Chapter 720 - 720 Nowhere to Hide
Hearing Ye Qing say this, Shen Qingyi finally nodded and said, "All right then, you go and reheat the dishes. Oh, and Ye, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Would you like to eat something too?"
"I've already eaten," Ye Qing replied.
"What do you mean 'already eaten'? Even if you have, what's wrong with eating a little more with our Miss?" Lili said with a laugh. "Ye, you stay here and keep the Miss company for a while. Right, this herbal medicine needs to be drunk warm before dinner. You help the Miss drink her medicine first, and I'll go fix some food for you two as a celebration."
Ye Qing nodded, and Lili did not linger in the room, heading straight out. At the door, she even thoughtfully closed the room door behind her, giving the two people inside some privacy.
Once Lili left, the atmosphere in the room became slightly awkward. Shen Qingyi blushed and bowed her head, not daring to look Ye Qing in the eye. Ye Qing himself was also unaccustomed to such an atmosphere. After a silence, he broke it first, "Miss Shen, why don't you drink the herbal medicine first?"
"Mhm," muttered Shen Qingyi slowly, trying to sit up. But just as she was halfway up, she suddenly bent over and lay back down, her face turning beet red. It turned out she was only wearing her close-fitting nightgown, which wasn't layered over other clothing. The nightgown was quite simple and seemed a little revealing, which made her extremely embarrassed.
"What's wrong?" Ye Qing immediately asked with concern, thinking that Shen Qingyi might be feeling unwell.
"It's... it's nothing," Shen Qingyi said hastily, shaking her head. "I... I suddenly don't feel like drinking the medicine. Ye, could we perhaps skip it for now?"
"How can that be?" Ye Qing said anxiously. "I heard from Lili that your condition is not good, the herbal medicine is a must."
While speaking, Ye Qing picked up the herbal medicine from the table and approached Shen Qingyi, saying, "Come on, Miss Shen, drink the herbal medicine first, or it will get cold."
Seeing Ye Qing approaching, Shen Qingyi couldn't help but panic. She didn't know what to do and could only say, "Ye, I... I... My wound is still hurting, I probably can't sit up to drink the medicine. Perhaps... we should skip it for now..."
"No problem, I'll feed you!" Ye Qing said straightforwardly, not realizing at all that Shen Qingyi's real issue had nothing to do with her wound hurting.
Shen Qingyi was taken aback, and seeing Ye Qing approaching, she knew refusal was impossible. There was no time to think of other lies, and her mind went blank. However, she was quick-witted enough to tightly grasp the blanket and wrap herself with it.
Ye Qing approached, supported Shen Qingyi with one hand, propping her against his shoulder. Fortunately, Shen Qingyi had wrapped herself tightly with the blanket, so her nightgown did not get exposed. Even so, her body was held in Ye Qing's embrace, which caused her mind to buzz loudly in confusion. It had been years since a man had held her like this, let alone in such a posture.
At the moment, Ye Qing's mind was entirely focused on getting Shen Qingyi to drink the medicine, without paying attention to anything else. He held the medicine in one hand and brought it to her lips. Suddenly, seeing something amiss with Shen Qingyi, he curiously said, "Miss Shen, why is your face so red? Are you running a fever?"
"Ah? Am I?" Shen Qingyi panicked a bit, unsure how to respond, so she just went along with it, "Perhaps... that might be it..."
"Let me check." Ye Qing placed his hand on Shen Qingyi's forehead and probed for a while, then said in puzzlement, "You're not feverish? What's going on?"
Feeling his large hand on her forehead, Shen Qingyi's heart raced uncontrollably, completely forgetting her current situation.
Ye Qing touched his own forehead, then shook his head doubtfully and said, "Never mind, let's get the medicine down first and check later."
Ye Qing brought the medicine bowl to Shen Qingyi's lips. It was only then that she remembered what she had to do and hurriedly opened her mouth to slowly drink down the herbal concoction. This time, she did not resist at all. However, her eyes stayed fixed on Ye Qing's face, not leaving for even a moment.
Indeed, holding a delicate body in his arms, Ye Qing's heart was secretly skipping a beat. Shen Qingyi's beauty surpassed that of Huangfu Ziyu's enchanting allure, and coupled with her faintly weak and shy demeanor, there was a charm about her reminiscent of the blushing Daiyu. Anyone would have been hard-pressed not to want to hold her and protect her with their entire being. Ye Qing felt the same. Even after the entire bowl of medicine had been fed, Ye Qing still hadn't let go, almost forgetting to do so.
The two of them gazed at each other like this, seemingly forgetting everything around them. Although they didn't speak a word, both were quite pleased.
Time passed without them noticing until suddenly there was a knock at the door, which brought them back to reality. Ye Qing was startled; he had come here to take Shen Qingyi away, but holding her, he had completely lost track of time and forgotten his intention to bring her along.
