Shen Jiao swore she really didn't want to go to sleep early tonight.

But the hand that Ji Yan used to stroke her hair seemed to have magic; its cool fingertips lightly brushed across her scalp with just the right amount of pressure, which felt strangely comfortable.

Unable to break free, Shen Jiao tried to accept it, finding joy in hardship—survival of the fittest, after all.

Prolonged tension can cause body aches and pains. After she had rested, she collapsed onto the tyrant like a lump of mud.

I felt instantly relieved.

Anyway, if Ji Yan, the culprit, falls down, what is she afraid of?

I'm probably worried that she hasn't finished the last sip of her chrysanthemum and goji berry tea.

Ji Yan was perhaps thinking about where to begin this story, or what tone to use to make it more interesting.

He remained silent, but the hand that was stroking her hair slowly moved to her face, bringing with it the coolness of his own body.

Shen Jiao: "..."

Big brother!

The fine hairs on my face probably can't withstand being petted!

The atmosphere of a beautiful woman being touched by a handsome man should have been ambiguous and romantic.

But at this moment, Shen Jiao's heart was as still as water, much like a young monk meditating and chanting scriptures in the early morning.

After all, the feelings that were once sparked today have already been nipped in the bud.

She's exhausted, so she'll just play the role of a Buddhist disciple who's detached from worldly desires for the time being.

Shen Jiao thought Ji Yan would pinch her cheek, but he didn't.

The tyrant's hand moved down, tracing across her eyebrows, cheeks, and jawline, finally landing on the soft flesh beneath her chin, where he began to gently scratch with his fingers.

Shen Jiao: "..."

To be honest, she's used this pose when teasing cats.

However, she always felt that the tyrant was not like petting a cat.

Or is it like petting some other furry little animal?

Shen Jiao had no interest in thinking about what it was.

The tyrant's massage was just right, and she couldn't help but relax her shoulders and limbs, simply using the enthusiastic storyteller as a human cushion.

"Let's start the story with that old man, that way you'll understand better, how about it? Or would you like to hear about the woman first?"

Ji Yan suddenly asked her, her eyes churning like the darkness of night, her upper eyelashes slightly raised, but a smile of great interest forming on her lips.

The strange contrast cast a gloomy and eerie aura over him.

Ji Yan's fingers, which were stroking the frizzy hamster, suddenly paused.

His body, which had been trembling with excitement from an excessive desire to share, immediately calmed down.

His brows were furrowed, and his tone was full of frustration.

"I haven't even started speaking yet, how come you've fallen asleep?"

"Wake up, you're not allowed to sleep now."

Ji Yan's smile vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression, as she shook Chen Jiao's shoulders incessantly.

"Master, what is this young man in black doing?"

In the distance, the steward who had accompanied Master Gu to discuss matters concerning the Youlan River with Shen Jiao looked quite puzzled.

"Was he trying to wake Miss Chen? But he clearly didn't use enough force. The movement was correct, but the strength wasn't enough. How could he wake her up?"

Master Gu smiled and said only one sentence, "You're moved but don't realize it. Let's go, we'll come find Jiaojiao later."

Ji Yan's face was hidden in the shadows of the trees, her smile completely gone.

"Chen Jiao, I'll give you three counts to wake up, or I'll throw you into the moat!"

"one."

"two."

"three."

Apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind, no one answered.

"Alright, alright, go to sleep, go to sleep." Ji Yan affectionately rubbed the back of Shen Jiao's head until it was a mess before stopping.

He sighed, took off his outer robe, and tied Shen Jiao around the waist to the jujube tree.

From a distance, it looks like a huge bundle tied to a thin jujube tree.

Ji Yan smiled, her eyes crinkling like a spring breeze, quite pleased with her work. Her agitated mood was suddenly soothed by some inexplicable emotion.

After tying the knot, he jumped to the ground.

The tyrant was about to leave when he took two steps, then turned back and sat on the stone bench where Shen Jiao had originally sat.

I took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea that the frizzy hamster treasured, and spat it out with a "pui!"

Ji Yan said with great disgust: "What is this? It tastes awful!"

A moment later.

"Who told you to disobey? I won't leave you any even if it tastes bad."

Ji Yan picked up the teacup again and encouraged herself to drink it all in one gulp.

Even after finishing it, they still complained, "It tastes awful!"

...

Shen Jiao felt as if her memory was frozen on a fallen leaf.

In that instant, her thoughts were racing, and she felt as if she had turned into a fluffy hamster, her vision gradually blurring.

Shen Jiao fell asleep.

She had another dream.

As winter arrived, the temperature in the royal city plummeted, and the flower cups lay flat on the ground, yet no snow had fallen.

A bright, clear voice came from the imperial study, a voice unique to young girls.

"Father, I have said that I will not marry anyone but the fifth son of the Liang family in this life."

"Very well, very well..." The middle-aged man reviewing the memorials, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, showed no displeasure at the girl's unreasonable behavior.

He immediately put down his pen, smiling warmly, "Father will definitely find a way to find a husband for Yu'er from the Liang family's fifth son."

Although she had never seen this person before, nor had she ever set foot in the Great Yan Palace, Shen Jiao immediately guessed who this person was—

He was Ji Yan's father.

The main difference is that the Yan Emperor's eyebrows and eyes are very similar to those of the tyrant.

If Shen Jiao were nearsighted with a prescription of 500 degrees, she might think the person in front of her was a tyrant.

Unfortunately, she wasn't; in fact, her eyesight was exceptionally good.

Knowing that no one could see her in her dreams, she boldly wandered around the Imperial Study.

They even went so far as to examine the Yan emperor's features closely, comparing him to a tyrant.

At first glance, the father and son look like they were made from the same mold, but upon closer inspection, they don't look quite alike.

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