RPDPHW Chapter 57

The next day, Gu Qingyin was woken up by Leng Shaoying’s knocking.

Standing at the doorway with a tray of food, Leng Shaoying was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Gu Qingyin answer the door.

“Uh… Doctor Gu, our leader isn’t still asleep, is she?”

“Mm.” Gu Qingyin lifted her tired eyelids slightly. “She didn’t sleep well last night, so she’s sleeping a little today. Why? Is there something important? Do you need me to wake her up?”

At that, Leng Shaoying’s expression turned a bit peculiar.

Didn’t sleep all night?

What kind of activity would keep someone up the entire night…

Recalling the bite mark on Zhong Shujin’s lips and the striking bruise on her neck, Leng Shaoying felt as though she had arrived at a certain conclusion.

Her expression became even stranger.

No wonder…

No wonder their leader, who was always an early riser, was still asleep even though the sun was already high in the sky…

She must have been exhausted from last night.

The more Leng Shaoying thought about it, the more distressed she became. She never imagined that their esteemed leader would be the one… unable to get out of bed from sheer exhaustion!

“Doctor Gu, our leader, is still injured. You should at least exercise some restraint…”

Injured? Exercise restraint?

Gu Qingyin froze for a moment. “Senior… could it be that you’ve misunderstood something…?”

“Misunderstood? Are you saying the marks on our leader’s lips and neck weren’t your doing? And that night when you were detoxifying her… I heard everything loud and clear from outside…”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin’s face instantly turned red.

Having such a private matter suddenly brought up—especially by a senior like Leng Shaoying—made even someone as usually composed as her feel embarrassed.

Her face flushed as she awkwardly lifted her head and stammered, “No… that injury… was an accident… last night… I didn’t…”

“Huh? So that’s not what happened?” As Gu Qingyin raised her head, Leng Shaoying finally noticed the two red marks on her neck. Suddenly, it all clicked.

Taking in Gu Qingyin’s exhausted appearance and slightly hoarse voice, Leng Shaoying immediately dropped her previous disapproving, heartbroken expression and replaced it with a knowing smile. With a meaningful tone, she said, “Ah, I see, I see! So it was you who got worn out! Our leader is really too inconsiderate—at a time like this, she should have gotten up early to take care of you instead!”

Now, Gu Qingyin was even more flustered.

She never expected that after learning about their relationship, Leng Shaoying wouldn’t react with cold indifference, but instead… enthusiastic curiosity? 

But this sudden warmth was a bit overwhelming for her.

“Senior… it’s really not what you’re thinking… please don’t misunderstand…”

“Oh, Doctor Gu, don’t be so formal! From now on, we’re family, so there’s no need for all this ‘senior’ business!” Leng Shaoying waved a hand dismissively, then added, “Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you—Miss Lin has already woken up, and she seems to be fine. If you’re feeling tired, you should rest a bit longer. Don’t worry about anything over there—we’ll handle the medicine brewing!”

With that, Leng Shaoying cheerfully handed the tray of food to Gu Qingyin. “Alright, alright, I won’t disturb you two any longer! I’ll go make you some nourishing tonic to replenish your strength—it should be ready soon!”

Gu Qingyin: “……???”

Replenish my strength?

Before she could even recover from her embarrassment, Leng Shaoying casually dropped another sentence that nearly made her want to disappear on the spot:

“But really, you young people should learn to take it easy—moderation is key!”

With that, Leng Shaoying didn’t bother to check Gu Qingyin’s reaction and promptly closed the door behind her as she left.

Now, Gu Qingyin truly wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

“Young people should learn to take it easy, you know!”

A playful voice, tinged with amusement and a hint of nasal tone, rang out from the bed behind her.

Gu Qingyin turned around, only to see Zhong Shujin sitting up in bed, wrapped in the blanket, laughing heartily.

Setting the food tray down on the table, she walked over to the bed and reached out to pinch Zhong Shujin’s cheek.

“She completely misunderstood, so why are you so happy?”

“I’m happy because she doesn’t oppose our relationship, of course!” Zhong Shujin cheerfully wrapped her arms around Gu Qingyin’s waist, pulling her closer. She tapped the two red marks on Gu Qingyin’s neck and grinned, her voice laced with satisfaction. “I’ve already marked you—you’re mine now, got it?”

Gu Qingyin looked at her helplessly, a hint of grievance in her eyes. “This counts?”

If those two marks had come about the way Leng Shaoying imagined, Gu Qingyin might have been more pleased.

But in reality, they were just the result of last night’s conversation—when she had casually mentioned how she used to bully a certain little troublemaker in their childhood, which had made this person so indignant that she had impulsively bitten her.

Even then, Zhong Shujin couldn’t bear to actually hurt her, so the bites ended up as nothing more than ambiguous-looking marks.

Hearing Gu Qingyin’s words, Zhong Shujin immediately grew anxious. “How does this not count?!”

Gu Qingyin chuckled, her gaze softening as she looked at her. With an indulgent smile, she coaxed, “Alright, alright, it counts, it counts. If you say it does, then it does, okay?”

“Hmph, perfunctory!” Zhong Shujin pouted, though the amusement in her eyes remained.

Gu Qingyin merely laughed, ignoring her feigned displeasure. Instead, she cupped Zhong Shujin’s face gently and pressed their foreheads together.

“You’re still a bit warm.” As Gu Qingyin spoke, she pulled the blanket tighter around Zhong Shujin, wrapping her up snugly. She muttered, “Look at you—catching a cold and still making such a fuss!”

