"Xue'er!"
Chu Ruo bolted upright, her soul still shaken by lingering fear. "Xue'er! Where is Xue'er?"
The others in the room looked at her. "Are you alright?"
She flung back the covers, intent on getting out of bed. "Where is Xue'er!"
"Careful now, don't get up yet."
"Where is she?" Chu Ruo stared at them, her voice rising. "What are you all looking at me for? Answer me! Where is Xue'er!"
Sitting by the bed, Duan Ning asked tentatively, "Do you know who I am?"
"I'm in no mood for games..."
"Answer me first."
"Duan Ning."
Duan Ning pointed toward the person standing by the door. "And her?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That's Yin Liuli. I haven't lost my memory, so why are you asking me this? I want Xue'er!"
"Haven't you noticed anything different about yourself?"
Impatience flared in Chu Ruo's eyes. "Where is Xue'er? Don't force my hand."
"Such a temper." *Smack!* Duan Ning slapped the back of her head. "I said you were a dummy, and you really aren't proving me wrong." She held up four fingers. "How many is this?"
Chu Ruo swatted her hand away. "I—" She paused, her gaze snapping forward. She rubbed her eyes vigorously. Everything in the room—the layout, the furniture, the people—was perfectly clear. Her voice trembled with sudden excitement. "My eyes..."
"You finally realized, you blockhead? It seems a certain someone's eyes are healed."
"My eyes..." Before joy could take hold, her heart returned to the woman who occupied her every thought. "Where is Xue'er? Where is my Xue'er? If something happened to her, what use do I have for these eyes!"
"I swear, you really are... Don't you understand? If it weren't for her, would your sight have ever returned?"
"You mean..."
"She staged that entire ruse just to provoke you, forcing your internal energy to surge so your vision would be restored."
"Then she..."
The door pushed open. Who else could it be but the one she had been pining for?
"There she is. If you have something to say, ask her yourself. After all that fuss... alright, everyone, let's go. Let's not get in the way of these two lovebirds." As she closed the door, Duan Ning gave a playful wink. "Take your time, chat about whatever you like. Bye-bye!"
"Xue'er!"
Nan Muxue approached the bed. Before she could even sit down, she was pulled into a crushing embrace. It was so tight she could barely breathe, yet she couldn't bring herself to pull away even an inch. "Ruo'er."
Chu Ruo had never thought those two syllables could sound so beautiful. She wished time would stop at this moment, that they would never have to let go. "Nan Muxue, you scared me to death," she began to sob uncontrollably. "Do you have any idea... do you know..."
"I am right here, Ruo'er. In my Ruo'er's arms. I'm not going anywhere."
The next second, however, she was pushed away by the very person who had been holding her so tightly. Nan Muxue reached out to touch her. "What is it?"
Chu Ruo was clearly fuming now. "Duan Ning just said this was all a setup?"
"It was."
"Nan Muxue!"
The other woman remained unrepentant. "I do not see a problem with it."
"No problem? Do you know how worried I was? Did you even practice the Lovesick Bloom at all!"
Nan Muxue actually began to laugh, which only served to make Chu Ruo'er more incensed. "I am asking you a serious question! What are you laughing at?"
Nan Muxue reached out again, her fingers tracing the contours of Chu Ruo's eyes. "No matter what I did, it was worth it for this."
Chu Ruo turned her head away. "I'm not grateful at all. I won't accept this favor."
"I don't need your gratitude, nor do I need you to accept a favor. I only do what I believe is right."
"You!"
"I told you, nothing is more important than your eyes."
"So you put yourself in danger? You lied to me? What did you promise me? That you wouldn't lie, and you wouldn't leave me." Tears began to fall again. "Nan Muxue, you... you're heartless."
She leaned in to embrace her. "Ruo'er..."
"Get out! I don't want your hugs, and I don't want your help!" Chu Ruo's reaction this time was far more intense than her usual moods. Usually, a little coaxing and a hug would settle things, but she seemed truly livid. Her body, weakened by the sudden release of internal energy during her earlier panic, felt frail. She shouted, "Get out! I don't want to see you! *Cough...* Just go! *Cough, cough...*"
Having shared a bed for so long, how could Nan Muxue not sense the change in her beloved? "Fine, I will go. Just calm down." Seeing Chu Ruo's coughing grow more violent, she didn't want to provoke her further. She poured a cup of hot tea, set it down, and retreated from the room.
