Song Yinghuai quickly responded and rushed in, afraid that Caiyu would go back on her word.
"Yuer, where should I sleep?"
He stared longingly at the spacious canopied bed where one could roll around, hoping that the little lass would show a bit of mercy and spare a spot for him to be closer to her.
Caiyu fetched a quilt and a pillow from the bed and stuffed them into his hands. "My lord, there's a cushioned couch outside the screen. You can rest there."
Outside the screen?
Wouldn't that be far away from Caiyu?
Rest my foot! Caiyu had just shown signs of softening up. Of course, he had to seize the opportunity and be as persistent as possible!
He secretly circulated his inner energy, causing the newly healed wound on his back to split open again.
He let out a muffled groan, turned around holding the quilt and pillow, baring his back to Caiyu as he shuffled away.
The fresh blood seeping from his back quickly stained his thin inner robe. In the dim light of the palace lantern, it was particularly eye - catching. Caiyu spotted it right away.
Looking at the glaring red on his back, Caiyu felt a splitting headache. "My lord, your wound has reopened. How about I apply some medicine to it first..."
"Okay." Without waiting for her to finish, Song Yinghuai immediately turned back.
Since it was for applying medicine, he couldn't very well do it on the ground, could he?
He climbed onto the bed voluntarily, quickly shed his inner robe, revealing his well - built and smoothly contoured upper body. With a faint smile in his eyes, he said, "Then I'll trouble Yuer."
Caiyu: ...
She always felt that this scene was a bit familiar.
The long - buried memories came rushing back.
Wasn't it the same trick she used to seduce Song Yinghuai back then?
Now, looking at the man with his back to her, his perfect figure...
Caiyu's heart skipped a beat.
Indeed, it was quite irresistible.
Song Yinghuai's heart was also pounding wildly.
He learned this trick from Xu Ziyi just now.
It was said that the second young miss was quite fond of Master Xu's figure.
Caiyu had also once expressed the same sentiment towards him.
He had begged and pleaded to persuade her to stay, and then played the victim to gain entry. He wondered if he could seize this opportunity well.
Even if all he had left was his good looks, he had to work hard to win Caiyu's heart back.
"Yuer?" Song Yinghuai heard the soft rustling behind him. Nervously, he didn't dare to turn around and just tentatively called out.
He couldn't forget the soft touch of Caiyu's fingers.
Just thinking about her delicate fingertips applying the ointment to his back...
The cold ointment came as expected while Song Yinghuai's heart was pounding, but the gentle touch of her fingertips didn't.
Song Yinghuai was surprised and slightly turned his head back.
He saw that Caiyu was holding a cotton swab and applying the medicine to him.
Song Yinghuai: ...
A deep sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.
She even disliked touching him when applying medicine?
Was he so unattractive to her now?
Was it because his back was full of hideous wounds, so she had no interest in him at all?
Maybe that was the reason?
Song Yinghuai secretly took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
"Yuer." Song Yinghuai said in a low voice, "I will take good care of my wounds."
Caiyu was still in a daze, shocked by the man's good figure. Hearing him speak, she looked up blankly. "Huh?"
If he wanted to take good care of his wounds, why did he need to promise her?
"Master Guangzhi has a miraculous medicine that can remove necrosis, promote tissue regeneration and eliminate scars. You've used it before." Song Yinghuai explained on his own. "After I use it, those scars will disappear. They won't be ugly anymore."
Caiyu actually thought that the scars on Song Yinghuai's body added a strange sense of brokenness, making him even more manly.
But since Song Yinghuai was vain about his appearance, she wouldn't stop him. After all, she wasn't anything to him.
"If my lord doesn't like the scars on his body, then apply the ointment." Caiyu said indifferently. "You don't need to tell me about it."
Song Yinghuai was completely devastated by her indifferent attitude. He didn't dare to get angry, but only dared to explain in a low voice:
"But I only care about whether you like it or not... Yuer."
