Chapter 5
Ji Yan’an’s mother frowned. “Yan’an, weren’t you feeling unwell? Rest properly and don’t get worked up. Tell the Princess Dowager—why can’t that be done?”
Suppressing her anxiety, Ji Yan’an repeated the same explanation she had given Ji Yongning the other day, word for word, to both her mother and the old witch. She had hoped it would help Song Yi escape this ordeal as well.
Unfortunately, the enemy was a little stronger than she had expected.
The old witch clutched her chest as though she had suffered a terrible shock. After a long pause, she finally retorted, “Song Yi has already been summoned to the main hall. If Yan’an is still worried, you may come and see for yourself.”
Her tone had turned noticeably colder.
Ji Yan’an’s mother darkened as well. They had already taken Song Yi away, yet now they were pretending to generously allow her to follow.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.
The old witch rose and prepared to leave with her attendants.
Grinding her teeth, Ji Yan’an forced herself upright despite the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her.
“Then I’ll go take a look.”
The Princess Dowager immediately regretted her earlier threats.
Who would have thought this young girl would disregard her own health just to protect someone completely unrelated to her?
By the time they hurried into the main hall, Song Yi was already kneeling in the center of the room, her back perfectly straight.
Two men sat above her.
One of them Ji Yan’an recognized immediately—her elder brother, the legitimate eldest son of the Ji family, Ji Huai.
Ji Huai was decent-looking enough, but the man beside him was the one who truly fit the phrase gentle as jade.
He wore a dark purple crane cloak, his long hair flowing elegantly over his shoulders. Beneath his brows rested a pair of dark phoenix eyes. His slender frame only added to his refined appearance.
An undeniable beauty.
Exactly as the novel had described its male lead.
“Liang Jingcheng…”
Ji Yan’an practically squeezed the name through clenched teeth.
God knew how long she had cried when he broke Song Yi’s heart in the original story.
Imagine this:
Someone descends into your life like a ray of light.
They extend a hand and pull you from the mud.
Then, just when you begin to believe you’ve been saved, they throw you back into the abyss.
What kind of despair would that feel like?
Ji Yan’an didn’t even dare imagine it.
Yet Song Yi—the woman who appeared so cold and distant—had lived through exactly that.
“Yan’an!”
Ji Huai’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
With the air of someone marching toward execution, Ji Yan’an shuffled over to his side. On purpose, she rammed her shoulder hard into Liang Jingcheng.
Then she calmly explained, “I’m ill. My footing’s a little unstable.”
Ji Huai: “…”
Liang Jingcheng: “…”
The Princess Dowager and Ji Yan’an’s mother sat to one side, leisurely sipping tea.
In the entire hall, only Song Yi remained kneeling.
Ji Yan’an glanced toward Liang Jingcheng.
To her irritation, he was staring blankly at Song Yi’s breathtaking face.
He didn’t even spare a glance for her—the supposed “white moonlight” of his youth.
Heh.
Of course.
A white moonlight who never dies stops being a white moonlight.
Ji Yan’an silently sneered.
Meanwhile, no matter how the old witch questioned her, Song Yi offered only a single answer.
“It wasn’t me who caused Miss Ji to fall into the water.”
Again and again.
The same sentence.
Ji Yan’an grew increasingly anxious watching the exchange.
She was one step away from charging forward and throttling the old witch herself.
“Mother…” Liang Jingcheng finally spoke. “This is, after all, Yan’an’s family matter. Perhaps we should leave first.”
The moment he opened his mouth in Song Yi’s defense, Ji Yan’an became alert as a startled kitten.
Every hair on her body seemed to stand on end.
Her bright almond eyes locked onto Liang Jingcheng.
Below them, Song Yi had already raised her head slightly, confusion flickering across her usually expressionless face as she looked toward him.
No good.
Absolutely not.
If Liang Jingcheng was allowed even a few more sentences, who knew what kind of disaster would follow?
“Your Highness!”
Ji Yan’an suddenly interrupted.
Ignoring the dizziness pounding through her skull, she dropped to her knees beside Song Yi.
“My lifesaver should not be kneeling here under interrogation.”
“This is indeed our family matter.”
Her voice was calm and respectful, neither servile nor arrogant, as she met the Princess Dowager’s gaze directly.
The hall fell silent.
