Chapter 31: Menstruation
Lu Yuner slightly lowered her head, letting her gaze fall on those blood-stained hands. She then reached out, carefully avoiding touching his skin, and slowly rolled up his sleeve to his forearm. A glimpse of slender, snow-white skin shone through as the sleeve was raised.
These long, delicate fingers had never touched spring water, clearly belonging to someone who had been nurtured in luxury since childhood.
Indeed, his hands were like jade shoots, pure white and flawless, as if they were an exquisite work of art.
She finally understood why some people had a fascination with hands.
They were truly beautiful!
But thinking back to the scene just now, these clean, jade-like hands were stained with that bright red. He seemed unafraid of such a bloody scene, which surprised her quite a bit.
“Is this height alright?” Lu Yuner asked after rolling up one sleeve.
“It’s fine.”
Su Qingwan stood obediently in front of Lu Yuner, like a docile puppy, quietly feeling the warmth of Lu Yuner’s fingertips against his skin. Occasionally, he would secretly glance sideways, his eyes downcast, his brows and eyes hiding a gentle, coy shyness.
Her voice was soft and gentle, returning to its usual mild state, no longer cold and distant towards him. His bright phoenix eyes curved with happiness, his smile radiant.
Suddenly, his long, dense eyelashes trembled noticeably, making him more determined to make an important decision. His tone devoid of any emotion, calm as water, he said, “Elder Sister Yuner, I’ve seriously considered what you said. Matters of the heart can’t be forced. I won’t bother Elder Sister Yuner anymore in the future.”
Hearing this, Lu Yuner’s hands paused for a moment. It seemed that the young master Su had come today for this matter. Judging by his words, he had finally come to his senses.
She inwardly heaved a sigh of relief, then the corners of her mouth turned up, clearly in a good mood. She continued to help him roll up his sleeves, “That’s the way it should be! Young Master Su should save this affection for a lady who will offer her love to you in return. There are plenty of good women in this world. You’ll surely meet someone a hundred times better than me in the future.”
To be honest, since Lu Yuner had transmigrated a year ago, she had seen many handsome men here. Currently, in her heart, this young master Su’s appearance was definitely number one, worthy of the phrase “Like jade on the road, a gentleman unparalleled in the world.”
If… if she were willing to stay and not insist on returning home, she would probably have a sweet romance with young master Su.
Of course, this was just a hypothetical…
“Mm.” Su Qingwan’s eyelashes lowered slightly, feeling a bit guilty. He had already anticipated that Elder Sister Yuner would say such things, but a sourness still welled up in his heart, leaving him feeling lost, as if a piece of his heart had been emptied.
But Elder Sister Yuner didn’t know that he had actually lied to her.
His heart had already been occupied by her, how could he possibly like anyone else?
He also couldn’t give up!
He just thought about how he and Elder Sister Yuner were growing more distant because of this, with coldness tinged with estrangement. Sometimes, due to his status, she had to treat him against her will.
Actually, he could have saved all this trouble and directly asked the Emperor to issue a marriage decree, forcing her to marry him. That way, he could completely possess Elder Sister Yuner, becoming her one and only husband.
But Su Qingwan knew that this move would only gain him the person, but never her heart. It would only bring Elder Sister Yuner’s hatred towards him, those cold gazes cutting into his heart like knives. He absolutely didn’t want to experience that kind of unbearable pain again, so he would never do such a thing.
What he wanted was all of Elder Sister Yuner, including her heart, to belong entirely to him.
Su Qingwan’s eyes flickered with changing emotions as he carefully asked, “Then… will Elder Sister Yuner treat me like before?”
“Hm?” Lu Yuner looked up at him with a puzzled expression, meeting those expectant yet slightly anxious starry eyes. She paused for a few seconds, suddenly understanding the meaning behind his words. Then she resumed her usual gentle smile, “Now that everything has been cleared up, things will naturally return to how they were before. However, I still request that Young Master Su address me formally as ‘Dr. Lu’. After all, this is…”
Su Qingwan bit his lip, his tone filled with self-reproach and a hint of grievance as he asked softly, “Why can Brother Nanxi call you Elder Sister Yuner, but I can’t? Is it… is Elder Sister Yuner still angry about what happened last time? Or is Elder Sister Yuner’s earlier statement about everything returning to normal false?”
As for the form of address, she actually didn’t mind. Her mindset was still quite modern, and these were all just formalities to her. There was no need to be so formal with everyone. They had been calling each other this way before, so she just wanted to quickly move past that incident. “Alright, as you wish. But you can only call me Elder Sister Yuner in private.”
It seemed that this young master Su had become quite close with Nanxi. He even called him Brother Nanxi?
It appeared these two had become good friends in private.
Su Qingwan hid his excitement and nodded obediently, “Mm.”
“Now that your sleeves are rolled up, you can start washing. I’ll go back to my room for a moment,” Lu Yuner instructed before turning to enter her room.
“Alright.” Su Qingwan placed his hands in the clear water, slowly washing with a calm expression. Soon, the blood on his hands was washed away, and the basin of clear water turned red.
Su Qingwan brought his hands close to his nose and sniffed. There was still an indelible smell of blood. He gazed at the basin of bloody water with a blank expression, seemingly recalling something. Gradually, a flash of hatred passed through his deep, dark eyes.
