Chapter 71 Qing Ping Yue (Part 1) Look at her.

"Is...is that okay?"

Ye Mu certainly didn't want to see him in this godforsaken place.

Perhaps because Xie Yicheng and A Jing had praised her so much, she had always thought she was somewhat clever. But at this moment, she realized that she was the kind of person who had calculated everything but miscalculated, the kind of person who, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, chose the cons.

Otherwise, how can you explain that she hasn't found many clues yet has encountered one deadly danger after another? The signing room was almost blocked, three days of searching in the storeroom were in vain, and now this study/secret room... she has directly walked into the tiger's mouth.

He always encountered Zhou Chongli at crucial moments.

Ye Mu slowly retreated up the steps. "My lord, I apologize for intruding. It was an unintentional mistake. I will not disturb your official business any longer."

"Ye Mu," Zhou Chongli laughed angrily, "do you really think I'm blind?"

"This humble servant dares not."

"Then do you dare to back away again?"

Ye Mu immediately stopped.

She couldn't understand why Zhou Chongli would be here. It would take him most of the day to travel to and from Dongwei Village. He should still be in the countryside right now. How could he be sitting in this underground room?

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

If Ye Mu had known he was there, he certainly would never have set foot there.

"It seems that Secretary Ye is quite surprised that I am here."

Perhaps it was the echo from the stone wall, for Ye Mu faintly felt an echo. Suddenly, she had a second thought: Could it be that Zhou Chongli already knew she would come to the study and was trying to lure her into a trap?

The so-called "going to Dongwei Village" may just be a pretext.

She slowly raised her eyes and met those eyes.

Zhou Chongli remained seated in the large armchair, leaning back slightly, calm and composed. "Secretary Ye, your audacity is far greater than I anticipated."

He was indeed waiting for her.

She'd searched the signing room and even the storeroom; sooner or later she'd find his study.

He knew her path, could see her hesitation and decision, and walked step by step into the pre-set trap. It was truly fascinating.

But Zhou Chongli didn't expect her to arrive so quickly. The prey was more agile and daring than he had imagined, and he had underestimated her.

“My lord. I did not intrude on purpose. I am here to find something.”

"Looking for something?" Zhou Chongli put down the book in his hand, stood up, walked to her, and leaned forward slightly. "You've found my secret room? What Secretary Ye is looking for is probably not an ordinary item."

He neither directly criticized her nor pointed out her possible intentions. He simply waited idly, like a patient hunter watching a bird caught in his net flutter in vain, hoping she would reveal something herself.

A short while later.

"Reporting to you, sir, it is indeed a personal item," Ye Mu said. "It's a bamboo-shaped jade pendant. It disappeared after I tried on clothes last time, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Today is my day off, so I thought I'd come to the side room to look for it carefully again. Just now I saw your stray cat dart by, seemingly carrying something in its mouth. It followed me all the way here and slipped into this study."

"This humble servant dared not trespass, but only peered through the doorway and saw the cat dart under the desk," Ye Mu said apologetically. "In a moment of panic, I followed it in. It's all my fault for this arm; it's weak after the injury, and my elbow pulled on the switch. In my panic, I lost my grip, and the jade pendant slipped from my hand and rolled down the steps..."

Ye Mu bowed deeply, his posture humble, "...This humble servant had no intention of spying on your private chamber, it was due to a series of coincidences that I disturbed your peace. I beg your forgiveness."

"profound?"

Zhou Chongli chuckled lightly, "So, the jade pendant fell here?"

Ye Mu nodded.

The passageway was dark just now, and she had indeed used the faint light of the jade pendant to light her way. When she entered the room and suddenly saw Zhou Chongli behind the desk, she was shocked and her hand loosened. The jade pendant had indeed fallen into the secret room.

By a twist of fate, that's the most suitable excuse right now. Whether he believes it or not, the show has begun and must be performed to the fullest.

Ye Mu lowered his head and went to search.

Zhou Chongli watched her put on an act, a smile playing on his lips, seemingly mocking yet amusing. His gaze followed her feigned wandering eyes as she looked down, wanting to see how she would act.

To his surprise, he actually found a bluish-white jade pendant with bamboo-like joints next to his boot.

He bent down and picked it up. It was slightly cool to the touch. Zhou Chongli held it up to his eyes and looked at it. The bamboo carving was not very exquisite. It was rather simple and unrefined. It was probably not made by a skilled craftsman. However, it had a warm and smooth luster, as if it had been held and rubbed in someone's palm.

