Sharp shouts pierced her ears, threatening to rupture her eardrums.

Yu Qingwu was almost sent flying by Gao Minyue's palm strike.

Intense pain accompanied the dizziness as her frail body sank deeply into the snow, the stench of blood mingling with the frigid air.

Amidst the clamor, Yu Qingwu covered her buzzing ears, her vision gradually darkening...

"A Yue! Stop making a scene!" In the last moment before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear Xie Jin Yan's reprimand. In a blur, she saw him carrying away the crying A Yue.

He callously abandoned her in the freezing snow.

Yu Qingwu thought, a shield is ultimately just a shield. But for some reason, she still felt a pang of sadness.

In a daze, she recalled the year she was fifteen, when she personally made a pair of boots for Xie Jin Yan. She happily presented them to him, but he threw them into the lake right in front of her and mocked her mercilessly...

Qingwu couldn't understand why her Seventh Martial Brother, whom she had always treated like a younger brother, would suddenly treat her this way.

She chased after him to ask, only to be pushed into the lake by him.

She was sick for a month, and until she recovered, she thought that Seventh Martial Brother was perhaps just being mischievous and would come to apologize in a few days.

But he didn't, and neither did he in the many years that followed.

Qingwu was sad for a long time and gradually drifted apart from Jin Yan...

Perhaps because recalling the past was too painful, or perhaps because her head hurt too much, Yu Qingwu suddenly couldn't control her tears...

She cried her heart out, as if her heart was breaking.

She didn't know how long it had been, from dark to dawn, before she finally woke up from her dream.

"Miss, you're awake?" Granny Xun's kind voice echoed in her ears.

Yu Qingwu looked up and saw Granny Xun reaching out to touch her forehead. After a while, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally, the fever's gone. Miss, you must take good care of yourself in the future."

"Am I... sick again?" Yu Qingwu rubbed her aching forehead, feeling unwell. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"About two or three days."

"Miss, now that you're awake, have something to eat first." Granny Xun sighed softly and brought a bowl of millet porridge from the small table. She gently blew on it, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to Yu Qingwu's lips.

Yu Qingwu took a small sip, looked at the empty room, and asked Granny Xun in a hoarse voice, "Granny, has His Highness been here?"

Hearing this, Granny Xun paused for a moment, then stammered, "Well... His Highness originally intended to stay here and accompany you, Miss, but the Chunfang Pavilion said that she had cut her wrist, so His Highness went over there again."

Gao Minyue cut her wrist?

Yu Qingwu was extremely puzzled. "Why did she cut her wrist?"

Granny Xun's expression became even more troubled, hesitant and stammering for a long while before lowering her voice and replying, "Didn't she hurt you, Miss? His Highness then ordered her to be confined for three months. She was fine at first, but today, for some reason, she suddenly cut her pulse, and there was blood everywhere..."

"That Gao girl is very good at making trouble."

"Miss, don't worry about it. It's important to heal your wounds."

Granny Xun sighed, looking very helpless.

"Yes, I understand."

Yu Qingwu nodded calmly, suppressing her emotions, but tears welled up in her eyes.

Granny Xun watched from the side, not knowing how to comfort her, so she changed the subject and talked to Yu Qingwu about her life experiences.

From how she entered the palace, to how she became the Empress's most capable steward, and how she was entrusted by the Empress to come to the Crown Prince's residence with Xie Jin Yan.

By the time she was talking about reorganizing the Crown Prince's residence, Yu Qingwu had fallen asleep again.

When she woke up again, it was already evening.

Compared to the first time, Yu Qingwu's body was not so weak, and the pain in her head had also lessened somewhat.

However, after eating a bowl of porridge earlier, she was now feeling a bit weak from hunger.

"Granny Xun..." She rubbed her temples and called out weakly.

As soon as she finished speaking, a series of footsteps came from the outer hall.

"Granny Xun, please cook some more..." Yu Qingwu slowly instructed, but when she looked up, she was choked by the familiar handsome face, and she felt a dry and uncomfortable sensation in her throat.

She stared at him coldly for a moment, then turned around and lay down in the quilt.

Xie Jin Yan sat on the edge of the bed, took her hand, and asked softly, "What does Shijie (Senior Martial Sister) want to eat?"

"Get out!" Yu Qingwu thought she could control herself, but the moment she saw Xie Jin Yan, she couldn't help but explode.

She cowered in the blanket, her sharp voice mixed with a strong sob, and roared at him with all her strength, "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

Perhaps because she used too much force, she coughed violently after shouting twice.

Xie Jin Yan quickly patted her back and brought her a cup of warm water, coaxing her softly, "A Wu, sit up and drink some water."

"Get out!"

*Bang!* A harsh crash.

The white porcelain cup painted with orchids was thrown out heavily and shattered into two pieces.

Xie Jin Yan frowned, took a deep look at the woman on the bed, then handed her a teacup and said softly, "Continue."

Yu Qingwu closed her eyes and ignored him.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Xie Jin Yan took her hand again and continued, "A Wu, I know what you're angry about."

"That day, in the heat of the moment, I was afraid that A Yue would cause an even bigger commotion. You understand, if it reached the Empress Mother's ears, she might lose her life."

The man's low voice sounded in her ear, neither warm nor cold, as if it was she who was being unreasonable?

Yes, A Yue's life was the most important. What did her life matter? As long as A Yue was happy, that was the truth.

Yu Qingwu sneered and suppressed her sobs. "Yes, A Yue's life is the most important. Even if others die at her hands, they deserve it."

Xie Jin Yan paused, his brows furrowed slightly, and said helplessly, "Forget it, you're still angry. Let's not talk about this."

"Okay, let's not talk about this. Then let's talk about something else." Yu Qingwu interrupted him sharply and sat up unsteadily.

She closed her eyes and tried to suppress her emotions, looking at him faintly with tears in her eyes, "Xie Jin Yan, there's one thing I've never understood, and I've always wanted to ask you properly."

Seeing that she seemed a little calmer, Xie Jin Yan's thick black eyebrows finally relaxed, his expression softened, and his large hand gently stroked Qingwu's dark hair, asking softly, "What does Shijie want to ask me?"

Yu Qingwu bit her lip, raised her eyes to stare at the man's deep and tender eyes, and all the grievances and resentment of the past five years erupted. She asked him through tears, choking with sobs, "Xie Jin Yan, I want to ask you, why did you treat me like that five years ago?"