CHAPTER 031
Lu Yun'er lowered her head slightly, her gaze falling on those bloodstained hands. She then carefully extended her own hand, trying not to touch his skin, and slowly rolled up his sleeve to his forearm. As the sleeve rose, a delicate, snow-white arm was revealed, shining faintly in the light.
These long, slender fingers, untouched by the harshness of life, were clearly nurtured in luxury from a young age.
Indeed, they were hands as pure as jade, flawless and exquisite, like a perfect work of art.
She finally understood why some people have a fascination with hands.
They were truly beautiful!
But recalling the scene just moments ago, these pristine jade-like hands had been stained with crimson, and he didn’t seem the least bit afraid of such a bloody sight, which surprised her greatly.
"Is this height okay?" Lu Yun'er asked as she finished rolling up one sleeve.
"It’s fine."
Su Qingwan stood obediently in front of Lu Yun'er, like a gentle puppy, quietly feeling the warmth of her fingers as they touched his skin. Occasionally, he would steal a glance, his eyelashes lowered, his expression filled with a shy, lingering tenderness.
Her voice was soft and gentle, returning to its usual calm and warm tone, no longer cold and distant. His bright phoenix eyes curved with delight, a brilliant smile lighting up his face.
Suddenly, his thick and long eyelashes visibly trembled, further solidifying an important decision within him. His voice, devoid of any emotion, as calm as water, said, "Yun'er, I’ve seriously considered what you said. Love cannot be forced. I won’t bother you anymore."
Lu Yun'er paused for a moment upon hearing this. It seemed that the young master Su had come today specifically for this matter, but from the sound of it, he had finally come to his senses.
She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled, clearly in a good mood, and continued helping him roll up his sleeves. "That’s right! You should reserve this affection for a woman who will cherish it just as much. There are many good women in this world. You’ll surely find someone a hundred times better than me."
To be honest, Lu Yun'er had been in this world for a year now and had seen many handsome men here. In her mind, this young master Su was undoubtedly the most attractive, embodying the phrase, "As jade-like as a person walking through a field, unmatched in the world."
If…she were willing to stay and not insist on going home, she might consider having a sweet romance with this young master Su.
But that was just an "if"…
"Mm." Su Qingwan lowered his eyes, feeling a bit guilty. He had anticipated that Yun'er would say something like this, but a wave of bitterness still surged in his heart, leaving him feeling empty, as if a piece of his heart was missing.
But Yun'er didn’t know that he had lied to her.
His heart had already been occupied by her; how could he ever like someone else?
And he would never give up!
The thought of growing distant from Yun'er, cold and estranged, or sometimes being forced to go against his true feelings because of his status, filled him with dread.
He could easily ask the Emperor to issue a marriage decree, forcing her to marry him, and that way, he could completely possess Yun'er, making her his alone.
But Su Qingwan knew that doing so would gain him the person but not her heart, only bringing Yun'er’s hatred. The coldness in her eyes would cut through his heart like a knife, a pain he never wanted to experience again, so he wouldn’t do that.
What he truly desired was for Yun'er to belong to him entirely, both body and heart.
His eyes flickered with complex emotions as he cautiously asked, "Yun'er, will you still treat me like you used to?"
"Hm?" Lu Yun'er looked up at him, a bit puzzled, meeting those expectant yet slightly uneasy eyes. She hesitated for a few seconds, then understood the underlying meaning of his words. She smiled warmly as usual. "Since everything is out in the open, things will remain as they were. However, I must ask you to address me as ‘Scholar Lu’ out of respect. After all, we’re in—"
Su Qingwan bit his lip, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance and remorse as he softly asked, "Why can Brother Nanxi call you Yun'er, but I can’t? Are you still angry about what happened last time? Or were you not being honest when you said everything would stay the same?"
As for the title, she didn’t really care. Her mindset was still very modern, so these formalities didn’t mean much to her. It wasn’t necessary to be overly formal with everyone. After all, he had always called her Yun'er. She just wanted to move past that incident quickly. "Alright, you can call me Yun'er, but only in private."
But when did this young master Su become so close to Nanxi that he called him Brother Nanxi?
It seemed the two had become good friends in private.
Su Qingwan hid his excitement, nodding obediently. "Mm."
"Your sleeves are all rolled up. You can start washing now. I’ll head back to the house for a moment." Lu Yun'er gave a few instructions before turning to go inside.
"Alright." Su Qingwan placed his hands in the clear water, calmly washing them. Soon, the bloodstains on his hands were gone, and the once-clear water turned into a basin of blood.
Su Qingwan brought his hands close to his nose and sniffed them, but there was still a faint scent of blood he couldn’t wash away. He stared at the basin of blood water with a calm expression, as if recalling something, a flash of hatred passing through his deepening eyes.
Shortly after, Lu Yun'er returned to the house and brought out a bar of soap she had made herself. Using a wooden chip, she gently scraped some soap flakes off. "Young Master Su, try this. It should wash away the smell of blood on your hands. But wait a moment; I’ll fetch you a clean basin of water."
