Shen Jintang unconsciously increased the pressure on his hands. Seeing him wince in pain, her heart softened, and she finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The laughter was crisp and melodious, like a wind chime swaying in the night breeze, startling the birds perched under the eaves.

They fluttered towards the distant osmanthus tree, shaking down a tree full of golden, fragrant snow, the petals falling like rain, carrying a faint sweet scent.

"Gu Zhixing." She suddenly called him by his full name, her voice tinged with a hint of teasing. Her fingertips gently traced the spot where he had been pinched until it was red, as if to soothe his pain. "Do you know that you're becoming even more childish now?"

Gu Zhixing caught her mischievous fingers, gently bit them with his lips, and his eyes held a hidden undercurrent. "Does that little teacher know that the most naive people are..." He suddenly lowered his voice, his hot breath brushing against her sensitive ear, "taking an inch and wanting a mile."

Shen Jintang's ears burned, and before she could react, he suddenly picked her up in his arms.

She instinctively struggled, trying to jump out of his arms, but he held her tightly. "What are you doing!"

"Shh—" Gu Zhixing carried her and strode toward the main courtyard. The moonlight cast a silvery edge on his shoulders, as if draping him in a thin veil.

His tone was somewhat indulgent, "Didn't you say you were cold? I'll take you to warm up right away."

"Gu Zhixing! Youyi is still here..."

Shen Jintang said urgently, her voice tinged with panic.

"There are guards protecting us. We won't get lost!"

He interrupted her, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her forehead, a gentle yet domineering gesture.

The guards at the corner discreetly retreated into the shadows, as if they had never been there.

The night breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, gradually blending the two figures together, as if the whole world had made way for them.

Only the osmanthus tree, disturbed by the rain, continued to shed its golden blossoms, as if watching this romantic scene with a smile, witnessing the tenderness and beauty of the night.