Is your back giving you trouble?

The air was filled with the faint echoes of tender, lingering breaths and breaths of lovers.

Just a moment ago, Xiao Zhian's arms were holding the treasure he had been dreaming of.

He was obsessed with her, cherished her like a precious treasure, and carefully protected her. He devoutly offered up all the treasures he touched and yearned for with trepidation, but he packed himself up, put a price tag on himself, and cheaply threw himself into the mud. In front of him, he used his love to indulge in self-defilement and self-degradation.

The passionate love he had finally achieved was nothing more than a cold transaction of flesh and power.

Yinyin sacrificed her body to save Pingyang's life.

She neither trusted him nor loved him.

Xiao Zhian would rather she use him, deceive him, or force him than desecrate their feelings and trample on their love like this.

Her slender, supple waist, nestled in his arms, had been kissed and caressed by him; every inch of it was the most precious treasure in the world, a treasure unique to him.

Xiao Zhian would not allow anyone to tarnish his Yinyin, not even herself.

Xiao Zhian wanted to scold her, but when he met Lin Huaiyin's red eyes, saw her stubbornly firm chest, and heard Lin Zhenlie's words echoing in his ears, he felt a pang of heartache at the sight of the fear and helplessness in his lover's eyes.

His voice was already riddled with holes.

He fell in love with a wounded soul. In her past life, she suffered greatly and died tragically in prison. She came to him scarred and battered. She was never normal. She was extreme in her behavior, reckless, disregarding consequences, and refusing to protect herself. She was caught in a vortex of revenge.

Xiao Zhian couldn't bear to be harsh on such a tone, nor could he force it.

Xiao Zhian could only punish himself and reflect on his actions.

He promised to take good care of her and share her burdens, but he broke his promise and failed to keep it.

He didn't reveal his plans, so how could she know them? How could she believe them out of thin air?

It was his incompetence that drove Yinyin to desperation, leading her to do such a foolish thing as offering herself up for a price.

Xiao Zhian felt humiliated, but he deprived himself of the right to be angry.

He must accept the punishment; all that has happened today, all that is happening now, all that torment he has endured, is his own fault, he brought it upon himself.

He should have done better so that Yinyin would have confidence in him and wouldn't be easily swayed by Lin Zhenlie's words.

However, Xiao Zhian did not regret scolding her. She should be scolded so that she would remember that there are some bottom lines that cannot be crossed.

Right in front of Lin Huaiyin, Xiao Zhian's face changed in countless ways. The arm around his waist, which initially felt like a heavy clamp, gradually became a gentle embrace.

Lin Huaiyin could clearly see the needle between Xiao Zhian's eyebrows, growing deeper and deeper. His burning red eyes, which initially blazed with anger at her, slowly welled up with helplessness and tears.

Lin Huaiyin didn't know what Xiao Zhian was thinking. She had done what she was supposed to do, and given him her body. If the answer was that she had angered him, then that was an answer in itself. She could leave as soon as possible, and pretend that nothing had happened. She would obediently go home, follow her father's arrangements to go to Xin Liao Hu to guard the forest, learn a set of killing skills, and come back to kill Princess Pingyang.

From now on, they'll go their separate ways. She's enjoyed Xiao Zhian's body, so it wasn't a loss.

"What kind of look is that?" Xiao Zhian sharply grabbed Lin Huaiyin, stopping her from rolling her eyes. "What are you thinking? If you can't get the answer you want from me, are you going to go find someone else?"

Xiao Zhian scooped up Lin Huaiyin, hugged the annoying little vixen tightly, pressed her onto his lap, pinched her chin, and breathed on her face, warning her fiercely: "Don't even think about it. No one can help you except me. Whoever you turn to, I'll destroy."

"I'm looking for Xie Tiankuang." Lin Huaiyin was too stubborn to take the bait.

Xiao Zhian chuckled, kissed her stubborn little face, said nothing, and simply picked her up and carried her back to the bed. Among the messy clothes and bedding, he found Lin Huaiyin's jade hairpin.

A vibrant green hue swirled at Xiao Zhian's fingertips.

Lin Huaiyin blushed instantly, her eyes darting around, her mind filled with thoughts of Xiao Zhian holding the jade hairpin in his mouth, indulging in lust, and she trembled and gasped for breath.

The image was so vivid, it was etched into her mind. Lin Huaiyin's cheeks flushed red, and from then on, she could no longer look directly at the jade hairpin.

But Xiao Zhian insisted on waving the hairpin in front of her eyes, then pulled her back to sit on the edge of the bed, and flirtatiously used the hairpin to play with the hair that was covering her face.

