When Nan Zhiyun woke up, the first person she saw was Yu Jingchen, who had been watching over her the entire time, holding a memorial in his hand.
"Awake?" Even though Yu Jingchen was still looking at the memorial, he noticed her movement the moment Nan Zhiyun stirred.
"Don't move around, you might reopen your wound," seeing Nan Zhiyun's actions, Yu Jingchen quickly moved to support her.
Nan Zhiyun seemed as if she hadn't fully woken up, feeling dazed. He… hadn't changed back? She had thought that after sleeping through the night, Yu Jingchen would return to his former self, but why was he still the same as yesterday?
"What's wrong? Did you touch it just now? Does it hurt again?" Yu Jingchen's heart tightened with a sense of nervousness as he looked at Nan Zhiyun, afraid she was in pain again.
Nan Zhiyun shook her head. Yu Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief, "Then what's wrong? Are you hungry?" he asked.
Nan Zhiyun still shook her head. It seemed he couldn't get anything out of her, so Yu Jingchen didn't press.
"Let me check your wound, okay?" Yu Jingchen asked for her consent. Nan Zhiyun didn't respond this time, and seeing this, Yu Jingchen tentatively reached out to lift the blanket for her.
Nan Zhiyun didn't resist, but she turned her head away, her eyes red.
Yu Jingchen carefully examined her wound. It was too severe; even after a whole night, the wound showed no signs of healing and hadn't scabbed over.
"You'll need to apply medicine again later," Yu Jingchen said. Nan Zhiyun, lying on her stomach, had slightly red eyes, looking pitiful and wronged.
"Does it still hurt a lot?" he asked. Then he realized what a foolish question he had asked. How could it not hurt?
"Can I help you apply the medicine?" Yu Jingchen asked her.
Nan Zhiyun remained silent. Yu Jingchen took it as her tacit consent, so he took the medicine from the side and began to apply it for her. Perhaps because it still hurt intensely, Nan Zhiyun's body trembled with pain, but she endured it.
Yu Jingchen could feel it, but since he couldn't help her alleviate the pain, he could only quicken his movements. After he finished treating Nan Zhiyun's wound, Yu Jingchen immediately looked at her and found that she was already weeping uncontrollably, her sleeves soaked with tears.
His heart ached, and he quickly hugged her, letting her rest her head in his arms. "It's okay, don't cry, be good." He reached out to wipe her tears, but it had little effect; the tears just wouldn't stop.
"Don't be scared, the medicine is already applied. Stop crying. Yun'er is very good, right?" Yu Jingchen felt as if he had returned to his previous life, always treating Nan Zhiyun as if she were his daughter.
Yu Jingchen couldn't help but recall their daughter from their previous life, their little princess, Yu Siyun. In that life, he had doted on their daughter, as he always saw Little Siyun as Nan Zhiyun in her childhood. They were so alike, practically a miniature Nan Zhiyun.
And then… Nan Zhiyun and their daughter started competing for his attention. She would often make their little daughter cry, then feel guilty and try to appease her. But Nan Zhiyun was only responsible for giving birth; she was completely clueless when it came to comforting a child…
So, after Nan Zhiyun gave birth, Yu Jingchen was basically in charge of everything. When she made their little girl cry and couldn't comfort her, she'd hand the child over to him. But when he was comforting the child, she'd get jealous… It was a cycle that left him utterly flustered.
However, it was strange, their relationship later became quite good, very close… so close that they kicked him out. Tsk… they were truly ungrateful, just like mother and daughter.
Nan Zhiyun tearfully wiped her own eyes, it hurt so much, she just couldn't help it. Yet, she still didn't say a word. Yu Jingchen felt heartbroken and pulled her away, looking at her. "Stop crying, okay? Your eyes will hurt, crying too much is bad for your eyes." Yu Jingchen wiped her tears.
"Are you hungry? I'll have someone bring some food up. Is there anything you really want to eat?" Yu Jingchen asked her.
Nan Zhiyun shook her head. She felt a bit weak and sore all over, perhaps from lying down for too long.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Yu Jingchen noticed and started to massage her. Nan Zhiyun felt a little unaccustomed and instinctively wanted to pull away, but she couldn't.
"I'm just massaging you, don't pull away," Yu Jingchen said. Nan Zhiyun's body stiffened but didn't move further.
He massaged her arms and then her waist. Nan Zhiyun had been lying down all day and was naturally uncomfortable. Yu Jingchen's massage helped her relax considerably.
"If you're uncomfortable, you must say so. You've been lying down for so long, you must be feeling unwell. But if you don't tell me, I won't know how you're doing, so you need to tell me," Yu Jingchen said, placing a pillow behind her.
"I won't be leaving for the next few days, so you'll have to get used to being with me. Don't be scared, take it slow, okay?" Yu Jingchen was very direct. Nan Zhiyun was a little stunned upon hearing this. If she had to spend all day with him, then…
"I want to go back to Yajujju…" Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen.
"What did I tell you yesterday? Don't say things like that. How can you move around in your current condition? Rest and recover, okay?" It was convenient for him to take care of her here. If they returned to Yajujju, not to mention that Nan Zhiyun's injuries made it inconvenient, but the place was too remote, and he wouldn't be able to stay there constantly. He wouldn't agree to Nan Zhiyun returning.
If he were to stay in the harem, in Yajujju, it would also cause trouble for Nan Zhiyun.
Hearing Yu Jingchen's reply, the light in Nan Zhiyun's heart slowly extinguished. As expected, it was still not possible. She wanted to go back, but she didn't dare to ask again.
Yu Jingchen could see Nan Zhiyun's disappointment. For her, he was probably the person she least wanted to face right now. She was afraid of him, and perhaps resented him too. Being with him must make her feel uneasy, but he was sorry, he wasn't yet at ease with Nan Zhiyun out of his sight.
"Is being with me this painful? Do whatever you want, don't be so constrained, just be comfortable, don't be scared, okay?" Yu Jingchen comforted her softly. He actually had another purpose in doing this: he hoped to use this period to improve their relationship. After all, they said people are most vulnerable when injured, and most easily "deceived."
He also hoped that through this period of interaction, Nan Zhiyun would let down her guard against him. Even if she couldn't open her heart completely at once, some improvement would be good.