Nan Zhiyun felt even more uncertain after not receiving a response from Yu Jingchen.

"No..." Before Nan Zhiyun could finish speaking, Yu Jingchen said, "Of course you can. In the future, just say what you don't want to do, and refuse to do what you can't do."

Nan Zhiyun was somewhat incredulous, completely dazed.

"What? Standing here dumbfounded?" Yu Jingchen's lips curled slightly.

When Nan Zhiyun saw Yu Jingchen's faint smile, she felt as if she were seeing things. Was Yu Jingchen just smiling? And it was a smile without indifference or contempt.

“Your Majesty…this concubine feels it’s unreal,” Nan Zhiyun said.

"Hmm? Why doesn't it feel real?" Yu Jingchen asked.

"It just feels unreal, like all of this will vanish like clouds in the next moment, and then never be found again." Nan Zhiyun said out loud what she was thinking.

“Didn’t you think all of this was a dream before?” Yu Jingchen said.

"Hmm, but sometimes I feel it's not, Your Majesty. I don't really know if it's a dream. I just feel that Your Majesty is not the same as before. I'm afraid that one day Your Majesty will change back to the way you were before."

“So I am willing that this is a dream, because I can tell myself that it is just a dream that has ended. But if I knew that all of this was real, I am afraid that I would not be able to accept it when everything returns to its original state one day,” Nan Zhiyun replied.

Yu Jingchen was surprised that Nan Zhiyun would say such a thing, nor did he expect that she was thinking this way.

He reached out and took Nan Zhiyun's hand, which was resting on her knee: "So what do you think of all of this right now?"

“I feel like it might be true,” Nan Zhiyun said.

"Yes, it's true, so what?" Yu Jingchen asked calmly.

"So... Your Majesty, I beg you, please don't go back to how you were before, okay?" Nan Zhiyun gently tugged at Yu Jingchen's sleeve, her tone full of pleading and humility.

Yu Jingchen did not respond for a moment, and Nan Zhiyun became increasingly uneasy. She even wondered if she had gone too far.

But just as she was about to say something, Yu Jingchen said to her, "Things won't be the same as before."

"And there's no need to be so careful in the future," he added, continuing from the previous sentence.

"Is that alright? So Your Majesty no longer dislikes your concubines?" Nan Zhiyun asked.

“I don’t dislike it, don’t overthink it,” Yu Jingchen replied.

These words may have touched a nerve with Nan Zhiyun, because after hearing what followed, her tears fell like a flood.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying again? I told you, I don't hate it." Yu Jingchen said helplessly, then slightly opened his arms. Nan Zhiyun looked at him with some confusion.

"Give me your hand," Yu Jingchen reminded her.

Nan Zhiyun gently raised her hand and placed it uncertainly in Yu Jingchen's palm. Unexpectedly, Yu Jingchen pulled her towards him, causing Nan Zhiyun to fall into his arms.

Nan Zhiyun's heart skipped a beat, feeling somewhat lost. Yu Jingchen's hand then circled around Nan Zhiyun's back, pulling her directly into his arms.

"I'll make an exception this time. You're allowed to cry, but this is a one-time exception. Don't push your luck again." Yu Jingchen was truly at his wit's end.