Chapter 73: Alive

Chapter 73: To Live

Qiu Shuiyi suddenly understood why Shen Yuchao had once compared himself to the night-blooming flower.

The night-blooming flower has a short period. Other flowers bloom for months at their longest, or at least ten days at their shortest. Only the night-blooming flower is gone in a flash.

From beginning to end, he had never really wanted to live.

She finally understood why, in the original story, Shen Yuchao died so abruptly.

It wasn't murder.

He died by suicide.

The breathing of the person beside her grew increasingly faint, as light as a whisper.

Wiping the tears from her face, Qiu Shuiyi leaned down and shook him repeatedly. "Don't fall asleep, Shen Yuchao. Don't you dare fall asleep. What's so good about death? When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. For all you know, your father has already been reborn. You won't be able to see him at all."

"Shen Yuchao, don't die."

A tear fell from Qiu Shuiyi's eye, landing on Shen Yuchao's eyelid. The heat made him tremble, and he fluttered his lashes as he opened his eyes.

"Second Miss Qiu." His voice was extremely soft, laced with the relief of a burden lifted. "After I die, I will leave all of Prince Duansu's wealth and property to you. Afterward, you can marry as you wish."

Qiu Shuiyi gritted her teeth. "Fine. When the time comes, I'll use your money to take a husband into my family and live a carefree life."

A soft chuckle escaped Shen Yuchao's throat. "Good."

With a sudden burst of strength from somewhere, he pushed himself up and grabbed the knife that had fallen to the ground.

He turned the hilt, pointing the blade toward himself.

"Shen Yuchao!"

Qiu Shuiyi was so startled that cold sweat broke out on her back. She urgently grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?! Stop!"

Shen Yuchao tightened his grip, pressing the sharp blade against the thin skin of his neck.

In her panic, Qiu Shuiyi reached her hand toward the blade. Instantly, it sliced open her fair hand.

Shen Yuchao was shocked and jerked his hand back.

Seizing the opportunity, Qiu Shuiyi snatched the knife from his hand and threw it away with force.

"Second Miss Qiu, why go to such lengths?"

Shen Yuchao pressed his lips together.

Qiu Shuiyi glanced at the wound on the back of her hand and suddenly snapped. She pushed Shen Yuchao hard to the ground.

She flipped over, straddling him, and placed both hands around his neck, snarling, "Go ahead and die! I'll tell you the truth: I'm not afraid of anything, except death. This place is in the middle of nowhere. I'm a weak woman alone in the wilderness, with no food or drink to be found. I'll eat you first."

Leaning down, fire blazing in her eyes, she said word by word, "When I'm thirsty, I'll drink your blood. When I'm hungry, I'll eat your flesh. Once you're dead without a body to bury, let's see how you'll go meet your father."

Qiu Shuiyi's push was extremely forceful. His wounds tore open, and the pain felt as if his internal organs had shifted. Shen Yuchao could barely breathe.

But he was laughing.

A clear, bright smile hung on his pale face.

He lifted an arm to cover his eyes, and low laughter echoed beside Qiu Shuiyi's ear.

He laughed with indescribable joy.

He said, "Flesh and blood merging together... that sounds rather nice."

Qiu Shuiyi was completely stunned.

After a long while, she lowered her gaze, pulled Shen Yuchao's hand away, and under his puzzled gaze, carefully examined his eyes.

They were a very beautiful pair of eyes.

Standard peach blossom eyes, with slightly upturned outer corners and a natural pinkish hue around them. Yet the color of his irises was extremely dark, diluting that amorous quality and adding a touch of aloofness.

Deep within his pupils, the madness of mutual destruction had faded. Now, they resembled a calm lake after a storm.

Clear and pure.

Qiu Shuiyi could see that he was in an extremely lighthearted state.

He truly, genuinely wanted to die.

But...

But she really, truly couldn't bear it.

When she first approached Shen Yuchao, he was still her elder sister's fiancé.