The two of them had spent the entire night out in the chilly wind, stargazing until it turned into sunrise-watching. Though the moment had been warm and romantic, the aftermath wasn’t so pleasant—Zhong Shujin, who had gallantly shielded Gu Qingyin from the night breeze, had ended up catching a cold.

If Gu Qingyin had known that moon-gazing would lead to this, she would have dragged Zhong Shujin back inside right from the start!

Surely, doing interesting things indoors was far better than shivering on the rooftop all night, right?

“Achoo…”

Zhong Shujin sniffled and snuggled closer to Gu Qingyin. “It’s just a cold. With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?”

The sheer confidence in her voice made it sound as if she firmly believed her beloved was a miracle-working physician.

Seeing her so smug and trusting made Gu Qingyin’s heart soften with joy.

Just as she leaned in to reward Zhong Shujin with a kiss—

Her lips were abruptly covered by a hand.

“No kissing!” Zhong Shujin shrank back slightly, pouting as she declared, “Until I’m better, you’re not allowed to kiss me!”

What?!!!

Gu Qingyin refused to accept this. “Why?!”

“You might catch it too…”

“I’m a doctor—I’m not afraid of that! I’ll make you some medicine later, and you’ll be fine.”

“No way! You still have to wait until I’m completely better!” Zhong Shujin stubbornly pushed against Gu Qingyin’s shoulders and urged, “Alright, alright, go check on Ziyan! I’m going to sleep!”

After watching the sunrise, the two of them were completely exhausted.

If it weren’t for Leng Shaoying knocking on their door, they probably would have slept for much longer.

Knowing that Zhong Shujin was exhausted, Gu Qingyin had no choice but to give in. She stopped teasing her, got out of bed, tucked the surrounding blanket snugly, and reminded her to eat something later before finally making her way to see Lin Ziyan.

“Doctor Gu, you’re here!”

Today, Dan Wenshu looked much better compared to the day before.

Gu Qingyin responded with a light smile before sitting down by the bedside to check Lin Ziyan’s pulse.

“Your pulse is much steadier now. It seems you’ve improved quite a lot.”

Hearing this, Dan Wenshu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Ziyan glanced at her and said with a teasing smile, “See? I told you I was fine, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

There was a certain tenderness in her gaze.

Meeting that look, Dan Wenshu’s face grew warm, and she quickly found an excuse to escape. “I—I’ll go get your medicine!”

As she hurried out, Gu Qingyin watched her retreating figure with amusement. “Oh? Did I just interrupt something?”

“Not at all.” Lin Ziyan remained unfazed and countered with a playful glint in her eyes, “But judging by that radiant look on your face, you seem to have some good news to share.”

Gu Qingyin shot her a sideways glance but said nothing—though the slight curve of her lips betrayed her.

Lin Ziyan chuckled knowingly, then pointed to the marks on Gu Qingyin’s neck. “Well, well, I never thought your clueless leader would finally come to her senses. So? Have you two finally gotten together? Last night must’ve been quite the night—otherwise, why else would you wake up this late?”

“What nonsense are you thinking?!” Gu Qingyin deliberately pressed down hard on Lin Ziyan’s injury, only letting go when her friend’s face twisted in pain. Satisfied, she continued changing the bandages and casually remarked, “If anyone’s doing well, it’s you. You’re in such a good mood—so, has she finally told you who she really is?”

“Go easy on me…”

Lin Ziyan finally managed to recover from the sharp pain Gu Qingyin had inflicted before she had the strength to explain, “I’m in a good mood because my father ultimately chose to let us go. As for her identity, I still don’t know. Not because she wants to hide it from me, but because I told her not to tell me.”

Gu Qingyin paused, her smile gradually fading. With a more serious expression, she said, “She’s not simple.”

“I know.” Lin Ziyan’s tone was casual, as if it didn’t matter. “She’s in a difficult position right now. I don’t want to force her to confess.”

Gu Qingyin repeated, this time more firmly, “But she’s not simple.”

Of course, Lin Ziyan knew. Someone who could see through the Tang Sect’s inescapable net, who was familiar with the Blood Flame Cult’s outer barrier forest, and who could recognize the Heavenly Demon Blade techniques—how could she possibly be just an ordinary woman from a noble household?

But did any of that really matter to her?

“Qingqing, none of that is important. As long as I know she loves me, that’s enough.”

Gu Qingyin was momentarily stunned.

After a long pause, she sighed with a bitter smile and shook her head. “Ziyan, you’re more free-spirited than I am.”

Seeing through Gu Qingyin’s thoughts, Lin Ziyan sighed helplessly and offered some comfort. “From what I see, that little cult leader of yours isn’t as indifferent as you think. If there are any knots in your heart, why not find an opportunity to talk to her? I think she cares about you very much.”

“Her?” Gu Qingyin chuckled wryly and shook her head. “She’s still a bit childish. I just worry she’s only acting on impulse because of Young Master Yun’s provocation. It’s better to leave these things for later.”

Since Gu Qingyin didn’t want to dwell on it, Lin Ziyan didn’t press the matter. Instead, she smoothly shifted the topic, and the two continued chatting about other things.

A long while later, Dan Wenshu finally returned.

She could have come back earlier, but while she was in the kitchen fetching medicine, Leng Shaoying—upon learning that Gu Qingyin was in their room—specifically asked her to wait a little longer. Leng Shaoying insisted on finishing a nourishing tonic for Gu Qingyin before sending it up with Dan Wenshu.

When Lin Ziyan saw the bowl of specially prepared tonic meant to “replenish Gu Qingyin’s strength,” she nearly burst out laughing.

Dan Wenshu also looked at Gu Qingyin with amusement in her eyes.

Gu Qingyin: “……”

Great. Now this ridiculous “crime” of hers was really set in stone…