Chapter 37: It Was Him, Lu Yunzhou

“Sisi, Sisi, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Shen Xin finally rushed over, her face flushed with anxiety, and crouched down to check on the girl who had just been pulled from the water.

Feng Chenxin stood silently to the side, his gaze averted, saying nothing.

“Miss! Miss, are you alright?”

The maid, seeing the man rescue Shen Chaoxi from the lake, hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to take the unconscious girl from his arms, but for a moment didn't know what to do.

She was already frail, and now, in the height of summer, she had fallen into the lake; her body would certainly suffer for it.

“Where does she live?” Lu Yunzhou’s voice was cold and emotionless as he held the girl in his arms, questioning the maid in a low tone.

The man had a face of ascetic beauty, standing with his back to the dappled sunlight on the shore, a row of loquat trees behind him casting deep shade over his head. The shadows sharpened the lines of his face, making him appear all the more handsome and enigmatic. His long lashes cast a faint shadow beneath his eyes as he glanced at the girl in his arms, his gaze detached and cool.

Shen Chaoxi’s brows were tightly knit, her expression pained. Her hair was damp with lake water, droplets sliding from her pale face to fall, one after another, onto the man’s jacket.

The maid was stunned at first, but quickly remembered that the young lady, having fallen into the lake, must be taken home at once.

“Please, follow me.” With that, the maid led the way, paying no mind to Shen Sisi, who had also been pulled from the water.

Lu Yunzhou carried her straight to her room.

“Our young lady has always been weak since childhood,” the maid fretted, wringing her hands with worry. “Just these past few days her spirits had improved a little, and now she’s fallen into the lake. If anything were to happen to her, what would we do?”

“Go fetch a doctor.” Lu Yunzhou stood by the bedside, gently laying the girl down. He said to the maid, “I’ll take care of things here.”

“Ah? Yes, yes, I’ll go immediately.” With that, the maid hurried out to summon a physician.

The man’s gaze, a mixture of complex emotions, fell on the girl’s pallid face after her ordeal in the water.

This was the first time Lu Yunzhou had met his rumored fiancée.

It was said that the eldest daughter of the Shen family, his betrothed, was a sickly girl.

Only today did he realize that her health indeed appeared poor.

Her complexion was wan, as if she had been ill for years, her lips devoid of any trace of color.

That sickly beauty nestled quietly in the gentle glow near the bedside, the white gauze curtain fluttering in the wind like petals drifting in from the window.

For a moment, her pale, unadorned face seemed as fragile as a petal fallen from a flower, her figure slender, the bones exquisitely shaped.

As Lu Yunzhou’s deep-set eyes settled calmly on her face, the girl’s long lashes fluttered, and she looked up at him.

Her eyes were like pear blossoms hiding snow, a mist of coldness swirling within them, shrouding her frail form, making her seem all the more delicate—so fragile, it seemed a mere breeze could topple her.

“Miss Shen.” At that moment, the man’s low and gentle voice, cool yet magnetic, fell on her ears. His dark eyes, enigmatic and deep, lingered on her face.

He gazed down at the girl before him, lowering his voice. Tall and elegant, he stood like a silent guardian, his handsome face cold and aloof, with a rare hint of tenderness softening his features.

It was him.

Lu Yunzhou.

The very man who had nearly shot her dead in Dongzhou and had dislocated her arm.

What a twist of fate.

The man who pulled her from the lake today was the same one who had almost killed her in Dongzhou.

Since that was the case, she had to see for herself whether this man—renowned for leading special forces deep into Shacheng, known for his iron will—could possibly fall for a delicate, sickly girl from the Shen family who was timid and needed constant care.

As Lu Yunzhou greeted her, his bespoke black suit was spattered with mud and water, no doubt from carrying her back.

Yet he seemed unconcerned, his gaze fixed on the drenched and deathly pale Shen Chaoxi.

