That night, just as Nan Muxue had settled into bed, she reached out and swatted away a stray "claw." The rejection left the other person looking utterly deflated. "You..."
"Sleep."
Chu Ruo leaned in stubbornly. "I say, are you looking down on me because I’m blind? You won't even let me touch you."
Nan Muxue arched an eyebrow. "Even blind, you cannot behave yourself?"
Taking the opportunity to be shamelessly persistent, Chu Ruo pressed herself tightly against the other woman, a grin spreading across her face. "I’m only like this with you."
Nan Muxue couldn't help but let out a small laugh, lightly pinching Chu Ruo’s cheek. "Your Master finds you quite loathsome."
"Disingenuous as always. Why hasn't your script changed after all this time? You used to say the same thing back then. No creativity at all."
Nan Muxue turned onto her side. By the pale moonlight, she gazed intently at her beloved, her voice carrying a hint of teasing. "Then what would you like to hear... Sister?"
Chu Ruo choked, coughing for a good while before she could catch her breath. "You... you’re wicked."
"Is that not right? Did you not say that we were two sisters fleeing for our lives?"
"Alright, that’s enough. Stop while you're ahead. I’m covered in goosebumps."
"Would you like your Master to skin them off for you?"
*You heartless woman... I treat you like a wife, and you want to skin me.* Despite the thought, Chu Ruo pulled her closer once more. "As long as it’s you, forget skinning me—I’d even gouge out my eyes for you."
Nan Muxue raised a hand to stroke her face. "You have already given them to me." If not for her, those beautiful, bright eyes would never have become so dim and lifeless.
Sensing the shift in Nan Muxue’s mood from her breathing, Chu Ruo forced a wide grin. "Well then, I can give you my heart, too." She took Nan Muxue’s hand, pressing it to her own lips and blowing warm air onto it. "Your hands are so chilly. In this cold weather..."
"It is nothing. My body has always been cold."
"Then you must be even more careful." Chu Ruo’s eyes suddenly grew rimmed with red. "Xue’er..."
Nan Muxue tenderly cupped Chu Ruo’s head, smiling. "All this weeping... what is it you’re trying to beg for, hmm?"
"I just..." Before she could finish, the woman opposite her pressed forward with a breathless kiss, followed by a soft, coaxing murmur. "Are you satisfied now?"
*I’m just heartbroken for you.* That was what Chu Ruo wanted to say. Since they had arrived here, her beloved was no longer the high-and-mighty Young Palace Mistress. Here, they had to do everything themselves—or rather, Nan Muxue did. Who could have imagined that one day, Nan Muxue would be huddled in a place like this, chopping wood, cooking, washing clothes, and feeding chickens? These were the chores of a peasant woman, yet she refused to let Chu Ruo touch a single thing, taking every burden upon herself. She had always been this way. Chu Ruo buried her face in the crook of the other’s neck. "Nan Muxue, you aren't good at all."
The woman beneath her let her lips curl upward. "Mhm. Because I am a little scorpion."
"No. Because you don't listen. You’re always trying to be strong, you insist on doing everything yourself, and you’re so overbearing. You never listen to anyone else. In short, you aren't good at all."
"Whatever you say, it shall be so."
"But everything you do is for me."
Nan Muxue shook her head. "It is for us."
"Is it worth it? Is it really worth it?" This wasn't the first time Chu Ruo had asked. Even though she knew the answer would be the same as always, she couldn't help but ask. It was guilt, it was sorrow, and it was self-reproach. She was asking Nan Muxue, but she was also asking herself. *For a useless person like me, it isn't worth it.* Sometimes, she almost wished her Xue’er would harshly push her away, tell her it wasn't worth it, and tell her to leave. Yet, when Nan Muxue had actually left her to return to the Baihua Palace before, the heartache had been so unbearable that every breath felt like a jagged wound. "Everything today... it’s just so terrible."
"If it were I who was blind and broken today, would you leave me?"
Chu Ruo answered instantly. "Of course not."
