"I..., we..."

Shen Jinchen didn't move, staring blankly at Cen Xi. The thought of forgetting Cen Xi, having to dislike each other, and ultimately becoming irreconcilable enemies made Shen Jinchen feel a little panicked.

It wasn't that he didn't believe what Cen Xi had just said; it was that he understood their relationship very well. From beginning to end, he was the only one who took the initiative. Cen Xi, and the freedom he wanted, he was afraid that if he couldn't hold onto her, he would eventually lose her.

Now she finally understood the curse Shen Qinghua had let out before he died, a curse that was the best revenge he could have taken from her.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'? Weren't you quite domineering before? You didn't care at all when you were asking for things, but now you're scared? Shen Jinchen, if you dare to step out of this door today, then we won't go looking for the Gu King and Gu Queen. We'll just let things take their course. I'd be more than happy to forget you."

Cen Xi suddenly felt that the man in front of her was irresponsible, had provoked her, and lacked self-confidence.

Okay, since he's being so coy, why is she in such a hurry? After all, all she's ever wanted is freedom, and her love for him is just a reaction to his persistent pursuit. What's wrong with giving up?

She had just made solemn vows to Jun Jianchou.

"No! No! Ah-Xi, I'm scared! I'm scared that in the end we'll have no feelings left for each other, and we'll just end up loving and killing each other."

Shen Jinchen lost control of his emotions, turned around angrily, grabbed Cen Xi's waist, and frantically kissed her.

To comfort him, Cen Xi didn't push him away. After being kissed for a while, she said breathlessly:

Are you afraid I don't love you enough? So you start by finding fault with me.

"Yes! I'm also worried that we might end up fighting each other."

After being comforted, Shen Jinchen rubbed his head against Cen Xi's shoulder like a little puppy.

"I love you. I love having a physique like a European football star. I love that you keep me in your heart. I love every inch of you. I don't want to forget you. I hope you'll always stay in my heart. Is that enough? It's getting dark. Do you still want to go for a walk? Shen Jinchen, the Gu we have isn't incurable, but we need to work hard to find the Gu King and Gu Queen. Are you going to be so pessimistic?"

Cen Xi moved his head off her shoulder, cupped his face, and said very seriously, word by word.

Do you love me? Do you like me?

Shen Jinchen couldn't believe he was hearing such words.

"Yes! It's the real deal. If I didn't have feelings for you, why would I have willingly done something so shameful with you in the first place? At that time, I was just attracted to your figure, but you plotted against me step by step, how could I not fall for you? Shen Jinchen, don't doubt what I'm saying."

Seeing Shen Jinchen's stunned expression, Cen Xi found it amusing and couldn't help but kiss him on the corner of his lips.

"I will fight you to the death; you will never escape me in this lifetime."

Shen Jinchen gave them a deep kiss, and then their clothes fell to the floor, filling the room with a hot, sultry atmosphere.

Cen Xi was unsurprisingly lured into bed, and the two then proceeded to explore each other with ease.

After the incident on the fifth day of the month, Shen Youji was too ashamed to marry her daughter off again. So she broke off the engagements with each family and settled them in the Guyue Nunnery outside the city. They became nuns, which was actually the arrangement on the surface.

Shen Youji's plan was to wait a year or two until things calmed down, then give these women some dowry and marry them off to other places, since they were his daughters after all.

Unfortunately, he had lost his daughters' trust. A month after the Shen family daughters moved into the Guyue Nunnery, they disappeared without a trace. Shen Youji sent a large number of people to search for them, but they could not find them. They were nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead.

After Cen Xi revealed her feelings to Shen Jinchen, they secretly left the capital the next day, changing their names and identities.

In the imperial court, Wen Qiheng explained to the civil and military officials that there was a dark force stirring in Lingnan, and the Prime Minister was taking the lead and planned to personally wipe them out. Therefore, he secretly took some comfort and left the capital.

Before Shen Jinchen's true identity was revealed, the Wen family had already established a good relationship with the Shen family. When Wen Qiheng suddenly became regent, the civil and military officials were naturally unsurprised. Wen Qiheng also possessed considerable skill; anyone who dared to cause trouble was swiftly suppressed by his decisive actions. Therefore, Shen Jinchen and Cen Xi could be said to have no worries whatsoever.

Wen Qiheng was busy, and Jun Xiaoqiao at the Wen residence finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been under his watchful eye for the past month, and the people in the Wen residence seemed to have been specifically instructed by Wen Qiheng to be very wary of her now, making it extremely difficult for her to escape.

Jun Xiaoqiao helplessly pounded the bed. Last time she stayed at the princess's mansion for a while, that scoundrel also moved to the princess's mansion. Jun Xiaoqiao's skin wasn't thick enough to be as thick as a city wall, so she didn't stay for more than a few days before following him back to the Wen mansion.

Her mother, who had always treated her well, seemed to be treating her even better lately, doing everything for her personally and speaking to her gently and considerately, making her feel extremely guilty.

Jun Xiaoqiao clearly realized that Wen's mother might already know that she wanted to run away, so she tried to keep her by being a harmonious mother-in-law.

What's infuriating is that Wen's mother somehow got hold of a baby, claiming it was her grand-nephew, who was well-behaved, cute, and adorable.

Wen's mother would always intentionally or unintentionally hold that little dumpling and sway it around Jun Xiaoqiao, who found the child extremely cute.

She couldn't help but feel anticipation for the baby in her belly, and without realizing it, she also wanted a soft and cute toy.

Now that she's five months pregnant, she can feel the baby moving. Sometimes when Jun Xiaoqiao puts her hand on her belly, she can feel the little one inside kicking her gently, and a maternal smile unconsciously appears on her face.

Seeing this, Wen's mother couldn't help but smile smugly. What mother doesn't love her children? Her eldest son was also a troublemaker. He was handsome, but he couldn't even win over a woman and had to rely on his mother. Sometimes she couldn't help but sigh.

Wen Mu

She may have been too focused on her eldest son and daughter-in-law, and neglected Wen Qiyu. By the time she had settled things with her daughter-in-law, Wen Qiyu had run away from home and her whereabouts were unknown.

Madam Wen was immediately very anxious and instructed her servants to quickly invite Minister Wen and Wen Qiheng's family back home.

After Minister Wen returned and heard the whole story, he wasn't too worried. He comforted Madam Wen and then went to his office.

Wen Qiheng had some suspicions, so he directly told his mother that Wen Qiyu might have secretly followed Shen Jinchen to Miao territory.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen was immediately shocked:

"Miao territory? What's the point of going to Miao territory? I heard that nine out of ten people who go there never come out alive. Why is Wen Qiyu getting involved?"

“There are many snakes in Miao territory. You know your son loves snakes the most, so we probably can’t stop him. Mother, Wen Qiyu is already of age and an adult. If he wants to leave, you can’t stop him. Moreover, he is good at hiding his tracks. You don’t need to send anyone to look for him. I will write a letter to Prime Minister Shen later and ask him to look after Wen Qiyu.”