Chapter 173 -

Chapter 173: Chapter

Yimei looked at Zhengyu, waiting for him to respond.

When she received no answer from the flushed man, she made a move to get off him and prepare for sleep. But the moment Zhengyu realized she was about to leave, he tightened his grip and held her down.

"What? I thought you couldn’t handle it?" she asked with a smirk as Zhengyu blushed even deeper.

He was the man here, yet he felt completely like the woman in this situation. He knew he was crippled, but there were other men in his position who still knew how to perform their husbandly duties properly. Meanwhile, he was acting like a complete beginner.

"Yimei... I don’t want you doing all the work," he said, his voice filled with so much seriousness that Yimei almost burst out laughing. "I’ll be the one to take control."

Yimei looked down at Zhengyu, then cupped his face gently with both hands. "Well, aren’t you precious?"

"I’m being serious," Zhengyu insisted, his arms still wrapped firmly around her waist as she sat on his lap. "I’m learning... and I’ll show you new skills every single day. You aren’t the only one who can be good at teasing people, you know."

Yimei tilted her head, her dark eyes glittering with amusement as she decided to test him further.

"You couldn’t even kiss me properly just now," she teased softly, running a thumb over his bottom lip with a playful smile. "How am I supposed to trust you?"

"You don’t need to trust me... you will see it for yourself soon," Zhengyu said with a smirk, letting out a soft chuckle.

Yimei climbed off his lap, carefully pulled his trousers back up, and tucked him under the blanket.

"Tomorrow you can start tutoring Bai Kang," she said softly. "Will you be able to handle it, though?"

Zhengyu raised an eyebrow at her. "I’ve been reading books for as long as I can remember. The only reason my parents didn’t let me take part in the imperial exams is because they knew I would pass, and they wanted me to manage the family business instead of joining the imperial court."

Yimei nodded slightly as she listened. "Well, at least they are making good use of their sons. One takes the family business, the second becomes a scholar, and the third will probably do something in between. But Wenliang is a complete idiot. Passing won’t be easy for him, and he doesn’t seem ready to put in any real effort. Teaching Bai Kang will be good. He is smart and deserves the opportunity to shape his own future."

Zhengyu watched Yimei as she spoke, finding himself completely captivated by her voice. It was always calm and smooth—she instinctively adjusted her tone to fit the room, never sounding too loud or too quiet for anyone to hear clearly.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I might just poke your eyes out," Yimei warned without looking up.

Zhengyu snapped back to his senses, a small frown forming on his face. "W-Who is staring at you? I was simply listening to what you were saying. It’s getting late anyway... I’m going to sleep."

He closed his eyes and turned his head slightly toward the wall. Exhausted from the intense burning of the balm and everything else that had happened that night, Zhengyu fell asleep almost instantly, his breathing turning deep and steady.

Once Yimei was completely sure he was fast asleep, she called out in her mind, [Nine, come out. Let’s pick up where we left off.]

[FINALLY!] Nine’s voice rang inside her head instantly, practically bouncing with excitement. [I thought you forgot about me! Host, your progress with the young master is going off the charts! Now, where were we on our plans?]

Nine showed her the skills once more.

[Oho! Look at that shop catalog!] Nine bounced around in her mind, sending the blue glowing screen directly into Yimei’s field of vision. [You’ve got 60 points saved up from today’s progress! What are we buying, Host? That Martial Arts upgrade looks so juicy, and the Spatial Pocket Space is a classic!]

Yimei looked over the floating list with a calm, calculating gaze.

Her fingers tapped lightly against her knee as she weighed each option. Combat skills and poison identification were useful, but she was already capable of taking care of physical threats for now. Profit and storage could wait.

In a den of vipers like the Bai household where everyone carried hidden motives and fake smiles information was the ultimate weapon.

I’ll take option three, Yimei instructed mentally. Lie Detection.

[Ding! Purchase confirmed!] Nine chimed happily. [Deducting 60 System Points! Unlocking: Lie Detection Passive Aura (Level 1)!]

A light, cool sensation washed over Yimei’s mind, settling behind her eyes.

[Skill active! Now, whenever anyone within five paces tells you a direct lie, you’ll hear a sweet little red ’ping’ inside your head! Perfect for catching Madame Chen, An Yulan, or even your sneaky husband red-handed!] Nine giggled. [Your remaining points balance is now 0 Points!]

Yimei smirked in the dark, glancing over at Zhengyu as he slept peacefully beside her.

