"What does my age in my dream have to do with reality? No matter how many years have passed in my dream, I am only eight years old now!" Ye Jingchen said firmly.

Age is not only a woman's secret, but it can also be a man's secret!

If Xie Chang'an knew he was already thirty years old, how could he possibly have the nerve to pluck these little dumplings in front of him?

Although he knew he was a weirdo, his own knowledge and others' knowledge were two different things.

A 30-year-old man who can't tear his feet away from a cute baby would be the kind of person that stay-at-home moms and grandparents would be most wary of in modern times. He would probably be considered an anomaly in this era.

Therefore, he will definitely keep his age a secret!

"You—in your dream, you're not some old man in his seventies or eighties, are you?" Xie Chang'an asked, his face grim as he saw Ye Jingchen's resistance to his age.

"How could that be?!" Ye Jingchen vehemently denied. "I'm young! Extremely young! Do I look like someone in their seventies or eighties with this mindset?"

The more Ye Jingchen tried to explain, the more suspicious Xie Chang'an became.

"Then why don't you dare tell me your real age?"

"You didn't tell me your age either!" Ye Jingchen retorted.

"Then—shall we switch?" Xie Chang'an was really eager to know Ye Jingchen's actual age.

If he really was an old man over fifty, being called "Brother Chang'an" so affectionately by an old man would indeed be disgusting, but it would actually make him feel much better.

After all, to be old and not die is to be a thief.

It's normal to become more shrewd and experienced as you live longer.

But if Ye Jingchen were a young man—

If a young person possesses such mindset, strategy, and skills, then the only way to describe them is as "almost supernaturally intelligent"!

"You go first," Ye Jingchen said to Xie Chang'an, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“At the age of thirty,” Xie Chang’an said after thinking for a moment.

Ye Jingchen admired the wisdom of the ancients. "At thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one is free from doubt." The terms "standing firm" and "free from doubt" sounded much better than "thirty" and "forty," completely lacking the heart-wrenching feeling of life slipping away and youth being wasted.

However, the term "established age" encompasses too broad a range. Thirty years old is considered established, as is thirty-nine years old. Xie Chang'an's statement was essentially meaningless.

However, if we take the novel as a reference, these four words alone are enough for Ye Jingchen to deduce many things.

By the time the deposed crown prince died in the novel, Xie Chang'an was only in his early twenties, yet he had already secretly taken control of the Xie family army.

According to the synopsis of that novel, Xie Chang'an will eventually lead the Xie family army to overthrow the rule of Dayuan and establish a new dynasty.

At the age of thirty—he might already be emperor.

After all, at that time, no army in Dayuan could rival Xie's army, and no general could compare to the resourceful Xie Chang'an. What they relied on was nothing more than the most useless advantage of numbers.

If Xie Chang'an really became emperor, it would be understandable that his current personality is very different from that in the novel.

After all, once a person has been in a high position for a long time, it is difficult for them to be as cautious as when they were in a lowly position.

"I'm also in my thirties," Ye Jingchen said with a smile without hesitation.

Although what he said was indeed true, it seemed very fake for him to say it again after Xie Chang'an had first mentioned "the age of thirty".

Xie Chang'an naturally didn't believe it and glared at him with a sharp look.

When he was emperor, a single glare from him would silence his ministers in fear. Now, shrunk to the size of a six-year-old child, not a single one of his glares can intimidate him.

So annoying!

If Xie Chang'an had a habit of looking in the mirror, like Ye Jingchen, and practiced his facial expressions and eye contact in front of the mirror, he would know that a six-year-old toddler who uses his eyes to stab people has zero intimidation power, but is absolutely 100% cute.

"Look—" Ye Jingchen suppressed a laugh and innocently spread his hands, "You were the one who asked, and then you didn't believe me after I told you. Why did you do that?"

"Do you even believe what you're saying?" Xie Chang'an countered.

That strange laugh couldn't possibly be the truth!

"Okay, actually, in my dream I only lived to be fifteen before I died, really!" Ye Jingchen said with a sorrowful expression.

Since Xie Chang'an doesn't believe him when he tells the truth, he might as well just lie.

Besides, a man is a boy until he dies!

He's fifteen, so what's the problem?

Whether Xie Chang'an believed him or not, he didn't say another word to Ye Jingchen during the entire morning exercise afterwards.

After finishing their morning exercise, they met at the entrance, where Ye Jingyu happily reported his supervisory results to Ye Jingchen.

"Brother Crown Prince, Fatty Yun worked very hard today and ran for at least fifteen minutes!" As he said this, he looked up at Ye Jingchen with bright eyes, looking so cute as if he wanted praise.

Ye Jingchen had actually wanted to take advantage of this adorable little dumpling for a long time, but Xiao Jinghe had always been on high alert, making it difficult for him to make a move. And today, at this moment, Ye Jinghe was not around.

With the right timing, location, and people all in place, if not now, when?

"Yun Shu is very good." Ye Jingchen first affirmed Yun Shu's efforts, which successfully made the panting Yun Shu smile.

"Jingyu is also very capable. It is because of your supervision that Yunshu was able to break through her limits. You are also a little hero today!" After praising Yunshu, Ye Jingchen began to praise Ye Jingyu.

Ye Jingyu was extremely happy, his smile so wide it was almost impossible to see his eyes.

Although many people praise him every day, for some reason, he still likes to hear his father and his elder brother, the Crown Prince, praise him the most!

While Ye Jingyu was in a good mood, Ye Jingchen quietly placed his hand on Ye Jingyu's head and patted it.

Ye Jingyu often had his head patted by Ji Wushuang and didn't dislike the gesture. What's more, the person patting his head was his beloved Crown Prince brother. He even skillfully rubbed his head against Ye Jingchen's palm!

Ye Jingchen: !

It feels like my heart has been hit by a bullet!

Little Jingyu is so cute!

It's unimaginable how happy Ji Wushuang must be every day to have such an adorable little dumpling by her side, to be kneaded and cuddled at will!

"Cough—" Xie Chang'an looked at Ye Jingchen, who was completely absorbed in the moment, and coughed heavily, somewhat speechless.

Ye Jingchen reluctantly withdrew his hand, led them in warm-up exercises, and then naturally took Ye Jingyu's hand and led them to breakfast.

"With the Fifth Prince not here, I don't even feel like eating!" Ye Jingyu sighed during breakfast.

"Doesn't Ye Jinghe live in the East Palace? Shall we go and see him later?" Ye Jingshu said, seizing the opportunity.

She didn't believe Ye Jinghe was missing class because he was catching up on sleep; she wanted to see what Ye Jinghe was up to.

“Sister, what’s there to see while he’s sleeping? Jinghe is a light sleeper, so let’s not disturb his rest. He’ll join us for lunch.” Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingshu.