Discipline?!

She's not his child, so what right does he have to discipline her?

Zhan Xinjia, who was left on the chair, was still unconvinced, but her crutch was not with her. She did not want to lose face by limping to get it, so she could only huff and turn her head away.

But after tonight's commotion, she found out.

Little Shen is just a paper tiger who only knows how to scare people; he's all talk and no action. In reality, he won't do anything to her.

Could he really hold her down and beat her up?

Thinking of this, Zhan Xinjia's eyes darted around, revealing a hint of cunning.

The bad ideas inside me started to slosh around.

"Cough cough... cough cough cough!..."

She exaggeratedly touched her throat and coughed loudly.

The young man, who had finally regained his work focus, paused, his brows furrowed, and he nervously looked up at the man.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm thirsty, I need to drink water."

The letter was written with great confidence and conviction.

Shen Suqing didn't say anything, got up and poured out the tea that was getting cold in her cup, and poured her a new cup of hot tea.

Zhan Xinjia took a comfortable sip. Hmm... such a familiar taste. Isn't this the Poria and Lily Tea she drank yesterday? Why is Lord Shen drinking this too? Is he also coughing and having trouble sleeping?

After finishing his water, Zhan Xinjia listlessly fiddled with the empty cup, then started acting up again.

"The chair is so hard, it hurts my butt."

"..."

Shen Suqing threw down his pen again and touched his forehead with his finger.

She's so delicate. Where is he going to find her a soft cushion in such a terrible environment?

Even with these thoughts in mind, he still started to seriously consider how to make her more comfortable.

Before he could come up with a solution, the restless little girl started fidgeting in her chair again, like a child with ADHD. Her eyebrows were lowered, and her long, narrow almond-shaped eyes were wide open, clear and bright, like stars in a snowfield, blinking.

She just stared at him innocently with wide eyes.

His voice was also soft and gentle, with a long, drawn-out ending, muffled and sticky.

It sounded like she was being coquettish and aggrieved.

"And it's so cold sitting here, boohoo, and I'm so sleepy..."

She was pretending to be cold, since she was sitting right next to the charcoal brazier, but she was genuinely sleepy, as she had originally come to reclaim her bedding roll.

Originally, Zhan Xinjia thought she would bother him, make a fuss, and disturb him, so that he would eventually pack her up and throw her and her things out when he couldn't stand it anymore. But after waiting for a long time, what she got was the young man getting up and blowing out the candle with a blank expression.

Suddenly, the tent was plunged into darkness, with only the faint red glow of the charcoal brazier remaining. She immediately panicked.

Holy crap, looks like we've gone too far...

"Weren't you approving documents? Why are the lights off?"

Footsteps drew closer and closer, then abruptly stopped less than three steps away from her. In the darkness came the sound of a young man's shallow breathing, so close it felt like it was right next to her ear, making her heart race and making her feel extremely uneasy.

Finally, he seemed to kneel down in front of her, his nose gently touching hers.

A faint, refreshing scent wafted from between the lips and teeth.

"You've been interfering with my work all this time, just so you can get me to drop everything and come keep you company. What, did I guess wrong?"

"...Who wants you to accompany me?! You're ridiculous and narcissistic. Give me back my things and I'm leaving right now."

"oh?"

Shen Suqing remained noncommittal.

She's always been a strange person who doesn't say what she means and is full of lies. How could he not know what this little liar really wants?

If he were to actually give her the things and let her go, she would most likely find a place to cry alone for most of the night, and then the next day, with red eyes, she would pretend not to know him. She might even become so angry and petty that she would write a letter back to the capital to impeach him in front of His Majesty.

At this moment, this bad-tempered, silly child is still being stubborn.

Having seen his fierce appearance, Zhan Xinjia now feels a little intimidated and uneasy whenever she gets too close to him, but it's not quite fear... Her heart is pounding fast, and she's getting a little excited?

I always feel a great sense of accomplishment in making the good-natured Master Shen angry.

No, that's not right!!

He had said so many hurtful things to her before, misunderstood her, and wronged her. And today he even gave her a cold look during the day. Why should she give in?

She pushed him away with both hands against his shoulders, trying to create some distance, but Zhan Xinjia turned her head away and looked to the side, annoyed.

"Get away from me! ...We're no longer the best in the world, we've had a fight and broken up. Now we're just colleagues, you know what colleagues are? Can't you keep some social distance?"

She still dares to bring this up?

Shen Suqing's eyes darkened, a surge of jealousy welling up within him.

He gave a low, cold laugh, his tone somewhat sarcastic, making one's teeth ache.

"You and your other colleagues can sleep together, so why can't I?"

As he spoke, taking advantage of the darkness, he leaned down and pecked her eyelid, then kissed his way down her brow to the tip of her nose. Finally, he forcefully straightened her face with his knuckles and bit her lip.

In the pitch-black night, his slightly narrowed eyes gleamed with a ghostly light.

His hoarse voice was close to her ear, with a nasty upward slant at the end, as if he were provoking her and deliberately trying to anger her.

"Besides me, would your other colleagues kiss you like that?"

The light was too dim to see his expression, but being so frivolously teased, Zhan Xinjia blushed from his face to his neck, feeling completely flustered. The places where he had been kissed were burning hot, and steam was practically rising from the top of his head.

She hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, and angrily kicked his knee, which was on the ground, with her still-injured leg.

"Shen Ergou! Are you crazy?! You just started spitting on someone's face without warning! You should go back to the capital! I'm annoyed just looking at you! I don't have time to mess with you! I'm going back to sleep!"

She was extremely emotional, emphasizing every word she spoke.

It sounds fierce, but there's a hint of bluffing in it.

Shen Suqing selectively only listened to the word "sleep".

He calmly stood up, scooped her up by the knees, and then tucked her directly into his bed.

Zhan Xinjia's mind went blank for a moment, completely confused. She stammered out a curse that was stuck in her throat. Then, she felt the bed next to her sink down, and the blanket was pulled back again. He had brazenly lay down in there.

Two people who pretended not to know each other during the day ended up sleeping in the same bed.

He spoke in a deep, quiet voice.

"Oh, so Lord Zhan came to see me so late and made such a fuss, just to sleep with me. This sincere camaraderie has truly moved me beyond measure. I can't refuse such a kind offer, so I have no choice but to respectfully accept."

Zhan Xinjia: "???"

She tried to struggle and resist again, but as soon as she moved, the young man's strong fingers grabbed her wrist and obediently stuffed it into the quilt.

He held her hand tightly.

"Go to sleep. If you don't want to sleep, do something with me."

Zhan Xinjia: "..."

Zhan Xinjia: "Then let's go to sleep."

Amused by her expected admission of defeat, Shen Suqing suppressed his laughter, feeling a slight melancholy and a sense of inexplicable loss... He coughed a few times, his tone still cold and distant.

It still had that solemn and authoritative demeanor of a strict teacher and guardian.

"Stop bothering me."

"Who's bothering you? You're sick..."

On a quiet, snowy night, nestled in his warm embrace, Zhan Xinjia, a natural-born argumentative person, muttered softly. But she didn't struggle anymore, her fingers secretly tugging at a section of his shirt hem, holding it dependently in her palm.

I always feel very safe and secure when I'm with Master Shen...

He didn't say anything more, but Zhan Xinjia felt his knuckles stroking her hair, and then his hand moved down to pat her thin back, like a parent coaxing a child to sleep.

A long, soft sigh dissipated.

"Ah Zhi, whatever it is, please stop bothering me."