The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Chapter 181

The long-awaited update~

Shen Yu had no idea what had agitated Shang Junlin, but he was roused from his sleep in the middle of the night.

"Your Majesty..." Shen Yu bit his lip, letting out a muffled groan, "Let go..."

No matter how Shen Yu struggled or pleaded, the man seemed oblivious. Frustrated and angry, Shen Yu seized a moment to kick him.

He was then grabbed and dragged back, and it wasn't until dawn that they both fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke, his entire body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together poorly. Even lifting a finger was a struggle.

His body was dry, and a cup was placed beside the bed. Shen Yu slowly propped himself up and took a sip from the cup.

It was warm water with honey.

After finishing the drink, his throat felt a bit better. He called out, "Mu Xi."

"What time is it now?"

"It's noon."

Shen Yu wasn't surprised by this. Whenever Shang Junlin lost control, he always woke up around this time the next day.

After finishing the porridge, Shen Yu set the bowl aside. "Where is His Majesty?"

"His Majesty is in a meeting with the ministers."

Although King Yue had been captured, the matter was far from over. Both King Yue's own forces and those loyal to the late emperor needed to be dealt with by Shang Junlin.

The sooner it was resolved, the better.

Unable to get out of bed, Shen Yu asked Mu Xi to bring him a few storybooks to read.

After a while, Shen Yu started feeling uncomfortable and set the book down. "I’ll take a nap."

Mu Xi tidied up and left the room.

When Shang Junlin returned, the bedchamber was very quiet. The palace attendant moved cautiously, trying not to make any noise, a sign that their master was sleeping.

Shang Junlin removed his cloak and entered the chamber.

It was quiet and slightly dim with the windows shut. Shang Junlin walked straight to the bed and saw Shen Yu sleeping peacefully, his face flushed.

For a moment, Shang Junlin's heart softened completely.

He sat on the edge of the bed and touched Shen Yu's face, which felt a bit hot. Shang Junlin's movements paused as he felt Shen Yu's forehead.

The temperature was indeed higher than normal.

Frowning, Shang Junlin stood up and walked out of the room.

Mu Xi was attending outside when Shang Junlin came out. He knew she was Shen Yu's trusted palace maid.

"What time did the Noble Monarch wake up today? When did he go back to sleep?"

Mu Xi answered each question.

"Did he show any unusual signs today?"

Mu Xi thought carefully and shook her head.

"What did the Noble Monarch do today?"

"After waking up, he had a bowl of porridge and read a storybook for about half an hour. Then he slept."

Shang Junlin calculated the time and realized Shen Yu had been sleeping for nearly two hours.

"Meng Chang, go and fetch Physician Gu."

Imperial Physician Gu was urgently summoned to Yu Zhang Palace.

Shang Junlin sat by the bed, gently stroking Shen Yu's hair, his face looking grim.

"No need for formalities. Diagnose the Noble Monarch immediately."

A pale hand emerged from the bed curtains, covered in red marks. Physician Gu glanced at it briefly before focusing on taking the pulse.

"The Noble Monarch has symptoms of a slight cold. I will prescribe a medicine, and he should recover in two to three days after taking it."

Physician Gu wrote a prescription, and a palace servant immediately went to fetch the medicine.

Shang Junlin carefully tucked Shen Yu's arm back under the blanket. "Is there anything seriously wrong with the Noble Monarch's health? How did he catch a cold?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. The Noble Monarch's health is not seriously compromised. The cold might be due to a slight chill, but it’s nothing serious."

As for why he caught a chill, Imperial Physician Gu did not speculate.

Recalling the events of last night, Shang Junlin felt remorseful. He had checked Shen Yu's temperature after getting up and found nothing wrong before leaving. But when he returned shortly after, Shen Yu had already developed a fever.

Remembering the glimpse of the red marks he had seen, Physician Gu hesitated but finally spoke up. "Your Majesty, the Noble Monarch's body cannot endure too much strain. This fever is partly due to the cold, but also..."

He paused appropriately, "If Your Majesty could be more considerate of the Noble Monarch's health, some restraint would be advisable."

Shang Junlin's face darkened even more. The palace servants couldn't help but tremble, not daring to make a sound. Physician Gu knew his words would anger the emperor, but he couldn't withhold the truth.

In the silence so profound that one could hear a pin drop, a soft laugh from behind the bed curtains broke through, unusually clear and instantly shattering the suffocating atmosphere.

In his half-asleep state, Shen Yu faintly heard Shang Junlin's voice, gradually waking up. He happened to overhear the physician Gu's words and couldn't help but chuckle.

Shang Junlin, no longer concerned with his annoyance towards Gu, quickly leaned over. "Ah Yu, awake? Is something wrong?"

"A bit thirsty," Shen Yu's voice was hoarse.

Mu Xi, attending nearby, hurried over with warm water. Shang Junlin supported Shen Yu, letting him lean against him, and placed a cup to his lips.

Feeling utterly weak, Shen Yu didn't bother lifting his hand and drank all the water with Shang Junlin's assistance. His throat finally felt some relief.

As the bed curtains were drawn back, Shen Yu saw Physician Gu standing aside. Slowly realizing, he found himself unusually warm.

No wonder he felt uncomfortable—it turned out he was ill.

Physician Gu had done what was necessary and left with his medicine chest without disturbing them further.

Resting crookedly in Shang Junlin's embrace, covered with thick blankets, Shen Yu's face flushed abnormally, his breath warmer than usual.