She wanted to survive. Knowing that Qiu Lianying had no feelings for him, she approached and teased him without any burden.

Knowing he would die, even after he became her own fiancé, her feelings for Shen Yuchao always remained detached.

What she considered most was simply finding a way for him to avoid his destined calamity.

But at this moment, knowing the true cause of his death, all the things Qiu Shuiyi had previously overlooked came flooding out.

She remembered their first meeting in the snow.

She remembered the embrace beneath the teahouse.

She remembered his gaze under the brilliant fireworks, rendered gentle and bright by the light.

She wouldn't let him die.

She would pull him out of hell.

It had nothing to do with her own lifespan.

She just, suddenly, wanted to have a future with him.

Qiu Shuiyi leaned down, pressing her forehead against his.

Slowly, she said, "Shen Yuchao, I lied to you."

Shen Yuchao's gaze wavered slightly.

Qiu Shuiyi curved her eyes. "Liking you... that was a lie."

"Approaching you also had another purpose."

"That day at the prince's manor, I noticed you were testing me, so I deliberately said some ambiguous things. You believed me and gave me a legitimate opportunity to appear by your side."

"At first, I had ulterior motives. But as time went on..." Her fingertip gently stroked Shen Yuchao's cheek as tears spilled from Qiu Shuiyi's eyes.

Her vision was blurred; she couldn't see Shen Yuchao's expression clearly, only hearing her own slightly choked voice.

"Later, the pretense became real."

"It seems... I've really fallen for you."

"Whether you resent me or hate me, I'll wait for you to settle the score. But only if you..."

With a forceful press of her finger, Qiu Shuiyi wiped the blood from Shen Yuchao's face with determination, her words resolute.

"Survive."

...

The fire crackled and popped, its flames dispelling the darkness of the cave.

Qiu Shuiyi used a dagger to cut two pieces from her underclothes, then picked up a bamboo tube and poured out the water.

Shen Yuchao lay beside her, eyes tightly shut, his face flushed with fever.

Even unconscious, his brow remained tightly furrowed, as if enduring immense pain.

Feeling Shen Yuchao's burning forehead, Qiu Shuiyi folded the dampened cloth and gently placed it on his brow.

Parting his garments, the wounds on his pale skin were already healing.

Qiu Shuiyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, his injuries for this month had already flared up. Otherwise, given the current situation, even without Shen Yuchao resolving it himself, he wouldn't have made it.

For the first time, Qiu Shuiyi hoped his medicine person constitution would come through for him.

Removing Shen Yuchao's garments, Qiu Shuiyi used a damp cloth to wipe away the bloodstains on his body.

As soon as the old blood was cleaned, new blood would always seep out, that seemed like it would never end.

She cut another piece of cloth, wrapped the nearby medicinal herbs into a bundle, picked up a stone, and began pounding it vigorously.

It had been a long time since she'd done this kind of work; sweat beaded on her forehead within moments.

Qiu Shuiyi thought self-deprecatingly.

She really had grown too accustomed to comfortable days.

Wiping the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, Qiu Shuiyi continued pounding.

Green flecks began to show; she set down the stone and unfolded the cloth.

The green herbs had been pounded into a pulp, mixed with their juices—not the most appealing sight.

Qiu Shuiyi scooped up a bit with her finger and applied it gently to Shen Yuchao's wounds.

Fortunately, back in the Guo Family Village, she had learned to identify several common medicinal herbs from her grandfather. Otherwise, faced with Shen Yuchao's numerous injuries, she would have been utterly helpless.

After meticulously applying the medicine to all of Shen Yuchao's wounds and dressing him layer by layer, Qiu Shuiyi was completely spent. She collapsed beside him, her eyes vacant as she stared at the cave ceiling.

After pouring out those heartfelt words, Qiu Shuiyi received no response from Shen Yuchao. Looking up, she realized he had already lost consciousness.

After much difficulty finding a cave they could use for shelter, Qiu Shuiyi used all her strength to bring him inside.

