A large hand gripped her waist tightly, and the heat from the man's palm instantly sent shivers down her spine.

It seemed to be the first time she had been so close to him since they met.

The ambergris on his body was stronger than ever before, and the heat from his body reached her through just a few layers of clothing.

Su Xuerong suddenly remembered that the undergarment she had just put on was an extremely thin, almost transparent cloud-like fabric.

Her face instantly turned burning hot, and her body couldn't help but tremble slightly.

How embarrassing! How embarrassing!

Xiao Yuan felt the woman in his arms tremble slightly and looked down at her.

Beneath the white strapless top, beneath the semi-transparent light blue gauze dress, her snow-white skin was tinged with a faint pink.

He felt the softness of her against his body, and a certain part of his body reacted instantly. He quickly let go of her.

Su Xuerong immediately took a few steps back and hurriedly turned around and ran into the inner room.

A moment later, she emerged, her face flushed, having already put on a jacket that completely covered her body.

Xiao Yuan stood at the door, his dark eyes fixed on her. After a long while, he said, "I can't sleep tonight, so I wanted to talk to you for a bit..."

Su Xuerong's brow twitched, and she quickly pulled the person into the house and closed the door.

Xiuchun slept in the back room, and Yuanjie was taken care of by her wet nurse, so she lived alone.

Su Xuerong lit the candle and poured him a cup of cool tea before whispering, "Does Your Highness have something to say to me?"

Xiao Yuan saw that her face was flushed, and then glanced at the door that she had bolted from the inside. He coughed lightly and said, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you."

If word gets out that a man and a woman alone in a room late at night, things will likely turn out badly.

Su Xuerong must have thought of this as well, which is why she closed the door tightly.

Xiao Yuan felt a slight sense of disappointment.

If there are any rumors, he will certainly not shirk responsibility.

However, what she really wanted was definitely not the position of a concubine in the royal palace...

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

"This time, Ling Qingxue probably won't be able to marry you..."

After a long pause, he slowly spoke.

Su Xuerong replied calmly, "I know."

Xiao Yuan was stunned.

He had expected to see her looking downcast and heartbroken.

Su Xuerong smiled faintly at him: "It's nothing serious. Without Ling Qingxue, can I not survive?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan felt a strange sense of joy welling up inside him for some reason.

Oh, so Ling Qingxue wasn't important to her after all.

The words of comfort I had planned to say to her suddenly wouldn't come out.

But if she didn't tell him, what would it mean if he came to see her late at night?

An awkward silence suddenly fell over the room.

"I……"

"you……"

The two spoke at the same time.

Su Xuerong hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please speak!"

Xiao Yuan glanced at her: "Change your address!"

"What?"

"I've laid out your identity in front of so many people today, you should change your tune!" Xiao Yuan said sternly.

Su Xuerong's face, which had gradually recovered, instantly turned crimson again.

In the candlelight, a blush returned to her pearly face, and her eyes flickered with firelight, making Xiao Yuan, who was opposite her, tense up.

He quickly looked away and coughed lightly, "You...shouldn't you call me elder brother?"

Su Xuerong was slightly taken aback, and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, this is inappropriate..."

Xiao Yuan looked up at her, his gaze somewhat cold.

Su Xuerong quickly said, "What I mean is, I have an elder brother... how about I call you my sworn brother?"

The coldness in Xiao Yuan's eyes vanished instantly.

Su Xuerong then cautiously asked, "Then, Brother Wang... did no one see you come here tonight?"

Xiao Yuan was displeased by her cautiousness: "What? Are you afraid I'll embarrass you?"

“No…” Su Xuerong was speechless.

Why does the man in front of her seem like a child now, even more willful than Su Jian?

“I’m worried that if the old lady finds out, she’ll be unhappy again… By the way, how is her health?” Su Xuerong asked.

Xiao Yuan said casually, "The physician has examined him and there's nothing seriously wrong. He was just angry with me at the time and was just expressing his attitude."

When Cui was later carried back to the backyard, he went to visit her, but they wouldn't let him in.

He simply stopped paying attention and went to Juxian Hall to rest.

Su Xuerong suddenly looked worried: "What should I do? I'm afraid the old lady will hate me to death if she sees me in the future."

Xiao Yuan glanced at her and asked, "Why are you afraid of her?"

Since he's there for everyone, why should we be afraid of others?

“She’s your aunt, and she personally recognized me as her goddaughter,” Su Xuerong said irritably. “Today is her fiftieth birthday, and if I ruin such a grand banquet, she’ll definitely blame me.”

Naturally, Madam Cui would not blame Xiao Yuan, nor would she do anything to the Ge family mother and daughter. Naturally, she would take her anger out on Su Xuerong.

After this incident, Su Xuerong will probably not have a good reputation in Hangzhou.

Xiao Yuan was stunned, and after a long while said, "It's my fault today."

He acted too impulsively back then, but he didn't expect it to have any consequences for Su Xuerong.

Su Xuerong waved her hand: "It's okay, this matter doesn't have much to do with you..."

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have gone to the birthday banquet today."

She originally didn't want to join in the fun, but Cui Yun'er insisted that she participate, saying that Cui had just taken her in as her goddaughter and that Cui would be unhappy if she didn't go.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!