Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 022

Chapter 22. Shot by an arrow

The bowstring, which held the speeding arrow, still trembled with excitement, while the struck figure had already fallen from his horse, crashing heavily into the snow.

“My Lord!”

Xie-Jue, as if possessed, stumbled off his horse and scrambled towards the fallen man, half-embracing him, his cries for help laced with sobs.

But the fallen man remained motionless, enduring Xie-Jue’s desperate wails.

It seemed he had succeeded!

The archer’s eyes widened in fury. He spat on the ground, almost bursting into laughter.

The man had not lied to him. Xie Yu, the Justice Minister, always traveled with only one guard. Ambush was all it took to kill him.

He slung his bow over his shoulder, crouched low, and stealthily departed, leaving only a trail of dark footprints in the pristine snow.

Overwhelmed by the joy of revenge, he even hummed a little tune to himself, completely unaware that someone was secretly following him.

“What? Xie Yu was assassinated and is still unconscious?”

Having spent a long time playing with her brother and Ah Ling yesterday, Lu Wan was lying in bed trying to catch a nap when she heard this; she sat bolt upright as if on her deathbed.

It was as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water; she instantly sobered up.

“I heard it from the people who went out to buy supplies. Young Master Xie was shot with an arrow and is currently unconscious. I heard that even the Emperor is furious and has issued several orders for the Ministry of Justice to apprehend the assailant as soon as possible.

I heard there’s still a large pool of blood on the way to court!”

Xie Yu was actually assassinated… This plot was not in the original book!

Could it be that her transmigration into the book triggered a butterfly effect?

Lu Wan was frantic. If Xie Yu were dead, would all her previous efforts have been for nothing?

She still preferred Xie Yu’s looks and had no desire to curry favor with that Shizi of Prince Xin.

A-Yun, who had brought the message, was also panicked. Her mistress was constantly thinking about Lord Xie; it was clear she was deeply in love with him. If something happened to Lord Xie…

“Let’s go, let’s go to the Xie residence.”

Let’s check the situation first. Let’s check the situation first.

Lu Wan took a breath to suppress her sudden heart palpitations, threw off the covers, and walked barefoot onto the soft carpet on the floor.

“Quickly find me some clothes to wear when I go out.”

She fumbled with her hair, which was fairly neat. She figured a simple gauze flower would be appropriate; at this moment, she did not care about appearances.

“My Lady, please put on your shoes and socks first!” A-Yun half-knelt, trying to help her put on her shoes and socks.

Lu Wan glanced down and saw the crimson nail polish on her toes, like scattered drops of blood, embedded in the intricately patterned carpet—a shocking sight.

Xie Yu would definitely be alright, she reassured herself; after all, he was the male supporting character who survived until the very end of the book.

Reason also told Lu Wan to remain calm.

But she could not help thinking that her ‘life’ after dying early in the book might change some key events, and who knew if the story would unfold the same way as in the book? For example, Wang Liu’er died.

But what was done was done.

As for what would happen, she could only wait and see. At worst, she could find another target. She forced a smile, trying to reassure herself.

“Ah Wan, are you going to the Xie residence?”

She had barely stepped out of the courtyard gate when she saw Lu Xiao not far away. He seemed to have been lingering outside for a while, a chill emanating from him. Seeing her attire, he stepped forward to block her path.

“Brother, I just want to see him.”

“Ah Wan, the palace must have already sent an imperial physician. What use would you be? Besides, I heard he’s still unconscious. You might not even be able to speak to him.”

Lu Xiao did not want her to go. He probably knew his sister had feelings for Xie Yu, and Xie Yu was not entirely indifferent.

Therefore, he was even more worried that she would be heartbroken when faced with the fact that Xie Yu was injured. Especially now that Xie Yu’s life was hanging by a thread, perhaps…

“Brother…” Lu Wan guessed what he meant, deliberately forcing tears to well up in her eyes, looking at him with a pitiful yet stubborn expression.

“If you will not see me off, I will have Zhou Da take me.” Zhou Da was the coachman Lady Zhou had specifically assigned to her.

“Then I will take you myself.” Seeing that he could not persuade her otherwise, Lu Xiao had no choice but to relent and back down.

“Let’s make this clear first: the Xie residence is probably in chaos right now. If you cannot see anyone, come back with me.”

Lady Xu was not involved, and Xie Yu was unconscious. With Shi Yao there, how could she not see him? Lu Wan readily agreed, pretending not to see Lu Xiao’s helpless yet doting expression.

The carriage bell rang urgently. A-Yun, uncomfortable from the unusually fast carriage, secretly rubbed her back. But when she looked up, she saw Lu Wan leaning against the carriage wall, eyes closed, expressionless. She had to move quietly, afraid of disturbing her mistress.

The once somewhat deserted Xie residence was now wide open, its main gate thronging with imperial physicians and medicinal herbs flowing in and out, and numerous passersby pointing and whispering.

“Commander Xie is truly favored by the Emperor; it seems the entire Imperial Medical Bureau has been dispatched.”

“Indeed, the Emperor is determined to snatch this person from the jaws of death, but I saw that huge pool of blood in the street, a truly massive pool. It is difficult!”

Deep within the Xie residence, the young master, his face as white as paper, leaned against a soft pillow, his lips also as white, resting with his eyes closed. A thin trail of blood spread across the chest of his white undergarment.

“You are indeed heartless,” Shi Yao said, sitting on the edge of the couch, her expression unchanged, seemingly unconcerned about her cousin’s serious injury.

“I actually thought you’d been attacked.

Right now, those imperial physicians are pacing around anxiously outside, saying you’ve lost too much blood and they are afraid you will die. What a pity; wicked people live a thousand years; they’ve all worried for nothing.”