Shortly after, Lu Yuner returned from her room, bringing a bar of soap she had made herself. She lightly scraped some soap flakes onto a wooden chip. “Young Master Su, try this. It should be able to wash away the smell of blood on your hands. But wait a moment, let me get you a fresh basin of clean water.”
Lu Yuner poured out the bloody water and replaced it with a basin of clean water. “Here, try it.”
Su Qingwan looked at the white soap flakes in his hand, then tried washing with them.
Indeed, after Su Qingwan used it, even before bringing his hands to his nose, he could smell the same cool fragrance that Elder Sister Yuner had. His brows furrowed slightly, and with a hidden intention, he asked, “Elder Sister Yuner, this smells so nice. Can you give this to me?”
“Of course,” Lu Yuner agreed readily. After all, Qiu Yi had prepared an extra set for her.
After Su Qingwan finished washing, he seemed to recall something. He picked up the textbook from the ground and took out a few sheets of paper filled with writing from it. “Elder Sister Yuner, this is the 800-word reflection I wrote last time. Please review it. I had intended to give it to you today, but you didn’t come to teach.”
As he spoke, he lowered his eyelashes, letting his disappointed gaze fall to the ground.
“My teaching schedule has undergone some changes,” Lu Yuner said as she took the essay with one hand. The handwriting that met her eyes was graceful and unrestrained, open and ethereal, as if one could glimpse the writer’s elegance through the strokes.
Lu Yuner praised generously, “It’s just as they say: ‘The writing reflects the person, and the person is reflected in the writing.’ I didn’t expect Young Master Su’s handwriting to be so beautiful!”
Hearing Elder Sister Yuner’s praise, Su Qingwan’s mood greatly improved. Mainly because the implication of that phrase was that she was complimenting his appearance. He scratched the back of his head a bit shyly, his beautiful obsidian eyes looking directly at her. “Really?”
Lu Yuner had been carefully examining the content of the writing. Hearing his uncertain tone, she suddenly lowered her gaze and smiled, “Of course. As a teacher, I’m fair in rewards and punishments. I won’t lie. What deserves punishment will be punished, and what deserves praise will be praised.”
As she smiled, Su Qingwan pressed his lips together, a hint of unusual emotion flashing in his eyes. Since that incident, he hadn’t seen such a gentle smile from her.
It seemed his current approach was correct.
After finishing reading, Lu Yuner looked up at him with a smile, “Your literary talent is also quite good. Since there’s nothing else now, you should go back to class.”
“I’ve actually already asked for leave,” Su Qingwan replied softly. He had originally thought he wouldn’t see Elder Sister Yuner today, assuming she didn’t want to see him, so he had asked for leave to come find her.
“You asked for leave?” Lu Yuner’s scrutinizing gaze fell on him. Could it be that he was feeling unwell again?
Under Lu Yuner’s direct gaze, afraid she might see through him, he naturally wouldn’t tell her the real reason for asking leave.
Su Qingwan explained guiltily, “Mm, because there’s something at home later.”
Although unwilling, in order to leave a good impression on Elder Sister Yuner, he still pretended to be obedient.
“If that’s the case, let’s go. I’ll see you off,” Lu Yuner said, withdrawing her thoughts and walking towards the door.
Just as Su Qingwan was about to take a step, he suddenly felt pain all over his body, especially sharp, stabbing pains coming from his lower abdomen. His teeth clenched tightly on his lip, one hand clutching his lower abdomen, and his fair forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Feeling a hot flow, he realized his menstruation had started.
Lu Yuner walked a few steps, noticed the person behind hadn’t followed, and turned to look at the young master Su still standing in place. His thin frame was swaying, forcing him to bend over and crouch down. Lu Yuner quickly walked over and asked, “Young Master Su, what’s wrong?”
The wave of pain made his eyes moist. Su Qingwan raised his head shyly, stammering, “I… I’ve started my menstruation.”
“What?! Menstruation?!” Lu Yuner was slightly stunned, at a loss for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered this was a female-dominated world, and she had been using the original owner’s body, so there was no mention of menstruation for her. Since men could bear children, naturally they would have menstruation. While she was pondering this, she suddenly noticed an obvious bloodstain appearing on his white robe.
Lu Yuner had personally experienced this physiological pain. Every time she had her period, she would be in excruciating pain.
Seeing that he seemed unable to walk and his complexion wasn’t good, not to mention the bloodstain on his white clothes, it really wasn’t convenient for him to go out. “How about this? Young Master Su, your clothes are stained with blood. I’ll help you into my room to rest first. If you don’t mind, you can change into my clothes for now. Don’t worry, they’re absolutely clean.”
After teaching at the Imperial College, Lu Yuner paid more attention to her image in this area, always dressing like a scholar or student, so young master Su could wear her clothes.
Su Qingwan’s face was as pale as paper. Hearing Lu Yuner’s words, his heart trembled involuntarily. He weakly replied, “Alright.”
Lu Yuner helped him into the room, took out a set of clean clothes from the cabinet and handed them to him. “You can change behind the screen first. I’ll cut some menstrual pads for you right away.”
After saying this, Lu Yuner took another set of clean clothes and went out.
Su Qingwan stared blankly at the clothes in his hands that carried a cool fragrance. He couldn’t help but hug them tightly to his chest. These clothes were exactly the same material as the ones in his mansion, but unfortunately, the cool fragrance on his clothes had already faded.
Suddenly remembering what Elder Sister Yuner had just said, Su Qingwan’s face suddenly turned bright red. Enduring the pain, he slowly walked towards the screen.