Chu Chu blinked her damp lashes, gazing at Xiao Jin Yu with trembling fear as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Then... Wang Ye, do you still like me?"
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback, still processing her words, when Chu Chu threw herself into his embrace, burying her face against his chest while sobbing uncontrollably. "Wang Ye, I'll change! I promise I'll change! I'll serve you well, even better than how they serve in the palace. I'll never let you fall ill again... Please don't stop liking me!"
Xiao Jin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Unable to lift his arms, he lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her hair. "I like you..."
Chu Chu lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him. "The most?"
"The most..."
Only after saying this did Xiao Jin Yu realize what had just come out of his mouth. His cheeks flushed crimson instantly.
How could such words escape his lips? This was mortifying...
Xiao Jin Yu felt so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself. His face turned as red as Braised Prawns in Brown Sauce. To make matters worse, Chu Chu was still pressed against his chest, her soft little hands tightly wrapped around his waist. She then planted a kiss on his slightly parted lips, her tears transforming into a radiant smile. "What a coincidence! I like you the most too!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face burned so hot it seemed about to drip blood. He didn't dare look at her, yet he couldn't avoid looking at her, terrified that if he let his guard down for even a moment, she might do something that would make him want to bang his head against a wall.
In reality, whether Xiao Jin Yu kept watching her or not, the outcome remained the same.
Chu Chu climbed off him and immediately began tearing open his clothes. With several "rip, rip" sounds, she shredded his garments into pieces, stripping them from his body one by one. She did the same with his underpants, leaving Xiao Jin Yu pale with terror, his entire body trembling.
"Chu Chu..."
With deft movements, she stripped him completely bare. Just as the thought "do what one must and leave the rest to fate" crossed Xiao Jin Yu's mind, Chu Chu pulled the quilt up to his neck, wrapping him as tightly as a zongzi.
Looking at the stunned Xiao Jin Yu, Chu Chu smiled sweetly. "Since you have to stay in bed anyway, there's no need to wear clothes! This makes it much easier for me to wash you!"
Immediately, a pair of wide-eyed "big red cherries" poked out from one end of the turquoise quilt.
Satisfied with her work, Chu Chu brought over the Blue and White Porcelain Bowl from the Food box, sat by the bedside, picked up a small spoon, and stirred the white porridge inside. She scooped up half a spoonful, blew on it twice near her lips, and brought it to Xiao Jin Yu's mouth.
Just as Xiao Jin Yu took the porridge into his mouth, before he could swallow, he heard Chu Chu's sweet voice say, "Wang Ye is so well-behaved!"
Xiao Jin Yu nearly choked on the mouthful of porridge, clearly feeling the blood vessels on his forehead throbbing and swelling.
Chu Chu's eyes curved into happy crescents as she scooped another spoonful and brought it to his lips. "Wang Ye, eat more! The more you eat, the faster you'll grow!"
"...!"
"Oh! No, no, I mean the more you eat, the faster you'll recover! I said it wrong!" Chu Chu stuck out her little tongue and added, "That's what I used to say when I helped my grandmother feed the pigs."
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Somehow surviving through the meal, Xiao Jin Yu no longer had the energy to glare at her. Resigned to his fate, he closed his eyes and lay in bed, letting her wipe his body clean before she tightly wrapped him up in the quilt again.
A refreshing comfort gently enveloped him, and drowsiness began to set in. Just as Xiao Jin Yu was about to drift off to sleep, Chu Chu's next words jolted him completely awake."Wang Ye, from now on I have to sleep in the same bed with you."
Xiao Jin Yu was going mad. He desperately wanted to sit up immediately - not for any other reason, but to see what was written in today's almanac.
"No..."
"Why not?"
"I'm a patient..."
"Don't worry, I sleep very properly! I promise I won't bully you!"
"It's not good to sleep with a patient..."
"It's fine, I'm very healthy!"
Xiao Jin Yu took a deep breath and looked seriously at Chu Chu, speaking with profound sincerity, "Chu Chu, we can only share a bed after we've performed the wedding ceremony..."
Chu Chu looked even more serious than him, "But we've already kissed. After kissing, we have to sleep together. That's the rule."
Whose rule is that...
Chu Chu pouted, "Besides, you were the one who asked me to get on the bed with you first. You even asked me to hold you while sleeping. How can you go back on your word!"
Xiao Jin Yu weakly closed his eyes. Heaven's disasters can still be avoided, but disasters brought upon oneself are inescapable...
"Alright..."
Since they'd already done almost everything that should and shouldn't be done, she could do whatever she wanted...
"If you're tired, go to sleep first. I'm going to eat first and will sleep later."
"Alright..."
"Let me blow out the lamp for you."
Xiao Jin Yu opened his eyes in panic, "Don't!"
Chu Chu looked at the lamp, then at Xiao Jin Yu's pale face, "Why not?"
Xiao Jin Yu frowned, pursed his lips slightly, stared at the lamp flame for a long time before whispering, "I'm afraid of the dark..."
Chu Chu was startled, then laughed, "Wang Ye, don't be afraid! You're a good person, demons and monsters won't eat you!"
"I'm not afraid of ghosts, just the dark... I can't stay in places without light..."
"Alright then, I won't blow out the lamp."
"Thank you..."
Watching Xiao Jin Yu close his eyes and fall peacefully asleep, Chu Chu smiled with pursed lips and tiptoed out of the room.
So Wang Ye is afraid of the dark too - this makes him seem like a real person with flesh and blood, how wonderful!
Chu Chu skipped along the path carrying the food box, heading toward the kitchen when she saw the Ji family steward approaching.
Previously, this old steward had always kept a stern face that was quite frightening. Chu Chu hadn't dared to speak with him, but for some reason today, the old man seemed quite adorable. Chu Chu waved at him and cheerfully greeted, "Hello, Steward Wang!"
Steward Wang hadn't noticed her initially and was startled by her call. When he clearly saw who it was, he flusteredly moved to kneel, "Imperial Concubine!"
Chu Chu quickly supported him, her small face flushing red, "I haven't performed the wedding ceremony with Wang Ye yet!"
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