Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

Chapters 162 and 166-167: The Five Women's Darlings

"Oppa, be gentle—"

"What do you mean, 'lightly'?"

Cui Shi'an, holding her hand, said irritably, "I haven't even started yet."

"I—I meant you should be gentle with the pricking later—after all, it's so big—"

Shen Youna was terrified.

She glanced at the arrow in his hand every now and then.

"Oh, I'll be careful, Oppa." Choi Si-an took her hand again.

As a result, just as the arrow was about to touch her fingertips, she pulled it back.

"What's wrong now?"

"Um—is there a way to dream without getting injections?"

Cui Shi'an glanced at the beer cans scattered on the ground: "Didn't you say that drinking alcohol would make you immune to pain?"

"I—I did say that, that's true—but this—this arrow is way too big—my fingers are so small, my skin is so delicate..."

Tender—

"Sorry, there's no other way! If you want to dream, the arrow must touch your wound."

"That—that—" Shen You-na's eyes darted around, her gaze suddenly falling on the plastic box under the television. Inside were the paperclips she usually used to fasten her clothes.

"You want to use a needle to prick the wound? And then put the arrowhead on the wound?" Cui Shi'an asked suspiciously.

"Yes!" The girl nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Didn't you say that just getting the substance on the wound would be enough? You didn't say you had to use this arrowhead!"

Choi Si-an thought about it and felt that it made some sense. Hera had said not to touch the wounds of living people, but she didn't say that it had to be done by stabbing people with arrows.

"Okay."

Shen Youna felt as if she had been granted a pardon and hurriedly broke free from his grasp to take the paperclip.

However, just as Choi Si-an picked up the needle to prick her finger, she changed her mind: "Oppa, pricking your fingertip hurts a lot, how about we try somewhere else?"

Cui Shi'an rolled his eyes: "Then how about we stick it in the butt? There's plenty of flesh on the butt, it won't hurt."

Shin Yuna blushed slightly: "My butt—that's not a good idea—"

"Stop talking nonsense, or it'll be dawn soon. I'm going to do it!"

"Oppa, wait—ah!!"

She quickly withdrew her fingertip, clutching her finger as if in great pain.

"Quick, the arrowheads!" Cui Shi'an snatched her hand back.

"Hmph." The girl looked resentful. "I didn't realize Oppa was so ambitious!"

"What do you call this utilitarianism?" Cui Shi'an pressed the arrowhead against her fingertip for a few seconds until the blood seeped through, then carefully bandaged her up with a band-aid.

"Okay, hurry up and go wash up and go to bed, it's already past midnight."

"Okay~" Shin Yuna looked at the bandaged wound on her fingertip and pouted, "It's really ugly, hmph."

Then she deliberately stomped heavily and "angrily" went back to her bedroom.

Seeing this, Cui Shi'an smiled, tidied up the sofa briefly, lay down, and waved his right hand toward the light switch, plunging the living room into darkness.

When he regained consciousness, Cui Shi'an found himself standing on a rammed earth path.

There is a river next to the path.

The setting sun painted the horizon a warm orange-red and purplish-red, and layers of clouds edged with gold lay peacefully on the low thatched roofs.

In the distance are rolling green hills, and nearby are sparse fences and fields, with the occasional bark of a dog and the chirping of birds returning to their nests.

The evening breeze, carrying the scents of earth and grass, gently caressed my face.

He was wearing a short jacket commonly worn by the common people of Baekje. He was slowly moving along the path. Although he could walk with difficulty, his back still ached when he moved too much.

I heard soft breathing beside me.

Cui Yuan turned his head and saw Xie Lianhua.

She wore a simple light blue dress, her hair was simply tied up and secured with a wooden hairpin, and a few strands of hair were blown by the evening breeze and stuck to her smooth forehead.

At this moment, she was frowning slightly, looking at him with concern, her eyes clear, reflecting the glow of the sunset.

"General Cui, the wind is picking up. Does your wound still hurt?" Jie Lianhua's voice was soft, with a gentle tone unique to women from this area.

"It's nothing." Cui Yuan shook his head and tried to move his shoulders. "I've been cooped up in the house all day, my bones are almost stiff. It feels better to come out for a walk."

