Chapter 721: Chapter 721

"Wait a moment, I... I'm almost ready..." Shen Qingyi hurriedly responded. This time, she didn't dare to hesitate any further and grabbed Ye Qing's hand, pulling him over to her side.

Ye Qing also didn't dare to delay any longer and hurriedly leaned towards Shen Qingyi. With Shen Qingyi's pull, his arm just happened to rest on Shen Qingyi's body, effectively hugging her. And his hand just happened to land on the flat of Shen Qingyi's abdomen.

Shen Qingyi's nightgown was already loosely wrapped, and after all the movement, even more areas became exposed, particularly her abdomen. Ye Qing's hand landed on her smooth skin, which made his head spin all at once. For a moment, he was completely dumbfounded and forgot to lift his hand up.

Feeling the warmth of Ye Qing's hand on her body, Shen Qingyi's body also shuddered. For so many years, no man had dared to be so presumptuous as to place his hand on her body, and she had never imagined such a thing would happen. But today, it indeed happened. In her heart, she instinctively resisted, but there was also an indescribable feeling that made her not push away Ye Qing's hand.

Just then, Shen Qianyue's voice came from outside the door, "Qingyi, are you ready?"

"Ah, yes... I'm ready..." Shen Qingyi hurriedly replied. Shen Qianyue's voice sounded somewhat skeptical, and if she didn't let him in soon, he might really start to suspect something.

"Then I'm coming in." Shen Qianyue pushed the door open and walked in with a bag of fruit in hand, probably the Snow Mountain Fruit he mentioned.

Upon entering the room, Shen Qianyue directly looked around, observing the situation. It seemed that standing so long at the door, he really had begun to suspect something. However, there was nothing unusual in the room, so his doubts gradually dissipated.

"Qingyi, this is the Snow Mountain Fruit I just bought from the market. It's very effective for your health!" Shen Qianyue walked over to Shen Qingyi with a smile, placed the bag of fruit on the table, and said, "Shall I peel one for you to try?"

"No need," Shen Qingyi waved her hand, saying, "Qianyue, I... I feel very dizzy and don't want to eat anything right now. Why don't you leave the items here, and I'll eat them tomorrow when I'm better."

"Is that so," Shen Qianyue sounded somewhat disappointed, but he still placed the Snow Mountain Fruit on the table, saying, "Then I'll keep you company here. Why are you feeling dizzy? Is it because you've lost too much blood?"

Shen Qingyi was taken aback; Shen Qianyue wasn't planning on leaving? Ye Qing was lying next to her, and Shen Qingyi's heart was extremely tense. However, she couldn't just bluntly ask Shen Qianyue to leave; she had no choice but to reluctantly answer his question.

"I don't know; it must be that."

"Qingyi, I'm not trying to scold you, but don't you know your own body?" Shen Qianyue said helplessly, "You've had a blood disorder since you were young, lacking platelets in your blood. Platelets are a vital blood component for healing wounds and stopping bleeding. Without enough platelets, the body is prone to various diseases, to say nothing of injuries. A small wound could cause excessive blood loss and death, which is incredibly dangerous. For all these years, Old Madam has forbidden you from leaving the Shen Family Manor, fearing that you might encounter danger outside, and that would be truly troublesome. Yet, you still got into a conflict with Uncle Shen San yesterday to save Ye Qing. You know his temper; when he gets angry, only Elder Shen, Second Uncle, or Old Madam can subdue him. Who else can manage him? Plus, when he loses his temper, he acts without considering the consequences, and look at your condition now, sigh!"

Ye Qing, hiding in the bed covers, listened to Shen Qianyue's words and was deeply shocked. He had not expected that Shen Qingyi had such a disease. No wonder Old Madame Shen doted on her so much and was so strict in managing her; it was all because they feared any danger she might encounter. Seeing this, Ye Qing could understand why so many people in the Shen Family knew martial arts, yet Shen Qingyi had learned nothing—at Old Madame Shen's decision to protect her from danger. In this respect, Old Madame Shen was indeed doing very well; the care she had for Shen Qingyi could truly be described as meticulous!

Of course, Shen Qianyue had no idea that someone was eavesdropping from under the covers. He sighed deeply, deeply melancholy, saying, "And why did you give all the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills to Ye Qing? Those pills are the Holy Medicine of our Shen Family, of which only so many are produced each year. The family's Ziyu Chenxiang Pills are mostly with you, to help you fend off various diseases. You need to take two Ziyu Chenxiang Pills each month to ensure your body stays healthy. The remaining pills are for saving your life in case of danger, any accidental injuries, you would need the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills to stop the bleeding and heal the wounds. Now that you've given all the pills to Ye Qing, what will you do in the future? There aren't many left in the family; aren't you afraid of encountering other accidents?"

