My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lu Youming discreetly covered her waist, her brow furrowing slightly only when she reached back to rub the spot. While she massaged the ache, she continued to scan the surrounding terrain, searching for a way out.

She thought her small movements were going unnoticed, but Su Wanrou had actually been watching her for quite some time.

“Does it hurt much? Did you injure yourself there? Let me help you check, alright?” Su Wanrou looked at her with deep concern.

“It’s nothing. I just hit the wood yesterday. I’ll be fine once I rub it out myself,” Lu Youming shook her head, trying to soothe her fears.

Not reassured, Su Wanrou carefully scooted forward on the log. The round timber immediately rolled beneath her; she lost her balance and flopped face-down onto the wood, her palms stinging from the impact.

The two nearly collided. Lu Youming took a sharp breath as Su Wanrou ended up sprawled right against her thighs. Thank heavens she didn’t land squarely on top, she thought.

“I’m not in much pain. Get up slowly, be careful,” Lu Youming said with a helpless smile at the embarrassed Su Wanrou, reaching out to steady her as she sat back up.

Su Wanrou felt her face burning with shame. Her eyes darted around randomly while her legs gripped the log tightly, desperate to forget the awkward moment. Her fingers twisted together nervously; she felt that if she had moved even an inch closer, she would have landed on something… significant.

Lu Youming also let out a silent sigh of relief. If Su Wanrou had actually landed on her crotch, where would she find a “piece of meat” to maintain her cover as a man? She wiped the cold sweat from her brow, no longer in the mood to worry about her aching back. The atmosphere on the log turned quiet once more, save for the rushing sound of the river.

Suddenly, the log began to vibrate violently. The previously calm current turned turbulent without warning. As the timber bucked and rolled, the two were forced to flatten themselves and cling to the bark.

The log jerked and spun. Though their combined weight initially kept it steady, it soon struck a submerged reef with a resounding thud, throwing both Lu Youming and Su Wanrou into the water.

Having expected this possibility, they were prepared. Lu Youming took a deep breath and plunged under. Su Wanrou did the same. Emerging for air, Lu Youming grabbed her hand and said quickly, “Tie the cloth strip from my hand to yours. We can’t get separated!”

Lu Youming had untied the binding that morning because her hand had swollen after being tied up all night, but she hadn’t expected a new emergency so soon.

“Pfft—there’s a drop in the bend ahead! Protect your head!” Lu Youming spat out a mouthful of water and shouted her warning.

“Okay!” Su Wanrou gasped for air. The roar of the water grew deafening. Under the immense pressure, she lost all control of her body, feeling herself tossed like a ragdoll. If one were watching from the cliffs above, the crashing of the clear water against the stone would have been a poetic, magnificent sight. But for those trapped within the torrent, there was only a desperate prayer for survival.

The current swept them over a hundred meters downstream. Swimming was impossible in such rapids; Lu Youming could only go where the water took her. Occasionally, she was slammed against jagged rocks, a sensation so agonizing it felt as if her body were shattering. Only one word filled her mind: Pain!

Submerged, Su Wanrou struggled until her strength failed. Her fingers fumbled weakly for the cloth strip on her wrist. She wanted to untie it. Without her weight dragging her down, she was sure Lu Youming could survive. Lu Youming was so good—she didn’t deserve to die here.

Lu Youming sensed the riverbed dropping and the water accelerating. She guessed this was a steep incline that would eventually lead to a calmer pool. If they could catch their breath at the bottom, they might live.

She pulled Su Wanrou into her arms, took a final deep breath, and pressed her lips to the girl’s before her oxygen ran out.

With a firm hand, Lu Youming squeezed Su Wanrou’s jaw to force her mouth open, sealing their lips together. As a rush of air came from the other side, Su Wanrou instinctively inhaled. Her tongue accidentally brushed against Lu Youming’s. Lu Youming’s scalp went numb, her pupils dilating in shock.

Su Wanrou felt the soft, warm lips against hers. Her heart stirred again. Maybe… maybe this person really is different.

The oxygen revived her. She didn’t dwell on the kiss, instead forcing herself to relax so she wouldn’t hinder Lu Youming’s efforts.

Eventually, they were spat out by the rapids. Downstream, the landscape opened up into a series of shallows.

“A sandbank!” Lu Youming cried out joyfully. She dragged Su Wanrou toward the shallow water. Her arms were dead weights, her body held together by pure willpower. The moment her feet hit solid ground, her knees buckled.

Su Wanrou, finding her footing, caught Lu Youming’s arm and guided her toward the shore. As soon as they reached the dry sand, Lu Youming collapsed, her weight pulling Su Wanrou down with her.

“Sss… Husband, are you alright?” Su Wanrou asked from beneath her. She touched Lu Youming’s forehead; there was no fever yet. “Are you just exhausted?”