"Did Your Majesty hear what Physician Gu said just now?" Shen Yu teased lightly. "You should restrain yourself more in the future."

"It's my fault," Shang Junlin's tone was subdued. "I shouldn't have troubled you last night."

If not for him, Shen Yu wouldn't have suffered this ordeal.

"What happened to Your Majesty last night?" Shen Yu hadn't forgotten how Shang Junlin, while holding him, repeatedly emphasized in his ear that Shen Yu belonged only to him.

He kept pushing for a response...

Coughing, Shen Yu touched his feverish ear. This time, it wasn't caused by the fever.

Lost in deep self-blame, Shang Junlin didn't hear Shen Yu's question.

After waiting for a while without a response, Shen Yu looked up at Shang Junlin.

In those guilt-ridden eyes of the man before him, Shen Yu was momentarily stunned.

He pursed his lips, knowing his own body well enough. If it weren't for the good care in the palace, falling ill every now and then wouldn't be unusual at all. Shang Junlin had been overly protective of him—over the past year, aside from a few accidents, he had hardly fallen sick. Normal people often caught colds, so he couldn't entirely blame Shang Junlin for his current illness.

His hand under the blanket was tightly held by the man, Shen Yu tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against Shang Junlin's. "What are you thinking, Your Majesty? You didn't even hear what I said."

The tender touch of warmth and softness pulled Shang Junlin out of his guilt-ridden mood. Just as he was about to say something, Shen Yu silenced him with his lips.

"Your Majesty, don't say things I don't want to hear."

Shen Yu's body temperature was higher than usual. The moment their lips touched, Shang Junlin forgot everything he wanted to say. When Shen Yu pulled back, Shang Junlin couldn't help but want to chase after him.

Unable to avoid Shen Yu's gaze and not wanting to avoid it either, Shang Junlin's long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings before slowly closing his eyes.

It was a kiss full of tenderness.

After it ended, Shen Yu leaned against Shang Junlin, his breathing slightly heavier.

Shang Junlin touched his forehead. "Even when you're sick, you still tease me."

Shen Yu nestled comfortably in his arms. "Your Majesty still hasn't said what happened yesterday."

Though Shang Junlin enjoyed that kind of intimacy, he wouldn't completely disregard Shen Yu's feelings. Last night's Shang Junlin was very different from before. If not for being deeply affected, Shen Yu didn't think he would have done such a thing.

Shang Junlin hesitated in his movements. "Yesterday during the day, you stared at Gu Huai for a long time. What were you thinking then?"

Shen Yu recalled. When they were in the teahouse, he had seen Gu Huai, resplendent in armor, and memories of the Gu Huai he knew from his past life stirred some emotions within him.

"What does Your Majesty think I was thinking?" Shen Yu turned to face Shang Junlin, locking eyes with him.

Shen Yu's gaze was as penetrating as ever, something Shang Junlin always admired about him, especially when those eyes reflected his own.

Shang Junlin's hand moved down, covering Shen Yu's eyes. "Ah Yu, you shouldn't think about anything."

"What is Your Majesty worried about?" Shen Yu understood roughly now—Shang Junlin was feeling jealous.

Shen Yu had grown accustomed to Shang Junlin's jealousy, but he didn't understand why this time it had such a strong aftermath, even causing a disturbance in the middle of the night.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry about anything. I can assure you that nothing you fear will happen. Besides you, there will never be another person in my heart," Shen Yu's voice was soft but firm.

Shang Junlin knew he should trust Shen Yu, but he couldn't help but wonder if Shen Yu, so precious to him, would one day no longer choose to stay with him.

"I know. I will never allow anyone to replace my position," Shang Junlin lowered his finger, lifting Shen Yu's chin. "Ah Yu will always, forever, only belong to me!"

"So, last night, was it because Your Majesty thought I might fall for Gu Huai?"

Shang Junlin couldn't deny it. "You've always cared about him."

"If that's the case, then does Your Majesty think I might also like King Yue, Jiang Huaiqing, or Shen Qingran?"

Shang Junlin pursed his lips, remaining silent.

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes, unexpectedly leaning in and biting Shang Junlin's cheek. "Even if Your Majesty doesn't trust me, you should trust yourself. Who in this world can compare to Your Majesty? Why would I reject such an excellent person like you and choose someone inferior?"

"I'm not as good as Ah Yu says. I have many shortcomings..."

Shen Yu bit him again. "I won't let anyone belittle the person I love, even if it's Your Majesty himself."

The bite was not gentle, and after releasing his lips, Shen Yu left a mark on the man's face. Proud of his handiwork, Shen Yu grinned.

The pain on his face was almost negligible, but the tingling sensation in his heart couldn't be ignored. Shang Junlin tightly embraced the person in his arms, feeling jubilant as if his heart was about to burst out.

Random kisses fell on his face. Shen Yu closed his eyes, allowing Shang Junlin to peck at his face like a puppy. He enjoyed feeling needed by Shang Junlin, making him feel more genuinely alive in this world.

Struggling to reach out from under the blanket, Shen Yu hugged Shang Junlin back. Now that this matter was resolved, it was time to "settle accounts" for another matter.

"About last night, Your Majesty, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

Shen Yu felt distinctly that when these words fell, Shang Junlin's body stiffened.

****

Shang Junlin's fears are very relatable... Everyone, always have faith with your partners and communicate frequently. 

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