As dawn approached, it was clear that the man was naturally waking up, while she had been unconsciously fidgeting in her sleep.
Lin Ting didn’t care that her skirt was slightly damp and abruptly jumped off the bed.
She glanced back and saw that Duan Ling had woken up at some point and was looking at her.
The corners of his eyes were moist, tinged with red, and his snow-like face was also faintly flushed.
His crimson robe had loosened because of her, revealing a large expanse of skin, and the sash around his waist was also askew, accentuating his slender waistline.
As Duan Ling slowly sat up, his long, loose hair cascaded down his shoulders, creating a graceful arc that seemed to tug at one’s heartstrings.
Lin Ting couldn’t help but glance at him several times before quickly snapping back to reality.
“Lord Duan,” she said.
Duan Ling pulled the quilt that she had kicked to the foot of the bed and covered his waist and abdomen.
He spoke softly, “I’m sorry for soiling your skirt. After you change, please put on a veil and call for the Imperial Guards stationed on the third floor. In my name, ask them for a new set of men’s clothing.”
“Alright, wait a moment,” Lin Ting replied.
She had her own clothes to change into and didn’t need to ask the Imperial Guards for any.
These clothes had been sent by Li Jingqiu, who had learned that she was trapped on North Long Street.
However, Li Jingqiu had been in such a hurry that she only thought to send clean clothes and hadn’t considered sending any small items to pass the time.
The opportunity for outsiders to send things to North Long Street was only once, and once used, it was gone-even if one’s parents were high-ranking officials.
Fortunately, her mother had sent her clothes; otherwise, Lin Ting would have had nothing to change into and would have had to wait like Duan Ling.
She lowered the gauze curtain that separated the bed and quickly took out a new skirt from the wardrobe, changing swiftly.
Lin Ting was both uncomfortable changing clothes in the presence of a man and eager to quickly fetch the new clothes for Duan Ling from the Imperial Guards.
The thought of him still being soiled made her face flush with heat.
Although she hadn’t directly seen what was beneath his clothes today, it was almost the same as if she had.
Her hands trembled slightly as she tied the sash of her skirt.
Strange.
She had seen and even touched him before, but why did it feel different today?
Before, it had been out of a sense of guilt, awkward to the point of death.
Now, there was still awkwardness, but there was also something else—-something indescribable.
Lin Ting tried her best to calm her emotions.
She lowered the gauze curtain, picked up the veil, and put it on.
She ran out and returned in less than a quarter of an hour with the new clothes.
This was North Long Street, where there were tailor shops.
Although no one was doing business after the street was sealed off, there were still some unsold clothes in the shops.
Lin Ting handed the clothes to Duan Ling through the gauze curtain and then crouched by the door, facing the lantern and with her back to the bed, waiting for him to change.
Duan Ling changed at a moderate pace, folding the soiled clothes with the dirty side inward so that nothing seemed amiss on the surface.
After changing, he didn’t immediately lift the curtain to leave but instead looked at Lin Ting’s back through the gauze.
This morning, as soon as she had fidgeted closer, Duan Ling had woken up.
He watched as she curled into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him.
When the ugliness arose, his first instinct was to leave her, but as she fidgeted, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Duan Ling lowered his eyes, as if nothing had happened, and stepped out.
“I’ll leave first,” he said.
Seeing that Duan Ling didn’t mention what had just happened, Lin Ting also didn’t bring it up.
She opened the door for him.
“Alright,” she said.
She didn’t ask if he would come tonight; asking at this moment seemed to carry an odd implication.
Duan Ling was neatly dressed, his complexion as usual.
Though his appearance was still strikingly handsome, there was no trace of the alluring, seductive demeanor he had unintentionally displayed on the bed not long ago.
Before stepping out, he paused and said, “Today, I’m patrolling North Long Street.”
Does this mean he’ll come tonight?
Lin Ting’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
He held his embroidered spring knife and added, “But I’ll need to stay at the Northern Garrison Office tonight to handle official duties, so I won’t be coming to North Long Street.”
Why does this feel like a husband reporting to his wife that he won’t be home tonight?
It must be her imagination.
Lin Ting let out a soft “Hmm,” glanced at Duan Ling, and suddenly reached out to stop him.
“You haven’t put on your face covering.”
She had mentioned it once before when she saw Duan Ling on the day she was quarantined, telling him to wear a face covering when going out.
Over the past couple of days, every time Duan Ling came to see her, he had bathed, changed his clothes, or used the medicinal solution prepared by the wine doctor.
It was easy to tell that he was taking precautions to avoid bringing any virus into the room.
But why wasn’t he wearing a face covering?
Every time he appeared at her door, he wasn’t wearing one.
Lin Ting had assumed he had taken it off before knocking, so she hadn’t paid much attention.
But today, seeing him leave without it, she couldn’t just let it slide.
She took out an unused face covering and pressed it into his hand.
“This one’s unused. Put it on before you go. Don’t take chances, thinking the plague won’t reach you.”
If you get infected and then come to see me, wouldn’t I get infected too?
Although Lin Ting was grateful that Duan Ling had taken time out of his busy schedule to come here, safety came first.
She didn’t want him to get sick, nor did she want to get sick herself.
