Beside him, he heard even breathing. Wei Li touched his left ear; the silver earring felt slightly cool. He turned over to look at Zhao Xiheng.

She lay on her side, curled up with her back to him. From the outline outside the blankets, she looked like a small ball, with thick, dark hair scattered behind her.

Wei Li casually tucked a strand of her hair into his hand; it was cool and smooth, and had a faint scent of gardenias.

"Zhao Xiheng," he called out.

No one answered him, and the surroundings were quiet. Not even a sliver of light from outside the window could penetrate. Wei Li also felt bored. He grabbed a strand of Zhao Xiheng's hair and soon became lightly sleepy.

In his dazed state, something soft and cool suddenly touched his leg, jolting him awake instantly.

It was Zhao Xiheng's feet, as cold as ice, that had slipped from her own bedding into his, probably because she had gotten cold while sleeping and was instinctively seeking a source of warmth.

Wei Li was not happy and kicked her leg back. The moment her skin touched Zhao Xiheng's bedding, she was sobered up by the cold.

Zhao Xiheng probably felt awkward in this position, so she turned over.

Wei Li's hand was still holding a strand of her hair. As she turned over, her head naturally rested on his wrist.

She was not very warm, which was in stark contrast to the steaming Wei Li.

Wei Li casually touched the inside of her blanket; it was as cold as an ice cave. He found it strange. Was Zhao Xiheng dead? That's why she couldn't warm her own blanket?

Perhaps it was because he was too close to Zhao Xiheng that Zhao Xiheng felt warm, so she rolled over again, taking half of the blanket with her and rolling into his arms, then snuggled comfortably against him.

The last bit of sleepiness that Wei Li had was also frozen away.

Zhao Xiheng rolled over like a little ice ball; her hair was cold, her clothes were cold, her skin was cold, she was cold everywhere.

He pinched Zhao Xiheng's cheek and said, "I might as well strangle you."

The pinch was applied too hard, and Zhao Xiheng opened her eyes groggily, still looking half asleep.

"Go back to your side," he said, his voice softening but still menacing.

Zhao Xiheng was not in a good state of consciousness; whatever he said went. She closed her eyes again, rolled herself up in the blankets, and actually rolled around a few times before returning to her original spot.

Wei Li then lay down to continue trying to fall asleep. Before long, he was fast asleep and rolled back to Zhao Xiheng. The moment their skin touched, Wei Li wanted nothing more than to sit up and devour Zhao Xiheng alive.

He patiently pushed the person outwards with the blanket, then turned over and went to sleep.

The rustling sounds stopped, and the bedroom returned to silence, with only the hissing sound of the candlelight burning outside, which no one could hear unless they listened carefully.

Wei Li listened intently to the faint hissing sound. Just as he was starting to feel sleepy, Zhao Xiheng rolled over with the blanket, immediately waking him up again.

Wei Li rolled his eyes at the dim light, his clenched fist tightened and loosened repeatedly, and finally he sat up, glaring fiercely at Zhao Xiheng, and pulled his loose collar to cover the exposed black tattoo.

Zhao Xiheng was oblivious to Wei Li's displeasure and continued to squeeze closer to him.

Wei Li wrapped her back in his blankets, then lowered his head to examine her. Her nose was delicately pointed, her eyelashes long and curled, and her lips were rosy. Perhaps she'd eaten more these past few days; her cheeks had filled out a bit, making her less thin and giving her a soft, bouncy appearance, like a rice cake. It felt wonderful to pinch; Wei Li had tried it himself, and he figured it would feel the same way if he bit into it…

He brushed aside the black hair that fell in front of his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, he was a little hungry, so he quickly looked away from Zhao Xiheng's face and took a few inches back.

Although Zhao Xiheng was slender, she was not a skinny stick. Wearing two layers of padded jackets, she was round and plump, like a little snowball.

It looks not only pretty, but even a little cute.

When Wei Li first met her, she was already seven or eight years old. Before she was five, she would have looked more like a snow-white glutinous rice ball; or if she had a daughter in the future, the daughter would look like a little glutinous rice ball.

Damn, why is he thinking about these things?

Wei Li's face flushed, and he scratched his hair in frustration, but suddenly stopped halfway through.

So what if he wants to think about it? What law doesn't allow him to think about it? Now everyone knows Zhao Xiheng is his wife, so not only can he think about it, he dares to do it!

He quickly leaned over and took a bite of Zhao Xiheng's face. It was indeed soft, tender, and smooth, with a pleasant aroma of gardenias.

His heart was pounding. He lay down under the covers, but after a while, he couldn't stand the stuffiness anymore, so he lifted the covers again. Zhao Xiheng was still rolling around, still looking for a heat source.

Wei Li sat up, lit a lamp, went to find a blanket, and then tore the blanket into strips.

"Zhao Xiheng?" he called again, and Zhao Xiheng softly hummed in her dream as an answer.

He rolled Zhao Xiheng up like a crepe between the blanket and mattress, leaving only her small head exposed. Then he connected the strips of blanket together into a thick rope and tied her up with the blanket.

