...

Qingchen was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at him.

Seeing her confusion, Song Yue explained, "Qingchen, you've never expressed your feelings."

He had told her he liked her, but she had never reciprocated. Just now, when Cheng Yi pressed him about the cause of his illness, it stirred up his long-buried insecurities.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the two of them. Fine dust motes floated in the air, seemingly never knowing where to settle.

Shen Qingchen didn't move or speak, but just lowered his head, lost in thought.

"Don't you like me?" he asked again, his voice indifferent.

"When I kissed you before, you didn't resist. Was it because I'm the Grand Secretary, your teacher?"

She finally raised her head and looked at him.

"You guessed right?" He tilted his head to the side of the pillow, his dark eyes looking even deeper, like stars sinking into the ocean.

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Qingchen's heart was already clenched.

She never dared to respond to him, not for any other reason than her own identity. On the path of serving as an official disguised as a man, she walked with extreme caution, as if on thin ice. This path was narrow and seemingly endless; she didn't know how long she could endure it, nor what the future held. She carried the guilt of deceiving the emperor, fearing she would implicate him, and also fearing she wouldn't be able to stay with him for life, thus hindering his chances of marrying another woman.

But the feeling of longing was so real, it couldn't be faked or escaped. She couldn't control her desire to be close to him.

She knew very well how complicated and anxious she felt after he first kissed her and then disappeared for a day.

Her teacher, the savior of the Ming Dynasty, was someone she had already fallen for during her university years when she was frantically researching his historical materials.

Later, through the pull of fate and the arrangement of destiny, an impossible encounter between two people from different eras actually occurred. He became her teacher, instructing her, tolerating her, caring for her, taking the blame for her, understanding and supporting her in realizing her ambitions, and promising to wait for her forever and marry her.

As long as he was there, she felt at ease, as if there was always a harbor behind her where she could dock at any time.

How could she not like someone like him?

After a long pause, Song Yue released Qingchen's hand and said softly, "Do you like Xu Silin or Lu Shenyun?... I'm sorry for kissing you."

Shen Qingchen blinked, then suddenly lowered her head, cupped his face, and kissed his lips.

Song Yue neither moved nor responded.

She awkwardly stuck out her tongue and licked his lips, her heart pounding.

He simply lay there quietly, unmoved.

She licked for a while, but it didn't seem to work. So, following the memory he had given her during the New Year, she sucked on his lower lip. His lower lip was soft and smooth, and in the instant she gently sucked, he seemed to let out a soft groan between his teeth.

Hearing this, Qingchen finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling even more encouraged. She then whispered against his lips, "I like you. I like you, Song Yue."

After a moment of silence, he whispered, "Then don't stop, kiss me."

Her lips trembled slightly, yet she took his lips into hers again, gently and carefully sucking. Even if he hadn't made the request, the feeling of their lips touching, their breaths mingling, filled her with longing, yearning, trembling, and madness.

Finally, Song Yue responded.

He remained lying there, limbs still, but opened his mouth and took her soft lips into it. Then, he gently parted her teeth with his tongue, savoring her taste.

The lingering kisses quickly became insufficient to satisfy him. He raised his hand, gently pressed her head down, and pulled her into his arms.

In an instant, the two became intimately close, their lips and tongues entwined, and the atmosphere in the clinic suddenly became ambiguous and hazy.

The chill of winter and the turmoil of the world were kept out of the doors and windows.

Finally, Song Yue stopped first. Looking at her swollen lips, he said, "If you don't stop now, you won't be able to stop."

Upon hearing this, Qingchen's ears turned bright red.

A little while later, Cheng Yi returned, carrying the medicine and humming a little tune. He first went to the stove to check the medicine pot, and seeing that the medicine had overflowed, he hurriedly said, "Qingchen, why didn't you watch the fire..."

"...The water hadn't boiled yet when I checked."

"Oh." He glanced at her, his gaze lingering on his lips. "What happened to your lips?"

She quickly turned her head away, "I just rubbed it."

At this moment, Song Yue had already gotten out of bed, taken off his outer robe, and put it on.

