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The word "pain" seemed to echo in the air, and a pained expression momentarily flickered across his face.

Unconsciously, he released his grip.

Rong Shu had never seen him like this before.

As Mother Zhang narrated, he had been perfectly well during his meal, but for some unknown reason, he suddenly fell ill shortly after resting. Perhaps he had a nightmare, for he thrashed about, knocking over the small table beside his couch.

It was precisely upon hearing this commotion that she hurriedly entered the guest cabin.

Upon entering, she found him drenched in cold sweat, his jaws clenched tightly, as if trapped in a terrifying nightmare.

She hurried forward to rouse him, but he held her hand firmly in his grasp.

Only then did Rong Shu realize the strength of this man's grip, almost to the point of breaking her wrist.

"Sorry," Gu Changjin gradually regained consciousness, his gaze fixed on her reddened wrist as he spoke hoarsely, "I had no idea I could harm someone in my dreams. Next time, if I'm dreaming, Miss Rong, please keep your distance from me."

Rong Shu soothingly rubbed her wrist and smiled, "It only stung a little, it's fine now. I'll ask Mother Zhang to prepare a calming herbal decoction for you. After taking the medicine, you won't have any more nightmares."

Gu Changjin discovered that whenever she uttered the word "pain," a sharp pang of distress would pierce his heart.

Raising his gaze slightly, he looked at her, reminiscing about the final scene in his dream.

He woke up as the door creaked open just a tiny bit.

He could see nothing clearly except for a corner of a skirt, a skirt embroidered with golden red plum blossoms on a crimson background.

At that moment, an overwhelming terror gripped him tightly.

It wasn't until he faintly held her wrist in his stupor that the icy fear began to dissipate.

"In Miss Rong's possession, do you have a dress adorned entirely with golden red plum blossoms?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Rong Shu was taken aback.

Not only by his unrelated question but also due to the mention of the pleated skirt.

Indeed, she once owned such a dress - a creation made for her by Yingyue and Ying Que during her time at the Sishi Garden.

When she was first confined to the Sishi Garden, perhaps due to the two months of tireless efforts for the Rong family followed by a series of setbacks, she fell ill on the very day she entered the garden.

It wasn't a severe illness, but she lay in bed for a full fortnight, her mind muddled and dull as if rusted, unable to ponder anything. It was only later that she gradually recovered.

After her recovery, Yingyue and Ying Que showed her the dress, claiming it was the current fashionable style in the capital, and that she would surely look lovely in it.

She didn't have that dress now, nor would she ever again.

Rong Shu shook her head. "No. Why does Lord Gu ask this?"

She looked up at Gu Changjin. It was truly odd that he would inquire about such a dress.

In her previous life, he had never seen her wear it, and in this life, there wasn't even a trace of it.

Perhaps... another young lady had worn a similar one?

After all, patterns of golden embroidery with red plum blossoms were not uncommon.

"Is there something unique about this garment?"

Gu Changjin gazed into her eyes, which shimmered with both confusion and curiosity in their amber depths.

"No," he replied. "I just asked out of curiosity."

In his dream, he had searched frantically for someone, a woman dressed in a skirt adorned with golden embroidery of red plum blossoms – but that person was not her.

For some inexplicable reason, Gu Changjin felt an immense relief wash over him.

He glanced at her wrist again, almost involuntarily.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked. "My head is fine now. You should go apply some medicine to your wrist. If the boatman has ice, you can use that to numb the area first."

Upon hearing this, Rong Shu couldn't help but chuckle.

Gu Changjin paused, lifting his gaze to study her quietly.

"What are these slight red marks on my wrist compared to your injuries?" Rong Shu smiled. "Your Highness has far more serious wounds. There's no need for you to feel guilty; I'm alright. Please wait a moment; I'll ask Mother Zhang to prepare a calming herbal decoction for you."

With that, she got up to right the fallen table and went in search of Mother Zhang.

Upon her departure, it was as if she had taken all the warmth and vitality from the cabin, leaving it barren and desolate.

Gu Changjin lowered his eyelids. After a long while, he murmured softly, "Are you afraid of pain?"

...

On the seventeenth of June, Shen Family's guest ship finally arrived in Yangzhou.

The sky was clear, and their journey along the waterway from the capital to Yangzhou had been smooth sailing. Apart from a bout of rain and wind two days prior, they were blessed with sunny skies almost every day.

Gu Changjin recovered swiftly.

As he improved each day, Rong Shu entered the guest cabin less frequently. Lan Yan or Mother Zhang took care of delivering his medicine and meals.

When Rong Shu visited him that day, aside from being a little thinner and paler, she appeared no different from before.

"The Shen family will soon arrive at the ferry port. Should I ask the coachman to take you to your resting place, Sir?"

Gu Changjin was dressed in the attire of a ship's errand boy, clearly indicating that he couldn't afford to draw attention to himself during this trip to Yangzhou.

"My men will arrive shortly. Miss Rong, you may proceed on your own once you disembark," Gu Changjin told her. "I extend my deepest gratitude for your timely rescue."

It had been seven or eight days since he last saw her.

Despite her avoiding the passenger cabin, he could still sense everything about her.

The snippets of conversation she had with the boatman outside, the sound of her footsteps as she passed by the cabin, and even the glimpse of her fair wrist reaching out from the adjacent cabin when the rain fell softly.

Gu Changjin thought to himself that he was, after all, unwilling to let go.

Unwilling for her to bear another's surname, address another as her beloved, or bear children for someone else.

Rong Shu failed to perceive the fleeting resolution in his dark eyes as she simply bowed respectfully.

"I wish Lord Shen a prosperous journey, and may you take great care of yourself."

With that, she exited the cabin, leading Mama Zhang and Luo Yan ashore.

The carriage sent by Shen Zhi was already waiting nearby, tended to by Uncle Jiang, the head steward of the Shen family.

Amidst the servants at the ferry, Gu Changjin blended in discreetly, watching her laughingly engage in conversation with the chief steward. Then, she gracefully lifted her skirt and boarded the carriage.

The sun blazed high, casting its brilliant glow upon the June sky, even the breeze carried the heat of summer.