Su Jin was stunned.
Wasn't he in a coma for seven days?!
How come he knows so much after being out for such a short time?
Can she say she fell for someone else in the sedan chair?
Forget it, even she couldn't deceive herself with that, let alone deceive others, but to say the provocation didn't work at all is debatable.
Su Jin's eyes turned, and she said, "I haven't seen a man more handsome than you, but there are always people better than others, mountains beyond mountains. I'm the kind that can't move when I see a handsome guy. If I see someone more handsome than you, in three days, I'll probably forget what you look like. If you insist on not divorcing me, later... don't blame me."
If he can tolerate this, then she can settle down in the Duke Zhen Country Mansion.
Su Jin stared unblinkingly at Xie Jingchen, only to see him suddenly get up, startling her, and she clutched her chest in fright.
Xie Jingchen grabbed her hand, suppressing the anger rolling in his chest, and said, "I think it's not that you want me to divorce you, but you want me to kill you to prevent further trouble...!"
Before he finished speaking, Xie Jingchen spat out a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.
Watching him faint, Su Jin let out a light sigh, it wasn't easy.
This mouthful of blood, he was supposed to spit it out when he woke up and was so weak that he'd have to lie in bed for several days before getting up. Not only did he endure until now, but he could also get out of bed and walk around. No wonder he survived so many miscellaneous poisons until today.
He had a strong life before and didn't die; now that he's met her, it's even less likely he'll die easily.
With a yawn, Su Jin wrapped herself in the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.
...
Su Jin was woken up by a commotion. She was sleeping soundly when a scream startled her awake.
Opening her eyes, she groggily saw Xingxing sitting on the floor in fright. Before she could figure out what happened, a voice with three parts richness and seven parts irritation sounded in her ear, "Can you let go of me?"
Only then did Su Jin realize she had hugged Xie Jingchen like a pillow. Her sleepy eyes blushed with a tinge of shyness, her cheeks reddened like a monkey's butt, and feeling a bit annoyed, she clearly remembered sleeping wrapped in a quilt.
To avoid embarrassment, she sat up, clutched the quilt to her chest, and greeted, "Good morning."
But this "good morning" was drowned out by a sorrowful voice from outside, "The young master is gone!"
Su Jin, "...."
Xie Jingchen, "...."
They remained silent for a moment.
Su Jin's shoulders shook, and Xie Jingchen's face turned black beyond description.
Xingxing sat on the ground, still not reacting. Su Jin looked at her and said, "Get up quickly, it's early, why are you shouting?"
Xingxing felt aggrieved, it wasn't her intention to scream; she was almost scared to death just now.
Xingxing got up, her voice trembling from shock, "The maids and women in the courtyard said last night, a little maid went to the bathroom and saw Black and White Impermanence coming to take souls. They said the master was following them out and chatting at the door, reluctant to leave. They all said the master... none dared to enter the room, so they pushed me in. I hesitated for a long time before daring to check the master's breathing, and who would have thought the master would suddenly open his eyes and scare me. They must have misunderstood."
The Imperial Physician said Xie Jingchen wouldn't see the morning sun, and the joyous union was ineffective. Plus, Black and White Impermanence supposedly came last night, everyone was convinced Xie Jingchen had died, and Xingxing's scream only confirmed their suspicion, leading to the lamentation.
Su Jin's face was covered with black lines, and she said, "Didn't I tell you he would wake up in the morning?"
It's understandable others misunderstood, but how could she believe it too?
Xingxing shrunk her neck, weakly saying, "They said it so convincingly, and that frightened little maid is still feverish and talking nonsense. I just assumed you were pranking him last night..."
Having served the girl since childhood, she knew her so well, how dare she believe she treated the master, a literate girl who hadn't learned medicine. Afterwards, she even said not to tell anyone, obviously afraid of the Duke Mansion knowing about puncturing the master's grievance, causing anger later?
Xingxing's voice grew smaller until it was covered by the women's crying. A woman cried out as she entered, her voice preceding her, "Oh my poor young master, gone too soon..."
The young master, supposedly gone too soon, sat on the bed with a face as dark as coal, eyes blazing at the mourning maids and women coming in.
Behind him, Su Jin faced the wall, laughing so much her stomach hurt.
Xie Jingchen's forehead twitched, "First thing in the morning, why the wailing?"
The leading woman's words stuck in her throat, her mouth wide enough to stuff a salted duck egg, "Young...young master, you... you're alive?"
Xie Jingchen got out of bed, and his face was so dark it could become ink. Those maids and women fell to their knees in fright and said, "The maid suddenly screamed, we thought young master you..."
This sounded like they were shifting the blame onto Xingxing, and Xingxing, hands on hips in anger, said fiercely, "Can't I yell if the young master is alive?"
The woman's face darkened, and she rebuked, "This is the Duke Zhen Country Mansion, how could a maid yell in the master's room, someone drag her out for twenty strokes!"
Xingxing's face turned pale, and she moved closer to the bed.
Su Jin's smile vanished, were they already trying to intimidate her?
She had prepared to be challenged while serving tea, but never expected the first to challenge her would be a woman like this, so utterly shameless; did they really think anyone could bully her?
With a faint smile, Su Jin said, "The rules at the Duke Zhen Country Mansion are strict, yelling deserves twenty strokes, but hastily announcing death without confirming if the young master is dead is openly cursing him. Such boldness, shouldn't that be worth a beating?"
The woman shivered and repeatedly apologized.
Xie Jingchen coldly said, "Go receive thirty strokes. Everyone else, dock a month's salary."
The woman was stunned, the young master actually sided with the woman who embarrassed him, was he addled by illness?
The woman pleaded for mercy, and Xie Jingchen impatiently said, "Drag her out."
Su Jin got out of bed, Xingxing helped her dress, the maids and women left, the room became quiet, but the sound of sticks outside remained very loud.
Sitting at the dressing table, Xingxing helped her knot her hair bun and said, "Miss, your medical skills are high. You even managed to snatch someone from King Yama. You said the master would wake up in the morning, and he really woke up in the morning."
Su Jin's face turned black.
Is this a compliment?
It's tearing her down!
He actually woke up once last night.
Through the copper mirror, Su Jin saw Xie Jingchen staring at her, with a scrutinizing and examining gaze.
He couldn't distinguish which of Su Jin's words were true and which were false anymore.
Last night, she fiercely demanded a divorce, but this morning she was cuddled up in his arms like a docile cat. Last night, she said so many self-defeating words, making him so angry he spat blood, but after that one spitting, his chest no longer hurt so much.