Chapter 157: Chapter 156: When Did You Guys Meet?
At the moment their eyes met, Shang Ruyi’s previously calm state of mind suddenly plunged into an icy abyss, her whole body stiffening for a moment.
It was Yu Wenye.
He was standing in the center of the room, as if scrutinizing something, and when he turned to look at her, his gaze coldly scanned her from head to toe, as if he were surveying his territory.
Then he spoke, "You’re back."
"..."
Shang Ruyi’s throat tightened for a moment. After a brief silence, she said, "Why have you come?"
"Should I not be here?"
"No, that’s not it."
She hurried into the room and looked around. There was nowhere for him to sit, and just as Shang Ruyi hesitated, Yu Wenye pointed to the bed in the room and said, "Sit."
...
He really seemed like the master of this place.
Shang Ruyi didn’t argue, and slowly walked over, sitting down at the edge of the bed. Yu Wenye stepped forward, standing in front of her and looking down at her.
The two of them facing each other like this was truly a bit awkward.
Shang Ruyi looked up, wanting to say something, only to realize that his attire had changed. When she saw him this morning in the East Courtyard, he was merely in a close-fitting white nightgown, but now he was in a white light coat of a strange design, clearly not something brought from home.
Shang Ruyi gently shook her head, seemingly wanting to put aside the question of who gave him his clothes, and asked, "Why aren’t you resting properly?"
Yu Wenye looked at her and said, "I heard that you came by."
"Yes."
"You came and then left."
"... That’s right."
"Why didn’t you come in?"
Shang Ruyi looked up briefly at him with a "you know why" expression but then thought it over, and smiled, saying, "Didn’t I promise before not to disturb you? When I arrived, I happened to see you all—so I left."
Yu Wenye slightly narrowed his eyes.
The two of them looked at each other for a while. Shang Ruyi felt that she hadn’t done anything wrong, so she calmly looked at him, and after a while, Yu Wenye spoke deeply, "You do keep your promises."
Was it her imagination, or did those words seem to carry a hint of gritted teeth?
Yet upon looking at him again, he still seemed calm.
Shang Ruyi smiled, "A person is nothing without integrity. If I promise something, I naturally follow through. On this point, you can have peace of mind."
"... Good, very good."
Yu Wenye nodded, but after saying those few words, his face seemed somehow to take on a difficult expression. Shang Ruyi feared that his wound had reopened and quickly asked, "How is your injury? Does it still hurt?"
Yu Wenye gave her a sharp look.
For some reason, those last three words touched something in his heart like a light brush, not hurting, not itching, yet bringing an intolerable feeling.
He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "It’s nothing."
Shang Ruyi instinctively reached out to touch his wound, but as soon as she raised her hand, she pulled it back—she shouldn’t be so forgetful.
So she awkwardly smiled and said, "An arrow to the chest, you should be resting well, you shouldn’t be out and about."
"..."
"What if the wound opens up?"
Watching her retract her hand, Yu Wenye’s brow furrowed slightly without his noticing.
He paused before speaking, his voice seemingly even huskier, "It didn’t hit a vital point—I shot from three hundred steps away from Ashina Shali, and the Divine Arm Bow was enough to strike him; although his arrow was whistling, the distance was too great, and its strength had waned, so it didn’t damage my heart pulse."
Shang Ruyi was overjoyed, "That’s good then!"
Bringing this up, Yu Wenye’s expression dimmed.
"Unfortunately, it only hit his eye."
"Eye...?"
Shang Ruyi recalled the scene she witnessed before fainting that day, Ashina Shali clutching his face—so it was his eye that got hit—and she felt a bit regretful, "Even so, he wasn’t killed."
Yu Wenye’s eyes flashed, "Originally, I could have hit his forehead."
At hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately comforted him, "That was only off by a hair, probably because it was your first time using the Divine Arm Bow. With practice, next time you might—"
"No,"
Bringing this up, Yu Wenye’s expression looked somewhat regretful, and after glancing at her, his eyes were even more conflicted.
"Honestly, I could have hit it."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was stunned—what did he mean?
She wanted to ask again but felt that harping on the issue of his not killing the enemy leader might cause discomfort; Yu Wenye, being so proud, probably didn’t want to be reminded of his failure.
So she consoled him, "Regardless, you’ve accomplished a great feat this time."
"..."
"I just strolled around the city and heard the common folk singing your praises. Many people said you were like a Heavenly God, saving them from disaster."
Yu Wenye’s expression first relaxed, but then, as if with a hint of anger, he looked at her, "You actually have the heart to go strolling?"
"..."
What’s wrong with strolling?
Anyone feeling upset could find a peaceful place to unwind, couldn’t they?
But naturally, she couldn’t say that to him, as she didn’t want him to know she’d been to the East Courtyard and witnessed things that had soured her mood. So, Shang Ruyi immediately put on a smile and said, "Anyway, you should be awarded the highest merit for defeating the Turkic army this time. His Majesty the Emperor will surely reward you richly."
For some reason, at the mention of "His Majesty the Emperor," Yu Wenye’s gaze suddenly chilled.
Shang Ruyi inexplicably felt a chill, instinctively asking, "What’s the matter?"
Yu Wenye said, "You seem to know His Majesty the Emperor quite well."
At these words, and seeing his gaze, Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately understood why he’d come to see her so quickly. Someone must have already told him what happened earlier.
She thought for a moment and said, "I can explain this."
"Fine, go ahead."
"That day, when Ashina Shali attacked the camp, we—"
Yu Wenye furrowed his eyebrows, cutting her off, "That’s not what I want to hear."
"Huh?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback—wasn’t he here to ask why the Emperor had carried her back to the government office?
So she asked, "Then what do you want to know?"
Yu Wenye’s eyes flickered, carrying a hint of restrained anger, "When was it that you and His Majesty the Emperor came to know each other?"
"We had run into each other a few times before, but didn’t meet formally until we returned to Luoyang."
"Returned to Luoyang?"
Yu Wenye’s brow slowly knitted, and he said in a low voice, "We didn’t stay long when we returned to Luoyang, and you only went out a few times before heading to Shuo Bei."
"..."
"So when exactly did you two get to know each other?"