Liang Yuzhou kissed her for quite a while until their lips gradually grew warm, sharing each other's breath.
"Is Lord Shi okay?" Song Wanchu's tone was a bit more relaxed.
Since Liang Yuzhou still had the mood to be romantic with her, presumably Shi Minglang was out of danger.
"Your cousin did something really remarkable."
"Ying'er?"
"Shi Minglang was on the verge of being taken away by the King of Hades. That little girl snatched the ginseng pill from Taoist Priest Qiu's hand..."
After Liang Yuzhou finished speaking, Song Wanchu was both touched and impressed. "Ying'er is really brave."
"You're even braver than her."
Liang Yuzhou's hand groped towards her chest. The charcoal fire in the room was burning brightly, and she was only wearing a thin cotton-padded jacket with a slightly loose collar. His slender fingertips precisely landed on the scar on her chest.
Song Wanchu looked up at him.
Although he couldn't see, he still had rich emotions. She saw a look of guilt flash across his eyes, deeper than ever before.
The fates of the two of them had been intertwined since that bowl of heart's blood.
They had saved each other's lives.
"Wanchu, your blood flows in my body, and my heart only beats for you."
But Song Wanchu thought of another thing.
"On that New Year's Eve, you promised to stay up with me for the New Year. Why didn't you come?"
It wasn't that she was deliberately bringing up old grievances. She was just curious. Liang Yuzhou had always loved her, but why did he act so awkwardly?
Liang Yuzhou always carried himself with pride in front of everyone. Only in front of her did he show signs of guilt and uneasiness.
"I left the New Year's Eve dinner before I finished. I was in a hurry to go to the south of the city to pick peony flowers for you."
"Ah?" Song Wanchu was stunned.
Liang Yuzhou pursed his lips. "In the whole capital, only that old man in the south of the city could cultivate indoor peonies that bloomed in winter. Halfway through the meal, the old man sent someone to tell me that the flowers had bloomed. If I didn't pick them that night, they would wither."
"You left without saying a word. Couldn't you have given me a heads-up in advance?"
"I wanted to give you a surprise."
Song Wanchu fell silent. She couldn't bring herself to blame him.
"Then why did you go to Shuiyunju but didn't go inside?"
Liang Yuzhou's jaw tightened. His face darkened a bit, and his tone carried a hint of grievance. "I stood outside the window and listened for almost an hour. Nanzhi and Suyue kept talking about your past with Shi Luohan, and you were laughing so happily. I was standing outside the door, holding a bunch of flowers, looking like a fool."
Song Wanchu's heart seemed to be cracked open by the wind and snow, and a chill spread throughout her body.
Ripples appeared on the surface of her heart lake, stirring up the bitterness that had settled at the bottom.
That night, she covered her disappointment with a smile. She secretly glanced at the door countless times, hoping for the appearance of that long-awaited figure.
But separated by a window, Liang Yuzhou thought that she only had Brother A in her heart. Standing in the wind and snow, his heart turned to ice.
She never stepped out of the room, and he never broke through the window.
The misunderstanding grew like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
And the surprise he had carefully prepared withered into mud on that snowy night.
Both of them were fools.
"Wanchu, it's all my fault. I'm a grown man. What do I need my pride for?"
Liang Yuzhou couldn't see Song Wanchu's expression, but he could sense her breath. She sniffled several times, so there must be tears in her eyes.
"I was just too proud back then. If I had gone into the room that night and had a heart-to-heart with you..."
The misunderstanding would have been cleared up that night, and they would have known their feelings for each other.
The two of them wouldn't have wasted three years of their relationship because of the misunderstanding. In the end, Wanchu would not have been exhausted, leaving with scars and hatred, and leaving resolutely.
"Liang Yuzhou, you're really stupid. Do you know that?"
Although Song Wanchu blamed him on the surface, her arms tightened around his waist.
A string of warm tears dampened his chest.
"Because of this kind of misunderstanding, have you done any other stupid things?"
Liang Yuzhou was silent for a moment.
"Yes."
He quickly admitted. "When you were fourteen, I saw you and Shi Luohan riding a horse together in the training ground. I was so angry that I stole his horse."
"Do you mean Zhufeng?"
Song Wanchu's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "Liang Yuzhou, you're in big trouble. Zhufeng was a birthday gift from Father to Brother A. He treasures that black horse the most. After Zhufeng went missing, he held a funeral for it and swore to find the culprit and avenge it. Do you know that?"
"Zhufeng didn't die. It's still well taken care of in my horse ranch."
Liang Yuzhou defended himself weakly. "I also love horses. I couldn't have taken my anger out on a horse. I just couldn't stand the way you two were so close as childhood sweethearts!"
He added timidly, "If I confess to my future brother-in-law now and return Zhufeng to him, can I still get his forgiveness?"
His attitude had changed so quickly. Just a while ago, Shi Luohan was still his sworn enemy. Whenever they met, they would fight like crazy and insult each other with the harshest words.
Now he was already calling him "brother-in-law".
Liang Yuzhou felt a bit nervous. He had been so proud after stealing the horse that year. Now when he thought about it, he really wanted to slap himself.
The sweet laughter of Wanchu rang in his ears. She hadn't laughed so heartily for a long time.
The bitterness and astringency that had accumulated in her heart faded away with the wind.
Liang Yuzhou accurately captured her lips, silencing her laughter.
He had a bad feeling.
The more old grievances they dug up, the more stupid he would seem in Wanchu's eyes.
What should he do? Would it still be too late to charm her with his good looks now?
...
Shi Minglang slept for a whole day and night.
When he woke up, he didn't know what time it was outside. Firecrackers were going off non-stop in his ears, but they couldn't drown out the growling of his stomach.
Taoist Priest Qiu came in to check on his recovery and brought him some food by the way. Shi Minglang was so hungry that his eyes were turning blue. He drank three bowls of porridge in one go.
"I didn't even get a single bite of meat during the New Year." He smacked his lips in disappointment.
Taoist Priest Qiu said mercilessly, "You just woke up. Your body is still in the process of recovery. You can't eat greasy and meaty food. You can only have liquid food for these few days."
When the Crown Prince heard that Shi Minglang had woken up, he quickly came over.
Seeing that there was finally a hint of color on his face, the Crown Prince's worried heart finally settled down.
"I've already sent a letter to your uncle, telling him that you're tough as nails. Ask him not to have any misgivings and not to care about the pressure from the Princess Royal."
Taoist Priest Qiu nodded. "Your surname is Shi. Your life should be as tough as a rock."
The Crown Prince laughed. "The Chu family sent someone early in the morning to ask about your condition. You have to get better quickly. I promised to be your matchmaker. I don't want to break my promise."
Shi Minglang silently put down the bowl. His expression darkened.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. I don't want to get married for the rest of my life."
"Clang!"
At the door of the room, the medicine bowl in Chu Yueying's hand fell to the ground.
She stared blankly at Shi Minglang, her face full of sadness and confusion, and her eyes brimming with tears.