Chapter 527 - 308: Leave Everything to Me!

Xiao Wan’er hadn’t thought of this at first.

But after learning that Chen Yi was both "Liu Wu" and "Chen Yu," she couldn’t help but recall that embarrassing incident as she looked back on all that had happened. Back then, Chen Yi clearly hadn’t just been lifting her blanket; he was treating her illness.

So... so... Not only had he seen her in her undergarments, but Chen Yi might have even touched her body...

Xiao Wan’er didn’t dare to think any further. Her face flushed as red as fire, and she shrank into her cloak, only willing to reveal her eyes.

[You... that prescription from Physician Ma Liangcai, was that you too?]

Reading the words traced on his hand, Chen Yi couldn’t help but turn his head to look at her in stunned silence. Their eyes met, and Xiao Wan’er hastily turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze. A rosy blush had already spread around her eyes, looking exceedingly beautiful.

Chen Yi smiled. He pulled her hand back, opened her palm, and traced the word [Yes].

The simplest response would have been a nod, but at this moment, Xiao Wan’er didn’t dare to look at him at all. If not for the inconvenience of her long hair and the golden jade phoenix hairpin adorning it, she probably would have tucked her entire head into the cloak by now.

After waiting for a moment, Chen Yi saw that she still had no intention of poking her head out. He simply held her hand and continued tracing on it.

[Initially, I had Wang Ji establish Hundred Herbs Hall just to earn some silver and help relieve some of your burden.]

[Later, because of the provisions issue for the Three Towns, the estate’s silver coins became tight, which was why I started expanding Hundred Herbs Hall...]

At this point, Xiao Wan’er suddenly pulled her hand back. A smile, seemingly half-reproachful and half-delighted, bloomed on her face hidden beneath the cloak.

No wonder she had felt a sense of familiarity when she first met "Chen Yu." She had thought it was because the roots of love had planted deep within her. She realized this bad man had even deceived her just to keep up his act. Yet, everything this bad man did was for her sake...

Chen Yi stopped moving and watched her with a faint smile.

A long while later, Xiao Wan’er finally peeked out half of her face. Her eyes instantly met Chen Yi’s gaze, and her heart, which had just calmed down a bit, began to THUMP THUMP once more. Holding back her shyness, she reached out, grasped Chen Yi’s palm, and traced:

[I... I didn’t know you did so many things. I thought... I thought you were just studying in the estate.]

[If I had known this earlier, I... I wouldn’t have let you come to the estate.]

[And Grandfather wouldn’t have made me marry you... Chen Yu.]

Words like "marry" were somewhat embarrassing for Xiao Wan’er to use. But she knew in her heart that it was impossible for her to truly marry Chen Yi, not even under the identity of "Chen Yu."

Chen Yi understood this and replied with a few words: [For the time being, I will no longer travel around Shu State under the identities of ’Chen Yu’ or ’Liu Wu.’]

[Whether it’s the Old Master or... Madam, since they won’t be able to see me, they naturally won’t have any way to bring this matter up.]

Before he could think of a proper solution, Chen Yi could only resort to a stalling tactic.

But Xiao Wan’er still didn’t relax. As if she had thought of something, the rosy blush on her face gradually faded. Her eyes shifted away from Chen Yi’s gaze and lowered slightly as her fingers subconsciously stroked his palm.

A moment later, seemingly having figured something out, she let out a breath and wrote a few more words:

[When Second Sister questioned me yesterday, I... I didn’t know what to say... I felt terrified, panicked, and a bit...]

Bitter. Xiao Wan’er tried several times but couldn’t manage to completely trace the word.

Chen Yi, however, had already understood her feelings. He flipped his hand over to grasp hers and gently patted it.

"I’ll handle everything."

These words were no longer written; they were spoken from his own mouth. His tone carried a gentle smile, but it was also laced with firmness.

It made Xiao Wan’er’s inexplicably fluttering heart instantly relax. Meeting his gaze, she nodded softly.

"Mhm."

At this moment, Xiao Wan’er felt that she was probably going crazy. From childhood to adulthood, she had never been as bold as she was now. Even though neither of them had spoken of love, nor had they made any lifelong promises, a voice in her heart was telling her—this was a private betrothal.

Apart from that uncontrollable burst of joy, what Xiao Wan’er thought about more were the words "sister’s husband." Neither secular society nor the Xiao Family would find it easy to accept such a thing. If word got out, she, Chen Yi, and even the entire Xiao Family would be mocked by the whole world.

Xiao Wan’er knew all this clearly, yet she still pressed on without turning back. In her fragile heart—tormented by physical illness and the grief of her parents’ deaths—she only hoped to preserve this affection. She wasn’t asking to be with Chen Yi or to marry him. She would even be content just silently watching over him for the rest of her life.

She didn’t want too much, did she?

Chen Yi, on the other hand, didn’t think that far ahead. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it; surely a living man wouldn’t let himself be boxed into a corner. However, he also knew that his relationship with Xiao Wan’er could only go this far. Obviously, outsiders could not be allowed to know about it.

There was no other way. Setting aside whether the Old Master would agree, just getting past his Madam, Xiao Jinghong, would be difficult enough. Put his foot down as the husband? What a joke. Chen Yi had no desire to cross swords with Xiao Jinghong, so he needed to play the long game.

But all of that was for the future. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment of tranquility.

The small carriage was filled with warmth. His hand held hers, as if their hearts were beating as one.

Meanwhile, just outside the carriage, separated by a single curtain, a smile suddenly appeared on Xie Tingyun’s face, and she let out a soft chuckle.

Shen Huatang was still pondering the meaning behind that brief exchange of "I’ll handle everything" and "Mhm." Hearing Xie Tingyun’s sudden noise, she cast a dissatisfied glance over.

Xie Tingyun didn’t mind. She shrank her neck and gestured something to her. Coupled with her smile, her whole demeanor appeared somewhat sleazy.