Upon hearing this, Jie Lianhua's brows did not relax. She simply took a half-step closer to him, as if ready to support him should he lose his balance.

The two walked slowly along the path, neither speaking, simply enjoying the moment of peace.

In the distance, several young children were chasing and playing, their laughter ringing out clearly and pleasantly.

They came running from the other end of the path like a gust of wind. One of the boys, who was running the fastest, didn't watch where he was going and bumped into Cui Yuan's leg.

"Ouch!"

The boy plopped down on the ground, clutching his head, looking somewhat dazed.

Jie Lianhua was startled, her face paling slightly. She quickly and softly scolded the children, "Slow down! You've bumped into someone!"

Cui Yuan smiled and gently tugged at Jie Lianhua's sleeve, indicating that she didn't need to be nervous.

He bent down, extended his hand to the boy sitting on the ground, and said gently, "Did you hurt yourself? Next time you play, watch where you're going."

The boy glanced timidly at him, then at Jie Lianhua, got up, dusted himself off, and dashed off again.

He ran away, and after reuniting with the other children, he turned back and looked around curiously.

Jie Lianhua breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at Cui Yuan, her eyes filled with a mixture of reproach and worry: "Your injury hasn't fully healed yet, what if you bump into your wound—"

"I'm tough and resilient, it's nothing." Cui Yuan straightened up, his gaze fixed on the increasingly magnificent sunset on the horizon, a hint of melancholy in his voice: "It just suddenly dawned on me that it's been a long time since I last leisurely watched the sunset like this."

Jie Lianhua followed his gaze and saw the fiery red clouds in the sky, which clearly outlined the handsome profile of his face.

Those eyes, gazing into the distance with thoughtfulness and sharpness, now appeared incredibly profound.

A slight, inexplicable flutter ran through her heart, and she subconsciously whispered, "I used to—spend every day just like this."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had misspoke. This was hardly a casual conversation.

It was clearly a helpless existence and waiting for the descendants of nobles from a fallen kingdom on their homeland.

Cui Yuan indeed sensed the desolation in her words. He withdrew his gaze, looked at her, and smiled apologetically: "It is my family that has caused you trouble."

His apology was sincere, without any perfunctory or polite formalities.

Jie Lianhua stared at him blankly.

The last rays of the setting sun slanted across the eaves and fell obliquely on his face, gilding his tanned skin with a warm golden hue.

For a moment, she forgot to look away, feeling her heart inexplicably tighten and her cheeks quietly warm up.

"Dong-dong-dong" The sound of the village watchman striking his clapper came from afar, dull and rhythmic, foreshadowing the approach of night.

The sound startled the girl awake.

She hurriedly lowered her eyes to hide her earlier lapse in composure, deliberately adding a touch of aloofness and urging in her tone befitting a "doctor": "It's getting late, we should go back and change the dressing."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and naturally reached out to support Cui Yuan's arm.

When her fingertips touched his strong forearm and she could feel the warmth beneath his rough clothes, her heart skipped a beat. But she forced herself to remain calm, took light steps, and led him back.

Cui Yuan let her support him, his gaze falling on the woman's lowered profile, flushed with a faint blush, and a slight unease crept into his heart.

A slight sigh.

How could he not see her momentary daze?

How could she not know how many potential risks and heavy burdens her awkward identity and injuries brought her?

This life-saving grace and kindness of taking in is as heavy as a mountain.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two silently returned to the small medicine hut hidden at the end of the village, surrounded by a simple fence.

The sky had already darkened, and only a dim oil lamp and a flickering charcoal fire in the medicine stove in the corner were lit inside the medicine hut.

The light was dim and yellow, yet it possessed a tranquil and warm atmosphere, as if isolated from the world.

Jie Lianhua had Cui Yuan lie down on the simple wooden bed, while she washed her hands and fetched the prepared ointment and clean linen.

Cui Yuan did as instructed, removing his upper body clothing to reveal his strong but scarred back.

Old and new scars were intertwined, the most horrifying being a deep knife wound on the lower back that exposed bone. Although it had scabbed over, one could still imagine the danger it had been in.

The flames of the medicine furnace flickered, casting his shadow on the earthen wall, making him appear quite imposing.

Jie Lianhua sat down beside him, picked up the dark green ointment with a bamboo stick, and gently applied it around his wound.

