Song Qingshu nodded, dipped the towel in the water, and began wiping Lu Wushuang down.
Every muscle in Lu Wushuang’s b0dy was tense with anxiety, terrified that he might touch her. But she quickly relaxed. He hadn’t lied to her. His hands were very steady, accurately placing the towel on her neck to wipe, without even brushing her skin with his fingertips.
“Is the pressure too much? Should I go lighter?” Song Qingshu asked tentatively.
“A little… a little lighter, please,” Lu Wushuang said, slightly flustered.
“Alright. I’ll go lighter.” After speaking, Song Qingshu suddenly realized his words could be misinterpreted and smiled wryly to himself.
Lu Wushuang felt his movements become very gentle—so gentle they seemed like a lover’s caress. She didn’t know why that thought had occurred to her. She had no lover, nor had she ever been touched like that. Yet the thought popped into her mind unbidden.
Already flustered, she became even more so when she noticed the smile playing at the corner of his lips.
As her thoughts wandered wildly, she suddenly heard him speak. “Take off the blanket.”
“Ah?” Lu Wushuang gasped and turned her head in surprise, only to realize that he had finished wiping her neck and needed to wipe other parts of her b0dy.
Though she knew he couldn’t see anything with his eyes covered, Lu Wushuang was still deeply embarrassed. Beneath the blanket, she wore only the thinnest undergarments, with most of her b0dy exposed.
Seeing that she didn’t move, Song Qingshu smiled slightly. “Are you shy?”
“No, I’m not~” Lu Wushuang’s stubborn nature kicked in. She instinctively let out a defiant hum and pushed aside the blanket, revealing her fair, alluring b0dy to the air. Perhaps because of the fever, her skin had a rosier hue than usual—pink within white, even more enticing. Unfortunately, the only person in the room who could appreciate this beautiful sight had his eyes covered with a thick strip of cloth.
After pushing aside the blanket, Lu Wushuang felt a chill and shivered involuntarily. Tiny goosebumps rose all over her skin.
Song Qingshu stretched out his arm, pulled the blanket back over her, and said gently, “You don’t have to take it all off at once. Expose a little at a time. Just show me your arm first.”
Lu Wushuang silently cursed herself for being so fever-addled. Why had she pushed the blanket all the way off? What must he think…
To break the awkwardness, she cleared her throat and said, “It’s strange, isn’t it? My b0dy is burning up, yet I feel cold.”
“There’s nothing strange about it,” Song Qingshu said, carefully wiping from her shoulder down to her palm. He smiled and explained, “People feel comfortable only when the difference between their b0dy temperature and the external temperature is within a certain range. The higher the external temperature, the smaller the difference, and the hotter you feel. Conversely, when your b0dy temperature rises, the difference with the external temperature grows, so you feel colder. That’s why some people who freeze to death are found n@ked. When the temperature difference becomes too extreme, they lose the ability to think rationally. They only feel hot instinctively, so they remove their cl0thes.”
Lu Wushuang’s red lips parted slightly as she stared blankly at the man before her. She had only made a casual remark, never expecting such a detailed response. “Brother Song, you’re amazing. You even know things like this.”
Song Qingshu said, somewhat sheepishly, “I’m just standing on the shoulders of giants. It’s not really my own knowledge.”
Lu Wushuang couldn’t help but let out a silvery laugh. Since falling ill, she hadn’t felt this happy. “Brother Song, I used to think you were an arrogant egomaniac. But the more I get to know you, the more humble you seem.”
“I’ve always been a graceful, refined gentleman—polished as jade,” Song Qingshu replied seriously, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Lu Wushuang spat lightly. “The moment I praise you, you show your true colors.”
Song Qingshu smiled slightly. “Alright, I’m going to wipe your armpits now. Try to hold still and not move.”
“Mm.” Lu Wushuang’s voice dropped to barely a whisper.
Song Qingshu took her hand. It felt soft as if it had no bones, full of a young girl’s delicacy and resilience. His heart stirred, but fortunately, his will had grown very strong. He quickly pushed aside stray thoughts and focused his mind. Raising her arm, he gently wiped her armpit.
The touch of his masculine, firm hand holding hers made her face flush. Then a ticklish sensation came from her armpit, and she couldn’t help but tremble with laughter. “Oh, I can’t take it—it’s so ticklish~”
Song Qingshu’s face darkened. “Hey, don’t move. If you squirm around and change position, and I accidentally t0uch the wrong spot, don’t blame me.”
Imagining the likely consequences, Lu Wushuang’s expression changed. She dared not move again, only biting her lip and enduring. Fortunately, Song Qingshu finished quickly.
Lu Wushuang had just breathed a sigh of relief when Song Qingshu said, “The other arm.”
“Ah, you have to wipe that too?” Lu Wushuang made a miserable face. “Why don’t I just do the rest myself?”
Song Qingshu chuckled softly. “I felt your pulse earlier. It was weak and faint, as if barely there. I doubt you can even lift your arm right now.”
Lu Wushuang quickly tried. Sure enough, a wave of weakness washed over her. Perhaps from the exertion, she felt dizzy again.
“Don’t move. The only thing you need to do now is lie still and rest. Leave the rest to me.” Song Qingshu wrung out the towel again, then used his internal energy to warm it to a less chilly temperature.
