"Ah Jian, are you letting Xiao Zhi act up again?!"
"No!!"
The young boy raised his voice, trying to appease the woman, while reaching out his hand to the little girl in the tree again, his tone anxious.
"Quick, quick, Mom's coming! Don't get caught!"
"But I'm a little scared..."
The little girl bit her lip, looking at the excessively high height with some difficulty.
She didn't feel anything when she climbed up, but when it came to going down, just looking down made her a little scared.
Upon hearing this, the young boy under the tree was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Coward, what are you afraid of? I'm here. Come on, little sister, big brother's here to catch you!"
In the end of the dream, the little girl mustered up her courage and jumped down from the tree, only to be caught by the young boy. Although they staggered backward a few steps due to inertia and fell to the ground together, they were ultimately safe and sound.
The two rolled around on the grass, bathed in the warm spring sunshine, their pear blossoms dancing like snowflakes. He propped himself up, smiling as he patted her head.
"See, you're alright now. Your brother promised he would always catch you."
...
Cold tears slid down her cheeks and onto her neck. In her dazed state, Zhan Xinjia felt a slight pain on her face.
She opened her eyes and saw that Jide had somehow crawled out of bed and was licking the tears from the corner of her eyes with a blank expression.
She paused for a moment, then reached out and tucked it back into her bosom, muttering to herself.
"It seems like I had a nightmare, or maybe it wasn't... I don't know, I can't remember clearly."
Jide purred lazily and let out a soft "meow".
Zhan Xinjia was a little unsure how long she had slept. It was still dark outside, the rain was pouring down, and the wind was howling.
She tossed and turned for a long time, but still couldn't fall asleep.
Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded, and streaks of lightning illuminated the sky for a moment, piercing the heavens.
Zhan Xinjia was startled by the sudden thunder and pressed her hand to her chest. It took a long time for her rapidly beating heart to calm down.
She sat up in bed, hugged Jide, and stared blankly for a while, hesitating and struggling.
The long corridor was eerily dark at night, as if some kind of demon or monster was lurking there. Zhan Xinjia, wearing an overcoat, stopped under the eaves of the main courtyard. After a long while, he raised his finger and knocked on the door.
The lights were on inside; the young man was not yet asleep.
"What's wrong? Were you woken up by the thunder? Do you want some water to calm down?"
Seeing the little girl standing outside the door holding a cat, Shen Suqing was somewhat surprised. Before she could answer, he subconsciously reached out and touched her sleeve, which was cold and damp with raindrops.
Shen Suqing frowned and pushed her into the house.
"How long have you been standing outside? Why are your hands so cold? Don't you know how to knock?"
As he spoke, Shen Suqing poured her a glass of water.
"It should still be warm. Although I have tea here, drinking tea at night makes it hard to fall asleep, so you'll have to make do with this for now."
The obedient little girl sitting on the tatami mat didn't take the teacup. Instead, she reached out and hugged his waist, nestling herself against him in a delicate way, and rubbed her cheek against his clothes in a coquettish manner.
The young man must have just taken a bath; his undergarments were slightly damp, and his dark hair, draped behind him, was still wet. The soft, warm light shone on his profile, making his lowered eyebrows and eyes appear even more gentle and warm.
He paused for only a moment before putting down his teacup, reaching out and embracing her, gently patting her back with his palm.
"What, were you really scared by the thunder?"
She usually seemed fearless, but it turned out she had fears just like other children… Shen Suqing chuckled softly a few times and patted her even more gently.
"Alright, the thunder should stop in a bit. You can sit here for now, and I'll take you back to your room later."
"I don't want to go back..."
Clutching at his sleeve, Zhan Xinjia leaned against him listlessly, her tone full of dependence.
A warm hand pinched her cheek, and the young man leaned down with a smile in his eyes, gently refusing her request.
"It's improper. It's not right for a man and a woman to be alone in a room. You should at least consider your own reputation. Be good, I'll stay with you. I'll carry you back when you're sleepy."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia argued in bewilderment, "But if you don't tell and I don't tell, who will know that we spent the night together?"
Shen Suqing was taken aback, looking at her as if she were a silly child.
He sighed helplessly.
“…Ah Zhi”.
Even if it's a private secret that no one knows, being with your sweetheart on a rainy night, the perfect time for comfort and warmth, will inevitably make even the most rational person a little restless.