The cool ointment stung slightly upon contact with the skin, followed by a mild cooling sensation.

The firelight illuminated the girl's beautiful face.

Although she wore no makeup, her eyebrows and eyes appeared exceptionally clear and delicate under the dancing light and shadow. Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids, subtly exuding a kind of purity and elegance that came from her very being.

The medicine hut was extremely quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the soft breathing of the two people.

The air was gradually filled with the bitter yet refreshing aroma of herbs, but this tranquility did not last long.

A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, breaking the silence between the two.

Immediately afterwards, the curtain was violently ripped open with a "whoosh"!

A young man dressed in shorts, with dark skin and a strong build barged in; it was the Baekje man named Sao.

His face showed obvious anxiety as he scanned the room.

When she saw Jie Lianhua bending down to change the bandages on Cui Yuan's bare upper body, the two were extremely close, even exuding an indescribable intimacy, the anxiety in her eyes instantly turned into a raging fire of jealousy!

"lotus!"

"Why are you still treating this cripple? It's been over a month! Where's the Tang army? Not a single one! Could it be that they heard the Silla people are powerful and are too scared to come?" Sha Wu shouted gruffly, pointing directly at Cui Yuan who was lying on the bed. His tone was full of dissatisfaction and provocation.

Jie Lianhua's face darkened, she stopped what she was doing, straightened up, and coldly swept her gaze over Sha Wu, scolding, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Shawu was stung by her gaze, but fueled by jealousy, he became even more reckless: "I'm talking nonsense? It's all over the village! They say the Tang army was utterly defeated by the Tibetans at Dafeichuan, and the commander was Xue Rengui! They lost everything! The Tang people are already overwhelmed with their own problems, how could they possibly care about our mess?"

The Tang court is even planning to abandon this place!

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, almost spitting out saliva: "If you ask me, Lotus, we should hand over this Tang dog of unknown origin as soon as possible. We might be able to get some reward money from the Silla people. It's better than wasting medicinal herbs and food by keeping a useless piece of trash!"

"Shut up!" This time, Jie Lianhua was truly enraged. She stood up, strode to Sha Wu, pointed to the door, and said coldly, "Get out!!"

Sau was speechless at her resolute attitude. His face turned red. He looked at Cui Yuan, who was silent on the bed, and then at Jie Lianhua, whose face was frosty. His chest heaved violently a few times. Finally, he stomped his foot hard, threw down the words "You'll regret this!", and turned to leave, cursing.

The medicine shop fell silent again, but the tense atmosphere lingered for a long time.

Jie Lianhua stood at the door for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and barely managed to calm her surging emotions.

She then turned back to the bedside, sat down again, picked up the ointment and burlap, but her movements were a little stiffer than before.

She lowered her head, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of guilt and weariness: "Shawu is a straightforward person, he speaks without thinking, you don't need to pay him any mind."

Cui Yuan remained silent, not because of the vulgar insults from the barbarians, nor because he had heard the news of his teacher Xue Rengui's defeat at Dafeichuan. In fact, he had received a report from the imperial court a year earlier.

What he was truly worried about was the statement that "the court intends to abandon the Three Hans."

Although he was seriously injured and stranded here, cut off from information and unable to know the latest decisions of the court, based on his understanding of the strategic importance of Liaodong and the fact that Emperor Taizong had spared no expense in managing this place until now, he knew how heavy the word "abandon" was and how unlikely it was.

However, the terrifying thing about these rumors is not their truth or falsehood, but their ability to bewitch people.

In the former territory of the Three Kingdoms, where the main force of the Tang army had not yet arrived and the influence of Silla continued to infiltrate, such rumors, once spread, were enough to shake the hearts of countless powerful families, officials, and even ordinary people who originally had their hearts set on the Tang Dynasty or were taking a wait-and-see attitude.

In order to survive, they may be forced or willing to side with the increasingly powerful Silla.

This is the real crisis.

He suddenly spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room: "Madam Jie."

Jie Lianhua paused slightly as she bandaged his wound, and softly replied, "What's wrong?"

Cui Yuan didn't turn around, remaining prone, his gaze fixed on the rough bed board in front of him: "If—the Tang army really doesn't come, what will you do?"