"Now we can look at this hairpin directly, instead of enshrining it in a temple and treating it as a sacred object?"

As he spoke, Xiao Zhian slowly put the jade hairpin back into his mouth, his actions and expression intimate and frivolous. He tilted his head and smiled at Lin Huaiyin like a rogue.

Lin Huaiyin felt that he was shameless, and his shamelessness was so familiar, just like the tone when Zhi'an told her in the prison of her previous life, "This prince is ignorant of human affairs, Yinyin, you do it yourself."

"snort."

Lin Huaiyin blushed and snatched it.

Xiao Zhian turned his head away to avoid her, teasing her until his expression relaxed, then he spat out his wet vomit.

Lin Huaiyin felt extremely disgusted.

"So I imprisoned Xie Xincun in the Imperial Prison and then let him escape. You truly appreciated this painstaking effort, didn't you, Yinyin?"

Xiao Zhian exhaled softly, his eyebrows slightly raised, his eyes conveying a profound meaning.

Lin Huaiyin was wiping Xiao Zhian's sleeve when she heard this. Her heart trembled as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer. When she looked up, her expression froze.

Their eyes met, and Xiao Zhian smiled through his phoenix eyes. He released his hold on her, propped himself up on his sides, and lazily distanced himself, watching her with a leisurely air.

Before Lin Huaiyin's eyes, the scene flashed back rapidly—

Xie Xincun is imprisoned; his father says Xie Xincun escaped; Qin Luo delivers a letter.

"Yinyin, Xie Xin is in my hands, don't worry."

Xiao Zhian's handwriting emerged stroke by stroke.

Clutching the jade hairpin tightly, Lin Huaiyin glanced quickly at Xiao Zhian, then looked away in deep thought, her chest heaving violently.

She found it strange at the time. Xie Xincun had just disappeared when Xiao Zhian sent a letter saying that Xie Xincun was in his hands, but he kept it from his father and only told her.

Only now did she understand—Xiao Zhian had used her father. He made her father personally confirm Xie Xincun's escape before telling her. Only in this way could Xie Xincun's escape be beyond doubt. But in reality, Xie Xincun had run away, only to be caught again by Xiao Zhian.

Immediately afterwards, to spare her from worry, Xiao Zhian ordered Qin Luo to deliver a message.

Thus, the scheme to imprison Xie Xincun in the imperial prison was finally completed.

Xiao Zhian imprisoned a powerful enemy for the empire, eliminating a potential threat and freeing her from Xie Xincun's entanglement.

The main event that follows is up to her to figure out for herself. Today, when she went to the Holy Water Temple to retrieve the jade hairpin, it was natural for her to think about her past life. She remembered that Xie Xincun had already proven that the imperial prison was not a hell from which there was no way to escape. So she mustered up the courage to imagine that her past life, Zhi'an, whom she had betrayed and abandoned, could also escape to safety...

With her inner turmoil resolved and her nightmare dispelled, she finally let go of her deepest, most hidden guilt, which was why, in the heat of the moment, she fed the jade hairpin to Xiao Zhian…

Yes, the kingfisher feather hairpin is no longer a sacred object for commemorating and honoring the past life; Lin Huaiyin can finally treat it casually.

Xiao Zhian.

Lin Huaiyin stared intently at Xiao Zhian's face, her lower lip trembling.

He saw through the hidden pain in her heart; he saw through her.

Lin Huaiyin felt a chill run down her spine, as if she had been seen through.

In the deepest, most chilling place, her soul trembled.

She only mentioned it that night at the inn, and never even spoke of her overwhelming regret.

But Xiao Zhian saw it.

In Lin Huaiyin's heart, she always thought that what happened in the imperial prison in her previous life was a taboo that Xiao Zhian was unwilling to mention and avoided at all costs, because it was ultimately an entanglement between her and another man. She had long been determined to bury everything deep in her heart, not to confide in him, and not to let Xiao Zhian know.

She cared about Xiao Zhian's feelings and decided to deal with it alone.

But Xiao Zhian had already seen through her and noticed her hidden wounds that she never spoke of.

Although the feeling of being exposed and understood was extremely uncomfortable, Xiao Zhian neither mentioned it nor kept it to himself. He secretly set up a scheme, going around in circles and keeping it from everyone, and even when she angrily accused him, he did not offer any explanation.

Lin Huaiyin has always been bound by the obsession with betraying Zhi'an in her past life and causing his death, believing that she can never be forgiven and that she will feel remorse every day she lives.

She has resigned herself to her fate and no longer hopes for liberation.

But Xiao Zhian actually calculated everything for her, boldly reaching into her past life to rewrite the terrible blankness of her past life, shattering the shackles and pulling her back from the abyss of self-blame.