His eyes were as bottomless as ink, bringing to mind the moment in Shacheng when he had, without hesitation, dislocated her arm.

His ruthlessness, and the pain that cut straight to the bone—just thinking about it now made her arm tingle and ache.

In that instant, the girl’s weak eyes met his, and for a fleeting moment, Lu Yunzhou sensed a hint of unease in her gaze.

Was she afraid of him?

Lu Yunzhou raised an eyebrow.

But as he hesitated inwardly, wondering how to soothe this frightened girl after her ordeal, her voice, hoarse and low, broke the silence. “Thank you… for saving me.”

Her peach blossom eyes glistened with mist, her black hair clinging to her skin, her lips pale as she looked at him in earnest.

She was soaked to the bone.

Lu Yunzhou noticed that in the depths of her anxious, pallid gaze, there was something more—a glimmer of another emotion.

“Heh.” A low chuckle escaped him. He lowered his eyes to the girl before him, then, catching her tense gaze, stepped closer.

The next moment, his tall frame blocked the light before her as he bent down, wrapping a thin quilt around her shoulders.

She startled slightly, her body tensing.

His voice carried a trace of amusement as he leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. Those dark eyes were so close as he teased softly, “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

Her timid glance betrayed her nerves. How could she not be uneasy, alone with a strange man in her room?

That was why she had nervously thanked him.

She had fallen into the lake and was soaked through. Lu Yunzhou’s gaze lingered on her pale face.

“Can you manage to change your clothes by yourself?” His tone was casual, as if trying to ease her tension, but the girl remained motionless, as still as a snail.

He raised an eyebrow, realization dawning—she was indeed still afraid of him.

So, with a faint crease between his brows, he began to approach her again.

A faint, cool scent of wood drifted on the air.

Shen Chaoxi’s heart sank, her gaze wary, though she outwardly showed no sign.

As the man bent closer, his ascetic, handsome face near hers, her lashes trembled and her heart contracted.

His movements were steady and strong, his gaze not meeting hers, intent only on wrapping her securely in the quilt. All trace of the stern, unyielding man she had seen in Dongzhou was gone.

He exuded an air of chill and nobility, his legs long and straight, the tailored black suit unable to hide his flawless physique. His back was ramrod straight, like a pine standing on a cliff’s edge.

As he leaned down, the white collar of his shirt revealed a smooth collarbone, above which his Adam’s apple shifted. The girl’s gaze lingered.

Shen Chaoxi had to admit, his looks were truly exceptional. In uniform, she had thought him merely handsome and upright; up close now, there was something mesmerizing about him.

His lashes were thick and curled, his nose straight and enviable, and his Adam’s apple visibly moved—a restrained sort of allure.

He made sure the quilt was snug, his fingers long, fair, and well-shaped, the pads calloused from handling firearms, adding a touch of maturity and steadiness.

Then, the man straightened, his magnetic voice low and rich, his face still icy and aloof.

“I’ll be outside. Call me if you need anything.”

With a faint curl of his lips, he glanced sideways at the girl bundled in the quilt, only her pale face visible, and, seeing her frown, quietly left the room.

The door closed behind him.

Sunlight filtered through the white gauze, casting a gentle glow on the girl, making her sickly pallor stand out in the light. For a moment, she raised her eyes, a shadow flickering across them.

Shen Chaoxi narrowed her eyes.

#

“She fell into the lake?” Old Master Shen asked, unhurried.

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you summon a doctor?”

“Yes, sir. The doctor is already with the young lady,” the old butler replied. “I also sent someone to check on her. They said the young lady caught a chill from the lake, which may affect her health, but it should be nothing serious—she only needs some rest.”

“Very well. See that Yunzhou and Chenxin both stay at Sanqing Peak for now.”

Just yesterday, Lu Yunzhou had returned to the capital and sent word that he wished to visit his old mentor.

After they conversed for a while at Sanqing Peak, it had grown late.

Thus, they were to remain at Sanqing Peak for the night.