Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Lu Ye noticed something was off about her expression. "Wen Ying?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Liu Wenying responded, her voice sounding somewhat unnatural.

"What did you come in to say?"

Lu Ye's voice remained calm and normal, as if the embarrassing scene he had just witnessed had never happened.

Remembering her business, Liu Wenying composed herself and said, "I wanted to tell you about what I learned from practicing archery today, but there are still some things I don't quite understand."

Lu Ye nodded. "Go on."

She organized her thoughts and expressed her feelings and doubts during practice.

But words alone weren't enough, so Liu Wenying simply picked up a new bow.

"I'll show you."

The two returned to the courtyard. Dusk was falling, and only the last trace of orange-red remained on the horizon.

Liu Wenying nocked the arrow, drew the bow, held her breath, aimed, and released it.

The arrow hit the target, but was still half an inch away from the bullseye.

"That's how it is. I've got my aim right, but I always miss when I release the shot."

Lu Ye walked to her side and asked her to repeat the archery posture she had just used.

A gentle evening breeze blew by, and his slightly damp hair was gathered around his left shoulder, with occasional drops of water falling and spreading out in damp patches.

Lu Ye supported her right wrist as she drew the bowstring: "It should be lower here. Your breathing must be steady. Inhale, hold your breath, and exhale after releasing the arrow."

Archery is an art where the slightest error can lead to a disastrous outcome; even the slightest change in breathing frequency can affect the final result.

Liu Wenying did as instructed: hold her breath, aim, release, and then exhale.

The arrow pierced the air and this time hit the bullseye.

"I won!"

Lu Ye smiled and said, "Yes, I've got it. That's the feeling."

Taking advantage of her good form, Liu Wenying practiced archery a few more times and gradually found the knack.

As darkness fell completely, lights began to come on one after another.

Liu Wenying put down her bow. "How about we call it a day?"

Lu Ye nodded and walked to the straw target to help her remove the arrow.

Liu Wenying also went over to help.

The arrow was deeply embedded, and with a forceful pull, she yanked it out, the arrow shaft snapping open, but the sharp arrowhead grazed her fingertips, sending a stinging pain through her.

Liu Wenying hissed softly as a cut appeared on her right index finger, from which blood seeped out.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ye immediately turned his head.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury, a graze from an arrow."

Just as Liu Wenying was about to put her index finger in her mouth, the light and shadow flickered before her eyes, and her waist suddenly tightened.

Lu Ye swiftly picked her up and carried her back into the house.

"Lu Ye!"

He ignored her, put her on the bed, and turned to look for medicine for his wounds.

Seeing his flustered back, Liu Wenying felt a warmth in her heart, but also thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"It's really just a minor injury, nothing serious."

"How could it not be a problem? The arrow was not clean. The cut may look small, but if it is not treated in time, it can become a big problem."

He took out gauze and wound medicine, cleaned her wound, applied ointment, and then gently wrapped it with soft gauze.

After handling the situation, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to find Liu Wenying staring at him intently, her eyes clear and gentle.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He seemed quite uncomfortable.

Liu Wenying voiced her doubts, "I just remembered that when you were injured on the mountain before, you only gave me a simple bandage and that was it, and sometimes you didn't even give me a bandage."

"Why are you so worried about such a trivial little wound?"

After asking the question, Lu Ye looked flustered.

"I am a rough and unrefined man from the mountains, and I am used to bumps and bruises. But you are different. You are... the master of the manor, and you deserve to be carefully protected."

In the countryside, he often overheard the village girls chatting, saying that a woman's hands are her second face.

Every day, she writes, keeps accounts, and does needlework; these are the most precious things, and even the slightest scratch is a pity.

He himself was rough and tough, and it was common for him to be covered in scars.

But he couldn't bear to let even an inch of her skin be stained with any injury.

"Is that really all there is to it, and there's no other reason?"

Liu Wenying leaned forward slightly, looked up at him with a hint of mischievous tenderness in her eyes.

Her breath came over him, and her gaze went straight into his eyes, leaving no room for doubt.

Lu Ye's body suddenly tensed, and his deeply hidden emotions were about to be forced out layer by layer.

"No..."

Before he could deny it, Liu Wenying pressed the issue, "Lu Ye, do you have feelings for me?"

Lu Ye asked in astonishment, "You...you knew all along?"

Liu Wenying nodded; she wasn't stupid.

His thoughtfulness and attention to detail were evident in every aspect, revealing his unassuming yet genuine affection. How could she not know?

After being exposed, Lu Ye's face showed a panic with nowhere to hide, and his chest was filled with extreme inferiority.

He longed to ask again whether someone as unsophisticated as himself could catch her eye, and whether she thought he was good enough for her.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them all, not daring to ask, because he was timid because of love.

The vast difference was like an insurmountable chasm. He came from the mountains and had no family background. He had spent half his life in hardship and was covered in the dust and grime of life.

Compared to the powerful and noble gentlemen and the dignified emperors surrounding her, she was insignificant and not worth mentioning.

"I'm not good enough for you..."

"How could that be!"

Liu Wenying shook her head and placed her delicate hand, which he had carefully bandaged, into his broad palm.

"Your feelings for me are so deep, how can you say I'm not good enough for you?"

Affection knows no social status or class.

But Lu Ye's inferiority complex couldn't be dispelled with just a few words; his eyes remained heavy with melancholy.

Liu Wenying leaned closer and gently placed a kiss on his cheek.

After a kiss, she was about to pull away when her wrist was gripped tightly.

A little bit of intimacy is hardly enough to soothe the feelings that have been building up in Lu Ye for so long.

He tentatively bent down to capture her lips.

At first, it was just a tentative exploration, but once he confirmed that she was not resistant at all, his tense restraint collapsed, and his feelings gradually deepened, turning into fine threads that entwined him.

As he became aroused, Lu Ye slowly straightened up, and Liu Wenying tiptoed a little to match his height.

As he straightened up, before he was fully upright, she had already reached her limit on tiptoe, her toes aching, and she could no longer hold on.

Losing her balance, she fell into his arms.

Lu Ye reacted quickly, his long arms suddenly tightening, pulling her firmly into his embrace.

At the same time, he reached his arm through the back of her knees and lifted her into the air, allowing her to sit comfortably on his forearm.

He carried her back to the bedside, but did not put her down. He raised her up and let her sit on his arms.

The two never separated from beginning to end.

Outside, dusk was falling, and the light of day had completely swallowed the western mountains, while inside, the light and shadows were dim and hazy.

Liu Wenying was placed in the bedding.

Every breath he exuded carried his clean and refreshing scent.

In contrast, she spends her days practicing archery, constantly on the go, her body sticky with sweat.

Liu Wenying slightly shifted her body, trying to avoid it a little.

Noticing her subtle movements, Lu Ye looked up, a hint of hurt in his eyes.

He thought she was going to refuse.

"I...I'm going to take a shower first, I smell terrible."

Liu Wenying's cheeks flushed, unsure whether it was from the kiss or from excessive shyness.

"It doesn't smell bad, it smells good."

He kissed away the sweat on her collarbone, and Liu Wenying felt a chill run down her spine.

She let out a soft hum, her fingers gripping the edge of the bed, unable to utter another word of refusal.

Outside the window, the stars twinkled, and summer insects chirped softly in the grass.

…………