Zhao Xiheng now looks more like a freshly made, white, and tender rolled pancake.

Wei Li clapped his hands and shoved the person back with a thud.

She can't move, so she won't roll over.

Compared to Zhao Xiheng, Wei Li has much more difficulty falling asleep, especially in a new environment, where his sleep quality is even worse. He will wake up immediately at the slightest sound, a habit he developed in his childhood that he can't break.

This is why he always has dark circles under his eyes.

At midday, Zhao Xiheng was awakened by shouts outside.

"My lord! My lord!" The lieutenant paced around the mansion, searching for Wei Li.

He had already checked Wei Li's original house. It was covered in blood and drafty, so it didn't look like a habitable place. He guessed that Wei Li had spent the night in some courtyard.

Chen Ruonan followed behind Chen Ruojiang, wearing her most bright and beautiful dress, but she was tormented by the snow that had reached her calves and was in a sorry state.

The brother and sister had a very heated argument last night.

Chen Ruojiang scolded her, repeatedly asking, "What exactly do you see in Wei Li?"

Chen Ruonan cried and said, "The lord is most manly when he throws money at people!" She was referring to when Wei Li threw money at her mother's illness, and Chen Ruonan's heart was immediately stirred up by the sight of him throwing money away.

Enraged, Chen Ruojiang took off his money pouch and threw it at Chen Ruonan, yelling, "You'd even throw your own brother at me! You're such a sweetheart, always preferring distant lovers! There are so many good men in the world, why are you so fixated on just one?"

In the end, the brother couldn't resist his sister's insistence and decided to bring her to meet Zhao Xiheng. Putting everything else aside, Zhao Xiheng's face alone was enough to make most young ladies in the world feel ashamed of themselves.

Zhao Xiheng squinted her eyes, turned over and tried to get up, but found that she couldn't move her limbs. She lost her balance and hit her mouth on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), which made her gasp in pain.

Wei Li turned her face over to look at it, "It's nothing, just a little scratch."

If the situation hadn't prevented it, Zhao Xiheng would have kicked him. What do you mean by "it's nothing"? What do you mean by "it's just a little scratch"?

"Why did you tie me up last night, my lord?"

Wei Li casually untied the bow on the package, then flicked her forehead. "You weren't sleeping well last night, always snuggling up to me. I found you annoying."

Zhao Xiheng remained silent, feeling embarrassed.

She has a habit of scurrying to warm places when she falls asleep, probably because it was too cold last night.

She coughed lightly twice, preparing to say something sarcastic, but Wei Li interrupted her.

He frowned and asked, "Have you caught a cold?"

Zhao Xiheng instantly lost interest in speaking and secretly rolled her eyes. "No, my lord, someone outside is calling you."

When she rolled out of the mattress, Wei Li accidentally touched her hand, which was still icy cold, no different from the snow outside.

Zhao Xiheng moved her legs. She had been tied up all night and they were a little numb. In addition, her inner thighs were still aching from riding the horse yesterday. There was no stove in the room and it was so cold that her bones ached. In short, she felt uncomfortable all over.

She sat motionless on the bed, wrapped in a blanket.

Wei Li had already dressed, but seeing that she was still dawdling, he pulled back her blanket and said, "Get up."

A blast of cold air hit her chest, and Zhao Xiheng shivered, her eyes reddening.

She cursed Wei Li, that old dog, several times in her heart before she had the courage to pick up the clothes that were frozen like iron and put them on.

"Why are you crying again?" Wei Li wiped her red eyes. "You're so delicate."

He wrapped Zhao Xiheng's blanket back around her, and then draped his own blanket over her as well. "Don't cry, sit still."

With the help of two thick quilts, Zhao Xiheng gradually regained her body temperature.

Wei Li kicked open the door and went out, meeting Chen Ruonan's eyes, which were shining with excitement.

He looked him up and down, then nodded to his deputy, "He's quite considerate."

So he gestured with his chin toward Chen Ruonan and said, "Go inside and light the stove."

Chen Ruonan's smile froze instantly. Was Wei Li treating her like a maid?

Perhaps, perhaps too much time has passed, and he has forgotten.

"My lord, I... I am Vice General Chen's sister..." she stammered, gesturing to Wei Li that her status was different, ignoring her brother's gesture of tugging at her clothes.

Wei Li raised an eyebrow, his tongue tracing across his upper teeth. His narrow eyes, with thin, single eyelids that pressed against his dark pupils, made him appear particularly terrifying. "What? Is serving a princess too much of a burden for you?"

She's not very old, but she's incredibly arrogant; even her brother has never acted like that.

Chen Ruonan's face turned deathly pale. Ever since her brother started working for Wei Li, no one had ever spoken to her like that.

Deputy General Chen quickly pushed the person inside, saying, "The princess is delicate and cannot be exposed to the cold. The lord asked you to go and help out, not to serve her all the time."

Seeing the person go inside, Wei Li's expression softened slightly, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was Wei Li's deputy general. In reality, Wei Li had no feelings for him. He was just someone Wei Li had used for many years and was used to. He followed Wei Li not out of loyalty, but just to make a living.