Xie-Jue, standing to the side, could not bear it any longer. His face was contorted with disapproval.

“My Lady, although my master was protected by his official tablet and soft armor, avoiding that arrow, the wound in his chest is not faked. Can you not say less?”

“He carefully considered his actions, afraid of being exposed as unharmed. Does he not know his limits?”

While she spoke disparagingly, Shi Yao was not truly indifferent.

“You’ve lost blood, so you should rest and recover. I will go and plead with my aunt to let me manage the kitchen for a couple of days, so they will not neglect you and keep sending you the best things.”

“That’s great!” Xie-Jue’s face lit up with a smile, then he pouted with obvious disgust.

“Those people are being protected by Madam, so they are incredibly lazy. What they send to the young master every day is inedible to me. And the young master does not care about any of it. If it were me, I would have already stormed over.”

Shi Yao smiled indifferently, wondering where Xu Lin had gone. Even if he was a lazy bum, he could not still be out gallivanting around.

This annoyed her. These two had not told her what they were doing; she had to guess everything.

At this moment, Shi Yao’s personal maid entered, cautiously reporting, “Mistress, Young Lady Lu has arrived. She said she wants to see you, and I took the liberty of bringing her to the warm pavilion.”

“Cousin, look, the one who cares about you has arrived.”

Shi Yao nudged him, laughing first. “So, are you going to see her or not?”

Xie Yu opened his eyes, lowering his gaze. His long eyelashes cast feather-like shadows beneath his eyes, obscuring the complex emotions within.

Lu Wan had arrived so quickly. He was somewhat surprised. Logically, with his fate unknown and with her having recently suffered mistreatment at his hands, should she not be avoiding him, wanting to sever ties as soon as possible?

The roads were slippery with snow, yet she still arrived so quickly. Xie Yu could not quite describe the feelings welling up inside him.

“Then call her here.”

Xie Yu seemed to ponder for a long time before speaking, his eyes flickering with a strange light that Shi Yao could not decipher.

In truth, he could not explain his own feelings; as soon as the words left his mouth, he even regretted them.

But he only frowned slightly, not taking back his words.

Shi Yao chuckled softly in agreement, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief soaked in ginger juice, and went out to fetch him, her eyes red.

“Ah Yao,” Lu Wan saw her arrive and quickly walked to her. Seeing her red eyes, her heart sank.

Could Xie Yu really be dying?

“Ah Wan, have you come to visit my cousin? His condition is very bad; he’s still unconscious.”

Shi Yao wiped her eyes with the handkerchief, her red eyes becoming watery.

“Is Lord Xie badly injured?”

Lu Wan pursed her lips, her heart feeling as if it were weighed down by a heavy object, sinking into an abyss. She paused for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“Take me to see him.” After a few breaths, Lu Wan composed herself and spoke coldly.

If all else failed, she would just try someone else; it was just starting over.

She had suffered far worse disappointments than this; she was not afraid, Lu Wan told herself, trying to reassure herself.

Shi Yao remained silent, gently taking her hand and leading her to Xie Yu’s room.

Perhaps due to Xie Yu’s condition, the room was stuffy and poorly ventilated, the smell of medicine lingering.

The young master, having lost too much blood, lay there quietly. His usually gentle and tender eyes were tightly closed, his lips, which always held a smile, were pale, and he seemed devoid of most of his life.

The bright candlelight illuminated his face; he was handsome, his features perfectly sculpted, like a meticulously carved sleeping jade statue.

Lu Wan moved closer, her slender white fingers gently touching the back of his hand—it was cool.

Just a short while ago, these hands had been on her shoulders, comforting her as he told her not to be afraid.

Only a few days had passed since they parted; the person who could talk and laugh was now almost a cold, lifeless corpse.

Was Xie Yu going to die too?

Lu Wan blinked, as if in disbelief.

The suppressed, accumulated negative emotions surged forth like a flood, overwhelming everything.

She slowly lowered her head, and a hot tear fell onto the back of Xie Yu’s hand.

Seeing this, Shi Yao quietly slipped away, taking the bewildered Xie-Jue with her.

Feeling the tears gradually cooling on the back of his hand and hearing the young woman’s suppressed yet barely audible sobs, Xie Yu was startled. Realizing what had happened, he sighed softly yet felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

【Ding! Lu Wan’s favorability +10, current favorability 35. A card available for drawing has been added to the inventory! Please keep up the good work, host!】

The strange voice sounded again, but Xie Yu was no longer concerned about the so-called reward.

He was puzzled, wondering why Lu Wan was crying. Was it because he was injured?

Although the system had not explicitly stated it, he could roughly guess that Lu Wan’s favorability towards him was quite low, equivalent to that of an ordinary acquaintance.

Xie Yu pondered indifferently. Could it be that she shed so many tears whenever she saw an acquaintance injured?

Her tears seemed rather cheap then, he thought coldly, followed by an inexplicable irritation that washed over him. He even considered dragging Lu Wan to prison and interrogating her like he had treated the most hypocritical and cunning criminals.

That way, he could find out what she was really thinking.

After venting for a moment and shedding a few tears, Lu Wan quickly composed herself. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at Xie Yu’s unconscious face, lost in thought.

Now that things had come to this, she quickly made up her mind.

She would continue to monitor Xie Yu’s condition in the coming days. If Xie Yu truly could not be saved, she should consider other options.

Once her emotions had calmed down a bit, Lu Wan decided to leave. She said goodbye to Shi Yao and softly offered her a few words of comfort.

Feeling relieved, her senses became much sharper.

And so, she smelled a spicy scent emanating from Shi Yao.

It smelled exactly like ginger.