Chapter 17: You Look So Beautiful

Pei Zhouwu scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of her. As expected, disappointment filled his eyes.

That sense of panic surged up once more, urgent and overwhelming.

He hurried ashore, praying that she was still in the mountains—only then would there be hope of finding her.

But if she had already descended the mountain, there was nothing he could do.

The forest, however, was a labyrinth of interconnected paths. Which direction had she taken?

Just as anxiety gripped him, he suddenly spotted a stumbling figure in the woods.

The silhouette, especially the faint hint of goose-yellow, felt achingly familiar to Pei Zhouwu. The clothes he had dried for so long last night were precisely that shade of goose-yellow.

He quickened his pace and entered the forest.

When Liu Fuying saw him, her expression turned to shock.

Pei Zhouwu approached from a distance, his demeanor fierce and imposing. She stepped back, lost her balance, and fell.

Seeing this, Pei Zhouwu’s expression shifted again.

He sped up, crouching down before her. “Where are you hurt?”

From her unsteady gait earlier, he could tell she must have been injured.

As for where she had gone, it was exactly as he had initially guessed—she had gone to check the traps for prey. The two wild rabbits clutched in her hands confirmed it.

“You… how did you…”

“How did I come out?” Pei Zhouwu’s face hardened, his gaze sharp as he stared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me before going out on your own? Did it never occur to you that I would worry? If I had known it would be like this, I would rather not have saved you back then.”

Whether she had realized it before didn’t matter—she knew now.

Pei Zhouwu’s concern for her had exceeded her expectations.

For her sake, he had actually emerged from the water.

Last time was different. Last time, he had only escorted her out and quickly returned.

But today, he had come out specifically to look for her. How could he have known where to find her? If he stayed out too long, the guards would surely discover him.

Pei Zhouwu had always been reserved—his words were measured, his expressions subdued, and his actions steady and proper.

Who would have thought that once he became impassioned, he could be like this…

“I’m sorry. When I woke up this morning and didn’t see you, I thought you were sleeping in the front room. I didn’t dare go over or call out, afraid the guards would notice. With the weather so hot, if prey is caught and not processed quickly, it will rot and smell, making it inedible. So…”

“I’m sorry.”

Her soft, apologetic words, filled with self-reproach, dissolved the anger Pei Zhouwu had felt out of worry.

He sighed and took the rabbits from her, noting they hadn’t yet spoiled.

“Did you set your traps two mountains away?” he asked, deliberately teasing to lighten the mood.

“N-no.”

Liu Fuying glanced up at him furtively before quickly lowering her gaze again.

Her pitiful appearance truly softened his heart.

“They’re not two mountains away—just not far into the woods over there.”

“Then why were you gone for so long?”

Liu Fuying’s voice was gentle, as if trying not to provoke his anger again. She murmured meekly, “The traps aren’t far, but wild onions, herbs, and other seasonings aren’t easy to find. While searching for seasoning plants, I slipped and twisted my ankle.”

As she spoke, she tugged at her skirt to cover her injured ankle.

“It’s much better now. Earlier, it hurt so much I couldn’t take a single step. I even cried for a while out of frustration with myself.”

Hearing her say she was crying because of him, the last trace of sternness in Pei Zhouwu faded away.

He wasn’t angry, but he couldn’t laugh either.

All that remained was helplessness.

“A grown man like me has actually fallen so low that I need you to go out hunting to support me.”

His tone was clearly teasing, and Liu Fuying clearly understood it but deliberately pretended not to. She tugged at his sleeve, speaking in a soft, timid voice with tearful eyes, pleading.

“Don’t be angry anymore, I know I was wrong.”

With her like this, who could stay angry?

Pei Zhouwu turned his back to her and said, “Let’s not talk about it anymore, let’s go back first.”

From his posture, it seemed he intended to carry her on his back.

“Can you move?” he asked again.

“Yes, I can move.”

Liu Fuying sat up and threw herself toward him. Her sprained ankle had been an act from the start. Earlier in the woods, hearing the sound of water, she guessed Pei Zhouwu had come out, so she improvised and pretended to sprain her ankle.

Carefully and thoughtfully, she took the wild rabbit from Pei Zhouwu’s hands.

“This is inconvenient for you, I’ll hold it.”

Then, she climbed onto his back, holding the rabbit in one hand and wrapping her other arm around his neck.

Pei Zhouwu wore iron shackles on his wrists, but fortunately, they were long enough for him to hook his hands under her legs separately, preventing her from falling.

He then stood up and began walking back the way they came.

But Liu Fuying’s attention was entirely on Pei Zhouwu’s hair—more precisely, on his hairpin.

The Glowworm Wooden Hairpin she had given him.

He had actually worn it. Last night, she noticed he wasn’t wearing this one.

She smiled inwardly. Indeed, a hairpin’s beauty depends on who wears it. Even the most ordinary wooden hairpin seemed extraordinary when worn in Pei Zhouwu’s hair.

They were still some distance from the pond. Liu Fuying’s gaze shifted from the hairpin on his head to his neck.

The pulsing veins throbbed rhythmically, and Liu Fuying’s heart seemed to beat in sync with them.

“So beautiful.”

She murmured the words, causing Pei Zhouwu to look puzzled.

“What is beautiful?”

“The hairpin is beautiful, but the person wearing it is even more beautiful.”

Pei Zhouwu suddenly froze, only then remembering the wooden hairpin he had hesitantly put on that morning.

Although she had given it to him a long time ago, this was the first time he had worn it.

Thinking of her carrying difficult worries and feeling uneasy all day, he had worn the hairpin in an attempt to offer her some comfort and make her a little happier.

And judging by her tone now, she indeed seemed relaxed and joyful.

He couldn’t help but secretly curl the corners of his lips.

“Since you gave it to me, why didn’t you say so last time? I thought you had accidentally left it behind.”

“It wasn’t left behind.” Liu Fuying smiled brightly, breathing in the crisp scent of mountain spring water on him as she added, “I made it specifically for you. I just… I was afraid you might dislike it and refuse to accept it, so I didn’t have the courage to say it directly.”

“Now that I’m in such a state, and you haven’t looked down on me, how could I possibly have the face to look down on you?”

“Don’t say it like that. You mustn’t speak of yourself that way.”

Liu Fuying tightened her arm around his neck slightly, showing her agitation and unwillingness for him to belittle himself.

“You were originally a dazzling, heaven-favored prodigy. All those accusations were false, they don’t count. But I’m not like that. I was born lowly. Someone like you—I never should have met you in this lifetime. I’m not worthy.”

Pei Zhouwu continued walking forward but remained silent for a long while.

Clearly, he didn’t like hearing Liu Fuying say such things either.

“If you say that again next time, you need not come anymore.”

“Don’t.” Liu Fuying hugged even tighter, quickly adding, “I was wrong, I won’t say it again.”