She then sat down beside him.

The maidservant following behind laid out the fruits, pastries, and other food from the tray on the stone table, and then quietly withdrew.

Xue Shen picked up an orange from the fruit plate and played with it, saying, "I want to eat an orange."

Shen Youying looked at him, thought for a moment, then took an orange, peeled it for him, and placed the orange segments in the small dish in front of him.

Xue Shen didn't eat. Instead, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, held her fair hands, and carefully wiped her fingers.

Shen Youying's hands were soft and boneless, with slender fingers and shallow wrinkles at the joints. Holding them in your hand felt like holding a piece of soft jade.

Xue Shen wiped the cloth one by one, not like he was wiping away dirt, but more like he was flirting.

Shen Youying wasn't used to being too intimate in front of strangers, especially with Lu Minghe standing next to her; the scene felt strange no matter how she looked at it. But she knew that Xue Shen was petty and had a bad temper. Although she and Lu Minghe hadn't overstepped any boundaries just now, Xue Shen must have been unhappy.

Rather than angering him, it's better to let him be.

So she stopped struggling and lowered her eyes, letting him do as he pleased.

Instead, Lu Minghe couldn't stand it any longer and said with restraint, "My cousin and I have only just not seen each other for a long time and were just exchanging a few words. If the King of Qin is displeased, he can come at me. Why humiliate my cousin?"

Xue Shen paused, cupped those soft, boneless hands in his palms, and looked him up with a half-smile: "Oh? In what capacity do you speak to me?"

Lu Minghe gritted his teeth and remained silent. Because of his suppressed emotions, the veins on the side of his neck bulged out one by one, which was extremely frightening.

Xue Shen scoffed, "There's no going back in this world. You're just a baby who can't even control his own mother. You'd better stop dreaming." His tone turned gloomy, "My people will not be coveted by others."

After saying that, his expression changed again, and he adopted an extremely condescending attitude, issuing an order to get out: "Get lost."

Lu Minghe's chest heaved, his hands clenched into fists hidden in his sleeves, countless resentments and unwillingness clamoring in his chest, but when his gaze fell on Shen Youying, those boiling and churning emotions seemed to be punctured instantly and fell silent.

Only the heart, riddled with holes, was gradually chilled by the cold.

Zhao Zhao sat beside the King of Qin with her head bowed and eyes lowered. He had never seen her so docile and careful in her interactions with others.

He has already wronged Zhaozhao a great deal, and he cannot cause her any more trouble.

Lu Minghe closed his eyes, then bowed to the King of Qin and slowly withdrew from the pavilion.

Once he was far away, he staggered, his straight back bent under the weight, and he was enveloped in an air of dejection.

*

After Lu Minghe left, the pavilion became even more silent.

Shen Youying wanted to say something to ease the tension, but she was afraid that it would only ignite his anger, so she just lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Xue Shen's gaze enveloped her, then he suddenly reached out and pinched her chin, lifting it up. His probing gaze seemed to want to see into her heart through her eyes: "Are you angry? Or feeling wronged?"

Shen Youying met his gaze. Because she was forced to raise her face, her eyelashes trembled constantly, making her look wet and pitiful.

She blinked slowly and shook her head.

Xue Shen then asked, "Do you regret it?"

Shen Youying shook her head again.

She truly had no regrets. Given the circumstances, she had no choice but to save herself, and the King of Qin was the best option.

Moreover... it wasn't as humiliating and unbearable as I had imagined.

As Shen Youying recalled the scene, her eyelashes trembled more violently, and her cheeks slowly turned red.

Those bright eyes seemed to be filled with water, and the ripples conveyed a deep sense of shyness.

Xue Shen looked at it and suddenly laughed.

He pressed his thumb against her pale pink lips before letting go. Looking at the pink lipstick on his fingertip, he suddenly lowered his head and licked the little bit of red on his fingertip, then looked at Shen Youying and said, "I'll let you go this time."