Chu Chu was taken aback. Just moments ago, this person had wanted to chop off her head—how could he suddenly become so polite?
Before she could figure it out, the guard vanished from the room as silently as he had arrived.
Watching Chu Chu’s tear-streaked, dazed face, Xiao Jin Yu sighed quietly to himself.
What sin had he committed? Which deity had he offended, that Heaven would send this little girl to torment him so completely?
"Don’t be afraid… He misunderstood. I apologize on his behalf…"
Chu Chu blinked her almond-shaped eyes, still glistening with tears, and pouted. "Why did he want to chop off my head?"
Xiao Jin Yu gazed calmly at her. "He thought you meant to harm me…"
Chu Chu stomped her foot in frustration. "I’m your wife! You were given to me by the Emperor! I have to take good care of you—why would I harm you?"
"I know… He made a mistake…"
"He’s so stupid!"
"Mmm…"
Chu Chu wiped her tears with her sleeve. "Then… are you feeling better now?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly. At least for now, the suffocating sensation had eased, and the pain wasn’t as intense.
"Then I’ll continue dressing you."
"No need…"
"But we pinky-swore!"
Xiao Jin Yu smiled wryly. "Later… Help me undress first…"
An hour ago, he could never have imagined begging a young girl to undress him—just as he never imagined he would risk his life to protect her in a moment of desperation.
Chu Chu was puzzled. Wasn’t he only wearing his underwear? "Won’t you be naked if you take that off?"
Xiao Jin Yu felt too exhausted even to blush. "I need to soak in a bath…"
He was drenched in cold sweat and had been lying on the floor—a hot bath would help drive away the chill. "Alright, I’ll heat water for you!"
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head. "No need… Cold water. The colder, the better."
Chu Chu thought she had misheard. "You want a cold bath?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slowly. "Ice water would be best."
Chu Chu’s eyes widened in shock. "Why?"
"To treat my illness…" Xiao Jin Yu looked deeply at her and said slowly, "Otherwise, I will die soon."
Chu Chu’s face flushed with panic. "But you said you were feeling better!"
"It will only last two or three hours…"
"Then… will an ice bath help?"
Xiao Jin Yu gave a slight nod.
"I’ll fetch water for you right away!"
"Thank you…"
As soon as Chu Chu rushed out, she spotted two large vats in the courtyard. These were water storage vats kept for fire emergencies, half-filled with water covered by a hand’s breadth of ice—cold enough, just right!
She broke the ice with a stone, made several trips with a bucket carrying frigid water mixed with floating ice, and filled most of the bathtub. She worked swiftly and efficiently, but when it came time to help Xiao Jin Yu undress after pushing him into the bathing chamber, she hesitated.
Leaning in his wheelchair, Xiao Jin Yu watched as Chu Chu fidgeted—touching the sash at his waist, then the front of his garment, all while stealing glances at his face. Her hesitant touches warmed his chilled, numb body, yet she still hadn’t begun. Unable to bear it any longer, he asked, "What are you doing…"
Chu Chu pursed her lips, staring at the sash around his waist, and whispered, "I don’t dare."Xiao Jin Yu choked for a moment—since when was there anything she didn’t dare to do?
“Didn’t you undress me once before…?”
Xiao Jin Yu would never forget that time, not even in death. That girl had not only stripped him completely bare but had also run her hands over his body countless times, touching every part she could—and couldn’t—reach. By then, he had already given up all resistance, so what was there left for her to fear?
Chu Chu gritted her teeth, her small face flushing bright red. “That time, you had your eyes closed! I… I’ve only ever undressed people with their eyes closed!”
Xiao Jin Yu nearly coughed up blood. So she had dared to treat his body like that… She really had taken him for a dead man!
Demanding that he close his eyes before she would undress him—what kind of logic was that…?
Xiao Jin Yu weakly closed his eyelids. “Fine…”
He felt the damp, cold clothes clinging to his body being swiftly and gently peeled away. Immediately afterward, a pair of warm, soft little hands crept over his gaunt, chilled frame, carefully exploring several areas.
His body was already so fragile it felt on the verge of collapse—how could he possibly muster the self-control to endure her touch like this…?
Every place her small hands brushed felt as if set ablaze, burning and aching, causing his entire body to tremble uncontrollably. Xiao Jin Yu didn’t dare open his eyes, didn’t dare make a sound, and certainly didn’t dare move recklessly.
“Wang Ye, when did you get these bruises? Why haven’t you applied any medicine?”
Every spot Chu Chu touched was either swollen and red or bruised purple and blue. The red, swollen areas were the freshest injuries—likely from fists and kicks, probably inflicted by that wretched Xiao Er. But the other bruises were clearly from falls, and they had to be more than half a day old. She remembered that when she had last wiped him down, there hadn’t been any. How had so many appeared all over his body in just a few days?
Xiao Jin Yu’s mind was too muddled to fabricate a convincing lie, so he simply spoke the truth. “When I got out of the bathtub… and when going up and down the stairs…”
Chu Chu gently traced the bruises on Xiao Jin Yu’s body, puffing her cheeks in anger. “That maid is so clumsy!”
Xiao Jin Yu stiffened in surprise but still didn’t dare open his eyes. “Which maid?”
“The one who helped you bathe, dressed you… and let you get hurt from falling!”
Xiao Jin Yu wondered if the pain was making him delusional. “When have I ever had a maid…?”
“You said it yourself—someone helped you out of the bathtub, and it was a woman!”
“When did I say that…?”
He had no recollection of it at all…
“You definitely said it!”
Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently. Arguing with her was pointless. “I was lying… I got out by myself…”
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