When it rains, it pours. Shen Yuchao, already severely injured, suddenly developed a fever at this very moment.

Anxious, Qiu Shuiyi searched everywhere for something to bring his fever down.

Luck was on her side: behind a cluster of bamboo, she found water, and not far away, she discovered herbs that could stop the bleeding.

After all this frantic activity, Qiu Shuiyi was both physically and mentally drained, not wanting to move a single finger.

A deep weariness washed over her. She curled up beside Shen Yuchao, leaning against him, and slowly closed her eyes.

In her drowsy, half-conscious state, a vague thought drifted through her mind.

Did Shen Yuchao hear what she said at the time?

...

Qiu Shuiyi was awakened by heat.

While sleeping soundly, an intense, scorching warmth suddenly radiated from beside her, forcing a thin layer of sweat onto her skin.

Opening her eyes, by the light of the not-yet-extinguished fire, she saw the flush reappearing on Shen Yuchao's face.

Startled, the sleepiness in Qiu Shuiyi's eyes instantly vanished.

She quickly sat up to check the temperature of Shen Yuchao's forehead.

So hot.

Worried, Qiu Shuiyi removed the cloth from his forehead. The moment her fingertip touched it, she was alarmed to find it was almost dry.

She rewet the cloth and placed it back on Shen Yuchao.

Given the current conditions, if his fever continued to rage, she didn't know what state it might leave him in.

Qiu Shuiyi didn't dare sleep anymore. She splashed water on her hands, patted her face lightly, forcing herself to stay alert.

She kept watch over Shen Yuchao, changing the cloth on his forehead again and again.

As expected, throughout the night, Shen Yuchao's fever rose and fell, fell and rose, repeatedly, thoroughly exhausting Qiu Shuiyi.

It wasn't until nearly dawn that the fever finally subsided.

Utterly exhausted, Qiu Shuiyi confirmed he wouldn't spike another fever, lay back down beside Shen Yuchao, and fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

...

Sunlight crept over her brows and eyes, bringing a slight warmth.

The eyes beneath her eyelids moved, slowly opening.

The moment consciousness returned, Shen Yuchao felt a disorienting sense of not knowing what day it was.

It was the constant, unrelenting pain throughout his body that finally pulled him back to reality.

After lying dazed for a long while, Shen Yuchao finally turned his gaze to survey his surroundings.

He was in a cave, its entrance obscured by weeds.

Sparse light filtered in from outside, revealing the cave's interior in sharp detail.

On the ground lay several blood-soaked cloth bundles and a few bamboo joints.

Looking down, he found his wounds dressed with medicinal herbs.

Shen Yuchao reached to touch them, but the movement met with sudden resistance, stopping him.

Shen Yuchao looked over.

A young woman lay beside him, looking rather disheveled, her hands tightly gripping his wrist.

She had dark circles under her eyes, her brows were furrowed, and she slept restlessly.

A few stray strands of hair fell across her pale lips and cheek, making her look delicate and pitiable.

Shen Yuchao gazed at her, and his heart suddenly lurched.

Her words from before he lost consciousness echoed in his ears.

After a moment, Shen Yuchao used his other hand to gently tuck Qiu Shuiyi’s stray hair behind her ear.

He’d made that bet with Qiu Shuiyi back then out of sheer overconfidence.

He was confident he would never fall for any woman.

He had known his fate from the very beginning. Love? That was the most useless and fatal thing.

Because of those two words, his father had fallen from a peerless hero galloping across battlefields to the state of being turned into a human pig.

What shame and desolation that was.

He would never follow in his father’s footsteps.

He would die, and only by his own hand.

Yet, as fate would have it, the girl’s words back then—"How do you know that butterfly won’t get its wish?"—had actually come true.

A man who least believed in love and only wished to die had, for a woman's sake, felt the desire to live for the first time.

All because of those words, "The fake has become real."

She had won.

Shen Yuchao thought.

So, don't you ever deceive him again.

It would drive him mad.