Transmigrating to a Female-Dominated World: Handsome Men Keep Chasing After Me

Chapter 290

Ah Nian's eyes lit up, and he immediately took off his veil, picked up the plate of pastries, and began to eat heartily. He showed no signs of the grievance he had just suffered at Nalan Yin's place. He ate very quickly and hastily, as if afraid that someone would snatch the food away, leaving crumbs all over his body.

Nalan Jingwen was no longer as shocked by his appearance as she had been the day before, but she was still inevitably struck by it. She looked away, recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra a few times, and then looked at him again.

Seeing him eating so happily, like a little hamster with his cheeks bulging, I couldn't help but take a second look.

A-Nian noticed her gaze and slowed down. Perhaps he knew his eating manners were bad and felt a little embarrassed. He turned slightly to the side, trying to block her gaze with his body, and stuffed the pastries into his mouth. Suddenly, he froze, clutched his neck, and turned to Nalan Jingwen for help with wide eyes.

Upon seeing this, Nalan Jingwen immediately poured him a cup of tea. Even after swallowing it, he continued to cough as if he were coughing up his entire lungs. Nalan Jingwen reached out and patted his back.

After a flurry of activity, he finally slumped into a chair, panting heavily as if he had exhausted all his strength. His eyes and nose were red, his moist red lips were slightly parted, and tears welled up in his beautiful eyes, making him look pitiful.

"Eat slowly, no one will take it from you."

Seeing his reaction, Nalan Jingwen couldn't help but speak up and remind him.

Ah Nian knew he was embarrassed and ashamed. He lowered his head, not daring to look at her, and stammered an apology.

"Yes...I'm sorry."

Nalan Jingwen was also puzzled. He looked like he had never eaten these things before. He had been with Xiao Congyu for so long, would he have been short of food?

"Didn't Xiao Congyu give you anything to eat?"

Ah Nian tightened his grip on the plate, causing his slender, fair knuckles to turn bluish-white.

His long eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterfly wings fluttering, casting a small shadow under his eyes and making his features appear even softer and more beautiful.

"No... not really."

He whispered his defense of Xiao Congyu.

"My aunt is very kind; she didn't withhold food from me..."

"only……"

"Just what?"

He pursed his lips, staring down at the pastry in his hand as if trying to bore a hole through it.

"I...I can't eat too much, it will make me feel unwell..."

"So... Mother and Father won't let me eat these..."

Nalan Jingwen frowned slightly. "Stretch out your hand."

Ah Nian looked up at her gently, hesitated for a moment, and stretched out a fair, thin arm. The blue veins under the pale skin were clearly visible.

She placed her fingertips over his pulse, and her brows furrowed even deeper. She could barely feel his pulse; it was so faint, so very faint—the kind of pulse only found in people on the verge of death. Yet now, this eerie pulse was appearing in a living person.

If it's not the former, then it means that his meridians are very thin, so thin that blood circulation is difficult and the flow is extremely slow. This can easily lead to a significant decrease in his physical function. If he maintains a single position for a long time, an ordinary person might experience numbness in their hands and feet, while he will develop large bruises on his body, which is caused by blocked meridians. His heart will also suffer from severe insufficient blood supply, making him prone to palpitations, weakness, chest pain or angina, as well as fainting and limb edema.

What is a simple task for others is very difficult for him. He cannot have large emotional fluctuations, nor can he engage in strenuous exercise, and he cannot live like a normal person.

But this is assuming the situation is relatively good; if the reality is worse than anticipated...

"you……"

Nalan Jingwen looked up at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Are you aware of your situation?

Ah Nian nodded gently, carefully withdrew his hand, and lowered his sleeve. In just a short while, his originally fair arm had turned slightly bluish-black.

"It's okay, Mother and Father said that as long as I stay at home, I can live for a very, very long time..."

So that’s it.

No wonder he's sixteen and still so naive and clueless. No wonder he's so timid and easily frightened. It's perfectly normal for him to be easily frightened when his surroundings and environment suddenly change after a long period of emotional turmoil.

He needs to remain calm, not because he wants to, but because he has no other choice.

He is destined to never be happy or sad in his life. The slightest emotional fluctuation will make him feel uncomfortable and breathless. Isn't that a kind of tragedy?

However, if he had spent his whole life wandering and living a peaceful life, he might have lived a very long time, but he just couldn't.

She had previously said that with his timid and cowardly nature, and without strong support in the court, returning to Baiji would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, and he would be devoured sooner or later. How could the people of Baiji be willing to let a man sit in that position?

And now, with his current physical condition, the prognosis is probably even worse...

"Does Xiao Congyu know?"

Ah Nian gripped the edge of the plate tightly with her fingers and nodded gently, "I know."

So even though Xiao Congyu knew that going back to inherit Baiji would only lead to his death, she still had to do it. They were royalists and had no other choice but to do it. Baiji could not fall into the hands of others.

Nalan Jingwen didn't say anything more. She was only responsible for safely sending him back to Baiji. As for his life or death or anything else, it was none of her business. But she still reached out and took the pastries from his hand under his reluctant and shocked gaze.

"Eat less."

Ah Nian opened her mouth, hesitated, and looked reluctantly at the pastries that had been taken away. In the end, she forced herself to look away from them, pouting and looking pitiful.

He huddled in a corner, his eyes drooping, but he would occasionally glance at Nalan Jingwen out of the corner of his eye. The latter pretended not to see him and remained indifferent.

Seeing that Nalan Jingwen really wasn't going to give it to him, he completely gave up hope and simply closed his eyes to avoid further trouble.

I don't want to eat when I'm asleep.

Nalan Jingwen saw all his little tricks, and he was both afraid of being discovered and afraid of not being discovered, which was quite endearing.

……

Because of Ah Nian's health condition, they couldn't keep traveling and had to rest at fixed times, so the journey, which was originally nearly two and a half months long, was stretched out.

Ah Nian was actually very patient. At first, they were always on a journey, and he was always listless, curled up in one place and wouldn't move. Occasionally, he would change his position and continue to curl up. They initially thought that he was just bored while traveling, until one day she saw large bruises on his exposed skin.

She then realized something was wrong. It turned out that he had endured the pain the whole way without uttering a single sound or crying out in pain.

Because they were afraid of being a burden to them, afraid of being a liability.