Lin Ting took Duan Ling’s embroidered spring knife, freeing his hands to put on the face covering.
Under her intense gaze, Duan Ling’s fingers twitched slightly, and he finally raised his hand to put it on.
The face covering hung down, covering the lower half of his face, making it impossible not to stare at the upper half that remained exposed.
His widow’s peak was striking, and his eyebrows and eyes were like a painting.
Even with the face covering on, his extraordinary beauty was undeniable.
He was clearly a stunning man.
Lin Ting silently traced the carvings on the sheath of the embroidered spring knife, waiting for Duan Ling to finish adjusting the face covering before handing it back to him.
Duan Ling took the knife without a word and turned to leave.
After he left, Lin Ting received the meal delivered by the imperial guards, closed the door, and let herself go wild.
How could she have done that to Duan Ling?
It wasn’t a task from the system, nor was it a situation where she had no choice but to act that way.
If she was cold while sleeping, so be it she wouldn’t freeze to death.
Why did she have to move around like that?
After her outburst, Lin Ting wanted to lie down, but as she approached the bed, she stopped abruptly.
Even though Duan Ling had changed the bedding, and there was no unusual scent-just a faint fragrance—she still felt uneasy.
In fact, the moment he had released, she had felt it very clearly.
Their summer clothes were thin, and they had been pressed tightly together.
She was bound to feel it after waking up.
Lin Ting sat on the Luohan couch, drinking water to calm herself, fanning herself with her hand.
Then she noticed that the set of damp clothes she had changed out of had been taken away by Duan Ling, most likely to be discarded.
After all, being trapped on North Long Street, there was no opportunity to wash them or find a place to throw them away.
She couldn’t just toss them into the street-littering wasn’t acceptable, especially since her undergarments were among them.
If she had known this would happen, she would have slept on the small Luohan couch, even if it was uncomfortable.
As Lin Ting’s thoughts wandered, a faint climbing sound came from the window.
She immediately pushed the morning’s events to the back of her mind and hid near-
Behind the pillar by the window, her hand reached to her waist, gripping a pouch of knockout powder, ready to sprinkle it at any moment.
Duan Ling and the Imperial Guards delivering meals would only appear outside the door.
Anyone sneaking up to the window was likely trying to escape North Long Street by climbing the buildings.
She couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
A figure leaped in through the window, landing softly, and called in a low voice, “Lin Leyun. Where are you?”
Lin Ting’s heart leapt with joy as she stepped out from behind the pillar.
“It really is you! How did you know I was here? And how did you get in?”
Jin Anazi swiftly closed the window.
“I heard North Long Street was sealed off, and I thought of you. Knowing your cautious nature, I figured you’d take a route far from East Street that day, and that route was likely North Long Street.”
Of course, he didn’t come to North Long Street based solely on a guess.
He first went to the Lin family to gather information and confirm whether Lin Ting was indeed trapped.
Only after confirming did he act.
However, with so many people trapped on North Long Street, Jin Anazi couldn’t immediately pinpoint her location.
Unable to search openly, he had to rely on himself, and it took until today to find her.
Jin Anazi said casually, “I came in while the Imperial Guards were changing shifts.”
Lin Ting sat back down on the daybed, moved.
“That’s too dangerous. If the Imperial Guards had caught you, you’d have been detained. But you’re truly loyal. Just for risking your life to see me today, I’ll give you a big gift when we get back.”
He glanced around the room, which was clean, with an untouched meal on the table, and quipped sarcastically, “I just came to see if you were dead.”
She immediately retracted her gratitude.
“I’ve decided to take back my offer of a big gift.”
Jin Anazi leaned against the pillar, his long sword in his arms, his tone as cold as ever.
“Duan Ling is an Assistant Commander of the Imperial Guards. He’s probably in charge of the two sealed streets. Didn’t you ask him to get you out?”
Lin Ting felt exasperated.
“Come on, do you think I’m that kind of person? Even though he’s an Assistant Commander, taking someone who might be infected out without permission would likely get him dismissed.”
He listened quietly, then raised an eyebrow and asked meaningfully, “You’re afraid of implicating him?”
Lin Ting: “……”
She explained, “I’m not infected. I’ll be out in three days. Why would I need to pull strings to get out? Even if I were infected, using connections to escape would just endanger others.”
And those endangered would be the closest to her, her mother, Tao Zhu, Duan Xinning, and the others.
Jin Anazi said, “You make a good point, but staying on North Long Street makes it easier to get infected. Yesterday, I snuck in and found many people trapped here, just like you, running fevers. Today, they were confirmed infected and taken away by the Imperial Guards.”
Lin Ting knew what he was implying.
“Maybe they accidentally came into contact with infected people. I’m certain I haven’t touched anyone. After being trapped, I immediately covered my mouth and nose and haven’t left this room since.”
Jin Anazi asked, “So you’re really determined to stay on North Long Street for the full three days?”
Lin Ting said firmly, “After today, I can leave tomorrow. If I asked you to take me out now, I’d be considered a ‘fugitive.’ Even if I’m later confirmed uninfected, I’d still be guilty, and then I wouldn’t be able to go back to see my mother.”
All trapped individuals were registered to monitor their health, and the authorities knew their addresses and full names.