Shen Qingyi's body shuddered as well, and it was only then that she remembered she was still in Ye Qing's embrace, her face flushing deep red. But she quickly regained her composure and called out, "Who is it?"
The person knocking on the door definitely wasn't Lili, as she would have called out directly instead of knocking without saying a word.
"Qingyi, it's me." A man's voice came from the doorway, and Ye Qing heard it clearly—the person outside was Shen Qianyue.
Ye Qing's face paled slightly; Shen Qianyue was incredibly powerful. Even if Ye Qing was holding the Seven-Star Ancient Sword and could beat him, he wouldn't be able to take him down in the shortest amount of time. If he let Shen Qianyue cry out and attract the Shen Family, Ye Qing's night would definitely be ruined. After all, sneaking into the bedroom of the Shen Family's eldest young lady, in a traditional family like the Shen Family, was an absolute capital offense!
"Brother Qianyue, do you... do you need something?" Shen Qingyi was also somewhat panicked, busily motioning with her hands for Ye Qing to hide.
But the room was so small, where could Ye Qing possibly hide? Ye Qing thought about hiding in the wardrobe, but Shen Qingyi's wardrobe was rather antique, with little space inside, definitely not enough to hide in.
Shen Qianyue said, "Qingyi, I heard you were injured and caught a bit of a cold after dinner. I just brought back some fresh Snow Mountain Fruit from the market, which is good for blood replenishment and healing. I specifically brought it to let you try."
Shen Qingyi hurriedly responded, "Ah, I... I don't want to eat anything right now, Brother Qianyue, thank you..."
"The Snow Mountain Fruit is very light, not greasy, and it's good for your health. Qingyi, just try a little bit, I'll come in and give it to you."
Shen Qianyue was about to push the door when Shen Qingyi quickly said, "Wait a minute, don't come in!"
"What's wrong?" Shen Qianyue was greatly surprised and asked, "Qingyi, your voice sounds a bit off, what's wrong with you?"
"I... I... I haven't put on clothes yet, just wait a moment, let me get dressed..." Shen Qingyi knew she couldn't stop Shen Qianyue from coming in, so she had no choice but to say these words.
"Oh, then I'm sorry, Qingyi, cover up with your clothes first." Shen Qianyue finally stopped.
Inside the room, Shen Qingyi and Ye Qing were in utter panic. What would they do if Shen Qianyue came in? But there was nowhere to hide in the room; where could Ye Qing go?
Ye Qing clenched his teeth and gripped the Seven-Star Ancient Sword tightly, preparing himself to rush out and escape from the Shen Family if necessary. Of course, he hoped it wouldn't come to that because he wanted to take Shen Qingyi with him first; he didn't want her to stay behind and suffer any harm.
Just as Ye Qing was hesitating about whether to break out, Shen Qingyi suddenly bit her lip and threw off the blanket next to her, whispering urgently to Ye, "Ye, here..."
Shen Qingyi pointed next to her bed, intending for Ye Qing to hide by her side. She had forgotten that she was only wearing a nightgown, and by throwing off the blanket, she had exposed her entire body to Ye Qing. The nightgown was simple, tied at the front with a string, offering little coverage. Shen Qingyi's fair and jade-like breasts were mostly exposed, with her high chest revealing a deep cleavage that was heart-stopping to look at—especially for Ye Qing, who felt all his blood rush to his head, his mind going blank as after all, he was a normal man!
Seeing Ye Qing's gaze, Shen Qingyi remembered how scantily clad she was, her face flushing even redder. But even amidst her embarrassment, she had no other choice but to point beside her, whispering, "Ye, quickly!"
Ye Qing snapped back to his senses, glanced outside, then at Shen Qingyi, and finally, with gritted teeth, he quietly crawled onto Shen Qingyi's bed and lay down beside her. Shen Qingyi quickly covered them with the blanket, tucking Ye Qing in securely, and grabbed a fluffy toy, stuffing half of it under the blanket as a decoy.
As soon as Ye Qing entered the blanket, he immediately smelled a faint, elegant fragrance. The young girl's body lay almost bare, not far beside him. A slight stretch of his hands could reach her. Under such circumstances, any man would struggle to keep composed, let alone Ye Qing. His body tensed, curving his backside, terrified of touching Shen Qingyi and disrespecting her.
From the outside, Shen Qingyi could see Ye Qing's body half arched, making the blanket seem even larger and odder in appearance. If someone walked in, they would certainly notice something amiss. Shen Qingyi didn't understand what Ye Qing was doing, but she lifted the blanket slightly and whispered to him, "Ye, move a little closer to me, don't let anyone discover."
"Huh?" Ye Qing looked at Shen Qingyi's snow-white body, momentarily stupefied. If he moved closer, wouldn't he end up holding Shen Qingyi?
Seeing Ye Qing's gaze, Shen Qingyi also realized why he had moved aside, her face turning even redder. At that moment, Shen Qianyue outside spoke again, "Qingyi, are you ready? Can I come in now?"