With the New Year approaching, things were very busy. Xiao Lingchen had previously entrusted Tong Su with the management of the Xiao family estate, and it took her quite some time to sort things out.

Fortunately, now that there are only her and Xiao Lingchen as the masters in the manor, she doesn't have to worry too much. She stayed up all night writing the gift list, which finally brought the work to a close. She saved a little time of the day and could rest for a while.

Xiao Lingchen went to attend to official business early in the morning and didn't have time to return to the mansion at noon. Tongsu ate her own meal. After the meal, she felt tired. The room was warm and cozy with the underfloor heating on, making her want to sleep. She lay on the soft couch and read a few pages of a book. Her eyelids gradually became too heavy to lift, so she closed her eyes.

Cuiyu was now her head maid. Seeing that Tongsu was asleep, she quickly gestured for the other maids to leave quietly and not make a sound. She stayed in the room to watch over her mistress.

After guarding for an unknown amount of time, Cuiyu was also a little tired. She lowered her head and reached out to rub her eyes. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes. She looked up in surprise and saw that it was Xiao Lingchen.

"grown ups……"

Cuiyu instinctively wanted to bow and greet him, but Xiao Lingchen raised his hand to stop her, while unbuttoning his outer garment to allow her to leave.

Seeing that he had already taken off his outer clothes and was about to go to the bed, Cuiyu hesitated and was a little worried, so she refused to go out.

Xiao Shisan saw this at the door, hurriedly came in, grabbed her, and dragged her out.

Once outside the courtyard, Cuiyu was furious: "Thirteenth Commander, how could you drag me out like that? I still have to stay with the young lady!"

"The adults are there, do they need you to accompany them?" Xiao Shisan held onto her sleeve tightly, his face slightly flushed, his eyes shy yet pleading. "You'd be better off talking to me a little more..."

Cuiyu rolled her eyes: "What am I supposed to say to you? You're going to trick me into lying to the adults again!"

Mentioning the incident during the winter hunt, she angrily reached out to hit Xiao Shisan: "Later, when the young lady mentioned it to me, I found out that you lied to me and told the master that the young lady was starving herself and looking haggard, but then you turned around and told the young lady that the master was seriously ill. How could you be so clever!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, I was just trying to help the adults and the girl make up, wasn't I? Be gentle, be gentle... Ouch, you're hitting me again..."

...

Tong Su slept soundly.

She had been staying up for several nights and was extremely tired. She fell asleep suddenly and had a long dream. When she vaguely regained consciousness, she felt an arm around her waist and that she was lying in someone's warm embrace.

She opened her eyes drowsily, her eyelids half-closed. Through her blurry vision, she saw the man's handsome face, his deep eyes smiling as he quietly looked at her.

"Brother, what time is it?"

Xiao Lingchen gently patted her back: "It's still early. If you're sleepy, you can continue sleeping."

He had already carried her from the couch to the bed.

The canopy bed, with its curtains drawn, offered a tranquil little world. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a dim and ambiguous glow. Satisfied, she shifted her body, snuggling closer to him. He embraced her, bringing his ear close, feeling her breath on his neck.

Tong Su also became more awake. She opened her eyes, looked at him with a smile, and gently touched his face: "Brother, you seem to have lost some weight."

He feigned melancholy: "Without you in the palace, nothing tastes good. How can I possibly eat?"

"Then I'll cook you something delicious." She giggled, leaned closer, and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, "to help you regain all the weight you've lost!"

He laughed, gently flicked the tip of her nose, and then whispered a soft nibble into her ear.

"No way, your eyes are all dark circles. I just want you to rest more. I can't bear to see you tired even a little bit more."