"So," Zhou Chongli twirled the jade pendant between his fingers, his tone enigmatic, "you went through all that trouble, chasing the cat, triggering the mechanism, making such a commotion... and all you were looking for was this jade pendant?"

Seeing it in his hand, Ye Mu feigned gratitude, "This is it. Thank you for helping me find it, sir."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and reached out to take the jade pendant.

However, Zhou Chongli did not give it to her immediately.

He slightly raised his wrist, casually glancing down at her. "Is this jade pendant that important?"

"Yes." Ye Mu stood on tiptoe, subconsciously raising her hand to reach the pendant.

This movement aggravated the injury in her right arm, and a sharp, aching pain suddenly shot up from below her shoulder blade, causing her to gasp softly and furrow her brow instantly.

The gasp was short and real, and the sharp pain that gripped him in that instant was not faked.

This is more like her true expression.

Zhou Chongli's eyes flickered slightly, and the playful smile in them faded a little. He stopped teasing, flipped his wrist, and released his fingertips, letting them fall steadily into Ye Mu's left palm.

The cool jade touched her skin. Ye Mu closed her fingers and held it tightly, feeling a sense of relief as if she had regained what she had lost. She examined it carefully again and found a tiny scratch on the corner. She couldn't help but feel sorry for it. This was the first gift that Yi Cheng had given her in this life.

"A gift from your sweetheart?" Zhou Chongli couldn't miss the way she cherished the jade pendant, and he made his own judgment. "Was it given to you in Wanping or Wujiang, where you met her recently?"

Ye Mu's heart skipped a beat. He gripped the jade pendant tightly, lowered his eyes, and replied, "Reporting to my lord, it's in my hometown."

She spoke vaguely about Wanping and avoided mentioning the capital.

"Why didn't you bring it along?" Zhou Chongli asked, his tone calm, as if it were just a typical superior showing concern for a subordinate.

Ye Mu pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "This humble servant has not yet been able to establish himself or his career, so how can he have a family?"

These words are humble and befit the status of a down-on-his-luck scholar.

Zhou Chongli nodded noncommittally, but his gaze never left her lowered eyes. How much truth and falsehood lay hidden beneath that seemingly submissive demeanor?

He recalled how the aloof monk had helped her ask for leave, and how intimately they had been intimate, that she would be willing to forget her own duties.

He chuckled lightly.

Just now, when she reached for the jade pendant, the section of her wrist peeking out from her sleeve was dazzlingly white, so fragile it seemed it would break at any moment. If she were to remove this disguise and wash away the makeup, one wonders what she would look like.

However, with that alluring figure, no man could resist her. Otherwise, how could the cold-jade monk who had cultivated for many years have left the monastic life for her and willingly fallen into the mortal world?

Zhou Chongli felt a strange sense of unease. He took out a round, celadon-colored porcelain box from behind the stone table. "Your right arm is badly strained. Didn't you apply any medicine yourself?"

"It's alright."

"It's alright?" Zhou Chongli chuckled. "Aren't you afraid that your sweetheart back home will be heartbroken if she finds out how much you're neglecting yourself?"

Ye Mu fell silent, calculating that Yi Cheng would probably come to see her again in a few days before returning to the capital.

He does feel sorry for them.

Seeing that she seemed to have her unspoken secrets exposed, Zhou Chongli felt even more suffocated. He picked up the porcelain box, tossed it to her with a flick of his wrist.

Ye Mu caught it.

"It promotes blood circulation and removes blood stasis, which will help your injury heal faster." Zhou Chongli said in a calm tone, as if he were casually bestowing a favor. "Only when your injury is healed can you continue to work."

"Thank you, sir." Ye Mu held the medicine box, took another step forward, and placed it back on the stone table. "However, I already had some appropriate ointments at home, which are still usable. Your medicine is precious, sir, and I dare not waste it."

Yes, Xie Yicheng is a doctor, and is skilled in traditional Chinese medicine. Since that person was willing to brave wind and rain to make a detour just to see her, how could he not have prepared appropriate medicine?

Her home must already be filled with bottles and jars that person had prepared and packaged. This box of medicine that he placed here a few days ago seems redundant.

Ye Mu expressed his gratitude, saying, "Now that the jade pendant has been fortunately recovered, I dare not trouble you any further with your important official duties. I will take my leave now."

Although her tone was calm, her steps clearly indicated that she was in a hurry to leave.

"Who said you could leave?" Zhou Chongli's words were so cold they seemed to wedge into the air, nailing her footsteps, which were about to turn around, to the spot.

