"Let me take your pulse first and see how your body is doing," Lu Yu said, pulling Shen Xuan's hands, which were wrapped around her waist, to the front, intending to check his pulse.
Shen Xuan, however, was somewhat resistant, constantly retracting his arms and dodging backward.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yu frowned slightly. She pulled Shen Xuan's arm and, upon seeing the white cloth on his wrist, her eyes widened instantly.
"You... this is..." Lu Yu spoke in disbelief. She had thought Shen Xuan might have been overcome by despair and attempted suicide, but even if he were injured, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths, especially since she wasn't dead yet.
Taking advantage of Lu Yu's stunned moment, Shen Xuan struggled to pull his arm back and hastily used his other hand to adjust his sleeve, covering it up.
"There's some here too?"
As Shen Xuan adjusted his sleeve, another white cloth on his other wrist was revealed. Lu Yu reached out and grabbed it.
"Hiss!"
Lu Yu was too anxious and accidentally pressed on the wound on Shen Xuan's wrist. Shen Xuan couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Lu Yu was startled and immediately released her grip, looking at Shen Xuan with concern. "How did you get injured?"
Shen Xuan didn't answer. Lu Yu thought carefully and suddenly remembered how Shen Xuan had quickly untied the ropes yesterday.
It was the bonfire!
"Were you burned by the fire?" Lu Yu gently took Shen Xuan's hand, intending to unwrap the white cloth on his hand to see the extent of his injury.
"Wife, don't look, it's very ugly," Shen Xuan said, holding Lu Yu's hand as she was unwrapping the bandage, his eyes holding a hint of pleading.
He didn't want Lu Yu to see his wrists like this; they were ugly. Even if Lu Yu didn't mind, he himself would.
"It's not ugly. This is Xuan'er's honor in saving his wife. It's not ugly at all."
Lu Yu didn't continue to unwrap the bandage but placed it back where it was. Since her husband didn't want her to see, she wouldn't, to avoid causing him psychological pressure.
Besides, she didn't have any ointment with her, so even if she unwrapped it and saw the injury, it would be of no use.
"It must hurt a lot," Lu Yu cupped Shen Xuan's hands and brought them to her lips. "Come, wife will blow on it. It won't hurt after blowing."
Looking at Lu Yu, who was earnestly "blowing" on his hands, Shen Xuan couldn't help but burst into tears of laughter. His water-filled eyelashes trembled with his smile.
Lu Yu reached out and gently embraced her little husband, rubbing her cheek against his forehead. She spoke softly, "If Xuan'er doesn't want his wife to see, then wife won't. Now, wife wants to take your pulse, is that okay?"
Lu Yu knew that Shen Xuan was very sensitive now, so she spoke in a soft voice, afraid of startling him if she wasn't careful.
Shen Xuan didn't speak, but his body language provided the answer.
Shen Xuan, nestled in Lu Yu's arms, shook his head and burrowed deeper.
After a long while, a muffled voice came from Lu Yu's embrace.
"Wife, I'm sorry."
"Hmm?" Lu Yu placed her hands on Shen Xuan's shoulders, lifting him from her embrace. She looked at his tear-soaked eyelashes and asked in confusion, "Why are you apologizing?"
"I..."
"I'm sorry." After recounting everything, Shen Xuan lowered his head guiltily, not daring to meet Lu Yu's eyes.
So that's how it was. It seemed their plan had been in the works for a long time.
Lu Yu's face darkened, her heart filled with anger.
Chen Qi, Zhao Ran, I won't let you get away with this!
The thought of the person in front of her being harmed ignited a fiery rage within Lu Yu, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
After Shen Xuan finished speaking, he sensed Lu Yu's displeasure. Thinking it was directed at him, he pouted and clenched the skin at the root of his thighs with his hands, suppressing his emotions.
"What's wrong? Is the little crybaby going to cry again?" Although Lu Yu was angry, she was always mindful of her little husband. Seeing Shen Xuan pout, she reached out and pinched his nose, speaking with a smile.
"No," Shen Xuan sniffled and mumbled.
"Xuan'er doesn't need to apologize. It's not your fault; it's theirs. And it's also my fault for not telling you the truth in advance." Lu Yu rubbed Shen Xuan's head and gently comforted him.
"It's not wife's fault!" Shen Xuan retorted quickly, as if arguing with himself, pouting slightly with puffed-out cheeks.
"Alright, alright, it's not wife's fault. It's all the bad people's fault. Don't worry, wife will make sure none of them get away this time," Lu Yu said in a deep voice, her eyes flashing with killing intent.
The next morning, Zheng Yu came to visit Lu Yu early.
"You're awake? You seem to have recovered quite well. How was it? Quite an unforgettable experience, wasn't it!" Zheng Yu sat on the chair by the bed and teased Lu Yu with a smile.
"Thank you for this time," Lu Yu rolled her eyes at Zheng Yu, ignoring her teasing, and thanked her sincerely.
"What are you thanking me for? That's being too formal!" Zheng Yu patted Lu Yu's shoulder and said with a smile.
"Did you find anything out from the interrogation?" Lu Yu knew there must have been progress in the matter, which was why Zheng Yu came so early.
"You're really something... tsk tsk tsk, amazing." Zheng Yu pointed at Lu Yu and couldn't help but laugh.
"Those two women were hired by someone to do it. They didn't meet the mastermind, but they weren't stupid and knew to leave behind some evidence. Guess who I tracked down from the evidence?"
"Chen Qi?"
"You guessed wrong this time. It wasn't Chen Qi, but her daughter, Chen Yao. But it's all the same; we'll expose her sooner or later."
"What about that servant in our manor?"
"His mouth is quite tough. He'll only talk after torture, but his backer is actually Zhao Liu. Didn't expect that, did you? I didn't expect those two to be involved together."
"I investigated thoroughly yesterday, and this case also involves Zhao Ran. Zhao Ran really gets involved in everything. She was beaten so badly last time, and she still dares to get involved."
"Zhao Ran definitely won't get away. It was she who told that servant that I had given Xuan'er contraceptive medicine, which is why Xuan'er went out."
"I'll go with you to the county office. This time, we must uproot them completely." Lu Yu picked up her clothes by the bed and got up to leave.
"Can your body handle it?" Zheng Yu looked at her with some concern.
"It's fine, let's go," Lu Yu didn't want to say more and pulled Zheng Yu along.
"Wife, where are you going?" Shen Xuan, holding the freshly brewed medicine, opened the door and saw Lu Yu standing by the door, preparing to open it.
"There's a lead in this matter, I'm going with her to take a look." Lu Yu immediately became obedient in front of Shen Xuan and patiently explained the situation.
"But your body hasn't recovered yet," Shen Xuan said, looking worriedly at Lu Yu, who was explaining to him.
"Don't worry, I'm a doctor myself, and my body is strong. I've almost recovered now, so don't worry." Lu Yu spoke softly. Seeing the bowl of medicine in Shen Xuan's hand, she took it and drank it down.
"I'll drink the medicine. Don't worry, just wait for me to come back."
"Eww—" Zheng Yu shivered on the other side.
When it came to caring about her body, she only received a "It's fine, let's go," a two-word command, but for Shen Xuan, it was different.
Prioritizing love over friendship!