TNIBFT -Chapter 218 Five Years in a Coma

Duan Yingying looked up, terrified and uneasy, her eyes glistening with tears. She bit her lip and stood in the middle of the hall, like a schoolgirl being punished.

Ye Tian was worried she might overexert herself, but sensitive and self-conscious Duan Yingying thought he was disgusted with her.

She wanted to explain, to plead, but didn’t know what to say.

“You…”

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Ye Tian awkwardly blinked.

He really had little experience interacting with girls. In his past life, women were sharp and competitive; they never accepted losing, and Ye Tian always kept his distance.

“Yingying?”

Just as Ye Tian was at a loss, Fang Shenghu entered through the back door. His expression tense, he rushed to Duan Yingying’s side and carefully asked, “Yingying, what’s wrong?”

“Did someone bully you?”

At the sight of Fang Shenghu, Duan Yingying couldn’t hold back her tears. She shook her head violently. “No, no… it’s my own fault.”

“I… I…”

Her thin shoulders made her look even more pitiful.

Ye Tian stepped forward a few paces and explained to Fang Shenghu: “Yingying got up early to cook, and she even cleaned the floor and walls. She must have stayed up all night to do all this, right?”

“What I mean is, she’s a girl. These chores should’ve been done by the rest of you.”

Ye Tian gestured casually.

Xiao Wang, Yuan Heipang, and the others immediately nodded in agreement.

Realizing it was a misunderstanding, Duan Yingying’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Fang Shenghu seemed to understand the situation. He looked at everyone and said, “Before, Yingying worked at the Yuanwai household. She suffered a lot—sleeping late at night and waking at dawn. The Yuanwai lady, seeing her young age, became jealous whenever the master paid attention to her, forcing her to do the work of several people, often humiliating and scolding her.”

Hearing footsteps, Duan Yingying looked up and saw Duan Qingshan approaching. She quickly grabbed Fang Shenghu’s sleeve and whispered, “Brother Fang, don’t say anything…”

Seeing Duan Qingshan enter, he cast a questioning glance at everyone. Ye Tian said, “Let’s eat!”

Then he took his seat first.

The dishes had already been served. Fang Shenghu had just sat down when Duan Yingying softly called, “Brother Fang, this is for you.”

Everyone looked up in surprise. Duan Yingying was holding a large porcelain bowl, filled to the brim with rice porridge for Fang Shenghu.

Then they looked at their own bowls.

Seeing everyone staring, Duan Yingying’s face turned as red as blood. Fang Shenghu awkwardly glanced at Ye Tian. “Uh… she knows I eat a lot. We’ve been on the road for over half a month, so she’s taken care of me.”

“Got it, got it!”

Ye Tian couldn’t help but chuckle, sipping his porridge while nodding. He hoped Brother Fang would find a long-term wife this time.

Duan Qingshan looked at his small bowl, then at Fang Shenghu’s large one, and silently continued eating.

“Ye Tian!”

“Ye Tian.”

Ye Tian was peeling a boiled egg when he heard a familiar voice. He looked up toward the door and saw Shangguan Ning, holding a sword in one hand and leading a tall chestnut horse in the other, stopping at the shop entrance.

Outside, wind and snow raged. Shangguan Ning squinted against the cold, her robes flapping as she looked at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian calmly continued eating his egg.

Shangguan Ning secured the horse and finally stepped inside.

“Shangguan?”

Everyone watched curiously, scanning him from head to toe. Yuan Heipang laughed and asked, “Shangguan, where have you been these past few days? Why did you leave without telling us? We were all worried.”

Xiao Wang and the others nodded enthusiastically.

Shangguan Ning tugged at the corner of her mouth, then turned to Ye Tian. “I have something to tell you.”

Seeing her serious expression, Ye Tian put down the half-eaten egg in his hand, patted his hands, and stood up. “Let’s talk in the backyard.”

Ye Tian rose first, and Shangguan Ning followed him as they entered the backyard.

One after the other.

Watching Ye Tian’s tall figure, recalling the moments at the hotpot restaurant—from initial prejudice to familiarity, even some fondness—Shangguan Ning clenched the hilt of her sword with her right hand and said, “I’ll be leaving in the next two days.”

Ye Tian didn’t respond, continuing forward.

Shangguan Ning took a deep breath.

When Ye Tian reached Ye Yunting’s room, he closed the door behind them.

The room was silent.

“Speak,” Ye Tian said. His voice was as before—neither polite nor distant.

Shangguan Ning said, “Gao Defu is dead. This time, Daliang is sending Prince Zhao Guojiu to negotiate peace.”

She stared at Ye Tian. Seeing his expression remain calm, she frowned. “Aren’t you worried at all? Zhao Guojiu is the brother of Imperial Concubine Zhao, and he’s the one who caused your Ye family’s massacre. If he sees you in Sifang City, what will you do?”

“You should think not just for yourself, but for the child too, right?”

“And Zhao Guojiu is cowardly, yet his subordinates are all experts. I heard his personal bodyguards are invincible in Daliang. Can you protect the child from such masters?”

Shangguan Ning’s voice grew urgent.

Seeing Ye Tian remain unmoved, she bit her lip and furrowed her brow.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Ye Tian’s mouth as he suddenly realized something. He looked up at Shangguan Ning: “So… she sent you?”

“Her?”

The “her” was obvious.

Shangguan Ning’s eyelids twitched.

The Emperor hadn’t instructed her to reveal her identity to Ye Tian, only to inform him of the situation.

How did Ye Tian figure it out?

Panicked, Shangguan Ning dared not speak.

“She’s worried about the child’s safety, so she sent you to tell me. How urgent is it?”

Ye Tian sneered dismissively.

Shangguan Ning froze, unsure how to respond.

Ye Tian said, “So you disguised yourself as a man, infiltrated our side, risked your life protecting the child, yet never revealed your identity—just so you could take the child away at any time, leaving me with nowhere to turn?”

“No!”

“It’s not like that!” Shangguan Ning explained. Facing Ye Tian’s stormy gaze, she instinctively took half a step back.

“What’s your relationship with her?”

Ye Tian didn’t look at Shangguan Ning as he asked.

“Master and servant,” she replied.

Ye Tian nodded, then looked up at her with a smile. “If you’re master and servant, I won’t make things difficult for you. But if she wants to take the child, I can only tell you this—it’s impossible.”

“My child doesn’t need her concern. I will protect them myself.”

Having said this, Ye Tian stood and prepared to leave.

Thinking of Qin Fengyi, who longed for her children day and night, unable to eat or sleep, Ye Tian couldn’t understand—not remembering the Emperor is one thing, but this kind of attitude?

Shangguan Ning hurried after him. “Why are you so heartless?” she asked.

“Do you know how much she wants her children?”

Heartless?

Ye Tian turned angrily, only to hear Shangguan Ning continue, “If she hadn’t been in a coma for five years, do you think you would have had a chance to raise her children?”

A coma for five years?

Ye Tian froze.

He stared blankly at Shangguan Ning, whose eyes glimmered with tears. “The day she gave birth, I was right beside her. She risked her life, blood pouring bowl by bowl, nearly dying that night.”