Let’s see who dares to lie to my face tomorrow.

With her new skill active, she closed her eyes, pulled the warm blanket up to her chin, and comfortably drifted off to sleep beside her husband.

The next morning, Yimei opened her eyes to find the bright morning sun already streaming through the paper windows. Her head felt unusually heavy, a dull ache throbbing behind her temples. She didn’t know what had happened, but she had slept far later than usual.

She turned her head to look beside her, but the space next to her was empty, Zhengyu was nowhere in the bed.

As she tried to sit up, something cool and damp slipped down her face. She reached up and caught a small, folded wet towel that had been resting gently on her forehead.

Just then, the soft creak of wooden wheels sounded near the doorway. Zhengyu rolled his wheelchair into view, his dark hair neatly tied up and his robes pristine. He stopped beside the bed, looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

"You’re finally awake?" Zhengyu asked softly, his raspy voice carrying a faint trace of concern. "You caught a fever last night."

Yimei blinked, still slightly dazed as she held the cold towel in her hand.

[Host! You were burning up at midnight!] Nine chimed in her head, popping up instantly. [Your body went into overdrive processing all that system activity, plus the cool night air! The young master actually stayed up taking care of you, changing that wet cloth over and over again!]

Yimei sat up slowly, leaning back against the wooden headboard. She looked at Zhengyu, noticing the faint dark circles under his eyes despite his neat appearance.

"A fever?" Yimei murmured, her voice a bit raspy from sleep. A small smirk touched her lips as she looked down at the towel in her hands. "And you were the one taking care of me all night, husband?"

Zhengyu’s gaze flickered for a split second, and he quickly looked away, clearing his throat. "Don’t flatter yourself. I simply didn’t want my wife dying of a cold before I could even show her my five steps."

PING!

A sharp, distinct red sound echoed clearly inside Yimei’s mind.

Yimei froze for a moment, her dark eyes widening slightly before a wicked, amused grin spread across her face. Her new Lie Detection Passive Aura had just triggered its very first ping.

He’s lying, Yimei thought, thoroughly entertained. He was actually worried.

"Is that so?" Yimei teased smoothly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Well, since I’m awake now... who’s going to get me ready while I’m sick?"

Zhengyu’s ears turned bright red at her words. He quickly averted his gaze, clearing his throat once more. "You... you have your own maid for that," he muttered, his voice slightly uneven.

Just then, the wooden door burst open.

Qinqin walked inside, carrying a heavy wooden tray loaded with a steaming bowl of rice porridge, small side dishes, and a dark bowl of freshly brewed herbal medicine. She looked completely out of breath, her cheeks flushed and her hair slightly disheveled as if she had just finished running a marathon.

Yimei looked at Qinqin’s breathless state and raised an eyebrow. "Are you fine, Qinqin?"

Qinqin took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, holding the tray tightly. "I am completely fine, Young Madame! Just... a bit of a rush this morning."

PING!

The sharp, red sound echoed clearly in Yimei’s mind once again.

It turned out Qinqin had panicked the moment the Young Master called for her in the middle of the night, telling her that Yimei had a high fever. Terrified for her mistress, Qinqin had immediately dropped whatever she was doing, rushed all the way across the estate to Grandmaster Zhang to get the best medicinal herbs, and spent hours by the kitchen fire cooking the remedy before running all the way back.

"You ran all the way to Grandmaster Zhang place, didn’t you?" Yimei asked softly, a faint, warm smile touching her lips.

Qinqin froze, her eyes widening in surprise as she set the tray down on the table. "H-How did Young Madame know?"

"I just know," Yimei said smoothly, stepping out of bed. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

"Young Master was up all night changing the wet cloth on your head too, Young Madame," Qinqin added with a gentle, knowing smile as she adjusted the bowls. "He wouldn’t even let me take over until the fever finally broke an hour ago."

Zhengyu’s entire face flushed red this time. "Qinqin, that is enough talking. Set the food down."

Yimei walked over to the table, her dark eyes glittering with amusement as she looked down at her flustered husband.

[Host! Look at them!] Nine snickered inside her head. [Everyone in this room is completely devoted to you! Even your tsundere husband can’t hide it anymore!]

"Eat your porridge first while it’s hot," Zhengyu said, trying hard to regain his cool demeanor as he rolled his wheelchair closer to the table. "Once you finish the medicine, we have things to attend to today."