The night wind carried a chill, making her feel cold all over. Shen Lixue didn't see Dongfang Heng's actions or expression. She tightened her clothes, closed the window as quickly as possible, took a slightly thicker cloak from the closet, went to the outer room, and draped it over Dongfang Heng: "It's cold at night, take care of yourself!"
"I'm not cold!" Dongfang Heng ripped off his cloak and tossed it onto a chair beside him, rejecting all of Shen Lixue's concern and attempts to befriend him.
Shen Lixue's fair hand remained frozen in mid-air, still draped in her cloak, before finally lowering it after a long while. Her deep voice was filled with a profound sadness: "I'm going to rest now. After you've finished dealing with things, you should go to sleep early too!"
Turning around, Shen Lixue strode into the inner room, the beaded curtain rustling as she was lifted, making it seem as if she were fleeing in a disheveled state.
Dongfang Heng put down the letter in his hand, looked at the beaded curtain swaying back and forth, and at the delicate, slender figure inside the curtain. A strange emotion flashed in his sharp eyes: Had he gone too far?
"Your Highness, would you like some midnight snacks?" Zi Mo's voice rang out from the side.
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened for a moment, then he lifted the lid of the plum blossom cake soup. The plum blossom cakes were neatly arranged, each golden-yellow cake adorned with pink plum blossoms, looking incredibly tempting. Floating on top of the soup were several edible medicinal herbs and chopped scallions, their red and green colors quite appealing. Their purpose, of course, was to dispel cold, keep warm, and strengthen the body. Shen Lixue had put a lot of thought into it: "I have a midnight snack; there's no need to make anything else!"
Zi Mo glanced at the food that was getting colder and said, "Your Highness, the plum blossom cake and soup are getting cold. It's cold outside, and you haven't eaten all day. You should eat something warm..."
"It's alright, I like plum blossom cake and soup!" With that, Dongfang Heng picked up a piece of plum blossom cake and put it in his mouth. The familiar sweetness filled his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste. He then took a sip of soup, which had a light and delicate fragrance that complemented the flavor of the plum blossom cake perfectly.
In his eyes, no matter how delicious the delicacies were, they could never compare to the pastries and soups made by Shen Lixue.
As night deepened, a chill crept into the room. Dongfang Heng put down the letter, picked up the cloak from the chair, and put it on. The tip of the cloak seemed to still retain the warmth of Shen Lixue's small hand.
A barely audible sigh escaped his lips as Dongfang Heng lifted the beaded curtain and entered the room.
A luminous pearl was embedded in the wall of the inner room, its soft light creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Crimson curtains hung gently, adding to the ambiguous and cozy ambiance.
On the inside of the carved bed, there was a small protrusion where Shen Lixue was covered with a quilt and fast asleep.
Dongfang Heng walked quietly to the bedside, sat down gently, and looked at Shen Lixue's beautiful face, which was bathed in a warm pink glow under the light of the luminous pearl. Her long eyelashes curled up, casting two deep shadows on her eyelids. Her small nose twitched slightly as she breathed softly, and her soft cherry lips were slightly pursed. Her peaceful and serene sleeping face was so beautiful that one could not bear to desecrate it.
A hint of warmth appeared in Dongfang Hengli's eyes. His jade-like fingers slowly reached out and gently caressed her delicate, porcelain-like face, tracing the graceful contours of her features. She was the woman he loved, and he had always cherished her, unwilling to let her suffer any grievances or harm.
Whether in public or in private, he wanted to hold her in his arms, showering her with tenderness and affection, and he had no desire to continue this cold war with her.
But in the woods, she actually allowed Lu Jiangfeng to touch her face. He saw that scene clearly; she was not under any restraint or coercion, and it was entirely of her own free will.
She's already married, yet she's so intimate with other men. What does that say about her husband?
Back at the villa, she apologized and tried her best to make amends. His anger had subsided considerably. However, he wasn't planning to reconcile with her for the time being. He would leave her alone for a few days to teach her a lesson and see if she would dare to be intimate with other men again.
"Hmm!" Shen Lixue frowned in her sleep, slowly turned over, and her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was about to wake up.
Dongfang Heng immediately withdrew his large hand and put it behind his back, his face turned cold, and he looked to the side. He could not forgive her for the time being, and he would wait and see how she behaved in the future before setting a specific time to reconcile.
However, someone should be happy to see him sitting by the bed when they open their eyes, so why didn't they call out to him?