How can this little girl be so naive...
Is this some kind of test?
Well, eventually we'll have to write our names on the same marriage certificate anyway, so let's just indulge him for now.
He lifted the covers to signal her to lie down on the bed, tucked her in, and then sat back down at the table under the lamp to open the book he hadn't finished reading during the day.
He had no intention of offending her.
Children may be ignorant, but he cannot.
"It's getting late, go to sleep."
At worst, he can read all night.
Zhan Xinjia curled up in the warm blankets, feeling safe and secure, but she was even more reluctant to go to sleep.
The faint, ink-wash fragrance emanating from the bedding, identical to the one on him, enveloped her, making her feel as if she were being held in his arms. Her face flushed slightly.
"Young Master Shen, can't you talk to me?"
The young man stopped turning the pages, sighed again, and reluctantly sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"Okay, all is well."
In fact, Zhan Xinjia didn't know what to say. Perhaps it was because of the nightmare she couldn't quite remember, or perhaps it was because of the chaotic sound of rain outside. She was feeling flustered and just wanted to stick close to Master Shen.
She tugged at the fluffy baby in her arms, and as the rain pattered on her cheeks, she seemed lost in some kind of memory, smiling gently.
"Did you climb trees when you were little, Mr. Shen? There was a really big pear tree in my house. Whether it was our old house in the suburbs or our current house, I always felt that the wind blowing when we climbed to the top of the tree was clearer than usual."
"Hmm? Aren't you afraid of falling?"
"Don't be afraid, it seems like someone has been waiting for me under the tree."
Upon hearing this, Shen Suqing's expression suddenly turned ugly.
His thin lips were pressed into a thin line, curving downwards in a cold, displeased arc.
"Oh? It must be that childhood sweetheart, His Highness the Crown Prince."
He emphasized the words "childhood sweethearts" heavily, his tone sounding somewhat sarcastic, clearly indicating that he cared about them very much.
Sensing something was amiss, Zhan Xinjia looked up at him blankly.
The young man sat on the edge of the bed, still smiling, but his eyes, hidden beneath his lowered eyelashes, gradually darkened and became gloomy.
Although the corners of his mouth were curved, his dark pupils were cold and indifferent, devoid of any smile. He still had that gentle, scholarly face with its kind smile, but now he exuded an aura of superiority and oppression, calm and composed.
A deliberately lowered, clear, magnetic voice with a slight upward flick at the end.
It's like guiding, like enticing.
"I've suddenly become quite interested and very curious. Why don't you tell me more about what you did with His Highness the Crown Prince in the past?"
"..."
Noticing that Master Shen had inexplicably become jealous again, Zhan Xinjia, with her strong survival instincts, remained silent for a while before quietly pulling the blanket up over her head and pretending to be dead.
"Ugh... I'm suddenly so sleepy. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Master Shen..."
"Want to sleep now? It's too late."
Enraged and amused, Shen Suqing reached into the blanket and pulled her out.
"You started this topic, so explain it clearly, huh? What else have you done in the past? Is there something I can't know?"
"It's nothing, Master Shen, sob sob, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?"
The letter was torn open.
It's amazing! Whenever Yan Hui is mentioned in front of Lord Shen, he suddenly goes crazy, and it starts at zero frames per second. No one has ever told her that a rigid scholar-official can be so jealous!
But the young man wouldn't let her go to sleep.
"Do you like His Highness the Crown Prince or Lord Shen the most?"
How could she possibly answer such a potentially disastrous question wrong?
Without even thinking, Zhan Xinjia immediately smiled sweetly and acted coquettishly.
"I love Lord Shen the most!!"
After saying that, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought the matter was perfectly resolved, but unexpectedly, the young man's eyes darkened, and his slender fingers, hidden under the covers, firmly gripped her wrist, pulling her closer to him and forcibly closing the distance.
He leaned down, his long, upturned phoenix eyes concealing an ambiguous smile, and continued to press for answers, enunciating each word clearly.
"Do you like Lord Shen the most or me the most?"
Zhan Xin Jia: "?"
Zhan Xinjia: "..."
She was completely stunned.
No, is that right? Do you want to hear what you're saying?
Damn it, has my little Shen really gone crazy?
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