No one had expected Ji Yan’an to openly challenge the Princess Dowager for Song Yi’s sake.
Song Yi herself was stunned.
For the first time in a long while, genuine confusion appeared on her face.
“You—!”
The Princess Dowager trembled with rage.
Her authority had been challenged in public.
Yet Ji Yan’an stood backed not only by the Ji family, but also by the Empress Dowager herself.
The Princess Dowager dared not act recklessly.
With a furious crash, she slammed her teacup onto the floor.
Then she grabbed Liang Jingcheng and stormed out of the Ji residence.
Ji Yan’an knew nothing about the male lead’s hidden protagonist aura.
She only knew the old witch had backed down.
Relief washed through her.
Just as she bent down to help Song Yi stand—
The world suddenly spun.
Her vision darkened.
Before she could react, all consciousness vanished, and she collapsed directly into Song Yi’s arms.
Looking down at the unconscious girl, Song Yi felt genuine fear.
Yesterday, when Ji Yan’an had held her hand, it had been warm.
So warm.
But now her entire body was cold.
Her face was pale as snow.
Song Yi didn’t dare think further.
Without hesitation, she scooped Ji Yan’an into her arms and ran toward her own courtyard.
Behind her, Lady Ji shouted in confusion,
“Where are you taking Yan’an?!”
“My courtyard is closer.”
Song Yi tossed the words over her shoulder and kept running.
She buried her head and sprinted forward, as though if she were even one second slower, the person in her arms would be beyond saving.
Back in her chambers, Song Yi carefully laid Ji Yan’an on the bed.
Then she sat there in silence, examining the turmoil in her heart.
Why?
Why had panic seized her the moment Ji Yan’an collapsed?
The girl on the bed remained unconscious.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her expression pained.
Her hands and feet were icy cold.
Song Yi had no idea what else to do.
Expressionless as ever, she simply took Ji Yan’an’s hand between both of hers, trying to warm it with palms that weren’t particularly warm themselves.
“The only person who can prove my innocence.”
“She’s not allowed to die.”
It was merely a common cold.
Yet Song Yi stubbornly used those words to justify her concern.
Not long afterward, the imperial physician arrived.
His brows were knitted tightly together, his displeasure obvious.
“Madam, the young lady is already suffering from a chill. Yet you allowed her to run about like this.”
“Now she has fainted and requires proper treatment.”
“If this old minister doesn’t return to the palace soon, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will certainly inquire after the reason.”
Again.
The Empress Dowager.
This was already the second time she had been mentioned.
Though Ji Yan’an remained unconscious, her awareness had gradually begun returning.
Her eyelids simply felt too heavy to open.
Lady Ji offered a sheepish smile and repeatedly urged the physician to prescribe medicine quickly.
With a sigh, he wrote out a prescription and handed it to Jinxi.
“Prepare this immediately.”
The moment Ji Yan’an heard the words herbal medicine, she felt despair.
I’m doomed.
Struggling, she forced her eyes open and whined,
“Mother… I’m already awake. Do I really need medicine…?”
Only after speaking did she realize she was sitting on Song Yi’s bed.
And Song Yi was seated beside her.
Still holding her hand.
Still quietly warming it.
A rush of warmth flooded Ji Yan’an’s heart.
At that moment, even being forced to drink medicine didn’t seem so terrible.
After all—
What could possibly be better than opening your eyes and finding a beauty holding your hand?
The instant Song Yi saw her awake, she instinctively tried to pull her hand away.
Ji Yan’an immediately tightened her grip.
“I’m staying here.”
The room froze.
Lady Ji nearly jumped forward to feel her daughter’s forehead, wondering whether the fever had fried her brain.
After touching her cool skin, she slowly withdrew her hand.
“Why?”
“There’s no brazier here. No maids to attend you. Why would you choose to suffer in this place?”
“Yan’an, you’ve become more and more willful lately. You just defied the Princess Dowager, and now you want to stay here…”
Rubbing her forehead, Lady Ji looked utterly exhausted.
This daughter truly gave her no peace of mind.
Song Yi finally spoke as well.
“No.”
Two simple words.
Yet hearing them made Ji Yan’an’s eyes sting.
Still clutching Song Yi’s hand tightly, she repeated each word with absolute determination.
“I.”
“Am.”
“Staying.”
