Morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the guest room's jade-green floor tiles.
Zhu Weyuan curled up in the brocade quilt, her golden dragon pupils hazy from a hangover. A dull throb pulsed at her temple. She vaguely remembered having said things she shouldn't have last night, but the specific details eluded her.
"Awake?"
A gentle male voice came from beside the bed.
Zhu Weyuan turned with difficulty and saw Chen Chang'an sitting by a low table, his slender fingers holding a jade slip and a bowl of medicinal tea in his other hand.
The morning light gilded him with a soft silhouette, his features showing a gentleness she had never seen in her own father.
"Drink this sobering soup."
He rose and approached, the medicinal bowl steaming with the fresh scent of several green spiritual herbs. Zhu Weyuan tried to sit up, but found her body limp as cotton, lacking the strength even to lift a hand. Seeing this, Chen Chang'an gently supported the back of her neck and brought the bowl to her lips.
"Drink slowly."
The medicinal liquid slid down her throat, its coolness instantly clearing the fog in her mind. Only then did Zhu Weyuan notice she had changed into a plain white sleeping robe, her hair meticulously combed and carrying a faint calming fragrance.
"The person who brought you left early this morning," Chen Chang'an seemed to sense her confusion, "I'll be taking care of you for the next few days."
Zhu Weyuan's ears burned hot.
She, the daughter of the Zhu Dragon, when had she ever needed someone else's care? Yet her current weakness left her unable to refuse.
Zhu Weyuan couldn't really hold her liquor, and Bai Li's wine was already a spiritual brew far beyond mortal spirits, on top of which she had gulped down a great deal.
So even after waking, her mind was in a state of extreme dizziness.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Xingcai had shouted early in the morning, "The Celestial Alliance still has missions, Daddy, I'm leaving first," before disappearing again. Left with no choice, Chen Chang'an had to take on the role of caring for the young girl.
This involuntarily reminded him of when he had taken care of Chen Xingcai, and unconsciously, his tone took on a hint of doting.
At noon, Chen Chang'an brought in a bowl of crystal-clear spiritual rice porridge.
The grains were plump as pearls, with a few tender peach blossom petals floating on the surface, exuding a sweet fragrance.
"Alcohol harms the stomach, so have something light first."
He sat by the bed, cooling the porridge spoon by spoon.
"I can do it myself..."
She reached out, only to find her fingertips trembling violently.
Chen Chang'an subtly avoided her trembling hand and brought the spoon to her lips: "Even among spiritual wines, Drunken Immortal Brew is the strongest. You drank a great deal, and your true energy is in chaos. It will take at least three days to recover."
The porridge was the perfect temperature, the rice fragrance mingled with the unique sweetness of peach blossoms.
Zhu Weyuan took small sips, suddenly recalling her childhood illness, when her mother had also stayed by her bedside, gently coaxing her to eat.
But after her mother's death, whenever she was injured, her father would only have the maids attend to her, rarely even coming to see her in person.
The next day, Zhu Weyuan's headache had lessened considerably, but her limbs were still sore and weak.
Waking at dawn, she discovered a delicate sachet placed by her pillow, filled with calming dragon-spit incense.
A faint "rustling" sound came from outside the window.
She struggled to prop herself up and peered through the carved window lattice, seeing Chen Chang'an tending to a spiritual plant in the courtyard.
His sleeves were half-rolled, revealing solid forearms as he skillfully loosened the soil and fertilized the flowers.
He was a cultivator whose cultivation level she couldn't even perceive, yet he was performing such mundane tasks as an ordinary person.
As if sensing her gaze, Chen Chang'an looked up: "Awake?"
He put down the pruning shears and soon returned with a cup of warm honey water: "Have this to soothe your throat first."
The honey water had mint leaves added to it, a coolness tinged with sweetness. Zhu Weyuan sipped it slowly, her heart warming.
