When Yanu woke up, the sky had already brightened. The cave was dim, and he had no idea how long he’d slept, only a faint sense that his whole body had no strength left. Seeing a figure standing at the cave entrance, he hurried to sit up: “Jiu’er…” “Your wound hasn’t healed, and you’re still running a fever. Don’t move around.” Qiao Mu hurried over and crouched down in front of him, reaching out to feel his forehead.
Yanu’s eyes darkened, and he instinctively tried to pull away. Qiao Mu’s fingers paused, and she said quickly: “Don’t dodge—you’ll tear the wound open. I won’t touch you, then.” She’d never met a man who guarded the line between men and women so strictly, but the more Yanu acted this way, the more endearing she found him. She really wanted to gather him into her arms and dote on him properly, but alas, the man clearly wasn’t willing! Ugh! What nonsense was she thinking about again?
“I’ve brought you some food. Eat a little first—I mean you no harm.” She walked out of the cave to fetch something. By the time she came back with a roasted chicken, Yanu had already propped himself up against the rock wall, fully awake. “My apologies.” Having traveled together this long, Yanu at least knew that Qiao Mu truly meant him no harm. He simply wasn’t used to being around any woman besides Feng Jiu’er.
“How about it? Now that you’re awake, do you consider me half a friend?” Qiao Mu smiled, sitting down beside him and offering him the water pouch. “You’ve likely caught a chill from the wound, so this roasted chicken probably won’t appeal to your appetite. I’ve also got some dry rations here.” Jiu’er had once said that things like chicken and fish were considered triggering foods, best avoided when running a fever from a cold. But out here in the wild forest, there wasn’t much else to eat. Yanu had no real interest in the roasted chicken anyway—his whole body felt weak, and the sight of anything greasy turned his stomach.
He took the dry rations Qiao Mu offered and ate a couple of bites indifferently, then took a long swig from the water pouch, calling that enough of a meal. He handed the pouch back to Qiao Mu and started to stand. Qiao Mu said urgently: “Your wound hasn’t healed—don’t move around so much.” “It’s fine.” He knew his own injury well enough; right now he simply felt feverish and weak, but the pain from the wound he could still bear.
Seeing him stand and head outside, Qiao Mu had no choice but to gather their things and hurry after him. Stepping out of the cave, the harsh sunlight made Yanu instinctively raise a hand to shield his eyes. But the moment he lifted his hand, the back of it brushed against his face, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. Where was the gauze on his face? “You’re still quite weak right now and shouldn’t be traveling—you really should rest first…” Qiao Mu came closer, only to see Yanu abruptly turn his face away, avoiding her gaze.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” Qiao Mu’s brow furrowed slightly. “The gauze…” Yanu had no idea when the gauze had slipped off his face—perhaps it had loosened during their escape without him noticing. He turned his back to Qiao Mu and said in a low voice: “Don’t look at my face. It’ll frighten you.” “Is it because you’re too good-looking, and you’re afraid I’ll be stunned speechless?” Frighten her? She’d more likely be swept off her feet! This man—did he really not even know what his own face looked like?
Yanu didn’t understand what she meant. Qiao Mu laughed: “The scar on your face has healed—you didn’t even know that yourself, did you?” Wonderful! She was actually the first person to see Yanu’s true face! What an honor! “There’s a little stream up ahead. Let me take you to have a look.”
Qiao Mu reached to take his hand, but Yanu pulled back, dodging her. Qiao Mu laughed, a touch helpless: “Fine, just follow behind me then. Watch your step, and be careful of your wound.” “Mm.” Yanu nodded and walked behind her.
Sure enough, there was a small stream ahead, with a flat clearing beside it. The water was calm, its surface shining like a mirror. This was the first time in many years that Yanu had seen his own true face. His face was… this good-looking? Yet, for some reason, seeing such a handsome and extraordinary face didn’t seem to bring him much joy.
Qiao Mu stood beside him, and even seeing the reflection in the water, she remained utterly captivated, unable to look away. “It’s really gorgeous…” She nearly started drooling. But somehow, the more she looked at this face, the more familiar it seemed. As if she’d seen it somewhere before? Yet Qiao Mu was quite certain she’d never seen Yanu’s true face before. A face this stunning—if she’d ever seen it, she certainly wouldn’t have forgotten.
Like the Ninth Prince, or like Mu Mu… but now that she thought about it, Yanu really did give off a sense of familiarity. Only, this face, while it felt familiar, also felt strange somehow—was it because it reminded her of someone, making him feel familiar? Yanu scooped up a handful of water with his uninjured hand, washed his face clean without much thought, then stood up and looked at her with an expressionless face: “Let’s go.”
“Leaving already?” Qiao Mu was a bit slow to react. “Such a good-looking face, and you’re not going to admire it a bit more?” Even she had been utterly entranced—could he himself not realize just how good-looking and charming he was? Yanu, however, looked somewhat puzzled: “Will admiring it a bit more help us catch up with Jiu’er and the others?” A face was just a face. It couldn’t be eaten, couldn’t be burned for fuel—no matter how good-looking it was, it was still just a shell.
Qiao Mu felt thoroughly defeated by him. If she woke up one day to find herself transformed into a stunningly handsome man, wouldn’t she be thrilled and excited at the very least? Why was he being so indifferent about it? “Have you seen your true face before?” But hadn’t Jiu’er said that Yanu’s face had been ruined for many years? “I don’t know.” Things from his childhood—he couldn’t recall them, didn’t have much of an impression left. Not knowing meant he’d likely never seen it at all.
“Jiu’er has never seen your true face either, has she?” Otherwise, given how love-struck Jiu’er could be, would she really stay this composed seeing Yanu like this? She’d surely want to snatch him up for herself! No, no, that wouldn’t do—Jiu’er already had Mu Mu and the Ninth Prince; she couldn’t go and ruin such a wonderful, quiet, good-looking man as Yanu too.
She should have known better—she shouldn’t have let the gauze slip off last night, so impulsive of her. Such a good-looking, beautiful Yanu—how could Jiu’er possibly bear to give him up to her? Should she try to seal the deal with him first, before anyone else got the chance? Eek, eek, eek—how embarrassing, somehow…
“Have you found any markers Jiu’er and the others left behind?” Yanu suddenly came to a stop. “What?” Qiao Mu, still wholly absorbed in scheming how to pry Yanu away from Feng Jiu’er, nearly walked straight into him. She abruptly stopped, and the moment she thought of that phrase about sealing the deal, her face flushed bright red with embarrassment. “That, um, I don’t mean you any harm, I was just a little… impulsive, ha, no! That’s not what I meant…”