"It's been several days, and the injury is still so obvious, showing no signs of improvement. Secretary Ye, you haven't even been at home properly to apply the medicine."

Zhou Chongli had already sat back in his chair, one hand supporting his chin, the other casually resting on the armrest, his fingertips tapping lightly. The candlelight flickered on his face, making his eyes appear deep and dark.

“Right here.” Zhou Chongli looked at her and said slowly, “Apply the medicine.”

The candlelight cast his shadow on the stone wall. There was no wind in the secret room, yet the shadow swayed on its own, indicating that Ye Mu was unsteady on his feet.

She tried her best to keep her back straight. "My lord, applying medicine is such a trivial matter. I would not dare to offend your eyes and ears. I can handle it myself when I get back."

Zhou Chongli chuckled upon hearing this, "Is there some secret about Secretary Ye's injury that he can't let others see, that he even needs to avoid people when applying medicine?"

He admitted to himself that this time, what drove him to press on was no longer entirely the investigation into her identity and mission.

A more private and obscure thought quietly took root in his mind: he wanted to see what kind of radiant exterior lay beneath those layers of disguise.

It wasn't a test; it was simply what he wanted to see at that moment.

Her wrists were very white, but what about further up?

He was a little curious.

So Zhou Chongli lied, "We are both men, does Secretary Ye feel ashamed even to show a bit of his arm?"

"No." Ye Mu knew that he was testing her. The lines of a woman's arms were different from those of a man's, appearing more slender and delicate, making it easier to expose her flaws.

She forced herself to remain calm and said slowly, "The injury is only at the junction of the shoulder and arm. If I were to apply the ointment, I would inevitably have to take off my clothes and expose my skin. That would be quite indecent and would be disrespectful to you, sir."

"This secret room is now only occupied by the two of us, completely isolated from the outside world. Who else would know about it?"

"Even though we are both men, in my humble opinion, we should adhere to the principle that 'a gentleman does not pry into secrets or engage in frivolous behavior.' Although you are upright and treat your subordinates like brothers, in my humble opinion, it would be disrespectful to undress and expose one's arms in front of a superior."

Ye Mu turned slightly to the side, hiding his injured right arm behind it, "I hope you will understand, sir."

"After all that you've said, can I take it to mean," Zhou Chongli's eyes suddenly lit up with interest, as if he had discovered some novel way to play, "that you would feel uncomfortable if I were watching you undress alone?"

He said slowly, with a hint of malice, "That's easy. I can accompany you and show off a bit of my arm to Secretary Ye. Since we're both men, it's fine."

He wanted to see at what point she would reveal her true colors.

Will she completely panic and beg him in a low voice, or will she kill him because she can't bear the humiliation?

This turn of events was completely unexpected by Ye Mu, but she has always been quick-witted. Rather than being forced into a desperate situation step by step, she decided to take a risky approach.

Ye Mu appeared speechless, as if shocked by the absurd suggestion. His face drained of color, his lips parted slightly, and he finally glanced at Zhou Chongli with a complex expression. He made up his mind and said in a slightly trembling voice, "If Your Excellency insists on this, I will obey Your Excellency's command."

Zhou Chongli raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

She was being far too bold.

But it's precisely because the prey is dangerous that it becomes all the more alluring, isn't it?

Zhou Chongli didn't hesitate and stood up as instructed. He began to loosen the belt of his black casual clothes with relaxed and leisurely movements, staring at her intently. When she didn't move, he smiled and said, "What? Are you just going to watch me take it off?"

He was waiting, waiting for her to be unable to bear the absurdity and embarrassment, and to plead or stop him.

But Ye Mu still didn't play by the rules, bowing his head and saying, "My lord, if that's the case, could you please turn around for a moment? Face to face... this humble servant truly..."

She didn't continue.

Zhou Chongli understood, his eyes flashing slightly. He thought to himself, "Let's see what tricks she has up her sleeve."

Seeing that he had turned his back, Ye Mu suddenly gathered his strength and rushed towards the steep stone steps of the secret passage with all his might!

"My lord! I must take my leave!"

Her footsteps stirred the wind, causing the candle flame to sway and flicker.

Zhou Chongli's fingers were still hooked on the jade buckle of his belt when he suddenly stopped, turned around and looked up, but she was already gone. He could only hear the sound of her running quickly disappearing on the stone steps.

How dare she just run away like that?

He was stunned for a moment.

Then, I understood.

They had fallen for her trick to escape.

