Union

Chapter 123, Section 122: Putting Someone to Sleep
Yunying immediately turned around and picked up the umbrella that was placed behind the door.

Sui'er and Liu'er know her very well; they can tell what she's going to do just by seeing her move.

However, it was still pouring rain outside, with thunder and lightning flashing across the sky from time to time. Going out at this time, even if the strong winds blew your umbrella away and you were soaked to the bone, being struck by lightning could still be fatal.

Sui'er and Liu'er quickly spoke up, "Miss, why don't we wait until the rain subsides before going to find the Second Master?"

The two maids did not see the message that the Second Master sent to Yunying. They only thought that the young lady was worried about the Second Master and wanted to make a trip.

The girl meant well, but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating.

Even if she weren't struck by lightning, the girl's slender and frail body could easily be swept away by a gust of wind.

Yunying ignored all of that. She left everything in the room to Sui'er and Liu'er, and then pushed open the door.

The door had barely been pushed open a crack when a gust of wind swept in.

The things inside the room were blown about and tilted, and two pieces of porcelain on the display shelf even fell down with a crash.

The maids screamed in terror. Just then, the roof tiles were blown down by the wind and landed on the ground with a sharp clang.

Sui'er and Liu'er shuddered and covered their ears in unison, while the timid maid inside couldn't help but sob.

Sui'er and Liu'er were about to comfort the little maid when they saw Yunying walking away without looking back. The two quickly pulled her back, "Miss..."

But before they could even open their mouths, they saw the Second Master suddenly appear in the pouring rain outside the door.

He looked at Yunying without saying a word, but simply extended his hand, and Yunying opened the umbrella and walked towards the Second Master.

As the umbrella was blown away, Second Master skillfully caught it in his hand. With his other hand free, he bent down and pulled Yunying into his arms with one arm.

As Yunying closed the door, Sui'er and Liu'er seemed to hear the Second Master say to Yunying, "Help me take off my bamboo hat."

Yunying obediently took off his straw hat, and the two of them entered the study together in the wind and rain.

Watching the two figures disappear into the heavy rain, Sui'er and Liu'er exchanged a glance, their minds replaying the scene from just moments ago: Second Master and Miss, truly deeply in love, their affection enduring. If so, why hasn't Second Master taken Miss as a concubine yet?
The thunder soon faded away, but the heavy rain continued to pour down, as if a hole had been punched in the sky.

Even though Yunying had tried her best to get close to the Second Master, her clothes were still mostly wet when the Second Master put her on the ground in the study.

One reason was that the rain was too heavy and she was drenched by the rain blown by the wind. Another reason was that the Second Master was wearing a wet raincoat, and in order to avoid getting wet, she even took the initiative to press herself against him.

Yunying landed on her feet and instinctively tugged at the clothes that were clinging to her body.

Summer clothes are light and thin, and today she wore only a light blue Suzhou-embroidered moon-flower brocade shirt and a white floor-length skirt with plum blossom patterns. Both of these clothes were made of the finest materials given to her by the Second Master, very light and breathable, with an excellent feel and texture.

But because it's so thin, it clings to the body when wet. While it doesn't expose the skin, it does subtly reveal the body's curves.

But Yunying didn't notice this; she only felt that the wet clothes were sticking to her skin, which was quite uncomfortable.

She was tugging at her clothes when the Second Master put down his oil-paper umbrella, took off his dripping raincoat, and turned to ask her, "What's wrong..."

Before the last "了" could be uttered, Second Master's voice suddenly became hoarse and sluggish.

What appeared before me was her curvaceous figure and slightly annoyed expression. Her snow-white breasts rose and fell gently, the cleavage clearly defined. Further down, her abdomen was flat, her waist slender, and her buttocks firm and round…

Second Master felt a heat rising to his cheeks and a rush of heat to his nose. He abruptly turned his gaze away from Yunying.

Yunying didn't think anything was wrong at first, but the Second Master's actions were too exaggerated, so Yunying couldn't help but look down and examine herself.

Then it was discovered that she was slightly exposed, with even her rose-red undergarment barely visible. Not to mention her snow-white, voluptuous figure and the exposed cleavage of her collarbone... Anyone unaware of the situation would probably think she was there to seduce the Second Master.

Yunying's beautiful face suddenly flushed with embarrassment, and her almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears.

Just then, the Second Master coughed lightly, took a cloak from the side, walked over without looking to the side, and draped the cloak over her shoulders.

