The Artist is Innocent

"I didn't kill him," Yujia blurted out. But then, she realized that the way she worded it made it seem like Zixu was dead— which he definitely wasn't, or at least she hoped— so she quickly added, "I mean, he's not even dead. He just… fainted."

The servant blinked.

Yuji held her breath. 

Then, the servant let out a sigh, picking up the tray with the papers and setting it on the desk. He walked a few steps towards Yujia, bowing and saying, "It's alright, Noble. I expected this to happen."

"Expected?" Yujia tilted her head. "How so?"

The servant raised himself and answered, "Young Master has been studying so hard for the imperial exams that he hasn't been really taking care of himself over the past few days. He went missing for an entire day a while back, and ever since then, he has always had a cough. I advised him to go see a physician, but he didn't listen, saying that it would pass soon. Perhaps because he hasn't been sleeping or eating well, his condition only worsened." 

Yujia's eyes slid over to the Zixu on the bed. 

She came to the conclusion that this man definitely was an absolute idiot. Her words back then weren't wrong. Zixu should've gone to see a physician at the very least.

Yujia understood the importance studying held, but it still didn't mean that he could not eat, sleep, or get medicine. Yu Zixu should be old enough to know how to take care of himself, instead of the current way he acted. 

The servant hesitantly spoke up after this explanation, asking, "And, apologies but this noble is…?"

"Oh, I'm…" Yujia racked her brain for identities to take on, "the young master of the Zhuang Family."

The Old Master of the Zhuang Household was one of the masters that taught at Lingxin, only a rank below the school head. During her stay at the school, Yujia heard that the Zhuang Household's young master was a peculiar one who spent most of his time indoors, so he seemed to be a good identity to take on. This servant of Zixu's should've never met this young master. 

Hearing this, the servant bowed again, deeply, "So it's Noble Zhuang." He gestured at Zixu. "I'll go fetch a physician."

"Yes. Go quickly, please," Yujia agreed.

With another bow, the servant boy scurried off. 

Yujia was left with Zixu, who was still halfway hanging off his bed. She let out a deep sigh, dragging him properly so that he was resting in a normal position. As she grabbed a roll of blankets that were neatly folded by the side, unrolling them and draping a layer over Zixu, she found herself leaning over his face.

Zixu looked a lot more relaxed with his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell with his breathing. Even though in the past, Zixu always had a calm demeanor, he seemed much calmer now. Something about it just felt less forced, less careful, and more serene. 

He surely fainted because he hadn't been eating well for the past few days. Yujia knew that it could result in low blood sugar, which was often a cause for fainting. However, the fact that Zixu was still unconscious did worry Yujia a bit. Normally, people didn't faint for so long, did they? Would he be okay?

Blankets covering Zixu completely, Yuija straightened herself and helped herself to a seat by the side, waiting for the physician to arrive. 

Zixu should be fine. Yujia calmed herself with the thought that nothing too bad should occur. At most, he just caught a common cold. 

Still, Yujia couldn't quite shake off her concern.

She wished that she knew a bit more medical knowledge than the few basics she knew. Usually when she felt a cold coming, she would just take some Ban Len Gen supplements1 and wait for it to pass. Similar to Zixu, she wouldn't go see a doctor for just this reason, but then again, the times were different. She wouldn't also be as dumb as Zixu and become sleep deprived or not eat properly. In fact, if she knew that she felt uncomfortable, she might be even more careful with how much sleep or food she was getting. At least Yujia, unlike a certain somebody, knew how to take care of herself.

Then, a realization hit Yujia. 

What better way could she pay off her debt than through taking care of a sick Zixu? 

Her eyes lit up. This was a wonderful opportunity presented to her!

Depending on the severity of Zixu's illness, if Yujia took good care of him, then by the time that he recovered, her debt to him could be considered as mostly paid off, couldn't it?

Yujia stood up at this. She walked over to Zixu's side, placing her hand on his forehead again, her other hand over her own. She didn't need a thermometer to know that he definitely had a fever. 

She took both of her hands away, getting up to go find a basin and a towel. When she moved away, however, Yujia swore that she saw the flicker of Zixu's eyelashes, as if he opened his eyes temporarily, then shut them just as quickly, in the corner of her vision.

"You're awake?" Yujia stated, straightening herself.

Zixu didn't respond. 

She could've seen wrong. Yujia turned away, looking for a basin. She eventually found one in the corner of the room, tucked away in the shadows. It was empty, so eventually, Yujia ended up going to the back of Zixu's courtyard, where she found a bucket of water left there by some servant. She filled the basin with the water, brought it back to the room, and dipped a clean cloth into it. 

Wringing the towel dry, she sat back down to Zixu's side, placing the towel over his head. 

This should help?

Yujia stared at Zixu for a few moments, at loss for what else she could possibly do. Her hand, which the hot tea had spilled all over earlier, was becoming quite red and uncomfortable, so Yujia dipped it into the basin on her lap, letting the cool and crisp water soothe her skin. She didn't think that it was too serious of a burn, but maybe, when the physician came over, she could have him check over this as well. 

Her thoughts trailed away from the burn and back to Zixu. It still seemed inconceivable to Yujia that Zixu was so careless as to allow himself to get sick at such a crucial time in his life. 

That was when the servant boy from before came rushing back with an old-looking physician. 

Swiftly, Yujia stood up and moved aside. She would let the physician— the more certified individual— do his job. And then, the rest of Yujia's plan consisted of doing her best to take care of Zixu afterwards. 

Surely, she could pay off everything she owed to Zixu this way.