Lu Yun'er poured out the bloody water and replaced it with a clean basin. "Try it now."
Su Qingwan looked at the white soap flakes in his hand and then tried using them to wash.
Indeed, after using the soap, he could smell the rich, cool fragrance that was just like Yun'er’s, even before bringing his hands to his nose. His brows furrowed slightly, and with a hint of selfishness, he asked, "Yun'er, this smells really good. Can you give this to me?"
"Of course," Lu Yun'er agreed readily. After all, Qiu Yi had prepared an extra bar for her.
After washing up, Su Qingwan seemed to remember something. He picked up the book on the ground and took out a few sheets of paper filled with writing. "Yun'er, this is the 800-word review I wrote last time. Please take a look at it. I was planning to give it to you today, but you didn’t come to teach."
As he spoke, he lowered his eyes, letting his disappointed gaze fall to the ground.
"My teaching schedule has changed a bit," Lu Yun'er explained as she took the essay from Su Qingwan's hands. Her eyes scanned the paper, and she couldn't help but admire the calligraphy—it was elegant, graceful, almost as if the writer's refined spirit shone through the ink.
"That saying fits perfectly: 'The handwriting reflects the person, and the person is like their handwriting.' I never expected that the young lord would have such beautiful penmanship!" Lu Yun'er praised without hesitation.
Hearing the compliment from Yun'er Jie, Su Qingwan's mood brightened considerably. The hidden implication of her words—that she found him attractive—made him blush slightly as he scratched the back of his head. His dark, obsidian-like eyes looked directly at her. "Really?"
Lu Yun'er had been attentively reading the content of the essay, and when she heard the uncertainty in his voice, she suddenly chuckled, lowering her gaze. "Of course. As a teacher, I must be fair in rewards and punishments. I don't exaggerate. What deserves punishment gets punished, and what deserves praise gets praised."
At her smile, Su Qingwan pressed his lips together, a hint of unusual emotion flickering in his eyes. Ever since that incident, he hadn't seen such a gentle expression from her.
It seemed his current approach was correct.
After finishing the essay, Lu Yun'er looked up at him with a smile. "Your writing is quite good too. Since there's nothing else right now, you should go back to class."
"I actually already took the day off," Su Qingwan replied softly. He had thought that not seeing Yun'er Jie today meant she didn't want to see him, so he had taken the day off to come find her.
"You took the day off?" Lu Yun'er's gaze shifted to his figure. Was he feeling unwell again?
Afraid that she might see through his real reason, Su Qingwan offered a nervous explanation. "Yes, there are some matters at home that need attending to."
Although he was reluctant, he maintained an obedient demeanor to leave a good impression on Yun'er Jie.
"In that case, let's go. I'll walk you out." Lu Yun'er collected her thoughts and headed toward the door.
Su Qingwan was just about to take a step forward when a sudden wave of pain swept through him. It was especially sharp in his lower abdomen, forcing him to bend over and squat down. Cold sweat began to bead on his pale forehead.
He realized with embarrassment that his menses had arrived.
Lu Yun'er had taken a few steps before noticing that Su Qingwan hadn't followed. She turned to see him trembling, his thin frame crouched on the floor as if he could collapse at any moment. Alarmed, she quickly walked over and asked, "Young Lord Su, what's wrong?"
The pain brought tears to his eyes, and Su Qingwan looked up shyly, stammering, "I... I'm having my menses."
"What?! Menses?!" Lu Yun'er was momentarily stunned, caught off guard. Then she remembered that this was a matriarchal world, and although she inhabited the original owner's body, she herself no longer experienced menstruation. Here, men could bear children and therefore had menstrual cycles. As she processed this, her gaze fell on his white robe, which now bore a conspicuous stain of red.
Lu Yun'er knew well the agony of menstrual cramps, having experienced it firsthand herself. The sight of Su Qingwan, visibly pale and unable to move, coupled with the bloodstain on his white robe, made it clear that he couldn't go outside like this. "How about this? Your robe is stained, so I'll help you inside to rest. If you don't mind, you can change into one of my clean robes. Don't worry, it's completely clean."
As a teacher at the Imperial Academy, Lu Yun'er dressed carefully to maintain a scholarly appearance, so the robe should fit him just fine.
Su Qingwan, his face as white as paper, felt his heart flutter at her offer. Weakly, he agreed, "Alright."
Lu Yun'er helped him inside, then retrieved a clean robe from the cabinet and handed it to him. "You can change behind the screen. I'll go cut some sanitary cloths for you."
With that, Lu Yun'er took another set of clean clothes and left the room.
Su Qingwan stared blankly at the robe in his hands, which carried the same cool fragrance as Yun'er Jie. Hugging it tightly to his chest, he noticed that the fabric was identical in texture to a robe he had back at his residence, except the fragrance on his own robe had faded.
Remembering Yun'er Jie's earlier words, Su Qingwan's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. Bracing against the pain, he slowly made his way behind the screen to change.
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