"It's a bit chilly now, and your clothes are wet. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Yunying braced herself and pulled the cloak over herself, turning her head away from the Second Master, but softly replied, "Okay."

Her fragrant breath, along with the warm scent of a young woman, wafted over the Second Master, who couldn't help but lower his eyes to look at her.

The transvestite before her had a face as beautiful as jade, and her red hair as lovely as a flower. Her fair cheeks were flushed, and her jet-black hair clung to her slightly parted cherry lips. She bit her lip in annoyance, her beauty captivating.

Second Master struggled to look away, but his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably several times.

Yunying was embarrassed, but she quickly forgot about it.

She noticed that the Second Master's clothes were soaked through and water was still dripping down.

His hair was soaking wet, and the water flowed down his face and chin, then onto his already soaked clothes.

Yunying frowned. "Second Master, weren't you wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat? How come you're soaked from head to toe?"

Second Master looked at himself and wiped the water droplets that had rolled into his eyes. "When Sui Yu brought the raincoat, it was a bit late. The rain started falling then, and there was nowhere to hide, so I got soaked."

The reason he brought the raincoat and straw hat was because Sui Yu and the others were making a lot of noise. He really didn't want to argue with them, so he wore these things as a last resort.

But so what if it gets wet? It's not a big deal anyway.

What the Second Master considered trivial, Yunying disagreed with.

She urged the second master to change his clothes, and preferably take a hot bath and drink some ginger soup.

But seeing that the sky outside was already quite dark and the rain was still pouring down so that one could not see more than a few meters ahead, Yunying stopped urging the Second Master and simply picked up the umbrella behind the wall and turned to walk outside.

Second Master grabbed her hand, "Where are you going?"

The second master's palm was burning hot, while Yunying's wrist was cool. On such a cool day, his warm touch felt surprisingly comfortable to her.

Yunying struggled slightly, but the Second Master showed no intention of letting go of her.

In the dim light, Yunying gazed at the Second Master's handsome features. The Second Master had exceptionally good bone structure; even in such a disheveled state, he still possessed a refined and elegant demeanor.

But Yunying couldn't bear to see him wearing wet clothes all the time.

"Second Master, I'll go to your room and get you some clean clothes and shoes. Please don't go out; you've been soaked in the rain, be careful not to catch a cold."

The second master smiled; she was returning his words once again.

He took the umbrella from Yunying's hand. "You don't need to go. I'll go myself. You can wait in the study."

As soon as he finished speaking, Second Master went out with an umbrella. But he took a while to change his clothes, and didn't come out until about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

As soon as the Second Master appeared, Yun Ying knew why he was so slow: he had actually taken a cold shower.

In the washroom of Second Master's room, there was prepared water for washing. These past few days, whenever Second Master bathed, Yunying would always have someone bring in a bucket of hot water. Although this behavior seemed a bit funny to Suiyun and the others, since Second Master's life had become much more rough since he came to Yungui County, except for the coldest days of winter, he was too lazy to bother with anything else and would just take a cold shower.

Moreover, it was the height of summer, and the weather was terribly hot and humid. Yunying actually prepared warm water for the Second Master to take a bath. It has to be said that she was indeed very thoughtful and considerate, but it seemed a bit unnecessary.

Sui Yu had mentioned these things to Yun Ying, but Yun Ying ignored them. However, she couldn't help but think that the Second Master must find her troublesome.

But things that used to be troublesome are no longer troublesome or unnecessary today.

Second Master has been in the rain for a long time and has been wearing wet clothes for a long time. Now he is taking a cold shower. Is he trying to catch a cold and get a fever?
Yunying disagreed and said a few words to the Second Master, then took a handkerchief from his hand and wiped his hair.

She kept rambling on, but the gist of it was that she wanted the Second Master to stop doing such things in the future.

He was the backbone of Yun Gui County, and now a hurricane was approaching. The people were anxious and fearful, and he, their pillar of support, could not be allowed to fall ill at this critical moment. Otherwise, if he collapsed, the people would lose their leader and panic would only worsen, leading to chaos.

Yunying spoke softly and gently, rambling on for a long time, and surprisingly, the Second Master neither stopped her nor expressed any disagreement. This made Yunying feel that the Second Master had realized his mistake and must have taken her words to heart.

But then she heard faint snoring.

Very low, even barely perceptible.

But Yunying was too close to the Second Master. She could guarantee that the voice came from the Second Master and was not her imagination.

