Chapter 33: Want to Hold You

As evening fell, she probably wouldn’t come today. Xie Yunzhao felt lost and lay face down on the bed.

Qingying couldn’t bear to watch anymore. The past two days, he had made three trips to the Grand Princess’s residence but hadn’t even entered the gate.

The Second Master was injured so severely while saving the Junzhu. Even if she didn’t like him, out of gratitude, she should at least show her face, right?

“I’ll go again.”

Qingzhu shook her head. “It’s no use; it’s almost the hour of You.” (Hour of You: around 5 PM.)

“Even if it’s just to bring a message to the Second Master, it’s better than nothing,” Qingying insisted and went out of the courtyard.

At that moment, at the back gate of the Grand Princess’s residence, two maidservants climbed into a carriage used for daily shopping and quietly left.

If anyone saw them, they would surely wonder why they were leaving at this hour.

As Qingying stepped outside, she saw a carriage directly parked in front of the Duke of Lu’s Mansion. Not paying much attention, she continued toward the Grand Princess’s residence.

One maidservant from the carriage got out and, upon seeing him, brightened up and waved, “Qingying!”

Qingying looked over, puzzled. “Suihan? Why are you here at this hour?”

Suihan pointed at the carriage and whispered, “The master is inside the carriage. Can you take us in?”

Qingying was overjoyed. “Of course!” She quickly arranged for people to dismantle the threshold. The Junzhu had sprained her ankle, and it wouldn’t do to be seen at this hour.

The person in the carriage sighed in relief, feeling that things were going smoothly.

Throughout the journey, Qingying only mentioned that they were delivering medicine from the Grand Princess’s residence. The carriage soon stopped outside Linfeng Residence.

Qingzhu was guarding outside the house when she suddenly saw Suihan helping someone inside. Once she recognized who it was, she excitedly knocked on the door.

“What’s happening?” Xie Yunzhao’s weary voice came from inside. He was feeling miserable; Rongrong hadn’t come, and his wounds were painful.

“Second Master, guess who has come to see you?”

Xie Yunzhao didn’t pay much attention. His father? His mother?

At this late hour, aside from the household staff, who else could come?

“Come in!” Xie Yunzhao remained lying down, facing the wall, not wanting anyone to see his dejection.

The door creaked open, and a figure entered cautiously, closing the door behind her.

Her ankle had swollen significantly after three days, but she dared not put too much weight on it; she walked with a slight limp.

Xie Yunzhao didn’t expect the visitor to walk so slowly. Annoyed, he turned his face. “I’m fine; don’t come to bother me…”

Before he could finish, he froze. Who was this?

Rongrong?

Xie Yunzhao couldn’t believe it and thought he was imagining things. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, and after two tries, he opened them to see that it really was his Rongrong.

He pushed himself off the bed, jumping down. “Rongrong? Is it really you?”

Shen Shurong hadn’t moved when she heard him speak. Seeing the man with his bare upper body, his chest wrapped only in bandages, made her heart race involuntarily.

She could see his heart beating, as if it wanted to burst free from its confines and fly to her.

Feeling her face heat up, Shen Shurong forced herself to calm down and pretended to whine, “Do you find me annoying?”

“Of course not! I thought it was my mother.” Xie Yunzhao regretted almost instantly and hurried to her side, gently poking her maid’s hairpin. “Is it really you? I thought you were ignoring me!”

Shen Shurong shook her head. “My mother is watching me recover and won’t let me leave the house. I sneaked out.”

Xie Yunzhao’s heart softened completely. So, it wasn’t that she didn’t come; she was just prevented from doing so.

Feeling joy surge within him, he quickly picked her up. “Is your ankle alright?”

Shen Shurong wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheeks flushing. Did he forget that he wasn’t wearing any clothes?

She closed her eyes, her voice soft and tender. “Much better. Brother Yunzhao, please put me down; I can walk.”

Xie Yunzhao refused to let her go. After waiting for her for three days and nights, he finally had her back in his arms and wasn’t going to release her.

Shen Shurong pointed to the bed. “Why don’t you sit on your bed? You still need to recover, and I’ll keep you company.”

Only then did he obediently walk over. “Alright.”

He placed Shen Shurong by the edge of the bed and sat down next to her, staring at her. Her long, curled eyelashes seemed to flutter, tugging at his heartstrings with each blink.

The gloom of the past three days vanished in an instant. She had disguised herself as a maid to avoid being seen by the Commandery Princess Consort.

Shen Shurong didn’t dare to look at him, fearing she wouldn’t be able to control herself. She lowered her head, biting her lip, and twirled her fingers in front of her.

Noticing her silence, Xie Yunzhao felt a twinge of concern. “What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

Shen Shurong reached out a hand and gently touched his bare arm. “Your clothes…”

Boom—

Xie Yunzhao instantly blushed, “I’m sorry, Rongrong! I didn’t mean to offend you. I… I forgot. I’ll put something on right now.”

He hurried to the wardrobe and quickly put on a shirt. Oh no, oh no, Rongrong must think he’s a rogue, standing in front of her without a shirt and even holding her!

Xie Yunzhao hung his head low, feeling dejected, not daring to look at her.

Seeing him sulking, Shen Shurong couldn’t help but laugh.

She bit her lip and reached out to touch his hand. “Did you get angry with me for not coming to see you for three days?”

Xie Yunzhao shook his head. “No, how could I be angry with you?”

Shen Shurong smiled, “Then we’re even. I won’t be upset about you being angry just now.”

The two of them sat close together, and Xie Yunzhao was mesmerized by her smile, wanting to pull her into his embrace tightly.

Noticing his silence, Shen Shurong leaned in and asked, “Brother Yunzhao, what are you thinking about?”

Suddenly getting close, the man’s heart raced. “I want to hold you,” he blurted out without thinking.

Shen Shurong was taken aback. Was he being so straightforward?

As soon as Xie Yunzhao realized what he had said, he blushed and stepped back. “Sorry, Rongrong, I… I…”

Shen Shurong quickly covered his mouth, moving closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest. “I know, injured people need comfort, especially since you got hurt for me.”

The man was stunned. This time, she wasn’t fainting, scared, or careless; she was genuinely taking the initiative to hug him!

Holding her tightly felt so right. “Holding you makes the pain go away.”

Shen Shurong slightly lifted her head, gazing at his Adam’s apple and the handsome jawline, thinking it all belonged to her. She closed her eyes again, feeling the warmth radiating from him.

Xie Yunzhao felt a sense of urgency thinking about their wedding being over a month away. They shouldn’t be in this position right now.

The room was quiet, while outside, Suihan, Qingzhu, and Qingying chatted in the corridor.

“The Commandery Princess Consort and the Junzhu are living and eating together? How did you manage to come out?”

“Our Junzhu secretly asked the Commandery Princess Consort to bring her here. It got late, and only then did the Commandery Princess Consort feel at ease to accompany the Junzhu.”

“The Junzhu is really bold; doesn’t she worry about being seen at this hour?”

“She does, which is why she dressed like this.”

Qingzhu and Qingying felt their grievances dissipate. It wasn’t just the Young Master pining after someone; “It’s already the hour of You. If we stay any longer…”

Suihan was also anxious, fearing that they would be discovered by the household. She knew how much her master had missed the Young Master these past few days. “The Junzhu is well aware of her feelings.”

The two nodded; matters concerning their master weren’t something they could meddle in, and everyone felt happy about it.