When Nan Muxue stepped outside, she found Duan Ning and Yin Liuli still awake. They immediately pulled her over to sit down, teasing her. "Well, well, how rare! Our Young Palace Mistress has been kicked out of the room for the first time. Have the roles reversed? Usually, it's Chu Ruo being chased out by you. I remember how pitiful she used to look every time."
"That's enough, Ning'er," Yin Liuli interrupted, then asked, "How is Chu Ruo?"
"She is fine. Where is Yunshuang?"
"Yan'er is watching over her. You were the one who struck her; you should know better than anyone how serious the injury is." Duan Ning crossed her arms. "That was quite the performance. You fooled everyone. When we rushed over, we only saw Chu Ruo holding you and crying before she went berserk. Who would have thought that as soon as she fainted, you'd wake right up? Yunshuang had already been knocked back by her energy and couldn't move, yet you still struck her again to injure her further. All that just to restore Chu Ruo's sight?"
Nan Muxue didn't answer that directly, only saying, "I could not leave her with any possibility of harming Ruo'er. Tell Yan'er that Yunshuang's injuries are not life-threatening."
"We know that, and Yan'er knows it too. But who wouldn't be anxious when it's the person they love?"
Yin Liuli poured hot tea for the three of them. "It seems no one is getting much sleep tonight." She looked at Nan Muxue again. "Is Chu Ruo angry with you?"
Duan Ning curled her lip. "Those two? It's a common occurrence. If it's not one being angry, it's the other. We're used to it."
"I think Chu Ruo is truly serious this time," Yin Liuli noted.
Nan Muxue sipped her tea. "As long as she is well, it is fine."
Duan Ning gave a deliberate sigh. "You really messed up this time. That girl is always the one coaxing you and pleading with you. For her to kick you out today shows she's genuinely furious."
"Her sight being restored is more important than anything else. I don't need her to think I was right or wrong. Everything I did was for her."
Yin Liuli shook her head. "Xue'er, you usually seem so perceptive, so why don't you understand? Do you think she's just upset because you lied? When has she ever had the heart to stay mad at you for long, especially when it was for her own sake? Chu Ruo might seem flighty, but she is clear-headed, especially regarding you. When she heard you were missing, she was so distraught she coughed up blood. You really shouldn't have gone this far."
"Exactly, exactly! Even I get it, but you're being dense for once."
This was perhaps the first time Nan Muxue had ever sought advice regarding her relationship with Chu Ruo. Usually, they didn't need anyone else's help or interference. However, Chu Ruo's reaction today had indeed been somewhat unexpected. "Why?" *Coughing up blood... how many times has it been now? Why must that girl do such things for me?*
Duan Ning took over. "How much Chu Ruo cares for you... I don't think we need to say it. Didn't you see her reaction these past few days while you were acting cold because of that 'Lovesick Bloom'? Her eyes were so full of disappointment. She wandered around alone every day. When we ran into her today, she was sitting on the ground alone, blowing on a leaf. The tune was as mournful as could be. She looked so pathetic it made our hearts ache. Honestly, you've spent so much time with that dummy that you've become one yourself."
Nan Muxue eventually returned to the room. After a night of chaos, dawn was fast approaching. Things had been smashed and scattered everywhere; she had truly never seen Chu Ruo this angry. Now, however, the girl was fast asleep.
She crept over and lay down, her bright eyes fixed solely on her beloved. "Ruo'er..." Yin Liuli's words echoed in her mind: *Don't you understand? She isn't even afraid of death; she's only afraid that you won't want her anymore.*
"How could I ever not want you?" She leaned closer, settling peacefully into the girl's arms. "How could I ever not want my Ruo'er?"
Chu Ruo was dead to the world, yet she instinctively pulled the woman closer, her lips smacking slightly in her sleep. "Xue'er..."
Nan Muxue thought she had woken up and looked up, but the girl was still asleep. It was just sleep-talking. She smiled softly, making herself more comfortable in the embrace.
"Nan Muxue," Chu Ruo muttered, her lips pouting as she grumbled in her sleep. "You lied to me... scared me... made me think you didn't want me... I'm always the one coaxing you... if you don't coax me this time... this isn't over..."
Nan Muxue watched her, certain the girl was still dreaming. Her lips curled upward involuntarily as she leaned toward her ear. "Fine. I'll coax you. I'll coax you. This time, I will coax you properly."
***
