Chapter 147: A Sleepless Night

Upon hearing those earlier words, Lan Wu had already formed a suspicion in her heart—perhaps in her previous life, after her death, Chu Mingheng had fallen ill.

As for what kind of illness it was…

Lan Wu muttered to herself inwardly. When she was alive, she never saw Chu Mingheng show much reluctance to part with her or grow accustomed to her presence. Yet after she died, he ended up making himself sick.

Such a proud and arrogant emperor.

Unable to resist, Lan Wu gently reached out and poked Chu Mingheng’s cheek, causing him to open his eyes and look at her.

Before he could speak, Lan Wu spoke first: “See, I told you you weren’t asleep. Go to sleep, stop looking around.”

Chu Mingheng wanted to argue but simply said, “I can’t sleep.”

“Even if you can’t sleep, you must try,” Lan Wu said, putting on a stern face. “If you don’t sleep, I can’t sleep either. Are you trying to bully me?”

Who exactly was bullying whom?

Chu Mingheng silently repeated the question in his mind, then gently patted Lan Wu’s back to signal his surrender before closing his eyes.

After he closed his eyes, Lan Wu observed him for a long while, thinking to herself that perhaps after a good night’s sleep, Chu Mingheng would remember everything. After all, it was after sleeping that his condition had appeared in the first place.

She waited for a long time but saw no other reaction from Chu Mingheng. Even the breathing beside her ear grew long and steady, as if he had truly fallen asleep.

Lan Wu waited a while longer herself, but drowsiness gradually overwhelmed her, and she drifted off to sleep at some point.

The night was pitch black, the candlelight in the hall flickering faintly, and the surroundings were utterly still.

Chu Mingheng opened his eyes.

To deceive Lan Wu was as easy as blowing away dust.

Yet even with his eyes open, he made no other movements. He simply lay beside Lan Wu, quietly gazing at her face. Even his blinks were slow and gentle, as if afraid that if he closed his eyes for even a moment, she would disappear.

Sleep?

How could he dare to sleep? How could he waste time on something like sleep?

Who knew if, once he fell asleep, the Lan Wu before him would change again?

He stayed awake until dawn.

Only when the sky outside grew bright did Chu Mingheng notice Lan Wu stirring slightly. He closed his eyes again, quietly waiting for her to wake up.

Lan Wu felt as though someone was watching her. The sensation of that gaze grew clearer and clearer, making her unable to resist opening her eyes to look.

But when she opened her eyes, all she saw was Chu Mingheng’s face lying beside her in the bed. His eyes were closed, his eyelashes not even trembling—clearly, he was sound asleep.

So she gently leaned back into his embrace, thinking she had been overthinking things.

Now that she was awake, she didn’t know what time it was. There was no court session today, and no one had come to wake them. She only glanced at the sky outside and felt it couldn’t be too late.

She wanted Chu Mingheng to sleep a little longer.

So she nestled back under the covers, waiting for sleepiness to wash over her again.

After a while, unable to fall asleep, she decided to get up and leave the bed.

Her arm was pulled back, and she was dragged back into bed.

Lan Wu let out a soft cry, realizing that Chu Mingheng was awake.

His voice still carried the drowsiness of someone just waking up as he asked Lan Wu where she was going.

“Nowhere. I was just thinking of letting you sleep a little longer,” Lan Wu replied honestly, unsure whether Chu Mingheng had remembered anything after sleeping.

Clearly, he hadn’t remembered everything—he was still the Chu Mingheng from her previous life.

He said “okay,” pulled Lan Wu back under the covers, and said he would hold her and sleep a little longer.

Lan Wu frowned, forced herself up, and looked into his eyes. “Since we’re both awake, what’s the point of sleeping? Get up, we need to go find Master Huifan.”

Chu Mingheng turned his face away and murmured softly, “Why bother looking for him?”

Huh?

Seeing his attitude, Lan Wu knew he was clearly putting up a stubborn resistance. He had agreed so readily last night, but now he was going back on his word—changing his mind as soon as he woke up.

She reached out to turn his shoulder, trying to make him face her directly.

But her strength wasn’t enough, and she only managed to work herself into a fluster. Chu Mingheng had already closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Chu Mingheng!” Lan Wu shouted his name angrily, flipping over to sit on him, straddling his waist and abdomen. She forcefully turned his face toward her and said furiously, “We agreed on this last night! How can you still act so shameless?”

Chu Mingheng’s waist and abdomen were firm and strong, remaining solid even with Lan Wu sitting on him.

He showed no awareness of his own shamelessness. Only upon hearing these words did he open his eyes, seeing Lan Wu’s beautiful face swaying before him. He let out a soft laugh.

He was laughing?

How dare he laugh?

Lan Wu was momentarily stunned, and before she could react, she felt a movement beneath her.

Chu Mingheng propped himself up with one arm, using the other to gently support her back. This caused Lan Wu to slide down without any support.

Suddenly, her entire body stiffened. She quickly moved away from Chu Mingheng, practically leaping off the bed. Blushing, she looked at him and said, “Hurry up and get yourself together. You promised me—don’t go back on your word.”

The sleeping robe was thin, and with Lan Wu sitting on him earlier, the garment had slipped to reveal half of his firm chest. Now, sitting casually at the edge of the bed, he watched Lan Wu retreat with a puzzled expression.

He seemed about to get up, but the moment he tried, his vision darkened, and he couldn’t help swaying unsteadily.

“Your Majesty—” Lan Wu called out to him, rushing over anxiously to support him.

This move was no different from a lamb walking into a tiger’s den.

Chu Mingheng picked her up and tossed her onto the bed.

“You tricked me?” Lan Wu realized belatedly that she had been deceived, but before she could react further, Chu Mingheng pressed down on her, wrapping her in his embrace.

He behaved quite honestly, not moving a muscle, as if he just wanted to hold her to satisfy a craving.

Lan Wu instinctively reached out to touch his forehead, then her own. She gasped softly and said seriously, “Your Majesty, you have a fever again.”

They needed to find Master Huifan quickly.

Even after taking the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician from the palace, Chu Mingheng still hadn’t recovered.

Chu Mingheng nuzzled her neck and murmured deeply, “Later. My head hurts right now.”

This wasn’t a lie—the earlier dizziness was real. It was just that when Lan Wu worriedly approached him, his body moved faster than his mind, and he tossed her onto the bed without thinking.

It was as if he hadn’t tasted meat in three hundred years.

The thought made Chu Mingheng inwardly curse himself.

Lan Wu’s voice continued to chatter anxiously in his ear, one sentence after another, utterly endearing.

As if worried about disturbing him, she lowered her voice, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered, “Then let’s sleep a little longer.”

In truth, Lan Wu felt this wasn’t right. Chu Mingheng’s fever kept coming and going, and if this continued, it would surely harm his health. It was better to resolve it as soon as possible.

“Just stay with me for a while.”

The morning was cold, but the main hall was excessively warm. Even wearing only a thin sleeping robe, they didn’t feel the chill.

Chu Mingheng held her and lay there a while longer before finally getting up, bringing Lan Wu along with him.

“Go wash up, I’ll have someone come in to attend to you.”

His expression remained unchanged, only his gaze at Lan Wu held a few more traces of tender affection.