Jie Lianhua remained silent for a moment, continuing to wrap the hemp cloth around her hands, her tone deliberately feigning ease and unease: "What else can I do? If the Tang army really doesn't come—then I'll tie you up and send you to the Silla government to collect a reward. At least I can get some rice and grain, so I won't lose money."

Upon hearing this, Cui Yuan chuckled softly, "Fine, if that's really the case, then I owe you nothing."

Jie Lianhua suddenly tightened her bandaging, causing Cui Yuan's wound to sting slightly.

"Since you're so eager to die," she said, her voice tinged with suppressed annoyance, "wouldn't it be quicker to just turn yourself in to the authorities?"

As Cui Yuan felt the force coming from behind him, his sigh deepened.

"If I go by myself, the Silla people will still hold you and this village accountable if they investigate afterwards. But if you take me there, it will be considered a meritorious act of exposing me. In this way, at least you and the people in this village who took me in may be spared from being implicated."

The fingers that were untying the lotus flower from the hemp cloth came to a complete stop.

A long silence fell over the medicine hut.

The glow of the charcoal fire flickered on her face, obscuring her expression; all that could be seen was her slightly lowered neck and tightly pursed lips.

After a long while, so long that Cui Yuan thought she wouldn't respond anymore, he heard her softly reply, "If that day ever comes, I will."

As soon as she finished speaking, she deftly tied the last knot, cut the burlap, and turned to tidy up the medicine jars and other odds and ends. Her frail figure looked so pitiful in the flickering firelight.

Cui Yuan slowly sat up, pulled up his clothes, and watched her busy figure without saying anything more.

Outside the medicine hut, night had completely enveloped the small village. The starlight was dim, and only the small fire in the hearth stubbornly emitted a faint but warm light in the boundless darkness.

"Oppa!!"

Early in the morning, a hurried call suddenly echoed through the living room.

"Hmm————" As soon as Choi Si-an opened his eyes, he saw Shin Yoo-na's worried little face.

"What's wrong?" He quickly sat up.

"Oppa! I absolutely won't take you to the authorities!!" the girl said solemnly. "You have to believe me!!"

Cui Shi'an chuckled and looked at her thin nightgown, which seemed to reveal that she wasn't wearing anything underneath, as visible marks could be seen.

"Aigu, those are things that happened in my past life. Even if you take me to the authorities, I won't say anything."

"But I really won't! Oppa, you have to believe me!" Shin Yuna gripped his arm tightly, her eyes filled with an urgent desire to defend herself: "Whether in this life or the past, I would never treat Oppa like this!"

Cui Shi'an laughed upon hearing this and retorted, "How do you know you can't? You're not on Jie Lianhua's side."

She pouted, then raised her voice slightly, "I just don't know how!"

"Nee, ee, ee, if you don't know how, you don't know how, why are you in such a hurry?"

A smile returned to her face: "I was just afraid Oppa would misunderstand~"

"Tch." Cui Shi'an glanced at his phone and casually yawned. "Are you heading out?"

"Yes." Shin Yuna nodded, looking at him expectantly. "I have to go to a meeting at the company today."

"A cave within the city?"

"Inside."

"Okay, go ahead then. Call me if anything comes up." Cui Shi'an said, jumping off the sofa.

Seeing this, Shin Yuna quickly grabbed him: "Oppa, are you leaving?"

"Oh right? You're not home, how can I leave alone? Wait a minute, let me wash up first—"

As a result, Shin Yuna ran ahead and blocked his way: "What's there to be embarrassed about? Oppa, if you want to sleep, just keep sleeping. If you don't like sleeping on the sofa, you can sleep on my bed. Anyway, I won't be back until very late tonight."

Cui Shi'an hesitated, glancing around. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate—"

"What's wrong with that? Oppa will still come back tonight even though he's gone, right? Are you dreaming? Or are you planning to come back in a couple of days to give me acupuncture again?"

As she said this, she deliberately shook her finger, which already had its bandage removed, then frowned and feigned pitifulness: "Oppa, did you really want to poke my finger like a beehive?"

"So," she said with a grin, pushing Choi Si-an back onto the sofa, "Oppa, you can stay home and watch the house for me today, and also pick up my packages~"

Cui Shi'an glanced around speechlessly:

—Every time, it's the slightest thing about guarding the house, as if there's some hidden treasure inside.

