it were all true, that this peerless man standing before her was indeed still alive, living carefree and unrestrained.

But the next moment, she felt her hand being raised again, the long sword once more pointed towards him, and in her terrified gaze, the sword edge slashed across the throat—

"No!"

Shang Ruyi hastily tried to prevent it, but it was already too late.

All love and tenderness in those slender phoenix eyes turned to icy darkness at this moment, and as scorching blood once again surged toward her, it overwhelmed her completely.

"No! No!"

Shang Ruyi struggled and cried desperately, trying to catch something but grasping nothing, even the person who had just fallen before her disappeared into the sea of blood; after the blood engulfed her, it left her suffocating. Her cries grew weaker, and she had no strength to struggle, slowly sinking into the sea of blood.

At this moment, a pair of hands grabbed her firmly.

Shang Ruyi’s heart moved.

There was a familiar warmth, and a familiar strength, everything seemed to have happened before. After those hands held her, they immediately pulled her into a warm embrace, gently stroking her back to calm her, a low, magnetic voice softly whispered in her ear, "It’s okay, I’m here..."

Those hands, that voice, even the familiar scent emanating from the embrace seemed to soothe her.

Shang Ruyi gradually quieted down.

Not knowing how much time passed, she finally regained her senses, but immediately felt a shudder.

Just now, was it a nightmare?

Yet the reality upon waking wasn’t much better than the nightmare—she quickly realized she was held tightly in someone’s arms.

This person was Yu Wenye.

He was only wearing a thin layer of clothing, seemingly rushed as he came, with his clothes unfastened, revealing a large expanse of a strong chest. As he held her tightly, more of his scent stained her body.

Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but tremble, immediately breaking free from his embrace.

Even without any light in the room, she could clearly sense in that moment, those bright eyes darkened slightly.

After a while, he said softly, "You had a nightmare."

"..."

"I, I just heard some noise from your side, so I came to check."

"..."

Shang Ruyi’s breathing was still a bit erratic.

She had no idea how much commotion she had caused just now to make him come to check in the middle of the night. She only felt a sense of weakness all over, that the near-death struggle from the dream seemed so real, leaving her without any strength to keep herself a bit away from him.

After struggling for a while, she could only softly say, "Thank you."

The person in the darkness was silent for a long time, then said, "Do you even want ’fairness’ in this?"

Shang Ruyi only felt her heart still pounding hard, making it difficult for her to breathe. Facing him at this moment, she didn’t have the strength to discern anything more.

She only responded with a faint "Hmm."

Yu Wenye fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of self-mockery, "Shang Ruyi, you really know how to make someone feel uncomfortable."

Shang Ruyi slightly frowned and looked up at him.

But in the dim light, she could only see those bright eyes flickering slightly. She thought for a moment and said softly, "I just feel that between us, it’s best not to owe each other too much."

After speaking, she spent a little effort to prop herself up, finally managing to move back a bit.

Then she said, "I’m fine now. You, please leave."

"..."

Yet Yu Wenye didn’t move.

In the pitch-black room, his eyes were still bright, staring intently at her, saying, "I have some questions to ask you."

Shang Ruyi only felt a headache. That lingering feeling of weakness once again returned to her, she could only forcefully say, "It’s too late, I don’t—"

"Why didn’t you respond to Cheng Qiao during the day?"

"...?"

Shang Ruyi’s heart slightly moved.

At this moment, she didn’t care to think about what happened with Cheng Qiao during the day, how he would know, what they talked about. She only struggled to lift her somewhat heavy head, "What?"

Yu Wenye said, "His news came in time, and I interrogated Wo Xue. She said that after you received that message, you immediately went to meet—that person."

"..."

"But you didn’t report it, didn’t even make any move to save yourself."

"..."

"Why?!"

Shang Ruyi’s body trembled once again.

I don’t know whether it was the fear from the recent nightmare that hadn’t fully dissipated, or his words carried a kind of sharpness that pierced through everything making her heart gradually ache. She gritted her teeth, supporting herself as she spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Everything has passed, asking now is meaningless."

"No, it has meaning!"

Yu Wenye’s voice was low, more with a kind of uncompromising firmness, just like his exceptionally bright eyes in the darkness, quietly staring at Shang Ruyi, seemingly not allowing her any retreat.

He said, "At least, let me understand one thing."

"..."

Shang Ruyi only felt a wave of coldness, then a wave of heat, as if being tortured by some invisible brutality, and before this person, she indeed had nowhere to hide, could only curl up and hug herself tightly, muttering, "I don’t know what you’ve understood, but I don’t want to hear it. You go."

Yu Wenye not only didn’t leave, but instead leaned forward more, almost to her ear.

He said in a deep voice, "I know why you didn’t report the message Cheng Qiao passed to you, but stayed with—him! You accompanied him on garden walks, on spring outings, drinking and reveling, even went to the Bright Hall with him. Even at last, when facing the imperial guards, you didn’t care at all."

At this moment, his words resurrected all those memories.

Even more vividly than the scene in the dream earlier, Shang Ruyi reached out wanting to cover her ears, but Yu Wenye held her wrists firmly with both hands, pulling her into his arms with force, saying word by word, clearly, "Because that day a message came into Jiangdu—it was the news of your father raising troops!"

"...!"

Shang Ruyi, leaning in his arms, suddenly shuddered.

Yu Wenye clearly felt her tremble, he gritted his teeth, lowered his head to the somewhat weak and seemingly warm body in his arms, and said through clenched teeth, "You thought I would raise troops with him, didn’t you?"

"..."

"You thought I wouldn’t care about your life or death, didn’t you?"

"..."

"So, you stayed with him—"

"I didn’t!"

Shang Ruyi suddenly interrupted him, wanting to withdraw her hands, but Yu Wenye’s grip like iron clamps didn’t allow her any chance to escape. Her struggle in front of him seemed so powerless, she could only desperately deny, "I didn’t!"

But at this moment, Yu Wenye didn’t listen to any of her rebuttals.

Even though that rebuttal was already so pale and powerless.

He even directly held her in his arms, in the pitch-black night, staring forcefully at those eyes already glistening with tears, gritting his teeth, "Shang Ruyi, I told you long ago, even if what’s between us is merely a transaction, even if I have no feelings for you, I wouldn’t take advantage of a woman, nor would I, disregard her life."

"..."

"Let alone you, with you, I—"