When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25

Yuan Zhao didn’t intentionally eavesdrop. He just didn’t want to disturb their heart-to-heart, so he hid in the dark, planning to show himself after they finished their conversation.

He never expected such a result.

He thought that Jiang Zhen and his cousin were in love, but it turned out to be just one-sided love from his cousin.

Even as a grown man, what Jiang Zhen said was hard to hear, let alone for a naive girl like Jiang Yan.

Yuan Zhao walked over and handed the handkerchief from his pocket to Jiang Yan, so lost for words that he could only say three of them.

“Don’t cry.”

Jiang Yan looked up, her eyes sparkling with tears. She reached out and took Yuan Zhao’s handkerchief, forcing a smile.

“You’ve seen me make a fool of myself again. Why is it that you’re always there when I’m in a mess?”

Yuan Zhao couldn’t bear to see her pretend to be happy. He turned his eyes away. “Don’t smile. It’s ugly. Just cry if you want to. I promise not to laugh at you.”

Jiang Yan gripped the handkerchief tightly and walked down the stairs step by step.

“Cousin, please tell Uncle, Aunt, and my parents that I’m a little tired and have gone back home.”

Yuan Zhao was worried about her going back alone and silently followed behind her.

Jiang Yan bit her lower lip hard, forcing herself to hold back her tears, but a few defiant ones still fell, and then more and more, until her vision became blurry.

When she reached the door, Jiang Yan tripped on the threshold. She stumbled and almost fell. Yuan Zhao quickly stepped forward to help her, but she waved his hand away.

“Don’t touch me…” She would get angry if he saw her like this.

Yuan Zhao had no choice but to let go of her. But before she had walked two steps, Jiang Yan fainted.

Yuan Zhao didn’t hesitate. He picked her up and ran to the clinic. Fortunately, Qingfeng Tower was in the center of the capital, not far from a clinic, which was only a fifteen-minute walk away.

After checking her pulse, the doctor said to Yuan Zhao, “Crown Prince, this young lady is heartbroken and has a blocked liver qi, which is why she suddenly fainted. I will write a prescription. Once she drinks a bowl of the medicine, she will wake up. But in the future, she needs to be careful not to get too emotional. Remember to avoid great joys and sorrows.”

Yuan Zhao nodded, looking at Jiang Yan with her pale lips on the bed. He let out a sigh.

‘Why go through all this trouble?’

‘There are thousands of good girls from respectable families in the capital. If Jiang Zhen doesn’t like you, it’s because she’s blind. Do you really have to have her and no one else?’

…

Jiang Yan fell into a heavy nightmare. In the dream, Jiang Zhen repeated the words “you’re truly disgusting.” She covered her ears, but the words still seeped in. It was useless.

The pain in her heart was unbearable. The tears she had held back flowed freely in her dream.

She vented all her emotions, and by the end of her crying, she found that her pillow was soaked.

When Dong Xue saw her open her eyes, she immediately came forward, concerned. “Young Miss, how do you feel? Is there anything wrong?”

Jiang Yan shook her head weakly and then closed her eyes again.

She didn’t want to open her eyes. She didn’t want to face the cruel reality.

If she could sleep forever, that would be a good ending.

Dong Xue was very worried but didn’t know how to comfort her. She could only fret.

Qiu Yue came in with food and looked at the silent Dong Xue, feeling disappointed.

“Move aside. Let me do it.”

Dong Xue obediently stood to the side, giving her space to Qiu Yue.

“Young Miss, please get up and eat something. You’ve been unconscious for three days. If you don’t eat, your body won’t be able to handle it.”

Jiang Yan wrapped herself in the quilt, trying to block out the annoying sounds.

Qiu Yue had always been thick-skinned. She ignored Jiang Yan’s displeasure and continued. “Young Miss, if your body collapses, Madam will skin us alive. Can you bear to see your two maids die young?”

“Besides, what’s more important than your own health? Didn’t you say that the happiness of a foodie is to eat? If you’re in a bad mood, just eat more. Eating more delicious food will make you feel better. Have you forgotten?”

