“That year, Lord Shen secretly sent him away from the Imperial Prison, completely deceiving everyone. After leaving Jinling City, your young master was no longer the heir of the Prince Mansion; so he wandered in the countryside, selling cake for a living, which could also be considered peaceful.”
Shen Guan frowned, unable to swallow the porridge.
Xiao Ning subtly raised the corner of his lips, glanced at him, and said, “What? Do you think he, who never did manual labor before, can’t do these things?”
Shen Guan’s long eyelashes lowered, and he couldn’t help but clutch the bedclothes beneath him with his pale fingertips.
“Don’t worry, he can adapt to that life even better than you imagine.” Xiao Ning pulled Shen Guan’s hand, turned his palm over, and indeed saw the marks left by his nails digging into his palm, causing his brows to slightly furrow as well.
“At first, he thought his life would be like this, that in a prosperous era, it would be impossible to avenge a deep hatred, and what good would stirring up trouble do?” Xiao Ning gave a bitter smile as he reached out to wipe a spot of soup from the corner of Shen Guan’s lips. “But coincidentally, someone refused to give up, bringing that child to travel thousands of miles just to present themselves to him.”
Xiao Ning collected the empty porridge bowl, stood up, and was about to go wash the dishes, but Shen Guan suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
“What happened later?” Shen Guan stared at him somewhat urgently.
Xiao Ning lowered his eyes to look at the fingers tightly clinging to his sleeve and said, “I don’t want to tell you anymore.”
Shen Guan bit his lower lip and was silent for a moment before whispering, “I can eat some more.”
A hint of a smile flickered in Xiao Ning’s eyes as he gently moved the fingers pulling on his sleeve.
“Don’t go…” Shen Guan grew anxious, wanting to get out of bed. Xiao Ning pressed him back into the bedclothes, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, “Lie down honestly. I’m not leaving, who would cook for you if I do?”
Xiao Ning genuinely made some simple food and returned. Shen Guan was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head tilted, feeling drowsy. Having been tormented all night, it was inevitable that his waist ached, and his expression was weary and languid.
“Tired?” Xiao Ning brushed aside the strands of hair falling in front of him, holding his chin to force him to look up.
“Young Master.” Shen Guan called softly.
Xiao Ning loosely let go of his hand, not speaking. Shen Guan had guessed his identity, which did not surprise him.
“How much did you remember?” Xiao Ning asked.
Shen Guan shook his head, raised a hand to press his temples, his eyes full of bitterness.
“Eat something before you sleep. If you can’t remember, then don’t think about it.” Xiao Ning grasped Shen Guan’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his brow, and gave him a steamed bun.
Shen Guan obediently finished the bun before he was was tucked into bed by Xiao Ning, and soundly fell asleep. Xiao Ning watched over him by the bedside for a long time before leaving…
Shen Guan’s memories were still a complete mess, and if he thought for too long, he would get a splitting headache. Xiao Ning forbade him from overthinking, only saying, “If you want to know anything, I will tell you.”
The corners of Shen Guan’s eyes were slightly moist, he clutched the bedclothes, his voice hoarse: “If Young Master doesn’t want to say, then forget it.”
Xiao Ning scoffed: “Lord Shen traveled thousands of miles to come here, how can the matter of presenting himself to be my wife be something unspeakable?”
Shen Guan: “……”
And so, before sunset, Shen Guan finally believed that he and the young master indeed had more than one Xiao Yuan.
The voices outside the door gradually subsided, it was dusk, so cooking smoke began to rise, and all the clamor returned to quiet. Shen Guan was leaning by the window while looking outside, his long hair trailing down his thin back and across the bed, appearing elegant even in his sickly state. Xiao Ning threw his outer robe over his shoulder, signaling him to put it on.
Shen Guan turned, clutching the outer robe, and said in a muffled voice, “But I don’t understand, I should have been very content to always be by Young Master’s side. Why would I leave?”
Xiao Ning’s hand, which was pouring the medicine, paused. He looked up at Shen Guan but didn’t answer him. Shen Guan took the medicine bowl, the thick, black medicine reflecting the confusion in his eyes.
It wasn’t until Shen Guan finished the medicine and the effects of the drug began to hit, making his mind hazy, that he vaguely felt Xiao Ning gently rubbing his forehead with his fingertip and said, “It’s my fault for not treating you well.”
Shen Guan shook his head but lacked the strength to speak, only struggling not to fall asleep while gazing at him stubbornly.
“You were poisoned when you left Tianyi Division, but I never knew. By the time I did know, it was already too late. You were also cruel, still coming to provoke me like that…” Xiao Ning’s eyes were filled with sorrow, his tone completely lacking its usual harshness, only sadness and grievance remained.
Shen Guan’s face was pale, his eyes were red-rimmed, and he tightly grasped Xiao Ning’s hand.
“Later you gave birth to Niannian and then left.” Xiao Ning gave a tragic smile, saying, “Countless times I’ve thought, if only I had treated you better back then…”
Shen Guan’s tears seeped into his hair, his heart aching with a whimper.
“Ah Yun, you are the cruelest person in the world.”
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