The tenderness in his eyes was almost overflowing. "You can say whatever you want. I'll listen to you."
Caiyu threw the cotton swab in her hand and got up to wash her hands by the copper basin. Without turning back, she asked:
"What if I like to paint on your back?"
The black lotus he had left on her lower back still couldn't be washed off!
Song Yinghuai lowered his eyes and said meekly, "You can paint if you want."
As long as it was painted by her, he would be willing to bear it.
"If you think the ink doesn't last long enough, I can even burn it with a hot iron."
Just like the red lotus on his chest now.
Caiyu was stunned for a moment. Her eyes fell on the red lotus on the man's body.
The red lotus rose and fell with the man's breathing, looking just like a lotus floating in the wind and water waves.
Suddenly, her eyes darkened. As if possessed, she slowly walked towards Song Yinghuai.
She stretched out her finger and slowly traced the outline of the red lotus on his chest.
The man's skin trembled instantly. His defenceless body and mind rose and fell rapidly with the woman's finger, completely at her mercy.
Song Yinghuai quickly felt parched. Excitedly, he said, "Yuer..."
"Why did you burn this red lotus back then?" Caiyu asked slowly.
Hearing the question, pain flashed in Song Yinghuai's eyes. "Yuer, it was my fault that I never explained this matter."
"A few days before I painted the black lotus on your lower back, I sent Ji Ming to find the lasting - ink. I originally planned to paint one for each of us as a token of our love..."
"At that time, I wanted to tell you that I would never marry another woman in this lifetime. But then many things happened, and I never had a chance to sit down and talk to you properly."
Regret and pain flashed in Song Yinghuai's eyes. "Yuer, the lotus painted on your lower back is the token of our love, not a wrong character. So after you had an accident, I burned the red lotus on my chest."
"I wanted to brand you on my heart to remind myself of the mistakes I made."
Song Yinghuai never liked to explain things, but now he wished he could explain everything clearly at once to reduce Caiyu's misunderstandings.
He only regretted being so arrogant back then, hiding everything and refusing to explain a single thing to Caiyu. That was why Caiyu had faked her death and left in disappointment.
"Yuer, I've been reflecting on myself during the two years you've been away. I really have. I know what I did wrong, and I'll never make the same mistake again."
Taking the opportunity, Song Yinghuai grabbed the hand that was wandering on his chest and held it tightly. "I don't expect you to accept me right away. I just beg for a chance for us to start over."
Start over?
Caiyu's eyes became even darker. "My lord, I mean that the red lotus on you matches the black lotus on me too well. If I marry someone in the future, my husband will surely mind. Since Master Guangzhi's ointment can smooth the skin, my lord might as well get rid of this red lotus."
"After I get married, I can live in harmony with my husband with peace of mind."
Song Yinghuai's face instantly turned as pale as a sheet. His thin lips trembled. "... Get, get rid of it?"
His Adam's apple bobbed violently.
How could he get rid of it?
During the two years when she was away, he had carved his chest with a dagger again and again, afraid that the scar would fade away accidentally.
And now she wanted him to get rid of it!
She wanted to erase all the connections between them!
"Yes." Caiyu nodded. "Even if we are to leave a mark, it should be left by my husband. What would it look like for me to have a matching painting with another man?"
"My lord, when we see Master Guangzhi, I'll ask him for the ointment and apply it to you three times a day. It will disappear soon."
There was a coldness at the corner of Caiyu's lips.
Wasn't he just trying to seduce her with his good looks?
Wasn't he just trying to make her apply medicine to him?
She would do it!
Song Yinghuai was almost on the verge of a breakdown. Involuntarily, he covered his chest with his palm and quickly changed the subject in a panic. "This matter... We'll talk about it after Master Guangzhi arrives. I... I'll beg you then..."
"By the way, I want to sleep now." He quickly put on his clothes, covering his chest tightly, then rolled into the corner of the bed.
He lay still, pretending to be asleep.