If she were to get dressed and chase after him now, given her quick wit, she would probably have already slipped out of the mansion gate and disappeared into the crowds of the market.

Zhou Chongli stood there, looking at his loose outer robe that revealed his inner garment with a cross-collar. The shock of being fooled had not yet dissipated from his chest, but he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

In fact, he had plenty of ways to make her confess immediately and force out all her secrets in that secret room.

But wouldn't that be too boring?

He has walked alone in this world for too long, carrying too much burden and scheming too much.

He stumbled upon such a daring prey, cunning yet undeniably alluring. Watching her frantically test the limits of his trap, struggling to maneuver and occasionally turning the tables on him... the process itself made him feel alive.

The secret room returned to silence.

Zhou Chongli slowly retied his loosened belt; he had been careless during the confrontation.

He thought that if she were willing to spare some of that shrewdness, pretense, courage, and wit for other purposes, most men in the world would find it hard to refuse.

With just a few feigned words and a few subtle tricks, she could easily lure people into her invisible trap.

Run away.

Zhou Chongli fiddled with the medicine box. He didn't think she could find any evidence, and he believed there would be a day when he could make her obey.

-

In the following days, Ye Mu was unable to see Zhou Chongli.

Everything in the county government office was as usual. The abacus in the household affairs office was still clicking away. Chief Clerk Zheng was still glaring at her over trivial matters. Her colleagues gathered together, talking about vulgar and strange things. Clerk Yu was rambling on about everyday family matters in her ear.

The signing room was quiet; occasionally official documents were delivered, but only yamen runners were seen coming and going, not Zhou Chongli.

Ye Mu, as usual, checked the accounts, and went off duty.

With Zhou Chongli's suggestion, Ye Mu actually found the medicine box that Xie Yicheng had prepared for her. Before coming to Wujiang, he had packed a lot of ointments in her bag for injuries from falls, colds and fevers, loss of appetite, etc.

Last time, before he left, he specially bought a box to store these medicines and placed it under his desk.

Under the care of the ointment left by Xie Yicheng, the shocking bruise on my right arm has gradually turned into a light yellowish-brown, and the swelling has also subsided considerably. However, a stubborn soreness still lingers deep in my muscles, and it is still a bit difficult to lift a pen or extend my arm.

During the day, she was still Ye Mu, the clerk in the household affairs department who only knew how to bury herself in the accounts, silent and reserved, suppressing all her wit and thoughtfulness under her dullness.

Only when she returned to her rented courtyard at night, bolted the door, and removed her disguise could she truly relax in the dim, yellowish light of a single lamp, allowing the thoughts she had forcibly suppressed during the day to surge and ruminate.

She repeatedly pondered every word she had spoken to Zhou Chongli that day. He always seemed to have a contradiction: he would grab her, threaten her, and just when she thought he had figured something out, he would let her go.

Too few clues, too much mystery.

Fortunately, she received a reply from the Crown Prince, which allowed her to find a rolled-up brown paper roll in the bottom crack of the door on the evening of the day she returned from the secret room. The paper was as rough as the cheap paper used to wrap dried fruit in the marketplace, and it had no markings or signatures.

"I understand. Zhou Chu has not noticed anything unusual, so we may continue. Zhou is not a lone wolf, so be careful."

She didn't know how the Crown Prince found out, and Zhou Chongli hadn't noticed anything unusual. But this was perhaps the only good news, meaning that at least for now, Zhou Chongli might still be observing and probing, but he didn't see her as a threat that needed to be eliminated immediately. Her disguise was temporarily safe.

"Zhou is not a lone wolf, be careful."

He is not alone.

This was not what she had originally expected. It was not a simple case of corruption involving a county magistrate relying on his personal skills and greed. Behind Zhou Chongli, there were accomplices and a complex web of stakeholders.

This explains why he was able to maintain a balance between such outstanding political achievements and huge financial loopholes, and it also means that the enemy she was facing was far larger and more hidden than a cunning Zhou Chongli.

Ye Mu held the note close to the flame lit by the oil lamp, watching the edges of the paper turn black and curled, the flames greedily burning, turning into a few light and fragile ashes that drifted onto the table. Who could his accomplice be?

Was it a higher-ranking official? Or someone from the county government?

So these days, although Ye Mu seemed to be working the same shifts as usual, he was secretly re-examining everyone in the county government office with a completely new perspective.

Manager Zheng? He's in charge of the household register and is most familiar with accounting procedures. If he were willing to cooperate, concealing some funds would be a piece of cake. He's quick-tempered and values ​​performance evaluations, but precisely because of this, isn't he more likely to be manipulated or driven by self-interest?

