After thinking it over, Ye Junfei went to the Xu residence and asked Commander Xu to help him find the person.

Xu Shoubei still had no news of her.

He hadn't slept for a day and a night.

During that day and night, he imagined a million possible scenarios, and the violence in his heart swept over him like a raging storm.

He no longer knew what he would do if she were in danger this time, or if she no longer wanted him.

He felt he would probably go insane, become the bloodthirsty madman she described in her dream.

When he heard the guard say that she had mentioned the Lin residence, he went there as quickly as possible.

He saw her sitting there quietly eating, and he didn't dare to blink.

He was afraid that if he blinked, she would disappear.

Ye Junfei stood there without saying a word, his eyes slightly red.

Lin Xiuyan felt slightly uncomfortable being stared at like that.

Before she could speak, Ye Junfei swept up to her like the wind and pulled her into his arms.

He whispered, "Xiuyan, don't abandon me."

He was incredibly strong, and he wished he could meld her into his very bones.

His voice trembled slightly, betraying his feelings.

Lin Xiuyan trembled slightly uncontrollably as he approached.

Although she has come to terms with it and wants to let go of the past and move forward, she is unable to control her body's reactions in the short term.

The ordeal of the previous night ultimately left her with psychological trauma.

She reached out and gently pushed him, saying, "Give me a little more time."

Ye Junfei's body stiffened slightly as he looked at her face. She looked back at him with a complicated expression.

His peach blossom eyes flickered several times before he finally released her and whispered, "Okay."

For a moment, the two remained silent, neither speaking, and the atmosphere became slightly tense.

Ye Junfei was cursing Princess Anle in his heart at this moment. He felt that yesterday's ambush was too lenient on Princess Anle.

He will definitely kill Princess Anle when he gets the chance!

That night, although they had the most intimate relationship, their relationship seemed to have returned to what it was before.

Looking at her somewhat cold and distant eyes, he felt a surge of anxiety.

He wanted to say something, but he was afraid that saying too much would make him make a mistake and upset her.

Lin Xiuyan broke the silence first: "I went to see Yu Zhan yesterday and persuaded her to join you."

"You'll need to send someone to contact her later. You'll need to put some thought into how to mobilize the troops and what the subsequent arrangements will be."

Ye Junfei was somewhat surprised and looked at her again.

Lin Xiuyan chuckled softly after seeing his expression: "No matter what happens, I will keep my promise to you."

"Please make sure you keep your promise to me."

She promised to help Ye Junfei subdue Yu Zhan, and she had only one request for Ye Junfei: to protect her parents.

As for why she didn't subdue Yu Zhan and make him work for her, it was because she knew that there was a huge difference in strength between her and Yu Zhan.

Forcibly subduing Yu Zhan under these circumstances could very well backfire.

Ye Junfei sensed her distance, and his heart sank. He nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, I will protect my parents."

Lin Xiuyan smiled at him: "Okay."

Ye Junfei asked her softly, "Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Lin Xiuyan's face flushed slightly. She looked away from him and said softly, "I'm fine."

She was actually a little uncomfortable, but she was too embarrassed to tell him.

Ye Junfei wanted to hug her, but then he remembered her resistance earlier. His hand, which was halfway outstretched, stopped in mid-air. He wanted to pull it back, but then felt a little embarrassed.

Lin Xiuyan looked at him; his eyes were full of dark circles, his chin was covered with stubble, and his handsome face held anxiety and worry.

She took a deep breath, hugged him, and nestled in his arms.

He paused for a moment, then Lin Xiuyan said softly, "The night before last, if I had really wanted to fight with all my might, I could have left you..."

"Since I stayed, it means I wanted to. What happened that night, although..."

She paused slightly, took a soft breath, and said, "But I don't regret it."

Ye Junfei was somewhat surprised, and looked at her with delight in his eyes.

He said softly, "I know, I was too rough and scared you."

"Don't worry, I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do in the future."

He sounded a little awkward as he said this: "I will be very gentle."

Lin Xiuyan's face flushed slightly, and she bit her lip, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Ye Junfei asked her, "What do you want to say? You can say whatever you want to say."

Lin Xiuyan glanced at him and asked softly, "Would you touch a woman you don't like?"

Her question startled Ye Junfei. He frowned and asked, "Why do you ask that? Is it because of the rumors about me in the capital?"

Lin Xiuyan bit her lip, unable to bring herself to ask about what happened that night in their past life.

Although he wanted to steer the conversation elsewhere, the essence of the matter was similar, so she nodded.

Ye Junfei looked at her seriously and said, "I've told you before about my situation in the capital; it's really not good."

"In order to lull the emperor into a false sense of security, I did appear somewhat dissolute in public."

"The emperor did indeed arrange for some women to stay by my side to test me, and I used some methods to make them misunderstand that something had happened between us."

"But it was precisely because of these things that I developed an extreme aversion to women. Before I met you, I always thought I would grow old alone."

"Because I know how difficult the path I'm on is, and I also know that if the people around me aren't strong enough, they'll only suffer along with me."

"After meeting you, I was conflicted and hesitant, but I couldn't control myself in the end. Marrying you would be too selfish of me."

"But once a person sees the light and tastes the flavor of love, they no longer wish to sink into darkness and grow old alone."

Lin Xiuyan looked at him; his peach blossom eyes were dark and deep, yet intense emotions were churning within them.

She knew before that his eyes were extremely beautiful, but whether they were enchanting and deep or cruel and ruthless, they were like bottomless pools.

She knew that only those who had experienced extreme pain would have such eyes—seemingly calm, yet always revealing a hint of madness.

These words reminded her of many things.

She asked softly, "If you weren't under the influence of drugs, would you absolutely never touch a woman you don't like?"

Ye Junfei nodded: "Of course."

Lin Xiuyan considered his personality and realized he was telling the truth.

She then recalled the madness of that night in her past life, when he was not under the influence of drugs.

She also remembered that in her past life he had earnestly told her that he liked her.

So, did he actually like her in his past life?