Jiang Yan couldn’t stand her chattering anymore. She lifted the quilt and gave her a cold glance.

“If you say one more word, I’ll make you die young right now.”

Qiu Yue smiled cheekily and brought the white fungus and lotus seed soup from the table.

“Young Miss, listen to your own voice. It’s so hoarse. If you don’t want to eat, can’t you at least drink some soup to soothe your throat?”

“Yes, Young Miss, Qiu Yue is right. Please at least take a sip.”

Jiang Yan felt like her stomach was completely closed. Not only did she not want to eat anything, but she also felt nauseous.

However, for the sake of her two maids’ good intentions, she still took a sip from Qiu Yue’s hand.

As soon as it reached her throat, she threw it all up. Her stomach felt extremely nauseous, and she coughed until her lungs ached.

Dong Xue was terrified and quickly patted her back.

Qiu Yue almost cried. She dropped the soup bowl in her hand and ran out.

“Young Miss, hold on! I’ll go get the doctor right now!”

Jiang Yan wanted to say that it wasn’t that serious, but she couldn’t say a word besides coughing.

When the doctor arrived, he said that there was nothing seriously wrong. It was probably due to emotional stress, which affected her appetite. He prescribed some medicine to strengthen her spleen and stomach and then left.

Yuan Feng heard the commotion and came over. When she saw her haggard daughter, she hugged her and cried.

“I told you long ago that you’re too young to know how to judge people, but you refused to believe me. You had to hit a wall before you would turn back. Now that you’re suffering, your father and I are worried sick about you. Are you happy now?”

Jiang Yan didn’t want to ask her mother how she knew.

She was exhausted both physically and mentally and didn’t want to say a word. She slowly fell asleep in her mother’s arms.

When she woke up again, it was five days later.

Jiang Yan looked at the vibrant flowers outside the window and felt that everything before was just a dream.

‘All these years, I’ve chased after Jiang Zhen, doing everything I could to please her, and what did I get in return?’

That phrase, “truly disgusting,” echoed in her ears like a curse. Every time she tried to forget, it would pop up to remind her:

‘Just how humble she was.’

After sitting in a daze for a whole day, Jiang Yan returned to normal.

She was still the same as before, laughing and playing with her maids and acting spoiled with her parents. The only difference was that she no longer had the word “sister” on her lips.

Qiu Yue, being a simple-minded person, thought that her Young Miss was back to her old self. Dong Xue always felt that something was missing, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Every time Yuan Zhao saw Jiang Yan, he would sigh inwardly. ‘How could such a good girl become like this?’

She had become much more calm and reserved, and the light in her eyes was gone.

Jiang Yan saw him and smiled. “Cousin, come over and try the new pastries I made.”

When she had nothing to do, Jiang Yan would invent all kinds of food, but she couldn’t guarantee the taste.

Yuan Zhao avoided her pastries and sat to the side. “Spare me, please. The last time I ate something you made, I had diarrhea and was vomiting for three whole days. If I eat it again, I might not make it out alive.”

Jiang Yan pouted. “You’re exaggerating. It’s because your stomach isn’t good. It’s not my fault.”

Yuan Zhao looked at her dark eyes and suddenly became serious. “Cousin, do you really not think about her anymore?”

Jiang Yan pretended not to understand. “Who?”

Yuan Zhao held the letter in his hand, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Half a month ago, Jiang Zhen led her army to suppress the Japanese pirates harassing the border villagers of the state of Yu. She was poisoned, and the poison took effect during the pursuit, leaving her unconscious.

It would take at least three days for this letter to be sent back from the border. He didn’t know what her situation was now.

He originally wanted to show it to Jiang Yan, but seeing her current stable state, he couldn’t bear to disturb her peace.

Jiang Yan glanced at Yuan Zhao and teased, “Cousin, why do you look so troubled today? This isn’t like you.”

Yuan Zhao put the letter back, a flirtatious smile on his face. “It’s nothing.”