Who's that sullen-faced clerk in the interrogation room? And that clerk in the workshop responsible for purchasing and registering?

She sees everyone as suspicious and untrustworthy, yet she can't find any concrete evidence against them. Yu Shuban, who usually only cares about his stomach and idle chatter, noticed the difference in her behavior these past few days.

At noon that day, the yamen's canteen was bustling with noise, the steam from the food mingling with the laughter and chatter of the clerks.

As usual, Ye Mu chose a corner to sit down. In front of him was a bowl of white rice, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a plate of tofu with little oil. He ate slowly and absentmindedly.

Yu Shuban sat down opposite her, carrying a wooden food plate piled high with oil. The braised pork on the plate was glistening with oil, and two stewed chicken legs were stacked precariously on top.

"Secretary Ye," Secretary Yu shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, and looked at her with concern in his round eyes, "I've noticed you've been acting like your soul has been bewitched these past few days. What's wrong? Is your arm still hurting badly? Or have you run into some troublesome official business?"

Ye Mu put down his chopsticks, raised his eyes, and forced a faint smile. "Thank you for your concern, Secretary Yu. My arm is much better now, but recently I've been checking the final payments for several river works materials from last year. There are always a few minor discrepancies between the amounts and the receipts. I've checked them repeatedly but still can't figure it out. It's quite complicated and has taken up a lot of my time."

"Hey! I thought it was something big!" Secretary Yu looked knowing, picked up his clean chopsticks that hadn't been used, picked up a chicken leg that was stewed until the bones were soft and the meat was tender, and put it into Ye Mu's bowl. The sauce was rich and thick.

"Business is business, no matter how complicated, we have to deal with it one by one. With your small frame, you'd be blown away if the wind was strong. Your arm injury has only just healed, you need to replenish your energy. How can you just eat this bland soup? Come on, eat it while it's hot!"

Ye Mu quickly thanked him, "How could you possibly accept this?"

"Of course! Why can't I? Don't be so formal with me!"

Yu, the clerk, interrupted her refusal, picked up another chicken leg, took a big bite, and squinted his eyes in satisfaction. "Don't get too hung up on it. We have some accounts here, and with so many people handling them, it's normal for there to be some misunderstandings. Hasn't Lord Zhou been busy these days?"

He swallowed his food and mumbled, "I saw it while I was on night duty in the signing room a few days ago. I heard it was about the regulations for this year's spring flood preparations and grain transport. There was a lot of paperwork going back and forth with the Suzhou Prefecture. I guess they were also in a lot of trouble. We, the people below, just need to sort out the numbers on the surface and avoid making any big mistakes."

"So it turns out that Lord Zhou has been busy with these matters lately."

“That’s right!” Clerk Yu’s enthusiasm grew even stronger. “I went to deliver some documents the other day, and Lord Zhou’s face lately, tsk, it wasn’t looking too good. We should ask less about these troublesome matters of the higher-ups and stay out of it. It’s more important to just do our job well and collect our salary.”

Ye Mu looked at him, nodded, and calmly shoveled another mouthful of rice down her throat, swallowing it along with the chicken leg meat.

-

It wasn't until the eve of Ye Xingjian's birthday.

As the spring night deepened, the oil lamp in Ye Mu's little house was deliberately turned up brighter to dispel the loneliness in the room.

She sat alone at her desk, not holding a pen, but looking at the flickering lamplight, carefully reviewing all that she had gained in her mind recently.

Zhou Chongli's decision to bring her to his brother's birthday banquet was not a spur-of-the-moment decision or a simple act of promotion; he must have had ulterior motives.

What exactly did he want her to do? Obey? Cooperate? Or some kind of transaction?

Most importantly, where is the real ledger, which records the true whereabouts of the fifty thousand taels of silver, hidden? It's not in the signing room, not in the storeroom, not in the study's secret room... she hasn't had time to investigate yet.

Could they have already been moved and destroyed?

Who else is behind Zhou Chongli, besides his possible accomplices in the county government?

Thoughts are like a tangled mess; the harder you try to untangle them, the more knotted they become.

The watchman's gong outside the window had already announced the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) without her realizing it. Ye Mu rubbed her throbbing temples. She would have to get up early tomorrow to travel with Zhou Chongli to Suzhou. The journey was long, and she needed to conserve her energy and, more importantly, keep a clear head.