“Can we skip that area? It’s really… really ticklish,” Lu Wushuang pleaded.
Song Qingshu shook his head firmly. “The neck, armpits, and gr0in are where the b0dy’s lymph nodes are most concentrated. They’re also the most effective areas for reducing fever.”
“What are lymph nodes? And where’s the gr0in?” Lu Wushuang was thoroughly confused. She wanted to ask, but her head was spinning. She quickly gathered her focus and fell silent.
After warming the towel, Song Qingshu stood up and bent over to wipe her other armpit. Because of the awkward position, he was hunched over, his entire upper b0dy seemingly suspended above Lu Wushuang.
The uniquely masculine sense of pressure made her breathing quicken. But strangely, she felt no revulsion. Watching his earnest expression, his eyes still covered, she found herself momentarily entranced.
With no resistance left in her heart, even her armpits weren’t so ticklish anymore.
After wiping her neck and armpits several times, Song Qingshu said gravely, “Miss Lu, I’m going to wipe your b0dy now.”
Hearing this, Lu Wushuang felt a flash of irritation. *If you’re going to wipe, just wipe. Why do you have to ask me specifically? What am I supposed to say now? ‘No’? Or ‘Yes’?*
She simply turned her face toward the inside of the bed and said nothing.
Fortunately, Song Qingshu wasn’t the kind of insensitive, boorish man who didn’t understand. He knew she had given tacit consent. Without another word, he lifted the blanket and began wiping her carefully.
Acting on memory alone, there was bound to be some inaccuracy. Moreover, Lu Wushuang had squirmed several times earlier from ticklishness, so she was no longer in her original position. As a result, when he reached out, he touched something soft and plump.
Lu Wushuang’s b0dy trembled. She had clearly stiffened all over. Song Qingshu also fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I didn’t mean to.”
“I know,” Lu Wushuang bit her lip, then added, “You should have gone a little lower.”
“Mm.” Having weathered many storms, Song Qingshu quickly recovered and began wiping other areas without changing expression.
Lu Wushuang, however, could not calm down so easily. That moment reminded her of when Yang Guo had set her broken ribs—a strong sense of déjà vu.
Earlier, when she had heard that Yang Guo had a fiancée, just thinking about him made her chest tight and miserable, as if she wanted to die. But now, thinking of Yang Guo, that apocalyptic feeling was suddenly gone.
Lu Wushuang was startled. *Is it because of this man?*
After that awkward accidental touch, the room fell into an unusual silence. One was preoccupied with thoughts, the other quietly wiping. No one knew how much time passed, but Lu Wushuang’s pretty face grew redder and redder. Several times she seemed about to speak but stopped. Finally, she couldn’t hold back. “Brother Song, could you please not keep wiping there?”
Song Qingshu said seriously, “As I told you before, the neck, armpits, and gr0in are the most effective areas for cooling the b0dy.”
Lu Wushuang’s eyes widened in surprise. “So that’s where the gr0in is?”
Song Qingshu asked, frustrated, “You didn’t know?”
Lu Wushuang shook her head, then realized he couldn’t see her, so she quickly added, “How… how could I possibly know?”
Song Qingshu sighed. “I know this is embarrassing for a young lady. But your temperature is dangerously high. Given the urgency, just think of me as a doctor. A doctor sees no distinction between male and female.”
Lu Wushuang grumbled inwardly. *What doctor would dare treat a woman like this?* But she was a child of the wulin, more open-minded than sheltered maidens. Knowing he was trying to save her, she silently accepted the situation.
“Brother Song, can you promise me something?” Lu Wushuang suddenly spoke.
“What is it?” Song Qingshu’s heart was also racing by now. Though his eyes were covered and he couldn’t see anything, the faint, delicate fragrance of a young girl filled his nostrils, and his fingertips occasionally brushed against the lithe, alluring contours of her b0dy. Fortunately, his will was strong. If another man had been here, eight or nine times out of ten, he would have been overcome by desire.
“Can you promise not to tell anyone what happened tonight?” There was a pleading tone in Lu Wushuang’s voice. Even though he had kept his eyes covered the whole time, if anyone found out, they would assume the worst anyway.
“Alright, I promise. Actually, even if you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have told anyone.” The request was perfectly reasonable, so Song Qingshu naturally had no reason to refuse.
“Not even your wife, Brother Song.” Song Qingshu was famous throughout the land, so people in the wulin naturally knew he was married. Lu Wushuang was no exception.
“Alright!” Song Qingshu nodded.
“Thank you!” Lu Wushuang finally relaxed. *If no one ever finds out about tonight, I suppose it’s not so hard to accept.*
No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than a clatter of noisy footsteps sounded outside the door.
“Doctor, my young miss is in here. Can you please hurry?” It was the maidservant she had sent out earlier, finally returned.
Lu Wushuang ground her teeth. *That girl was gone forever and now she chooses to come back?*
“Xiao Huan, don’t worry. Doctor Qiu is a renowned healer in Shanyin City. He’ll definitely cure Wushuang.” A middle-aged woman’s voice spoke, accompanied by several similar voices chiming in agreement.
At first, Lu Wushuang wasn’t too concerned when she heard Xiao Huan’s voice. After all, she was just her maidservant—easy enough to send away. But when she heard the other voices, she broke out in a cold sweat. She recognized them as female relatives of the Lu household, roughly her aunts and the like.