"Of course there's treasure hidden there!"

"Huh? What treasure?"

She grinned and pointed at his head: "Look, this one! Oppa is my precious baby!"

"—Let's go!" Cui Shi'an laughed and scolded, "This is getting more and more outrageous."

"Hahaha~" The girl made a face at him and scurried into the bathroom.

After finally getting ready to finish her makeup and go out, Cui Shi'an planned to rest a little longer. Just as she lay down, a message came through on her phone.

Is my darling awake yet?

Cui Shi'an was startled. After confirming several times that the message was from [Piggy Snake], he cautiously tried to reply, [Hmm, why are you suddenly calling me like that? It feels so strange—]

Who said I was calling you? (~)

Cui: [Huh? Did I send this to the wrong person?]

They're asking about our precious corn!

Cui Shi'an stared at his phone screen in disbelief. "Wow, this woman—is she suddenly being so proactive?"

But it doesn't seem surprising, since they've already taken it and eaten it.

Thinking of this, Cui Shi'an's smile gradually turned sinister, and he quickly replied, "[So you were talking about him? He got up early and looks especially energetic~]"

Then you should quickly ask him if he misses me~

Choi Si-an replied instantly: 【Yes! I really want to!】

Oh dear? But I don't miss him at all~ ("")

Then why did you ask?!

Haha~ But I miss you so much~

She then sent another message: "What are you doing? I have two personal shoots today, and after that I have to go to the company to record. (—), so tired—"

Cui: [Honey, you've worked hard, hang in there! I also have a lot of classes today~]

He told a little white lie; he couldn't very well say he was watching the house for Shen You-na, or his girlfriend would explode.

【You've worked hard too, but when exactly can you cross the Han River? That way you can come and join me on the trip~ (5^3 (^—^c)】

Choi: [You want me to accompany you on your travels? Aren't you afraid people will find out?]

【Just say you're a bodyguard? Hehe~】

Choi: [So how much will the payment be? My appearance fee is very high!]

[Hmm—I want to kiss you three times a day?]

Cui: [You're so stingy! You think you can get rid of me with just three kisses? Thirty kisses wouldn't be enough!]

【Why don't you just kiss me first? You idiot! (>:<∞)】

Cui: [Just having relatives doesn't seem to be enough~]

What else do you want to do? Don't think about anything lewd!

Choi: [Shouting—But if your fans saw my face every day, they might even thank me!]

You're so wicked! I'll beat you to a pulp!

After she finished speaking, she sent a fist emoji.

The two chatted for a while longer before she went into the beauty salon to put on makeup.

Meanwhile, Shin Yuna also arrived at the company.

This was her first time at the company since the basement incident.

Therefore, I was extremely nervous.

She stood at the door for a long time, waiting until Shen Liuzhen arrived before she took her sister's arm and stepped into the company together.

However, Shin Ryujin still remembered their argument last time, so the two barely communicated during subsequent practice sessions.

Seeing her take the initiative to be friendly with me today, I deliberately teased her, saying, "Who are you holding hands with? Weren't you going to break up with me?"

"Oh my god, when did unnie become so stingy?"

"Me, petty?" Shen Liuzhen stopped, pulled her arm away from her, and glared at her. "You're the one exaggerating! Even if you really have a boyfriend, would I go out and announce it loudly?"

"Okay, okay, I overreacted, I'm sorry~" Shin Yuna hugged her arm again in a coquettish tone, "Unnie, please don't hold it against me, okay?"

"Aigoo." Shin Ryujin tucked the arm under his armpit, his tone full of affection: "Next time, let's introduce him to Unnie~"

"We're not in that kind of relationship—" Shin Yuna whispered to herself, glancing around nervously, as if afraid that the bastard might suddenly appear.

Shin Ryujin gave her a knowing smile: "It's not that kind of relationship yet, right?"

Hearing her best friend's blunt words, Shin Yuna involuntarily thought of Choi Si-an, and a ripple of emotion stirred within her. If that day ever truly came—

But the thought of a man waiting for me to come home in the apartment made me feel quite at ease.

Hmm... I wonder what he's doing right now?