Tomorrow is her brother's birthday. Whatever Zhou Chongli's purpose was in bringing her there, she genuinely wanted to wish her brother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, a happy birthday.

I can't possibly go to see my brother with tired and weary eyes.

Ye Mu got up and blew out the oil lamp, leaving only the luminous pearl given by Xie Yicheng on the bedside table, emitting a soft glow that barely illuminated a small area in front of the bed.

She lay down on the couch, closed her eyes, and tried to force those tangled thoughts into darkness, but her mind became clearer and more anxious against her will.

When the night watchman's drum sounded again, she was still wide awake.

Ye Mu suddenly remembered that the last time he was able to sleep peacefully was ten days ago, the night he tried to relieve his stress.

Although I wasn't truly satisfied, my tense body and mind were finally able to relax for a moment, and then I fell into a deep sleep.

Now that my period has just ended, and I feel refreshed and invigorated, that restless thirst, fueled by loneliness and stress, has quietly resurfaced.

Perhaps we can try again.

Practice makes perfect; there's definitely some truth to the old saying.

Last time, she was alone by the bathtub, feeling helpless and awkward, unsure of what to do. This time, on the couch, with the soft quilt and the hazy light, she was able to relax more.

Ye Mu turned to the side and looked at the wall. The soft glow of the luminous pearl shone on her thin nightgown, outlining the smooth lines of her shoulders and neck.

She slightly curled her legs up, closed her eyes, and hesitated as her fingertips moved down through the soft cotton fabric, her heart inexplicably racing.

She tried hard to recall the strength with which Xie Yicheng stroked her; his palms were always warm, carrying a unique tenderness that made Ye Mu yearn for them.

Whenever Ye Mu thought of Yi Cheng, that familiar sense of intimacy naturally welled up within her, and she found that hidden flutter in her heart.

She immersed herself entirely in this small, dimly lit, and warm space that she controlled.

She was so engrossed that she didn't even notice the sound of the key turning outside the door.

"Fourth Sister?"

Xie Yicheng returned home quietly, weary from his journey.

Before he left last time, Ye Mu made a copy of the key to this courtyard, saying that as the male owner, he naturally had to have a key to the house.

But when he pushed open the door, he never expected to see such a fragrant and alluring sight of the male homeowner.

The inner room was unlit, with only the faint light of the luminous pearl shining through.

And she, the one he longed for, was lying on the bed, immersed in her secret world, completely unsuspecting.

She was engrossed in her work, and Xie Yicheng was afraid that making a sudden sound would disturb her, and even more afraid that appearing at this moment would embarrass her, so he could only casually lean against the door and watch her movements.

Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her cheeks were flushed, and her pearly teeth were gently biting her lower lip, as she let out a soft moan.

No matter how many times Xie Yicheng had seen her face, he would still be amazed by her beauty.

She was already extremely beautiful.

But this completely relaxed state of hers, somewhere between innocence and allure, was something he had never seen before, and its impact was stronger than any previous intimacy.

Xie Yicheng felt a tightness in his throat. He slowly rolled up his sleeves, trying to calm himself down.

After a long while, Ye Mu's shoulder blades suddenly contracted, emitting an extremely faint, long breath. His whole body went limp as if his bones had been removed, with only his chest still rising and falling slightly.

Just as she slowly opened her hazy eyes, her consciousness not yet fully awake—

"No wonder Fourth Sister told me to be discreet..."

A familiar, hoarse voice softly echoed in the silent room, "So I've always been quite content."

Ye Mu trembled all over, like a startled fawn, and suddenly opened her eyes wide, sitting up in disbelief to look at him.

"Yi Cheng?"

In the hazy glow of the luminous pearl, Xie Yicheng's tall figure leaned against the door, having stood there for an unknown amount of time. In his once clear eyes, there was an obvious dark fire, as if it wanted to burn her.

Ye Mu belatedly realized that a wave of embarrassment was washing over her. She pulled the covers over herself and scolded him, her anger and embarrassment mixed, "You...you're really wronging me! I rarely...but of all times, you just happened to see me!"

She grew increasingly agitated, trying to mask her unease with her imposing manner, "But what about you! Why have you been so quiet? How long have you been standing here watching?"

Xie Yicheng did not refute her accusations at all, but simply walked to the edge of the bed, where a shadow carrying the cool scent of night dew descended.

He reached out and grasped her wrist.

She bent down and, without hesitation, took her slender fingers, which carried her own scent, into her mouth.

It's wet.

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading and for adding this to your favorites! [Sunglasses]