He mended and repaired the depths of her soul, just to give her peace from the nightmares of her past life.

Thanks to him, Lin Huaiyin let go, finally able to travel light and live in the present.

Looking at Xiao Zhian, Lin Huaiyin's palms burned, her jade hairpin trembled, and her vision blurred.

The person before me is my beloved, Zhi'an, and also His Highness the Crown Prince.

He's the big, crying dog, and he's also the one with ruthless methods and flawless strategies.

Zhi'an loved her, and His Highness the Crown Prince loved her too. He used his power to love her, and he used his unparalleled wisdom to love her as well.

Zhi'an and His Highness never needed to be separated; what she received was double the happiness and double the love.

This love is profound, meticulous, and domineering.

This love is as deep as the sea and as wise as the stars.

At this moment, Lin Huaiyin finally believed that someone loved her so much, loved her soul, and accepted everything about her.

Zhi'an loved her in the places she could see, and even more so in the vast world, breaking down the barriers of time and space, loving her like a god.

He loved her so much, a love that transcended time and space. His actions were unpredictable and unpredictable, easily manipulating powerful figures like Xie Xincun. How could a mere Princess Pingyang possibly stump him?

Lin Huaiyin smiled through her tears.

She came for the answer, but she felt as if Xiao Zhian had whipped her with the answer; it hurt, and she wanted him to whip her again.

Xiao Zhi'an is her man. She has the best lover in the world. She wants to tell her father, to tell the whole world—this man is mine! Even if the King of Heaven himself comes, he is still my Zhi'an!

Lin Huaiyin, filled with ambition and with tears in her eyes, decided to possess Xiao Zhian until death.

The little fairy shed tears, a truly beautiful sight. Xiao Zhian, with a smug look on his face, admired the scene without wiping away her tears or offering any words of comfort.

Xiao Zhian had no intention of showing off, and Yin Yin didn't mention it. This matter would never need to be mentioned again, because every time it was brought up, Yin Yin would be transported back to the prison of her past life and relive the nightmare.

But now the situation has changed, and he needs to reassure Yinyin.

He had to let her know what kind of man she had and how much he loved her.

He wanted her to understand that he had the ability and the determination to love her and do everything she wanted, even things she couldn't imagine.

She doesn't have to pay any price to get anything from him.

He would offer it with both hands.

Everything he owned belonged to her.

But now, he was going to fully appreciate the little fairy's breathtaking beauty, her face streaked with tears.

His voice is so beautiful, absolutely gorgeous.

Xiao Zhian couldn't hide the smile in his eyes. Lin Huaiyin's tears fell in a blur. She noticed his smugness through her blurry vision and couldn't hold back anymore. With tears streaming down her face, she sobbed and mocked in a tearful voice, "What kind of position is that? You can only sit still by supporting yourself with your arms? Is your back giving out?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lin Huaiyin instantly regretted them.

Xiao Zhian underwent a dramatic change in front of her. His smugness froze, his heartache vanished, and the turbulent emotions in his phoenix eyes, mixed with the dangerous sparks of provocation, reignited with the force of a wildfire.

He slowly, very slowly lowered his supporting arm, his whole being regressing like a dog turning into a wolf, squinting his eyes. Lin Huaiyin felt her neck getting wet, as if she were being bitten.

"Oh?" Xiao Zhian let out a low, hoarse chuckle, and with a swift movement, he grabbed Lin Huaiyin, who was thrown against his will, and bumped into his chest. "Third Miss Lin, are you questioning my strength?"

"No." Lin Huaiyin immediately cowered and tried to slip away from his lap, but his iron-like arms held her slender waist tightly.

He scooped up the soft, white hand and kissed the back of it. His gaze fell on Lin Huaiyin, carrying a warmth that seemed irresistible. He teased her in a serious tone, “A beauty’s tears are enough to make me feel sorry for her. Miss Lin, your tears haven’t even dried yet and you’re already thinking about my waist. Is it out of consideration, or are you just craving it again?”

Xiao Zhian was shameless. Lin Huaiyin was ashamed and angry. She wiped away her tears with her sleeve and punched him in the process. Xiao Zhian easily took advantage of her, biting the jade hairpin out of her hand and turning over to trap her under his body.

The clothes were Xiao Zhian's; he was very familiar with the process and peeled off a lump of Yinyin cheese.

Xiao Zhian, with the jade hairpin still wet in his mouth, fed it to Lin Huaiyin, silencing her sobs and pleas, kissing away each tear on her face.

You can't question his back, that's the second thing Xiao Zhian will teach Lin Huaiyin tonight.