Dongfang Heng was puzzled and secretly glanced to the side. Under the quilt, a little girl had slightly messy hair, a rosy face, and was sleeping soundly with her eyes closed.
A hint of anger flashed in his deep eyes. He hadn't woken up yet, and what was infuriating was that he was still thinking about how to deal with her apology!
"Cough cough cough!" Shen Lixue, who was fast asleep, suddenly coughed lightly. Her voice was slightly hoarse, her lips were a little dry, and her face was even more rosy.
Li Xue is a martial artist with keen insight. He had been sitting by the bed for so long, she must have noticed him long ago, and it's impossible that she was still fast asleep.
His jade-like fingers gently stroked her smooth forehead, which was burning hot. Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes were as deep as a pool. After returning to the villa, he immediately made her take a bath to ward off the cold. Unexpectedly, she still caught a cold. Was it caused by the cold wind blowing on her half-wet clothes while riding a horse on the road?
Li Xue is skilled in martial arts and has internal energy protecting her, so she shouldn't be so weak and frail.
"Heng!" Shen Lixue called out softly in her hazy consciousness.
"I'm here!" Dongfang Heng forgot his anger and hugged Shen Lixue tightly, blanket and all, and turned to the window to order, "Go and fetch a doctor!"
A soft whistling sound came from outside the window. Inside, Shen Lixue's face was flushed, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she murmured, "Heng...don't go..."
"I won't leave!" What people say when they are not in their right mind is often the most truthful. Shen Lixue had a high fever and kept calling Dongfang Heng's name, so he must have put him first in his heart. The anger in his chest gradually dissipated.
"Let me explain..." Shen Lixue nestled in Dongfang Heng's arms, her rosy face pressed against his strong chest, her breath sweet as orchids.
"Explain when you're better!" Dongfang Heng's deep voice carried a hint of anger. She was delirious and still trying to explain things. Lu Jiangfeng must have a certain place in her heart.
"Heng..." Shen Lixue had a high fever and felt cold all over, so she kept snuggling closer to Dongfang Heng.
Dongfang Heng was angry, and his movements were anything but gentle. His strong arms tightly gripped her slender waist, as if he wanted to break it. His jade-like fingers roughly grasped the brocade quilt, trying to wrap her completely. The back of his hand touched her silk nightgown and accidentally pushed open a large part of the garment, revealing her arm wrapped in white cloth.
The rough movement abruptly stopped. Li Xue was injured? When did this happen? How come he didn't know?
A faint, strange aura wafted through the air. Dongfang Heng quickly untied the white cloth binding her arm. Looking at the small wound, his gaze suddenly sharpened. The wound had been cleaned very thoroughly and the best wound medicine had been applied. However, the injury was not minor. The wound medicine had not suppressed the injury, and without subsequent treatment, the wound had worsened. This was the reason for Li Xue's high fever.
She spent the whole day trying to deal with his cold war, and the wound worsened because she didn't reapply the medicine.
Why didn't she tell him she was injured?
A wave of self-reproach washed over Dongfang Heng, and he was about to get up to get the medicine when Shen Lixue grabbed his sleeve tightly, saying indistinctly, "Don't go!"
"I'm not leaving, I'm going to get your medicine!" Dongfang Heng's voice was as soft as a cloud, his jade-like fingers gently caressing her rosy cheeks, his gaze tender as water.
Shen Lixue frowned deeply, protesting in dissatisfaction: "I won't take my medicine... I'll eat..."
Dongfang Heng was both amused and annoyed. He had given her medicine to apply to her wound, not to eat: "Didn't you eat enough for dinner?"
"Dinner...no need...let's eat plum blossom cake together..." Shen Lixue's words were mumbled and intermittent, and most people couldn't understand what she was saying, but Dongfang Heng's expression changed slightly: "You didn't have dinner?"
He ordered someone to bring dinner into the small kitchen so that she could eat it secretly, but in order to deal with his cold war, she didn't eat a single bite.
"Heng..." Shen Lixue's voice gradually faded, mumbling incoherently.
Dongfang Heng couldn't hear clearly, nor did he pay any attention. He carefully applied medicine to her wound and bandaged her up. He then ordered a servant to bring her a bowl of clear porridge. Shen Lixue had a high fever, so even if he brought her delicacies, she couldn't eat them.
"Li Xue, get up and eat something!" Dongfang Heng patted Shen Li Xue's face to wake her up. She was unconscious and couldn't be fed anything.