Chapter 163 only has one painting.

Two more days passed, and Chu Mingheng seemed to have toned it down a bit, no longer having Lan Wu by his side all the time.

That's how it appears on the surface.

Inside the imperial study, Lan Wu lay listlessly on the desk. Turning her head, she saw Chu Mingheng still reviewing memorials at his desk and sighed softly.

Suddenly, the person who was intently staring at the memorial in their hand raised their eyes and met Lan Wu's clear eyes.

Lan Wu was startled, sat up, and focused her attention back on the paper in front of her.

She is drawing.

It's estimated that no one would have guessed that the newly promoted Imperial Concubine, who claimed to be in Yilan Palace all day, was actually taken to the Emperor's presence without anyone noticing.

Chu Mingheng is only good at doing these sneaky things, and he's even become addicted to it.

Chu Mingheng was still staring at her, seemingly lost in thought. Even after Lan Wu had looked away, his eyes did not stray an inch.

Lan Wu held back for a moment, but couldn't help herself and raised her head to glare back fiercely.

Chu Mingheng smiled and stood up from his seat.

As soon as he stood up, Lan Wu knew what he was going to do, and immediately gave him half of her seat.

But Chu Mingheng refused to sit down. He stood next to Lan Wu, looking down at her as she painted. When he noticed her hands trembling, he kindly asked her, "Are you tired of painting?"

Lan Wu put down her pen in shame and indignation, looking at him: "Can't you just focus on your work?"

Chu Mingheng, however, seemed quite innocent. He lightly rested one hand on the table, and with the other hand reached over to stroke Lan Wu's cheek, tucking her stray hairs behind her ear. He said casually in a low voice, "I was serious, but it's just that A-Wu had to keep an eye on me."

After saying that, he lowered his eyes and said indifferently, "Awu will be going to Changyong Mountain in a few days. It will be three months. How can I endure that?"

"Now, even if I just take one more look, A-Wu won't allow it?"

It's as if Lan Wu is a heartless and unfaithful person.

Lan Wu naturally wanted to argue her point.

"Who said you can't? I didn't say you couldn't look." She muttered as she reached for her tea. "I secretly followed you here, and I'm standing right in front of you. If you want to look, then look."

Chu Mingheng poured her tea, then shook his head upon hearing this: "I didn't do anything sneaky."

Lan Wu took a couple of sips of tea, looked up at him, and thought to herself that he was really good at pretending. If this wasn't sneaking around, then what was?

The drawing on the paper on the table depicts a cluster of jasmine flowers, with a white dot amidst the green leaves. Although it is an ordinary drawing, it is still quite elegant.

"Where did this jasmine come from? There's only one flower blooming among the branches and leaves." Chu Mingheng pointed at the drawing paper and suggested that Lan Wu draw more flowers.

"I won't draw. I didn't want to draw in the first place. If it weren't for you..." Lan Wu turned her body away unhappily. If Chu Mingheng hadn't asked her to draw a few pictures for him as a keepsake, she wouldn't have bothered to do it.

At this point, Lan Wu realized something and looked at Chu Mingheng's expression with some hesitation.

Chu Mingheng lowered his eyes, seemingly not understanding Lan Wu's implied meaning. He gently stroked Lan Wu's fingers and said softly, "That's right, your hands will get rough from drawing... If A-Wu doesn't want to draw, then don't. Besides, there are a few paintings that A-Wu drew for another emperor before. I can borrow them to look at whenever I miss A-Wu."

When he said the word "another one," Chu Mingheng's tone became slightly heavier. After he finished speaking, he seemed not to care at all, and gently picked Lan Wu up from the chair and carried her to his desk and put her down.

Lan Wu felt inexplicably unsure of herself, and before she could speak, her lips were sealed with a kiss.

A warm kiss landed on her lips, the familiar yet domineering breath of another man lingering on her lips, easily suppressing all her thoughts.

Chu Mingheng seemed to have learned to be gentler when kissing her, but it was also as if he hadn't learned at all. After the kiss, he even bit her lip, not breaking it, but leaving a small mark.

Lan Wu clung to his shoulder, panting, her eyes somewhat glazed. Soon, seeing Chu Mingheng about to press his lips against hers again, she quickly reached out and covered his lips, shaking her head at him.

His words from earlier flashed through my mind again, and I felt a pang of pity for him.

"I'll draw it for you, okay? Stop fussing, I'll draw it for you."

And you even said you wanted to borrow it to take a look? This must be the first time Chu Mingheng has ever said this word since he was born, right? It's really hard on him.

Lan Wu thought of this, and Chu Mingheng's face flashed before her eyes. She blushed for no reason and quickly got off the table from the side. Just as she was about to walk down, her wrist was grabbed again.

Chu Mingheng turned his head away from Lan Wu, but said, "That table is too small. Draw in front of my table."

Is that serious drawing?

Lan Wu looked at him suspiciously, convinced that he wasn't right.

But their protests were futile, and the man was still taken to the imperial table.

Chu Mingheng watched as Lan Wu added many white jasmine flowers to the greenery in the painting, just as he had wished, and finally the painting was completed.

Seeing Lan Wu smiling, he couldn't help but smile slightly as well.

However, Lan Wu was too happy too soon.

She had just agreed to draw a picture for Chu Mingheng because she was soft-hearted, and the next day another Chu Mingheng followed suit and asked for one too, without any politeness.

"What? You can draw for him but not for me?" Chu Mingheng sat leisurely in the imperial study, on the same dragon throne that Lan Wu had sat on yesterday.

Hearing his words, Lan Wu glanced at the drawing paper on the table and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart—she should have known better than to draw randomly; her drawings were not good, so why did everyone ask her to draw?

"I just... just drew it yesterday," Lan Wu protested softly.

The next moment, her face was turned to face Chu Mingheng's cold expression.

Chu Mingheng's gaze fell on Lan Wu's lips, and he reached out to caress them, scoffing inwardly—after all, he's been emperor for so many years, yet he still acts like he knows exactly what Lan Wu is after.

Petty behavior.

"Just because you painted it yesterday doesn't mean you can't paint it today." Chu Mingheng leaned closer to her, looked at her beautiful face, and gently bit her cheek.

Lan Wu cried out, pushed him away, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her face, then touched the teeth marks on her face and angrily turned her head to scold him: "Are you a dog? Why did you bite me?"

"Chu Lanwu—" Chu Mingheng called her in a deep voice.

Lan Wu touched her ear and snorted softly, as was her usual lawless behavior.

"Awu, be good, just draw me a picture." Chu Mingheng hugged her in his arms, pointed to the drawing paper on the table, and said, "Even if you just draw me a flower or a tree, I will be happy."

Lan Wu gently rubbed her head against his neck, her tone somewhat displeased, and emphasized to him, "Just one painting, only one."

She won't draw any more.

Chu Mingheng nodded in agreement and said, "Okay."