In the afternoon, Chen Chang'an moved a low table to the bedside, on which was placed a Go board.
"Do you know how to play Go?"
Zhu Weiyang nodded. She was skilled in the four arts—qin, qi, shu, and hua—but never expected Chen Changan to keep her company.
They played three games, and Zhu Weiyang won all of them.
It wasn't that Chen Changan's skill was lacking; rather, he seemed to dislike calculating the board's situation, playing instead with a casual, free-flowing style, moving wherever his thoughts took him.
"One more game?" he asked with a smile as he gathered the pieces.
Zhu Weiyang suddenly felt that this ordinary guest room was warmer than the palaces of the Dragon's Secret Realm.
On the third day, Zhu Weiyang was finally able to get out of bed and walk around. She pushed open her door and found several exquisite pastries and a pot of fragrant flower tea steaming on the stone table in the courtyard.
"Try some," Chen Changan said, walking out of the kitchen with a plate of spiritual cakes fresh from the oven. "This is Honey Cloud Cake."
Xingcai's favorite kind of pastry, he added silently to himself.
Zhu Weiyang's fingers trembled.
The pastry melted in her mouth, sweet but not cloying. Chen Changan sat opposite her, sunlight filtering through the leaves, sprinkling his robes with dappled light.
He brewed tea quietly, his movements as fluid as flowing water, the fragrance rising with the steam.
"You..." Zhu Weiyang gathered her courage. "Aren't you going to ask who I am?"
Chen Changan's hand paused as he poured the tea. "Here, you're just someone who needs taking care of."
He pushed the teacup toward her. "And when you want to talk, you will."
The tea was premium Snow Bud, and in its clear broth, Zhu Weiyang's reddened eyes were reflected.
In that moment, she suddenly understood what "home" felt like—not a magnificent palace, but someone willing to cook you a bowl of congee, keep a pot of broth warm through the night, or play a game of Go with you.
As evening fell, Chen Changan lit a wind lamp in the courtyard.
Zhu Weiyang stood under the veranda, watching the warm yellow glow illuminate a corner of the small yard.
A night breeze brushed past, carrying the fresh scent of spiritual herbs from the medicinal garden.
"You'll be fully recovered tomorrow," Chen Changan said, turning to look at her. "Do you want to find the person who brought you into the valley?"
Zhu Weiyang shook her head.
She suddenly didn't want to leave this courtyard so soon, didn't want this unexpected "care" to end.
Leaning against the windowsill, Zhu Weiyang gazed at the peach tree in full bloom in the courtyard. Over the past three days, Chen Changan's meticulous care had gradually filled the cracks in her heart, which had been shattered by heartbreak.
She had a sudden realization—if Ji Hongli's partner was a man, then she had no chance from the start.
Why cling to a hopeless love and ruin someone else's happiness? Besides... these three days of being together had made her realize that what she craved might not be a savior who fell from the heavens like Ji Hongli, but rather someone like the one who had been caring for her these past days—someone who could give her meticulous care and warmth.
At the thought, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart beat a little faster.
Chen Changan happened to be pushing the door with breakfast just then. Seeing her lost in thought by the window, he said gently, "You look much better today."
Zhu Weiyang turned to look at him. The morning light cast a soft outline around him, and the gentleness in his features made her heart skip a beat.
She took a deep breath and, mustering her courage, asked, "What's your name?"
Chen Changan was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "My name is Chen Changan."
He placed the congee and side dishes on the table and added, "Don't worry about these past few days of care. It was nothing."
But Zhu Weiyang froze in place, her pupils slightly contracting. "Your name... is Chen Changan?"
Her voice was barely audible, and instantly, the words of Bai Li and Xiao Ling'er flashed through her mind—
"Senior Ji Hongli's partner is Senior Chen Changan."
"Since they're partners, of course, he's a man."
She stared blankly at the gentle and refined man before her, but her heart felt as if it had plunged into an ice cavern.
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