Li Meirong frowned. In a matter of minutes, her entire perception of this man had been shattered yet again!

If Zhu Qingyue was a woman, he'd definitely be a femme fatale. As a man, his looks didn't lose in the slightest even to the most alluring of men or women. Perhaps because of that, she might have been a bit judgemental about him, but who can blame her? He definitely gave the impression of a ladykiller, and so she had naturally assumed that he was a typical playboy intending to charm his way into any woman's bed.

Yet now it appeared as though her theories were not only proven wrong, but were completely and utterly the opposite of the truth! He had been a virgin, and she?

She had wronged him...

Unlike the majority of the people who resided in this world, Li Meirong didn't consider her chastity all that valuable. She didn't place it on a pedestal or treasure it as they did. She had just never felt comfortable enough with anyone to go ahead and 'do the deed', as it were.

Zhu Qingyue, on the other hand… he had probably been raised to value his chastity, which she had taken from him rather unceremoniously.

So the real question became this: Would she actually have to enter a relationship with him because of their night together?

Since Zhu Qingyue had found Li Meirong in this courtyard, her emotions had been through what seemed to be an unending rollercoaster ride. She felt she needed some space to try and make sense of this new information, this new turn of events. With this in mind, she deliberately stepped back to separate herself from him.

In her opinion, were she being completely honest, them sharing a bed so long ago was not a good reason to begin a relationship, especially if there was nothing else to it.

She shut her eyes and pinched the space between her brows, mentally preparing an explanation for her pending refusal.

"I am truly regretful," she began, "but I can't be in a relationship with you because-"

The final part of her sentence was left unsaid. Her words were rather rudely interrupted by a loud retching noise. Her eyes immediately snapped open, and she spied Zhu Qingyue sprawled upon the ground, convulsing and spitting blood.

His sudden ailment made her completely lose track of her intended words.

Alarmed, Li Meirong rushed to kneel beside him. She gathered his silver hair out of the way, and helped him shift position until he was able to lean on her for support. He heaved, a hand clutched to his chest. He suddenly looked terribly weak and scarily vulnerable in comparison to his usual self.

"What happened to you?" she asked, shaken by this turn of events. Her distress was genuine, and she wondered what had caused his sudden illness.

"There is no need to feign concern," Zhu Qingyue responded, weakly attempting to push her away. "You have already rejected me, so do not worry yourself over my matters."

"I'm not pretending!" Li Meirong insisted. "I��m really worried about you! You're spitting too much blood!" A pang of guilt was already gnawing at her stomach. "Please, tell me what's the matter?" she pleaded. Witnessing this noble man in such a pitiful state made her feel absolutely wretched for how she had been treating him (or mistreating him, as it were).

Meanwhile, the ragged clouds announced the arrival of an upcoming storm. The deafening noise of a rolling thunder boomed, opening the dark brooding skies to weep in mourning.

The thunder boomed again, a flash of lightning catching upon Zhu Qingyue's pain-drawn features. A thin drizzle grew swiftly into a heavy downpour, drenching the area around them as Zhu Qingyue's whispered confession was reluctantly uttered.

"I am dying…"

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Chapter 116 Snippet*

Dying? He was dying?!

"How… how is that possible?" Li Meirong murmured, more to herself than to him. She had been completely blindsided by the confession.

Zhu Qingyue didn't answer. The rain caused his long hair, darker now it was wet, to cling to his skin like grey ink, obscuring the look of weakness that had come to his face.

He was, Li Meirong thought, one of those people who couldn't be read easily. Every time she had encountered him in the past, his expression had barely changed. He would say the most confusing things to her, turning her world inside out with a mere sentence. However, his baritone voice had always sounded completely calm and untroubled. He had always seemed entirely unfazed by anything that he had encountered or said.

Now, however, she could sense the sorrow that radiated from him, could hear the heartbreak and even fear in his voice.

Li Meirong's heart twinged, as though pierced through by a thorn. He was in pain, ill and dying, and she had just pushed the poor man to the floor not five minutes ago!

After his weak attempt at forcing her away from him, Li Meirong resolutely took control of the situation. She placed one of his arms around her shoulders, letting him rest his body weight against her. His wide sleeve, heavy with water, covered her side and clung like a wet blanket. She managed, after several attempts, to help him to his feet, struggling under his weight. He was certainly no waif of a man.

Nevertheless, despite the difficulty of her chosen task, Li Meirong did not utter a single word of complaint. She used all her strength and focus to maintain his balance.

The rain was no longer gentle, no longer softly pitter-pattering down on the stone of the courtyard. The drizzle had become a fierce storm, the temperature dropping significantly as the wind howled with a vengeance. Both Li Meirong and Zhu Qingyue were completely drenched.

"Assist me to my residence and I shall tell you of my condition, if you are so interested." Zhu Qingyue���s words were laced with a bitterness that had the guilt burrowing deeper into Li Meirong's being.