Ye Qing's heart jolted at these words. He only knew that Shen Qingyi had many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills, but he had not realized the reason behind it. It turned out that the Shen Family kept so many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills with Shen Qingyi as a means to save her life. And last night, Shen Qingyi had given the entire bottle of Ziyu Chenxiang Pills to him without any consideration for her situation. Thinking of this, Ye Qing felt both deeply guilty and grateful. To save him, Shen Qingyi had practically risked her own life.

With this thought, Ye Qing couldn't help but hold Shen Qingyi tightly in his arms, unwilling to let go. At that moment, Ye Qing felt an unprecedented sense of gratitude and affection for Shen Qingyi. This distinguished lady seemed to lack nothing, born into a great family like the Shen Family, and admired by the world. But who could have imagined that this Miss was actually quite pitiable? Her blood disorder limited many aspects of her life, to the extent that even stepping out of the Shen Family Manor was a luxury!

Shen Qingyi did not reply; suddenly feeling Ye Qing's tight embrace, she had an indescribable feeling in her heart. For some reason, her resistance was fading, and she longed for that sense of being held close. Her pretty face, however, remained flushed with shyness, and her heart was fully occupied with thoughts of Ye Qing next to her, almost completely missing the words of Shen Qianyue beside her.

"Qingyi, what's wrong with you?" Shen Qianyue saw Shen Qingyi's flushed face and asked anxiously, "Why is your face so red? Are you... do you have a fever?"

As Shen Qianyue spoke, he attempted to stand up and reach out to touch Shen Qingyi's forehead. Shen Qingyi quickly dodged and said, "I... I... I'm fine, Brother Qianyue, I... I'm just a bit dizzy, maybe you can come back tomorrow..."

"Dizzy?" Shen Qianyue asked urgently, "Why would your head be dizzy? Qingyi, do you have a fever? This isn't good. I'll find someone to take a look at you."

As he spoke, Shen Qianyue got up to leave. Shen Qingyi let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the ordeal seemed to be ending.

However, just as Shen Qianyue reached the doorway, Lili ran over in a fluster, almost bumping into Shen Qianyue's arms. Seeing Shen Qianyue, Lili let out a yelp of surprise and almost jumped, her expression one of disbelief.

"Why are you in such a panic?" Shen Qianyue looked at Lili displeasedly and said, "I told you to take care of Miss, where have you been? She has a fever. What have you been doing?"

"I... I... I..." Lili looked nervously into the room and, seeing that Ye Qing was not there, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. In her mind, Ye Qing must have already left, so nothing had happened.

"Old Madam is here, I came to report!" Lili answered. With Ye Qing not being there, she felt much more at ease and spoke more smoothly.

What Shen Qingyi didn't realize upon hearing this was that her complexion changed. Shen Qianyue had not yet left, and now Old Madame Shen had arrived. But Ye Qing was still in her bed! If discovered, what would become of them? This was not only a matter of her personal reputation but also a matter of life and death for Ye Qing!

However, there was nothing Shen Qingyi could do at that moment. Shortly after Lili finished speaking, Old Madame Shen entered with a throng of people in tow, among them Shen San who had caught Ye Qing the previous day. His head hung low, like a defeated rooster, sporting five red finger marks on his left cheek, evidently freshly delivered.

Shen Wu and the others were also bowing their heads. Although not as disheveled as Shen San, each person's expression was awkward. It seemed that the mishap involving the injury of Shen Qingyi the previous day had led to their punishment.

Seeing Old Madame Shen and the others, Shen Qianyue bowed hurriedly and said, "Greetings to Old Madam and the uncles."

"Hmm," Old Madame Shen nodded without giving him a second glance. She proceeded directly into Shen Qingyi's bedroom with the people behind her.

Shen Qianyue stood at the doorway, knowing he did not have the privilege to enter. He turned and slowly walked away.

Seeing the Old Madam come in, Shen Qingyi felt very nervous and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, saying to Old Madame Shen, "Grandma..."

"No need to get up," Old Madame Shen pressed Shen Qingyi back down and looked at her affectionately, saying, "Qingyi, how do you feel? I heard from Lili that you haven't eaten all day. Is something wrong?"

Among all the people in the Shen Family, Old Madame Shen was the one who loved Shen Qingyi the most. Therefore, soon after returning home, she rushed to Shen Qingyi's separate courtyard to check on her condition. The people following her were the second generation of the Shen Family, Shen Qingyi's uncles.

"I'm fine, I'm much better," Shen Qingyi managed a weak smile and said, "Grandma, don't worry, I've got my appetite back. I even asked Lili to warm up some food just now."