Upon reaching the last step, the view suddenly opened up. Ji Yan put Shen Jiao down and leaned on the railing, overlooking the entire royal city.

Everything is laid out before you.

Every house was brightly lit, with red lanterns swaying in the wind. Even though they were far apart, she could almost hear children laughing and playing, running around and setting off firecrackers.

It was quite lively.

Ji Yan had never seen such a scene before. Every year on this day, he would stay far away, separating himself from this joyous family scene. Eternal darkness was what always accompanied him.

But now, he actually felt that the noise wasn't so bad, and even a little...pleasant?

How could he be happy?

That's really amazing.

For some reason, as Shen Jiao looked at the myriad lights of the homes, she inexplicably recalled something: "Your Majesty, do you remember the poison you fed me at Langya Pass?"

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow: "I remember, so what?"

"If it's poison, why is the antidote peach-flavored?" Shen Jiao had been bothered by this for a long time.

"Hahaha..." Ji Yan was inexplicably amused and laughed heartily without any regard for her image, only stopping reluctantly when her eyes started to hurt from laughing.

He rubbed the hamster's round cheeks twice: "It's not an antidote, it's just a few candies."

Shen Jiao narrowed her eyes fiercely: "Candy? So, it's not a poison that can melt flesh and blood?"

If that's the truth, then wasn't it incredibly foolish of her to have worked so hard and stubbornly treated every day as if it were her last?

The hamster's fur is standing on end, and the whole thing looks terrible!

Ji Yanxu also recalled the past and couldn't help but laugh twice: "Of course not, those were hair growth pills that Liang Heng specially made for you. I saw that you were afraid of death and was just teasing you out of boredom."

Shen Jiao: "..."

Indeed, no matter how successful a man is in his career, he will eventually be immature at the end of his life!

She scoffed, "Since you're just teasing me, wouldn't it be more appropriate to use some bitter pills as the antidote?"

"You're so stupid." Ji Yan turned around, leaned against the railing, and said lazily, "You're such a picky eater. You'd probably wish you could die as soon as possible if you had to eat bitter pills for eighty-one days. Anyway, I'm just teasing you. I might as well give you some candy to sweeten your mouth."

Shen Jiao: "..."

Thinking about it carefully, she realized that she wasn't very familiar with the tyrant at the time, and it was already quite impressive that he had such awareness. With that thought, she wasn't angry anymore.

**

Perhaps it was the memory of the past, or perhaps the fact that it was the first time the tyrant had celebrated the New Year made him a little happy; that deep-seated joy was like a coffin lid coming back to life, impossible to suppress.

He has a rather eccentric personality; when he's happy, he likes to talk non-stop. He bent down and leaned closer to Chen Jiao, saying softly, "Jiao Jiao, I suddenly want to tell you a secret."

"Hmm? Once a secret is revealed, it's no longer a secret. But I'm still very curious to know. Your Majesty, please tell me slowly. I'm listening."

Shen Jiao looked up at him and found that the tyrant's eyelashes were long and curled, but they did not look effeminate; one could only describe them as charming and alluring.

If he endorses our mascara, it will definitely sell very well!

Ji Yan gazed into the distance, where the lights seemed to end: "I have dreamt of you twice."

Shen Jiao's smile froze abruptly, and her wildly pounding heart seemed to stop beating altogether.

"You might not understand if I put it that way, so let me put it another way." Ji Yan stared straight ahead and sighed softly.

"I used to be plagued by nightmares every day. Well, how should I put it? It was an experience that I could never forget. Whenever I think about it, I can't help but want to kill people, preferably everyone. Blood is sticky and disgusting if it's not fresh, but it's a good thing. It's enough to excite me, to excite me to the point that I can temporarily forget all the shame."

Shen Jiao suddenly remembered the large and small, intertwined self-harm scars on his arms when she first met him.

Perhaps recalling unpleasant experiences, a chilling glint flashed in Ji Yan's eyes.

He rubbed his temples: "These days have been going on for years, so boring. But one day, I dreamed of you. During the most difficult time of my life, you suddenly appeared. No one else could see you, only I could. I was so happy, so delighted. It turns out... it turns out there is someone in this world who came specifically for me."

At this point, his nostalgic and gentle tone suddenly turned displeased, even quite indignant: "Unfortunately, you only came twice."

I don't want to only come twice," Shen Jiao opened her mouth, her throat feeling as if something was blocking it, making her feel choked and uncomfortable.

She had so much to say, yet couldn't utter a single word. After a long while, all she could do was repeatedly call out, "Ji Yan..."

"Why are you about to cry again?"

Ji Yan frowned slightly, looked down at her, and gently stroked the hamster's eyes with his thumb, saying in a low voice, "Jiaojiao, you don't know, I'm actually a little unhappy. You entered my dream without a word, but I'm also glad that you're unaware."

Shen Jiao tried hard to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't immediately refute the claim that she knew everything, but asked blankly, "...Why?"

Ji Yan's eyes darkened: "My beloved is a crybaby. She cries when she's happy, she cries when she's sad, she cries when she's scared, and she cries when she's moved. If she were to see those scenes, she would definitely hide away and suffer for a long time."

He gazed at Shen Jiao and slowly said, "I have tasted all the bitterness in the world, and I want to give all the sweetness to my beloved. But I am also a stubborn and selfish beast, and I want to drag her into the abyss, to suffer with me to the end, until death. But when I think of how she is trying so hard to live, I can't bear to do it."

"No, that's not it, Ji Yan. Listen to me, I know, I know everything."

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