Yunying loosened the Second Master's hair, took the handkerchief, and went to stand in front of him.

Sure enough, although the Second Master was still sitting upright, his usually clear and sharp phoenix eyes were closed. His long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, and it was unclear when the Second Master had fallen asleep.

Yunying stared intently at him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the softening of his sharp features. She saw his lips pressed tightly together and his brows slightly furrowed, as if he had many worries even in his sleep.

She could even smell his breath, hot, with a faint scent of paper, ink, and sandalwood. Subtle, cool, it suited him perfectly.

The sound of wooden clogs clapping on the ground seemed to come from the courtyard, but Yunying's mind was not on it at all.

She heard the voice, yet it was as if she hadn't. It was as if her soul had left her body; her mind and eyes were only focused on the man sitting and sleeping in front of her.

The study door was suddenly pushed open, and Yunying seemed startled, quickly turning her head away.

Sui Yun glanced at her indifferently, then looked away and handed her the food box, saying, "Ginger soup for Second Master."

Yunying glanced at the sleeping Second Master and asked, "Should we wake him up now, or let him sleep for a while first?"

Sui Yun said, "You can decide for yourself."

Seeing that Second Master was still fast asleep, snoring, without making a sound, Sui Yun lowered her voice even further.

"Ever since he learned about the hurricane's landfall, Second Master hasn't closed his eyes. For three days, Lei Ting and the others have taken turns resting, but Second Master has been busy the whole time."

Even though Second Master was full of energy, he wasn't made of iron. It wasn't surprising that he would fall asleep at this time. What surprised Sui Yun was that Second Master was so unguarded around Yun Ying.

Sui Yun glanced at Yun Ying a couple more times, then nodded slightly and took his leave.

Yunying thought about Suiyun's words, and then looked at the dark circles under Second Master's eyes, and naturally felt very distressed.

She didn't want to wake the Second Master, but sleeping sitting up wouldn't be relaxing. Besides, it would be better to drink the ginger soup.

Yunying gently nudged the Second Master, but to her surprise, the man, who had been asleep and even snoring, suddenly grabbed her wrist and his sharp eyes swept over her.

His gaze was sharp and cold, his expression clear and unwavering.

Seeing this, Yunying began to suspect that the Second Master had been pretending to be asleep.

But it was only for a moment. After recognizing her, the Second Master closed his eyes again.

Yunying was truly confused. Was he awake or not?
She called out softly again, "Second Master".

Second Master leaned back in his chair, gripping her hand tightly, and said, "Yunying, don't make a sound, let me sleep for a while."

Yunying felt a pang of sadness. "You got caught in the rain. Drink some ginger soup before you go to sleep."

The second master didn't move, so Yunying gently shook her hands twice, which finally woke him up completely.

But the Second Master remained motionless, simply watching her calmly.

Yunying's heart softened. She opened the food box with one hand, took out the ginger soup, and held it to the Second Master's lips. "Drink the ginger soup, then go and rest on the couch over there. I won't disturb you; I'll just stay here with you. Is that alright?"

Second Master frowned slightly, indicating he didn't want to drink the ginger soup.

Yunying brought the bowl close to his lips, "I'll feed you, and you can go to sleep after you finish drinking."

Second Master looked up at her, but Yunying persisted, urging, "Drink it, it was just brought by Sui Yun. You can't fall ill, there are still many things waiting for you to handle."

It seemed that those words had an effect, and the Second Master finally opened his lips and drank the bowl of ginger soup.

But he really didn't lift a finger; Yunying fed him the whole time.

Although Yunying felt uncomfortable, seeing that the Second Master was in a daze, she didn't mind too much.

Yunying placed the empty bowl on the table and helped the Second Master up.

There is a soft couch in the Second Master's study. He usually sits on the couch in his spare time, drinking tea and reading books.

Now Yunying pressed the Second Master down onto the couch, took off his shoes, and lifted his legs onto the couch.

She pinned the Second Master down on the couch, and he did not resist at all, letting her do as she pleased.

"You can sleep for a while, and I'll watch over you. If anything happens, I'll wake you up."

"Ah."

He responded verbally, but the Second Master didn't immediately close his eyes to rest. He just stared straight at Yun Ying. Yun Ying had no choice but to move a stool over and sit down on the side of the soft couch.

"Is this alright? I told you I wouldn't leave, I didn't lie to you, you should go to sleep now."

She gently patted him twice, and the Second Master, following the rhythmic beat, unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

(End of this chapter)