She preferred to watch him go from arrogance to wavering, and then to complete submission, like admiring a work of art she had personally sculpted.

The night breeze gradually picked up, making the wind chimes on the terrace tinkle.

Yu Jiuyuan adjusted her bathrobe and turned to walk into the room. "I understand, you can go to sleep now."

[System ready at any time.] The mechanical voice disappeared, and silence returned to my mind.

I don't know why, but apart from chatting with it a few times on the first day after we were linked, it has been completely emotionless the rest of the time.

Back at the bedside, Rong Shenghan had woken up at some point and was looking at her with his eyes open, still hazy from just waking up. Yet, he reached out precisely and pulled her into his arms.

"Where did you go?" His voice had a heavy nasal tone, like a cat whining.

"I went to the terrace for a bit to get some fresh air." Yu Jiuyuan leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, her tone softening a little, "Did I wake you up?"

"Mmm." He buried his face in her hair, his breath warm against her skin. "I can't sleep without you in my arms."

These words are straightforward and honest; if it were someone else, they probably would have softened their heart long ago.

But Yu Jiuyuan simply patted his back gently, as if comforting a large pet: "Good boy, go to sleep, I won't leave."

She knew that this was Rong Shenghan's tenderness, but also his shackles.

He used this seemingly unreserved dependence to keep her firmly by his side, just as she used those tender and affectionate moments to tame him into the most pleasing form.

In the darkness, Yu Jiuyuan's eyes shone with an astonishing light.

She looked at the blurry patterns on the ceiling and began to plan how to use those four wishes.

Perhaps one will be used to solidify the Yu family's position in the country, one to open up overseas energy channels, one to deal with the potential threat posed by the Ji family's twins, and the last one... will be kept for unforeseen circumstances.

As for Lin Yanran's strategy, we'll take it slow.

Anyway, she has plenty of patience and plenty of methods.

The game will only be truly over when he completely submits.

The moonlight outside the window gradually faded, and the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

A new day has begun, and Yu Jiuyuan's scheming and plotting will continue.

She is the eldest daughter of the Yu family, a natural-born controller. System tasks and conquest targets will ultimately only become stepping stones on her path to glory.

And those so-called feelings were nothing more than the most gorgeous embellishment in her grand game of taming.