Nan Zhiyun wouldn't say why, and Yu Jingchen didn't know what to do, so he could only hug her and comfort her. But perhaps she'd been being too dramatic lately, because the more Yu Jingchen tried to coax her, the more Nan Zhiyun wanted to cry.

She tugged at Yu Jingchen's sleeve and snuggled into his arms. Yu Jingchen didn't know why, so he could only let her do as she pleased.

"Alright, be good, don't cry." Yu Jingchen couldn't get the reason, and he became a little anxious.

"Tell me, okay? What happened?" Yu Jingchen continued to ask, but Nan Zhiyun just wouldn't answer, leaving Yu Jingchen at a loss.

“It’s okay if you really don’t want to talk about it, but it’s not good for you to just keep it to yourself, and what if you encounter this situation again in the future? Yun’er, I’ll be very worried, so please tell me, okay?” Yu Jingchen was very patient.

“It hurts…” Nan Zhiyun replied in a low voice.

"Where does it hurt?" Yu Jingchen continued to ask.

"I feel so sad, I just can't help but want to cry." Nan Zhiyun refused to look up in his arms, but at least she said it. It was good that she could say it, which relieved Yu Jingchen.

"Why do you feel uncomfortable? Is it because of something I just said? Or did something I did that made you uncomfortable?" Yu Jingchen began to look for the reason within himself. Unfortunately, Nan Zhiyun couldn't bring herself to say the reason.

“Don’t say it,” Nan Zhiyun replied.

Yu Jingchen sighed helplessly and didn't press him further. He simply reflected on his actions and words. Nan Zhiyun didn't seem frightened; instead, she looked quite aggrieved. He recalled that Nan Zhiyun's mood had only turned somber after he had spoken. Therefore, he began to suspect…

"Is it what I just said? Yun'er, I told you, I don't like those dignified and polite girls, I only like someone like Yun'er." Yu Jingchen said with a smile.

However, Nan Zhiyun remained the same as before, without much reaction.

“Yun’er doesn’t need to be so proper. That’s not good. Yun’er should just be herself.” Yu Jingchen added.

“But…but they all say His Majesty likes those who are well-mannered and reasonable. I always try to learn, and I think that once I become well-mannered and a true lady of a noble family, His Majesty will like me…” Nan Zhiyun finally spoke.

She used to painstakingly suppress her true nature, transforming herself into a proper, well-behaved person, even her smile had to conform to the image of a refined young lady. She did all that just to become the kind of person he liked, but now he says... you don't need to change, you can be whatever you want, because all I like about you is how you are.

It turns out that what he likes isn't anything in particular, it's just that he doesn't like you. When he doesn't like you, no matter how perfect you are, no matter how outstanding you are, no matter what you do, he still won't like you. Conversely, when he likes you, even if you do nothing, you are the best in his eyes. So... in the end, it's just that he has never liked me before.

But just because someone said he liked people who were polite, he tried everything to change himself. In the end, all he did was get hurt.

How could she not feel wronged? All her injuries hadn't earned her a single word of affection from him, and now this affection had come so easily… She had waited so long, so very long, but now, upon hearing it, bitterness overshadowed her joy…

Yu Jingchen finally understood why Nan Zhiyun's mood had suddenly become so low. His heart ached; he realized he had been too ungrateful in the past.

“I’m not sad anymore…” Yu Jingchen suddenly realized that no matter how much he said, it would always seem so pale and powerless.

"Your Majesty, I no longer wish to love you." Nan Zhiyun's words were somewhat childish.

"Hmm, if you don't like His Majesty anymore, how about you like your husband from now on?" Yu Jingchen coaxed her.

"Don't like it anymore..." Nan Zhiyun was being pampered more and more.

But Yu Jingchen was happy to hear this, knowing that everything was alright. He held Nan Zhiyun in his arms like a child, patting her back with his other hand.

He suddenly realized that Nan Zhiyun seemed to really like the way he was holding her, and she especially liked snuggling into his arms. It wasn't for any other reason than that Nan Zhiyun felt safe being completely encircled in his embrace.

Nan Zhiyun stayed in Yu Jingchen's arms for a while, and her emotions calmed down. Yu Jingchen looked at her and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Nan Zhiyun nodded and wiped away her tears. Yu Jingchen smiled and asked, "So what do you want to do next? Do you still want to study?"

Nan Zhiyun hugged the book tightly to her chest, as if someone was trying to take it from her. But what she said was, "I'm not reading anymore."

"Why did you stop watching? You were watching it just now, weren't you enjoying it?" Yu Jingchen asked her.

"I'll see later," Nan Zhiyun replied.

"Okay, I'll listen to you then. I'll look at it later." Yu Jingchen said, reaching for the storybook she was holding, intending to put it away for her first, but Nan Zhiyun wouldn't let go, and she was quite strong.

"Didn't you say you'd look at it later? Why are you still hugging me so tightly?" Yu Jingchen asked.

"It's fine to put it here." Nan Zhiyun placed the book beside her pillow, subtly covering it slightly. Yu Jingchen could tell that she was afraid he would confiscate it, which made him feel somewhat helpless.

"So what are we going to do now? We're not going to read the storybooks anymore, and we can't just walk around. Won't you get bored?" Yu Jingchen asked her.

"This," Nan Zhiyun looked to the side, then reached out and picked up the plate of peeled grapes.

Yu Jingchen was stunned for a moment when he saw it, then chuckled. He had thought the child had forgotten about it, but he didn't expect him to remember it now.

The palace servants had just peeled a large plateful, but Nan Zhiyun was so engrossed in reading that she hadn't eaten much. Now, however, she remembered this incident.

"It's delicious, but you should eat it in moderation." Yu Jingchen didn't stop her from eating. She had recently noticed a small detail: Nan Zhiyun really liked the kind of food that was juicy and had a sweet and sour flavor.

"Does Your Majesty wish to eat?" Nan Zhiyun asked, handing the plate to Yu Jingchen.

Yu Jingchen gently pushed him away: "I still have memorials to deal with. I'll come over after I'm done." After saying that, Yu Jingchen prepared to get up, but Nan Zhiyun stopped him.

"I was just tired from reading a storybook," Nan Zhiyun suddenly said, seemingly out of nowhere.

Yu Jingchen didn't immediately guess what he meant, but he understood after hearing Nan Zhiyun's next sentence.