"Since you would not, why must you insist I be the heartless one?" Nan Muxue’s tone actually carried a hint of a joke now. "Ruo’er, how can you be the one who is devoted and loyal, while pushing me toward the opposite path? You are quite selfish, aren't you?"
Chu Ruo was in no mood for laughter. She felt stifled. "From the very first day, I’ve had some self-awareness. I don't deserve you. You threw away everything for me, but in reality, I have nothing at all. It’s not fair. You gave up so much, while I... I told you before, I am just a piece of floating duckweed in this alien world. I have nothing to lose, that’s why I—"
"You have nothing?"
Chu Ruo was confused by the sudden interruption. To her surprise, Nan Muxue spoke again. "Think carefully before you speak."
"Wha—"
"Do you truly have nothing to lose?"
"Xue’er, you..."
Nan Muxue suddenly turned fierce, pinning Chu Ruo beneath her. Seemingly dissatisfied, she bit down hard on Chu Ruo’s lips—"ravaging" would perhaps be a more fitting word. Her eyes flashed with a cold light. "Say it one more time. Say you have nothing."
Chu Ruo didn't even notice the stinging pain on her lips; she was mostly stunned. She truly couldn't fathom which part of her words had triggered the other woman. It felt as though a previously docile cat had suddenly bristled its fur, and the worst part was not knowing which nerve she had stepped on. But having suffered so many times before, she had learned to be a bit more sensible. "Are you... angry?"
"Chu Ruo!"
Chu Ruo replied cautiously, "Wh-what?"
"You... how dare you!" In her pique, Nan Muxue bit down hard again. No matter how much the other person pleaded for mercy, she seemed possessed, refusing to loosen her grip in the slightest.
It was only after a long, long time that Nan Muxue finally pulled away. The person beneath her gently wrapped her arms around her, holding her carefully and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Is the anger gone now?"
No answer.
Chu Ruo’s voice turned doting. "Alright, it was my fault. Anger is bad for the body. Master, you are getting on in years, you must take care of yourself."
Veins popped on Nan Muxue’s forehead. "Get off me!"
"...You’ve scolded me, you’ve bitten me, and you still won't let me off?"
Nan Muxue still seemed deeply incensed. "Go."
"I was wrong. It’s all my fault. I don't know how to speak properly. You are a person of great character, please forgive me?"
Seeing that the other woman still showed no signs of cooling down, Chu Ruo actually let out a chuckle, which only drew a cold remark. "Is this very funny?"
"I’m sorry." These three words were spoken with utmost sincerity. Nan Muxue was in the heat of her anger, but she truly hadn't expected the other to suddenly apologize with such earnestness. She was momentarily taken aback. Chu Ruo’s expression was genuine. "I shouldn't have said I have nothing to lose. Xue’er, here, in this world, I have never had 'nothing.' I have everything. I have you."
Nan Muxue still turned her head away, looking very much like she was sulking. "You’ve certainly learned to be clever this time."
"After following you for so long, if I were still that stupid, I’d really be doing you a disservice."
"You aren't much better. Otherwise, how could you say such foolish things?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Master is right to lecture me."
Nan Muxue pinched her chin. "Chu Ruo, if you call me Master one more time..."
Chu Ruo dared to cut her off. "What then? Will you poke my eyes out or cripple me? You don't even have to lift a finger for that now; I’ve already checked both boxes."
Nan Muxue whispered into her ear, "I won't do anything. From now on, you and I shall be nothing but true Master and Disciple. Disciple, have you committed that to memory?"
"Deeply engraved in my heart." Chu Ruo took the chance to flip over, pinning the other woman down. She began to smirk. "So, right now, are we being 'fake' Master and Disciple?"
Nan Muxue narrowed her eyes. "Are we not sisters?"
"Husband and wife~" Chu Ruo reached out and yanked the cotton quilt up, instantly wrapping the two of them tightly together. "The kind with the reality, if not the title..."
...The rest is not important and is omitted; use your imagination.