After a while, the medicine was ready. Shen Qingchen helped Cheng Yi filter the medicine and brought it to Song Yue.

The bowl of medicine looked dark and smelled unpleasant. She blew on it as she asked Cheng Yi, "Is this medicine bitter?"

"It's bitter," Cheng Yi said matter-of-factly. "Good medicine tastes bitter; can something that isn't bitter be medicine?"

Do you have any candied fruit here?

"No."

"Is there any candy?" she asked again, unwilling to give up.

"There's no sugar either. Qingchen, this is a clinic..."

"Do you have..." she thought for a moment, "do you have dried persimmons?"

Song Yue pursed her lips slightly, remaining silent as Cheng Yi pressed her for answers.

Cheng Yi was quite helpless when asked, "There are no dried persimmons... I remember there should be some honey, go check that jar."

Qingchen went happily, opened the jar and saw that there was indeed some honey inside. He scooped two spoonfuls into a porcelain bowl, added some warm water, and stirred it.

Under Cheng Yi's watchful gaze, Song Yue finished drinking the medicine and frowned slightly.

Qingchen immediately offered him some honey water. He glanced at it, but didn't say whether he wanted some or not, and didn't take it. She hesitated for a moment, then simply scooped a spoonful and held it to his lips.

Song Yue opened his mouth and put the spoon in his mouth. After drinking the water, he spat the spoon out. The movements were natural and smooth, with his arms hanging idly at his sides.

After this was repeated several times, Cheng Yi couldn't stand it anymore. "Alright, Qingchen, your teacher isn't a child. That's enough."

Qingchen then put down her bowl and looked at Song Yue, "Do you still find it bitter?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hmm, it's much better this time."

As Qingchen took the bowl to wash, Cheng Yi pouted and said to Song Yue, "I'm saying, you have such a good student, remember to treat him well."

"I remember."

Before they left, Cheng Yi instructed them to come back for a check-up in five days, as it would take three to five visits to fully recover. Song Yue agreed. Qing Chen immediately thought that next time she came, she would definitely buy plenty of candied fruit to prepare.

After the two left, Cheng Yi chased after them from inside, carrying half a piece of frozen pork, which he handed to Shen Qingchen. Then he glanced at Song Yue, "You didn't have any."

...

The carriage traveled along the snowy road in the setting sun, the snow on both sides of the road shining brightly and shimmering with colorful light.

Song Yue sat in the car, looking at Qing Chen beside her and the pork in her hand, "You like to eat pork?"

She paused for a moment, "...No. It's just that Cheng Yi is a kind person, a warm-hearted one. He's also a good doctor, and I believe he can definitely cure your illness."

"The medicine tastes bitter," he said calmly.

Is it still tough now?

"Would you like to taste it?"

She looked at him and suddenly felt that he was a little naughty, so she gently pinched his arm. "No."

"Not just anyone can kiss the Grand Secretary. Do you want to try again?"

"don't want."

Seeing her shyness, he smiled slightly, then suddenly pulled her up and let her, dressed in men's clothing, sit on his lap.

Qingchen's heart started pounding again, and she didn't dare to look at him.

He then asked softly, "Don't you like kissing me anymore?"

She turned her head away and didn't say anything. This person got the benefit but is still acting innocent.

"Hmm?" He gently stroked the downy hairs by her ear. "Let's do it again. This time, you don't have to worry about Cheng Yi seeing it."

Qingchen remained silent, but she could feel her skin trembling slightly under his fingertips.

"Lord Shen..." he continued, "your superior wants to tell you that he wants to do it again."

Qingchen blinked, finding it hard to believe these words were coming from Song Yue's mouth. She turned to look at him, "What did you say?"

"Lord Shen, kiss me."

Before he could finish speaking, Qingchen suddenly cupped his head in her hands and kissed him without hesitation.

If a high-ranking official like him can say such things, what is there that she can't risk?

Song Yue: "Hmm..."

The following day, a memorial to the throne shocked the court and the public.

Marquis Ningyuan, Gu Ru, has encountered trouble with Gu Shaoheng's father, which concerns the Crown Prince.