Quick Wear: Beautiful, Strong, Miserable, Whitening Guide

He immediately recalled Chu Ziyu's previous oppression in the Empress Dowager's palace, his forbearance in the court, and... his fear and struggle under his relentless pressure.

An extremely strange and sharp stabbing sensation suddenly pierced Lin Ci'an's heart.

"Possible recovery?"

He asked in a cold voice, no emotion could be heard.

"This... I will do my utmost to treat your majesty. However, the damage to the mind and spirit cannot be cured quickly by medicine. You need to rest and nurture yourself, and avoid further stimulation. With time, perhaps..."

Doctor Liu's words were tactful, but his meaning was clear: Don't think about it in the short term, and don't be stimulated again.

Lin Ci'an was silent for a moment, then looked at Chu Ziyu through the door.

"Use the best medicine."

"Whatever you need, go directly to the treasury and withdraw it. We must ensure His Majesty's rapid recovery."

"Yes, yes!" Doctor Liu kowtowed quickly as if he had been pardoned.

Lin Ci'an waved his hand and asked him to leave, and they were the only two left in the hall again.

He walked to the edge of the couch and sat down. He stretched out his hand and rubbed Chu Ziyu's soft head very slowly and almost greedily.

"Broken into this shape..."

"From now on, you can only live in my palm."

He whispered, not sure if he was trying to comfort the other person or convince himself.

From that day on, Lin Ci'an suspended court for several days on the grounds that His Majesty was frightened by falling into the water and needed rest. All government affairs were moved to the warm room next to the emperor's bedroom for processing.

The palace servants who knew the inside story were strictly controlled and no one dared to reveal the truth.

The next day, Lin Ci'an sat behind the desk in the warm room, and his red brush scratched across the memorials, making a slight rustling sound.

Most of his attention was not on the government affairs at hand, but he kept a close eye on the movements in the inner room.

On the soft couch by the window, Chu Ziyu was wrapped in a thick blanket, curled up like a cold cat.

In his hand he was holding a book of folk tales, which Lin Ci'an had tacitly allowed the palace maids to find to entertain him.

But he couldn't seem to read for long, his eyes would drift away from the pages and fall quietly and unblinkingly on Lin Ci'an.

That look was pure and dependent, with complete trust, and occasionally a hint of ignorance and attachment would flash across it.

Lin Ci'an could clearly feel that gaze.

At first he was not used to this kind of unobstructed gaze, which would cause his pen to freeze for a moment while he was reviewing memorials.

But after a few days, he actually began to adapt strangely, and even...something secretly benefited from it.

(What are you looking at?)

Sometimes he would raise his eyes and accurately catch the gaze that he had no time to dodge.

Chu Ziyu would be like a frightened deer, hurriedly drooping his eyelashes, his cheeks flushed slightly, his fingers unconsciously twisting the pages of the book, looking like someone who had done something wrong and was caught.

(……stupid.)

Lin Ci'an would sneer in his heart, but would remain expressionless on the surface and lower his head again. However, the extremely faint curve at the corner of his lips, which he himself did not even notice, would linger for a moment.

The time for feeding medicine is fixed.

Lin Ci'an would put down his pen, test the temperature himself, and then feed it to him spoonful by spoonful.

Chu Ziyu always frowned, but swallowed it obediently. When she felt the pain, she looked at him with wet eyes in grievance.

"bitter……"

Her voice was soft and contained an unconscious hint of coquettishness.

Lin Ci'an would hand over the candied fruit expressionlessly, and watch the man immediately take it away with a smile on his face, his tongue occasionally brushing against his fingertips, bringing a subtle, strange touch.

His expression remained indifferent, but his movements of handing over the candied fruit became smoother and more natural each time.

(...never mind, it's better than crying.)

This is how he explained it to himself.

In the afternoon, Chu Ziyu often fell asleep in the warm sunshine.

The book slipped from his loosened hands, and he leaned on the soft pillow, breathing evenly, sleeping defenselessly.

Lin Ci'an would go over after finishing the important official business at hand.

He would usually stand and watch for a while, watching the sunlight cast tiny shadows on the pale face, and watching the cheeks that were slightly red from a peaceful sleep.

Then he would bend down, pick up the fallen book, put it away, and pull up the carpet that had slipped off for him.

Sometimes, Chu Ziyu would unconsciously move closer to the heat source in his dreams, resting his forehead on the back of his hand on the edge of the couch, or grabbing a corner of his clothes.

Lin Ci'an would freeze and try to pull away, but the subtle force and dependent posture were like invisible threads that tripped him up.

He would eventually choose to sit down beside the couch and let the other party hold him until government affairs had to be handled or Chu Ziyu woke up on his own.

At night, Lin Ci stayed in the outer room.

This became an unwritten rule.

It seemed that Chu Ziyu could only sleep peacefully when she knew he was not far away. Occasionally, when she woke up in the middle of the night, her cautious, tearful "Husband?" would always be answered immediately.

"I'm here."

Just two simple words can instantly soothe all anxieties.

Lin Ci'an found that he was getting used to this kind of response, and would even subconsciously pay attention to what was happening in the room late at night.

This daily routine is trivial and peaceful, creating a strange illusion of warmth.

Lin Ci'an enjoyed this complete dependence and control. Seeing that ignorant person only recognized him like a fledgling, this sense of satisfaction almost overshadowed everything else.