Ye Wanmian had only dared to do such a bold thing because the doggy crown prince was in a deep slumber and couldn't respond to the outside world. Who would have thought that just as she finished pinching him, the sleeping man took a heavy breath and seemed to let out a sound from his throat.
"Um."
Ye Wanmian was so frightened that her whole body froze instantly. Qi Wen behind her also looked up curiously. "What was that sound? Did the crown prince just speak?"
Ye Wanmian came to her senses and quickly said, "You must have misheard. He's still in a coma. How could he make a sound?"
The sound was very brief and fleeting. Qi Wen scratched his head and also thought he had misheard.
Ye Wanmian stared at the crown prince's face in shock, looking at it again and again.
His breathing had become steady again. His eyes were still tightly closed, and not even his eyelashes trembled.
If she hadn't been close enough and heard clearly just now, she would have thought it was an illusion!
Ye Wanmian didn't dare to cause any more trouble now. She was afraid that the doggy crown prince would open his eyes the next moment and glare at her with those cold and merciless eyes, sentencing her to death.
She hurriedly got off the couch, pretended to be calm as she packed up her things, and said, "I'll leave the task of dressing him to you. I'll go and check if the food on the stove is cooked."
With that, she grabbed her things and rushed out of the door.
Qi Wen muttered, "Always ordering me around," and then resignedly stepped forward to dress the crown prince in another clean set of clothes. As his gaze swept across the crown prince's chest, Qi Wen paused.
Huh? Why does the skin on the crown prince's chest seem to be a bit red?
He clicked his tongue, pulled the crown prince's clothes together, and said with a sly smile, "I didn't expect Lady Jiang to look so gentle and demure, but actually be so wild. There's going to be a good show in the future."
Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and clapped his hands hard.
That's right! Why didn't he think of it earlier!
He liked going to the theater to watch plays, but the same old plays were always being performed there. There was no novelty at all, and he was already bored of them. Why not write a play based on Lady Jiang and His Highness the Crown Prince?
If his play became popular, wouldn't he be counting money until his hands got soft in the future?
No sooner said than done!
Qi Wen immediately jumped up, ran back to his own room, found his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and squatted in front of the table to start thinking.
He left in a hurry, completely unaware that the person lying quietly on the bed gently moved his finger.
...
Sweat poured out of his body in waves, like a dense drizzle, gradually extinguishing the furnace under his feet. The feeling of being on the verge of being burned to ashes finally faded from his body. Xiao Jingcheng let out a long breath and felt much lighter.
He tried to reach out his hand forward. Unexpectedly, the once-solid confinement that was like an iron wall seemed to loosen a little. His fingers could reach a few more inches forward.
The next moment, something gently touched his chest. An electric current quickly spread from the touched area, making his body tremble violently. He couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
But the next moment, that touch disappeared again, as if it had just been his imagination.
"... misheard... in a coma..."
Vague voices of conversation came to his ears again. The voices were sometimes far and sometimes near, still making it hard to hear clearly what was being said. He could only vaguely tell that it was a woman's voice.
Did she just mention being in a coma? Was she referring to his current state of being unconscious?
He remembered that he was the current crown prince of the Sheng Kingdom, and he also remembered his own name. But he couldn't remember why he had become like this. Why couldn't he open his eyes or control his own body?
He tried to think, but the pain that seemed to tear him apart swept over him again.
It hurt, so much pain! How could it be so painful!
He curled himself up into a ball, trying to resist the pain, but it was all in vain. In the overwhelming darkness, he was all alone...
Ye Wanmian stuffed herself with the sweet potatoes and potatoes cooked on the stove, then went back to her own room and slept soundly. She specifically locked Dahuang outside the door, so no one disturbed her during this sleep, and she didn't have any strange dreams. When she woke up again, the sun had already set.
She yawned and stood up, stretching her body hard. Finally, she felt alive again.
She pushed open the door, and Dahuang, who had been squatting outside, immediately stood up and pounced on her, affectionately rubbing against her knees. She habitually rubbed Dahuang's head a few times and looked around, but didn't see Qi Wen.
This guy usually starts cooking by this time. Why is he so quiet today?
Ye Wanmian walked to Qi Wen's room and found that the door wasn't closed. She peeked through the crack and saw that he was lying on the table, writing furiously. He didn't even notice her arrival.
"Ahem." Ye Wanmian coughed lightly, pushed the door open, and walked in. "Why aren't you sleeping? What are you writing here?"
Qi Wen suddenly came to his senses. When he saw it was her, a look of panic flashed across his face. He quickly gathered up the scattered papers on the table and hid them under his butt.
"Nothing, nothing."
He moved so fast that Ye Wanmian didn't have time to see anything.
"I'm really impressed that you've only learned medicine from the master for such a short time, but you can already treat patients and even cure the crown prince's typhoid. So I'm secretly teaching myself medicine." He explained to Ye Wanmian with a forced smile.
This reason was quite reasonable. Ye Wanmian looked at him. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. Why are you being so secretive?"
Qi Wen said, "I haven't read much. I only know half of the Three-Character Classic, and my handwriting is ugly. I'm too embarrassed to show it to you."
His explanation seemed quite reasonable. Although Ye Wanmian still felt something was off, she didn't pursue it further.
"It's so late. It's too late to start cooking now. I'll go outside and buy some food. I'll also take the opportunity to gather some information. Do you have anything you want to eat?"
Qi Wen shook his head. "No, no. You can just buy whatever you like."
Ye Wanmian yawned, waved her hand, and turned to leave. After confirming that Ye Wanmian had taken the yellow dog and walked far away and left the house, Qi Wen finally took out the papers that had been under his butt.
"The Pretty Widow Teases the Handsome Young Master." Hehe, getting rich depends on this.
Ye Wanmian had no idea that she had become a character in Qi Wen's storybook. She held an oil-paper umbrella and walked slowly in the alley with Dahuang, heading towards a nearby restaurant.
It had been raining for almost a whole day, and now the rain had become much lighter. The fine rain pattered on the umbrella, bringing a slight chill.
Dongli Town was small, and most of the neighbors knew each other. It was the time when people were getting off work and going home for dinner. Ye Wanmian greeted the familiar faces as if nothing had happened, and there was no trace of anything unusual on her face.
When she arrived at the Piaoxiang Restaurant, she put away her bamboo umbrella, gently shook off the water on it, and placed it on the rack outside the restaurant. Then she stepped in.
The waiter greeted her warmly. Ye Wanmian ordered a few side dishes to take away, then found an empty seat and sat down, propping her chin up and listening to other people's chats.