Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

When Li Bao'er woke up, her first feeling was pain.

The pain in her limbs was amplified with every breath she took. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt so heavy that she could only barely open them a crack.

"Bao'er? Bao'er? Can you hear me?" A clear yet gentle male voice was in my ear.

"Liu...Shu?" The gaze filtering through her swollen eyes made it difficult for her to see clearly, but she recognized the voice calling her as belonging to the Eighth Prince, a member of the imperial family. She wanted to force a smile and then curse, "You've really ruined my life," but even the movement of her lips aggravated the pain.

“It’s me, it’s me, Liu Shu. It’s okay, Bao’er, it’s okay. Don’t move, do you want some water? You’ve lost a lot of blood…” The man’s voice choked with sobs.

Li Bao'er hummed in agreement, and then heard the sound of bowls and spoons clattering together, as if warm water was being scooped into her mouth by a porcelain spoon.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The Eighth Prince, who had never served anyone before, couldn't control the speed at which he fed her water. Half of the small spoonful of water spilled out, running down Li Bao'er's cheeks and down behind her ears and neck. Liu Shu hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe it up.

Under Liu Shu's clumsy service, Li Bao'er drank three and a half spoonfuls of warm water, then shook her head to indicate that she would not drink anymore.

Just drinking those three sips of water left Li Bao'er utterly exhausted. Her head felt heavy and dizzy, and before she drifted off to sleep, Li Bao'er thought painfully: "I'd rather just die."

Li Bao'er spent three days in a state of intermittent sleep and wakefulness. During these three days, Liu Shu personally changed her dressings, fed her porridge and water, and even helped her to the toilet. Moreover, every time she woke up, she would hear Liu Shu's voice immediately.

When Li Bao'er's eyelids were no longer swollen and she could see clearly, she realized that the room she was in was no ordinary room. Just by looking at the canopy bed carved with auspicious beasts like Qilin, the layers of gauze curtains hanging on the bed frame, and the pleasant-smelling incense mixed with the smell of medicine, Li Bao'er knew that the owner of this room was rich.

She didn't ask where she was. Looking into Liu Shu's bright and joyful eyes, the first thing she said through gritted teeth was, "You, the Eighth Prince, the Emperor's brother, a true member of the imperial family, don't you have a few palace maids or servants to take care of me?"

Yes, during the three days Li Bao'er lay in bed, her main feelings were pain, embarrassment, and anger. Not to mention that Liu Shu was completely incapable of taking care of anyone—either spilling porridge all over her neck or causing her to choke while being fed medicine—he had to personally change her dressings every day, even though most of her injuries were on her chest and back!

But for the past three days, Li Bao'er's throat has been burning with pain, as if cut by a knife, and she has developed a fever. Every word she utters requires a great deal of effort, so she has given up: it doesn't matter anymore, patients have no dignity.

These words left Liu Shu flustered. He didn't dare look at Li Bao'er and said hesitantly, "I'm just... afraid that others would know you're a girl... Even if you were a palace maid, I wouldn't believe it..."

Li Bao'er was truly at a loss for words, unsure of where to begin. She wanted to say, "Am I a girl and you a man?!" She also wanted to say, "You're such an incompetent Eighth Prince, you don't even have a single trusted maid by your side?" She even wanted to say, "Are you deliberately trying to take advantage of me?" But in the end, she swallowed all these words back. Never mind, never mind.

Seeing that Li Bao'er lay back down and closed her eyes, Liu Shu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I will definitely take responsibility for you. Once you're better, we'll start preparing for the wedding."

With her eyes closed, Li Bao'er said weakly, "No need."