This was the first time Su Wanrou had been in such close contact with her. The weight and the heat of the body pressing into her were a vivid reminder: she was being pinned down by her “husband.” She hugged Lu Youming tightly, tears finally spilling over. “Thank you… thank you for never letting go.”

But Lu Youming had already fallen into a deep sleep of exhaustion. Su Wanrou checked Lu Youming’s waist where she’d been hit, worried about the severity of the injury.

She struggled to crawl out from under Lu Youming and looked around. She spotted a large, flat rock near the tree line that could serve as a makeshift bed. She crouched down, trying to hoist Lu Youming onto her back.

But she had forgotten she was a delicate lady whose heaviest daily burden was a book box. Every time she got Lu Youming’s arms over her shoulders, the body would slide right off.

“Hey… don’t slide…” After several failed attempts, Su Wanrou sat on the ground, panting. She looked at the handsome, pale face and poked Lu Youming’s cheek. “Husband, you are so heavy.”

Resigned, she stayed by her side. Looking at Lu Youming’s soaked clothes, she made a bold and blushing decision: she had to get those wet clothes off her. “Husband, rest well. I’ll take these off to dry. Wearing wet clothes for too long will make you sick.”

Her trembling fingers reached for the belt. Observe no impropriety, observe no impropriety, she chanted in her head, though the heat in her face was enough to roast her.

“What are you doing?” a weak voice suddenly asked.

Su Wanrou yelped and fell back onto her rear. Lu Youming looked at her with hazy eyes, completely drained of energy.

“I’m… I’m helping you take off your clothes. The sun is strong; they’ll dry quickly.” Su Wanrou suppressed her shyness and shuffled back to her side, shielding Lu Youming’s eyes from the sun with her hand.

“Hoo… it’s fine. They’ll dry on their own in a bit.” Lu Youming’s heart hammered. She sat up abruptly, though her arms were so weak she could barely support herself. She clutched her open outer robe shut and changed the subject. “Let’s go lie on that rock.”

“Mmhmm,” Su Wanrou whispered, her ears red. She helped Lu Youming to the flat stone. Her eyes kept darting to the wet clothes; she was terrified that Lu Youming would catch a cold. In the wilderness, a fever could be a death sentence.

“I’ll rest here for a bit. Don’t wander off, it’s dangerous,” Lu Youming murmured, patting Su Wanrou’s head as if she were a child.

Looking at the gentle, vulnerable person before her, Su Wanrou felt a surge of emotion. She suddenly lunged into Lu Youming’s embrace, hugging her waist tightly. “Husband… it’s so good that I married you.”

“Silly girl,” Lu Youming chuckled, stroking her hair. She let the girl hold her and quickly drifted back to sleep.

She didn’t know that after she fell asleep, Su Wanrou’s worry overcame her hesitation. Gritting her teeth, Su Wanrou finally removed the wet outer robes and spread them on the rock. Then, she reached for the inner garment.

What met her eyes was a strange layer of clothing—a vest made of thin leather and fabric that tightly compressed Lu Youming’s chest and abdomen.

Su Wanrou looked at the slight curves of the chest, then back at the soft, beautiful face. She realized with a start that without the official cap and the tension of duty, Lu Youming’s features lacked any masculine harshness. If her hair were let down, she would be a stunningly beautiful woman.

Su Wanrou’s heart trembled. All the “clues” she had ignored over the months suddenly clicked into place. She looked at the binder. Part of her wanted to stop, to keep the secret buried so nothing would change. But the fear of Lu Youming getting sick won out.

Finally, she reached out and unfastened the leather binder.

Lu Youming stirred in her sleep, frowning as if sensing something, but didn’t wake. Su Wanrou looked at the chest—so much like her own. It all made sense. The reason her “husband” was so gentle, so understanding, so “different”… was because she was a woman.

Su Wanrou closed her eyes, a single tear falling for her stirred heart. But as she looked at the pale, sleeping woman, that feeling of attraction didn’t vanish just because of the truth.

Suddenly, Lu Youming began to toss and turn, a cold sweat breaking out on her face. Su Wanrou pushed her emotions aside and began to wipe her brow with a damp handkerchief. “Don’t be afraid, Husband. It’ll be alright soon.”

The sun grew intense. Lu Youming began to develop a fever. Desperate to get water into her, Su Wanrou remembered the “mouth-to-mouth” method Lu Youming had used. She squeezed Lu Youming’s jaw, lowered her head, and pressed her lips to hers to share the water.

Lu Youming swallowed instinctively, her parched lips moving against Su Wanrou’s, seeking more. Su Wanrou, her face crimson, repeated the process until Lu Youming seemed satisfied and fell into a deeper sleep. Su Wanrou wiped her own mouth and sat by her side, hugging her knees and staring at her “husband” in the silence of the wild.