So Shen Qingqing finally got her wish, and the two returned to the royal palace.
By this time, the ministers and elders who had attended the succession ceremony had already left. The entire hall was filled only with some dining tables and empty wine glasses.
Servants bustled in and out, busy tidying up.
Hearing the noise, they merely glanced up before returning to their tasks.
Shen Qingqing still felt unwell, so she went straight back to her room. As soon as she entered and sat by the bed, she clutched her stomach, her face contorted in discomfort.
"What's wrong?"
His face instantly became tense.
Shen Qingqing shook her head. "I'm hungry."
Fu Jingshu let out a sigh of relief. He reached out and pinched her cheek, not daring to use much force. "You, you startled me."
He had thought something else had happened.
Shen Qingqing said with a grin, "Go make me something to eat. I'm going to sleep for a while."
Fu Jingshu gave her a deep look and turned to leave.
She immediately raised her hand to pat her shoulder. She had applied the medicine, so why was it still itchy?
She went to the bathroom, took off her dress, and looked in the mirror. The red spots on her shoulder were still there, but they had improved significantly. However, a patch of white ointment had fallen off.
She finally understood why it was itchy.
The moment she turned, she saw Fu Jingshu standing at the doorway with a tray. He happened to see the situation in the bathroom, his eyes deep and burning.
She raised an eyebrow and slowly pulled her clothes back up, exuding boundless charm with her every move.
His gaze grew deeper.
"It's time to eat."
Shen Qingqing walked over with a smile, deliberately swaying in front of him. "The medicine on my shoulder has rubbed off. You need to reapply it for me."
Fu Jingshu hummed, put down the tray in his hand. It held a bowl of noodles with some vegetables and a poached egg.
"You're sick now, so you need to eat lightly. When you're better..."
As he spoke, he looked up and saw that the other person had already taken off her outer garment and was standing with her back to him, seemingly contemplating something.
His breath hitched.
After a moment, he stiffly averted his gaze. "Put your clothes back on first."
Shen Qingqing hummed. "But my clothes are covered in ointment, and I'm worried I'll rub off some of the other medicine. Apply the medicine for me now, okay?"
She went to the wardrobe and took out a smaller, thinner garment.
It was just enough to expose the bumps on her shoulder, and it was a loose fit, so she didn't have to worry about rubbing off the ointment on her back.
So she sat there eating, perfectly content.
Fu Jingshu stood behind her, applying the ointment little by little.
The complexity of his emotions during this process was beyond description, his gaze constantly filled with darkness and danger.
But Shen Qingqing seemed oblivious.
After the ointment was applied, Fu Jingshu put it away, turned, and walked towards the bedside table. He placed the ointment inside, took a deep breath, and did not look back.
"I'm going out for a bit."
With that, he hurried out.
Shen Qingqing turned her head, a mischievous smile on her face.
Teasing him was quite fun.
She had intended to wait for Fu Jingshu to return, but after taking her medicine and lying on the bed for a while, she fell asleep. By the time she woke up, an hour had passed.
She sat up, rubbed her eyes, her vision still blurry. Seeing Fu Jingshu sitting by the bed, she instinctively threw herself into his arms.
"Where did you go?"
Fu Jingshu's heart was filled with tenderness. "I went to make you some soup."
Eating only a bowl of noodles wasn't enough. He had gone to the kitchen himself to carefully brew a bowl of rich soup according to a traditional Chinese medicine prescription.
The aroma was tantalizing, beckoning one to taste it.
Shen Qingqing sniffed the air. "It smells so good. Did you make this?"
Fu Jingshu hummed. "Yes."
He scooped a spoonful of soup and brought it to her lips. Shen Qingqing took a sip, and the rich flavor exploded on her taste buds. She let out a contented hum.
"It's delicious. You have this skill too?"
"This is my first time," Fu Jingshu admitted. He rarely cooked before, and he had been worried that he wouldn't do a good job. After he finished, he even tasted it himself.
Shen Qingqing gave him a thumbs-up. "Amazing."
She grew impatient with him feeding her spoon by spoon. This delicious nourishing soup, she wanted to drink it herself. So she cupped her hands and took a big gulp.
"It's so good. I want some tomorrow too."
"Slow down," Fu Jingshu said, wiping the soup from her mouth. "As long as you like it, I can make it for you your whole life."
Shen Qingqing flashed a smile as radiant as the morning sun.
Fu Jingshu looked at her and smiled slightly. "You like it that much?"
"Mmm!"
As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, she nodded emphatically.
Fu Jingshu breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Setting aside his cooking skills, nourishing soups weren't usually very tasty, and he wasn't exactly a master chef, so he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He didn't answer.
Shen Qingqing couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you answering?"
Fu Jingshu shook his head, gently brushed her stray hair behind her ear. "You drink first. After you're done, do you want anything else?"
Shen Qingqing shook her head. "I'm full."
She could tell that Fu Jingshu had a secret, but she didn't ask. There was no need to. If he wanted to tell her, he would.
After she finished the soup, Fu Jingshu took the bowl out. When he returned, he made the call in the hallway.
"Hi, Master, I've inspected the item you sent. Do you want me to send you the results? Speaking of which, we haven't seen each other in ages. You rushed over and left so quickly. Let's grab a meal together."
"No time now. Let's arrange another day."
"Alright..." The man pouted, then turned to business. "Then I'll tell you over the phone. There's no problem with the dress you sent me."
Fu Jingshu's eyes darkened.
The man continued, "However, one of the substances in the fabric of this dress is harmless to humans, but it cannot come into contact with grapes."
"What happens if it comes into contact?" Fu Jingshu's expression was icy.
"If it comes into contact, it will cause an allergic reaction. In severe cases, it can be fatal. But if you don't eat too much, at most you'll get some small red bumps, accompanied by intense itching."
"Intense itching..."
Fu Jingshu repeated each word deliberately.
The man tutted. "Fu, who exactly is trying to harm you? This is too malicious!"
The severity of this was something most people couldn't endure.
It was even comparable to drug withdrawal.
Fu Jingshu's gaze was as cold as ice, and he said in a deep voice, "I understand. Thank you for your trouble. I'll treat you to a meal another day. I'll hang up now."
"Beep beep beep..."
Before the man could speak, the call was hung up.
He shook his head. Fu was still the same old Fu.
Shen Qingqing, with nothing else to do, was pondering the statue of the goddess. She had a feeling that since someone had chosen to apply medicine to this goddess statue, there must be a reason.
Hearing a sound, she casually looked up and was stunned.
His face was grim.
"What's wrong?"
Fu Jingshu closed the door and walked up to her, embracing her tightly. Shen Qingqing could barely breathe.
She didn't struggle and asked with difficulty, "What happened?"
Fu Jingshu held her tightly, as if afraid she would disappear if he let go. "I won't let anything happen to you again. I will protect you."