Yanu only paused briefly before setting down the bowl and refilling her cup with warm water instead.

Feng Jiu’er took two sips and promptly handed it back.

“Yanu, what exactly are your thoughts? About Qiao Mu?”

But Yanu was like someone who had truly reverted to being mute — not a sound, only looking at her.

“Yanu, your voice has fully recovered. Stop playing mute in front of me.”

Feng Jiu’er almost wanted to roll her eyes. This person, when he did not wish to speak, truly had no trouble enduring the silence.

“Am I talking to you right now?”

“Is Feng Jiu’er fed up with me and planning to drive me away? Have I not served you well enough?”

“What?” She was a little stunned. What did one thing have to do with the other?

“You cannot serve me for the rest of your life. Besides, we are friends — once my health is restored, I will not need you to wait on me.”

“Why can I not serve you for a lifetime?” Yanu looked down at her, his dark eyes brilliant and bright, more beautiful than gemstones. His expression was one of complete innocence.

Why indeed? Had she not already made it perfectly clear?

Because they were friends — old friends of so many years.

“You need to have your own family.” In the end, Feng Jiu’er let out a quiet sigh and urged gently, “In the future, you cannot remain all alone.”

Yanu nodded, as though accepting her reasoning.

Feng Jiu’er immediately said, “So then, what do you think of Qiao Mu?”

“She is a good person.” He said she was good, yet in truth, there was not a trace of feeling in his words.

Feng Jiu’er let out another quiet sigh, helpless. “Never mind. I am not trying to interfere in your personal life — I simply feel sincerely that Qiao Mu is truly a wonderful person.”

“If you two were to be together someday, she would certainly cherish and dote on you.”

Though now that she said it aloud, something about it felt a little strange.

Dote on him? Should it not be Yanu who dotes on Qiao Mu?

But these two people’s personalities were genuinely somewhat different from the typical man and woman.

There was a distinct impression of a strong woman and a gentle man.

“I know you mean well for me.” Not wanting to see her too dejected, Yanu smiled and said, “But could we not first resolve your own situation, and then consider mine afterward?”

“My situation?” Feng Jiu’er thought for a moment, then her face suddenly flushed red.

“What situation do I have? The two of us… let us not speak of such things.”

“Ha.” Was this not exactly what they always said — when talking about others, one has all the answers, but when it comes to oneself, everything is a mess.

Feng Jiu’er knew that she too was burying her head in the sand on this front.

So it was no wonder Yanu did not wish to discuss the subject — in truth, everyone was the same.

“Only once your own situation is resolved will I consider my own life. Do you understand, Feng Jiu’er?”

Yanu put away the cup and tucked the quilt around her.

“Sleep a while longer. I will make something delicious for you later.”

Zhao Yusheng had been inspecting the ship’s hull the entire time, fearing that some part of the bottom might still be unstable and needing to be reinforced as a precaution.

A rope was tied around his body, with the other end secured to the railing, lest he be swept away by a wave or lack the strength to pull himself back.

To everyone aboard, he was an outsider — and before, there had been a degree of wariness toward him.

Yet in this accident, he had done the most, and he was still working tirelessly now, doing nothing more than trying to ensure everyone’s safety.

After what they had been through together, the brothers had finally wholeheartedly accepted this young man.

Upon hearing that Feng Jiu’er had woken up, Zhao Yusheng — who had only just finished inspecting the entire hull — immediately burst into her cabin.

“My wife, you are awake?”

With a spit — Feng Jiu’er, who had been in the middle of drinking hot broth, sprayed it all over the floor.

Yanu was sitting right at the bedside and had no time to dodge. His clothing was splattered.

“I am sorry, I — cough, I am sorry, it was not intentional… cough, cough, cough…”

“Stop speaking first. Catch your breath.” Yanu set down the bowl, found a towel, and dabbed at her mouth before attending to the stains on his own clothes.

Looking back at Zhao Yusheng, he was soaked through, clearly having just come up from the water — even his hair was still dripping. His face was somewhat pale, likely from having been submerged too long, and he carried a damp, bone-deep chill.

“Go and change into dry clothes first. Carrying on like this, you will catch a cold.” Yanu reminded him.

But Zhao Yusheng only looked at Feng Jiu’er. Seeing that although her complexion was slightly pale, her spirit seemed quite well, he finally let out a breath of relief and turned to leave.

Not long after, he returned in a dry change of clothing, though his long hair was still dripping with water.

Yanu handed him a towel. He wiped his face and hair carelessly.

Then he stood staring fixedly at Feng Jiu’er, as though wanting to say something, but since he and Feng Jiu’er were not all that familiar, it was simply the sight of her finally waking up that had stirred something in him.

“I am not your wife.” This was the first thing Feng Jiu’er said to him.

Zhao Yusheng was taken aback. He stared at her, and after a long moment, found his voice again.

“I know the marriage was forced upon you, yet we have already bowed before heaven and earth together.”

To him, once a couple had bowed before heaven and earth, she was his wife.

Although he had intended to let her go, he had originally planned to settle the affairs of the mountain stronghold and then go to the Feng Clan to find her.

Regardless, she was his wife — and he had to take responsibility for her.

No matter whether either of them had been willing at the time, the bowing before heaven and earth was an ironclad fact.

“The one who bowed before heaven and earth with you was a Bai Feng Jiu’er who acted under duress. I am Feng Jiu’er of the Feng Clan. I am not your wife.”

Though saying this after the man had followed her all the way out here did feel genuinely cruel.

But the words had to be said clearly — she could not truly become his wife.

“Young Master, I am deeply grateful to you. When the brothers were in peril, you came to us, and you led everyone out of the Stone Forest.”

During the period of her unconsciousness, although she could neither speak nor move, she had been able to hear everything that was said and discussed around her with perfect clarity.

When they had been trapped in the Stone Forest with no way out, it was Zhao Yusheng who had brought Jiuqing and Xuegu to find them. He had then led them through the Stone Forest formation, brought them to the mouth of the Black Abyss, and guided them through it toward the Feng Clan.

Zhao Yusheng was their benefactor, and by now, everyone had ceased to harbor even the slightest wariness toward him.

“Young Master, you have shown us great kindness. I owe you a debt of gratitude. But gratitude is not the same as love. The marriage between you and me was entirely false.”

He said nothing. The water droplets that had not yet been wiped away fell from the tips of his hair one by one, landing on the floor in a slow succession of drops.

Looking at him like this — why did he seem so pitifully forlorn? It made even Feng Jiu’er feel a pang of heartache.

And yet, the same truth remained. Gratitude is gratitude, and love is love — the two cannot be confused or conflated.

“Young Master…”

“You ARE my wife!” Zhao Yusheng suddenly snapped his head up, glaring at her. “We of the Zhao family have always meant what we say. Since I married you and bowed before heaven and earth with you, I am your husband — until death!”