After a good while of teasing, Zhuo Jin helped him up while laughing, patting nonexistent dust off his clothes. "Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"
Baili Chongyan remembered her mocking him just now and, with a stern face, remained silent.
"Oh, are you angry?"
"It wasn't me who pushed you, so what's with the fuss? I told you you've just recovered and need to rest for a while. And now you want to run off the moment you feel a bit better? Isn't that like a child trying to run before they can even crawl? Hahaha."
As she spoke, she pictured him as a child, probably the same way, trying to run as soon as he learned to crawl, only to fall with a thud. A small, soft thing that couldn't get up after falling, maybe even crying out of frustration. She found the thought incredibly endearing.
The more Zhuo Jin thought about it, the more excited she became, her laughter growing louder, uncontrollable.
Baili Chongyan, furious, turned his head away, completely ignoring her.
They bickered for a while until an attendant arrived from the Song family, who had been looking for them, urging them to come. Only then did they rein themselves in.
Waving away the attendant, Zhuo Jin looked at him. "Do you want to go out like this now, or should we pretend you haven't recovered?"
"Not yet," he replied. He wanted revenge and would need time and effort to plan and strategize. Until everything was ready, it was best to appear as he was, unnoticed by anyone.
Zhuo Jin nodded. "That's a good idea. Suddenly getting better would surely raise suspicion, and people might even think you've been swapped. It needs to be a gradual process."
"That's simple," he said. He could simply announce to the world that he had found a divine doctor capable of resurrecting the dead and healing all ailments, and then pretend to recover slowly.
"Then you arrange it yourself," Zhuo Jin said. She wanted him to carry out the plan himself to truly quell his inner hatred. "Since you can't recover yet, come on."
She stepped in front of him and extended her hand.
Baili Chongyan put his mask back on, his ears now flushed red. He placed his hand on hers, wrapped his arm around her neck, and was lifted into her arms. Baili Chongyan felt a complex mix of emotions seeing how easily this slender woman could lift him.
Zhuo Jin carried him out. Noticing his troubled expression, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"You're so strong."
The moment he spoke, he realized how wrong it sounded. While happy, he also felt a greater sense of shame and shyness.
Zhuo Jin held him tighter and smiled. "What is it? Do you feel like you owe me too much now that I'm carrying you? You can carry me back later. When you're well, I'll want you to carry me too."
Her direct request for "repayment" made Baili Chongyan, a grown man, seem overly sentimental, dwelling on such matters.
"Alright," he promised with a slightly firm voice. "Later, I'll carry you."
Zhuo Jin laughed, her voice even more joyful.
Fearing that it might shock Master and Madam Song, Zhuo Jin placed him in a wheelchair after they emerged and pushed him towards the front hall. They had been so busy that lunch had nearly turned into dinner.
Baili Chongyan had to pretend to be lame and blind, with Zhuo Jin caring for him throughout. The air around them seemed to be filled with countless pink bubbles, which made Master Song frown and sigh. He wondered if this was a blessing or a curse. The former Sixth Prince had been a man of unparalleled talent and exceptional charm, someone he greatly admired. To have fallen to this state after being framed was truly regrettable. Now that he had recovered, he couldn't reveal it, forced to feign inability to speak or walk. If, before this, Master Song had considered the Emperor's actions questionable, believing he acted out of necessity for balance and stability, and was willing to acknowledge him as a wise ruler, then now, with Baili Chongyan becoming his son-in-law, his loyalties had shifted. Coupled with Zhuo Jin's earlier words, he felt the Emperor was indeed cruel, capable of harming his own son. If the Sixth Prince hadn't met with disaster, he would have already married and had children, not ended up in this state. How could his own daughter have had a chance? It was all fate playing tricks. Master Song, lost in thought, ate without tasting his food, shaking his head and nodding, clearly conflicted.
After the meal, as dusk approached, it was time for Baili Chongyan to leave. Master Song accompanied him outside, dismissed the servants, and stepped forward. "Sixth Prince, take care. We are family now. If you need anything, please let me know, and I will do my utmost to assist."