When Nan Zhiyun woke up, it was already evening. The sky was already tinged with twilight. There were no candles lit in the room, so it was pitch black, and she could only vaguely see some things.

Nan Zhiyun was still half asleep, but... she quickly became frightened, not only by the already dark environment, but also by Yu Jingchen's punishment. He had told her to lie here for three hours, not to close her eyes, not to fall asleep, and not to change position. But she...

But why didn't Yu Jingchen wake her? Was he gone? Nan Zhiyun wanted to call for help, but she was afraid of the darkness. Why hadn't anyone lit a candle? She was scared…

Nan Zhiyun opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was dry and she couldn't make a sound. The surrounding environment was extremely dark and quiet, which was what she feared most. This feeling made her feel deaf and blind, and her whole body felt cold.

Enveloped in fear, Nan Zhiyun forced herself to stand up, but she was dizzy and couldn't see clearly. She didn't know where to go, and she couldn't speak, which made her feel helpless.

Nan Zhiyun tripped and fell to the ground, knocking over something nearby that hit her. It hurt so much…

Nan Zhiyun sat up, curling her legs up against the bed, shrinking herself into a small ball. She was scared. Who could save her? Was anyone there?

Suppressed sobs echoed from inside the room; this was the loudest sound Nan Zhiyun could make, as she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Perhaps the commotion inside was too loud, finally attracting someone's attention. Nan Zhiyun suddenly heard some noise inside the room, but in this environment, she felt nothing but fear.

Who's here? Who made that sound? Nan Zhiyun hugged herself. What should she do? Why is everyone gone? She wanted to go out by herself, but her legs were weak, and she had fallen after bumping into something, and it really hurt.

There seemed to be someone in the room, walking towards her, getting closer and closer. Perhaps because the room was too quiet, she could even hear the faint footsteps.

Who is it? Who is in this room? Is it Qianxia? But if it were Qianxia, ​​she wouldn't be silent.

The person seemed to stop right in front of her, a realization that made Nan Zhiyun increasingly uneasy.

She tried to shrink back, to hide, to find a sense of security, but behind her was the bed; she had nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.

"What are you afraid of?" Finally, the person spoke up. Who else could it be but Yu Jingchen?

Nan Zhiyun was initially startled by the voice, but after recognizing who it was, she wasn't as terrified as before. However, only for a moment, and the fear returned. Yu Jingchen was someone she was also afraid of.

"Can't speak?" Yu Jingchen asked her.

Nan Zhiyun felt that he seemed to squat down, but she could only make some panting sounds and couldn't speak at all.

"Afraid of the dark? Or afraid of me?" Yu Jingchen's tone was chilling, sending shivers down one's spine.

Nan Zhiyun didn't know what Yu Jingchen was feeling, whether he was angry, whether he would continue to punish her, or what kind of fate awaited her now that she had just fallen asleep.

"Afraid of the dark?" Yu Jingchen had found a new way to play.

"How about I create such an environment just for you from now on? If you displease me, I'll throw you in there. You won't see anything or hear anything. Not only that, I'll have someone fill that room with water and let it submerge your entire body. How about that? Perfect, you didn't fulfill my punishment today, so why not try it now?" Yu Jingchen deliberately threatened, but Nan Zhiyun took it seriously.

She couldn't see anything; she could only vaguely make out a figure. Nan Zhiyun finally mustered the courage to reach out and grab Yu Jingchen's clothes in this situation. Yu Jingchen could sense her fear and knew what she wanted to express.

But… he simply didn't want to pay attention. What could she do? Yu Jingchen removed Nan Zhiyun's hand from his grasp. Nan Zhiyun felt helpless. She desperately wanted to speak, but why couldn't she utter a word? Would she always be like this? Had she become mute?

This realization made Nan Zhiyun even more uneasy and fearful. Yu Jingchen didn't want to bother with her and stood up on his own. Feeling Yu Jingchen's movement, Nan Zhiyun's tension intensified again. Don't leave her alone in this environment, don't... She lay on the ground, trying to grab Yu Jingchen, but she couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

Yu Jingchen heard the noise behind him. Nan Zhiyun didn't know what she had bumped into, but there was a loud noise coming from behind her. Had she hit something again? Besides that, there was also a muffled groan. She probably hurt herself again.

Yu Jingchen didn't know what he was thinking at the time. He had never actually intended to leave. He had acted that way just now because he knew Nan Zhiyun was afraid, so he deliberately said those things.

He left the room and said to the guards outside, "Bring me a tinderbox."

The palace servants originally intended to bring it in and light it themselves, but Yu Jingchen took it from them, and seeing this, the servants had no choice but to obediently retreat.

Having obtained the fire, Yu Jingchen returned to the room and lit the candles. Finally, there was light. Nan Zhiyun looked up and saw Yu Jingchen lighting the candles one by one.

Nan Zhiyun was truly disheveled. Her hair was messy, her makeup was ruined, and she hadn't even changed out of the clothes that Yu Jingchen had torn during the day. So she really looked like a refugee.

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