Baoning could tell it was him with just one sentence.

Baoning's eyelids moved, and then slowly opened. Pei Yuan had come back from a night raid. His eyes were bloodshot, and his chin had blue stubble, making him look extremely rough and slovenly.

Baoning stared at him quietly for a while, then reached out and touched the side of his face. She closed her eyes and asked softly, "What time is it now? Shouldn't you be patrolling in Gyeonggi? Why are you back?"

"It's noon. I received a message on the way saying that a stranger broke into your room, so I hurried back."

Pei Yuan answered her calmly.

He held Bao Ning in his arms, stroking her arms with his palms, and said softly, "It's my fault. The guards I left behind when I left were not elite enough, and there were not enough of them, so you were frightened like this. What happened just now? Did you have a nightmare? I heard from Aunt Liu that you didn't have breakfast. Why are you so lazy? Eat something before going to sleep. I won't leave. I will always be with you."

He repeated, "Baby, I won't leave. I will always be with you."

Bao Ning felt the burning of Pei Yuan's palms. He kept admitting his mistakes and lowered his head to kiss her eyes.

His tone was unprecedentedly gentle, and his movements were unprecedentedly stiff.

Bao Ning understood his every move. She could see through it at a glance. Pei Yuan's calmness was all pretended. His breath betrayed this; when he was nervous, he would hold his breath. He must have heard from Wei Meng what Chang Xi said yesterday, and he was afraid.

Otherwise, with his temperament, he would not be so calm and subdued now.

He would kiss her lips, not her eyes.

Bao Ning did not speak. She closed her eyes and leaned against Pei Yuan's chest, listening to his heartbeat, which was very fast.

Last night, just as Chang Xi had expected, his words stirred up a huge wave in her heart.

While half asleep and half awake, Bao Ning kept thinking, when Pei Yuan comes back, what tone and expression should she use to face him? Can she still be as natural and close as before? She couldn't think of the answer. But now Pei Yuan is back, Bao Ning leans in his arms as usual, but is surprised to find that she has no resistance or other emotions, she is still willing to hug him and kiss him without any grudges.

Chang Xi said that Pei Yuan was a cruel and bad man, maybe he was right, but Bao Ning was not afraid at all.

It was like a strange self-confidence, Bao Ning knew for sure that Pei Yuan would not hurt her.

...

Even if she didn't think about it deliberately at ordinary times, she should understand what kind of person Pei Yuan is, and she has already accepted it. They have been together for so long and have experienced so many things. This trust and mutual understanding should not be broken by an outsider's casual words or a few so-called secrets.

She is not a fool, how could she think that Pei Yuan is a piece of pure and flawless white jade, she has never had such expectations of him. Maybe she resisted at the beginning, but slowly, the resistance melted away.

She loves Pei Yuan and is willing to live with him, not because he is so kind and perfect, but because he is the right person, who can know and stay with her, move forward in the darkness, day and night, and share the wind and rain. As for how he treats others, Baoning thought, she is selfish, how Feng Yongjia and Xu Guang died is none of her business, as long as Pei Yuan treats her well, it is enough.

She has always been like this, she doesn't want to be a bodhisattva to save all sentient beings, her love is only a little, just enough to share with her family and herself.

But Pei Yuan didn't seem to know.

His palms were already sweating.

...

Pei Yuan unconsciously hugged Bao Ning even tighter. He was so flustered that he could only distract himself by talking non-stop.

He swallowed his saliva, forced a smile, and said to her: "Baby, when I came back this morning, I was walking on West Street and saw the dumpling shop again. I mentioned it to you last time. Do you remember? I saw two wild cats in front of the shop. I thought they were so cute, so I thought I should take you with me to bring some food to feed them. Also, I saw a lot of beggars at the city gate. They might have fled from famine in the south. I asked Chen Jia to give them money. Also, when I was patrolling, I accidentally found a wild goose nest in the corner of the city tower. Several new recruits who were still young gathered together to dig out bird eggs, and I scolded them..."

"Little birds are so cute. I like little birds very much. I also like your sheep and dog." Pei Yuan put his forehead against Bao Ning's and asked her, "Baby, I am also soft-hearted, right? People can change, and I will change too." Pei

Yuan didn't dare to directly mention what happened last night. He was afraid of seeing Bao Ning's disgusted eyes, but he was afraid not to mention it. He just wanted to tell Bao Ning that he was not a person who was extreme, cruel, and unforgivable. He wanted to pretend as before that nothing had happened.

But after saying that, Pei Yuan regretted it again. It seemed that his intention was too obvious.

He didn't dare to look into Bao Ning's eyes, nor did he dare to wait for her answer. He gently lifted her up and put her on the quilt. He stretched his hand to his chest and took out something, saying, "When I came back, I saw wild flowers blooming beautifully by the roadside. I picked a bunch and gave it to you."

Bao Ning sat with her knees hugged, looking at him quietly.

The armor was too hard and the road was bumpy. His flowers had rotted into a pool of mud. Pei Yuan showed a look of regret on his face.

Bao Ning smiled.

Pei Yuan looked at her face and was briefly absent-minded. Thousands of thoughts popped up in his mind, but he couldn't tell what was true and what was false. She was not angry? No disgust? Or was there a hidden meaning under this smile? What was she thinking in her heart? Did she put on a good show in front of Chang Xi last night? Is she putting on a show in front of him now, trying to fool him and then find a way to divorce?

Pei Yuan suddenly remembered that Bao Ning still had a damn divorce letter in her hand!

He threw the tattered bouquet of flowers on the ground with a flick of his hand, and comforted her with a slight curve of his lips: "Baby, you are hungry, aren't you? I'll call Aunt Liu to bring lunch."

After that, Pei Yuan walked out. He walked hurriedly, wondering where the divorce letter was hidden. It should still be in the main room. He had to find it quickly and tear it up!

Bao Ning called him, "Why are you running around in your dirty clothes? Come back."

Pei Yuan rushed to the door in a flash. Hearing the words behind him, he paused for a moment. He was thinking about whether to disobey Bao Ning's order, and then he heard another sentence.

"Although I don't care what you did in the past, don't do that in the future."

Pei Yuan didn't react for a while and stood there blankly.

Bao Ning put on his shoes, walked slowly behind him, and said with a smile: "Aren't you a grown man? You always look so majestic. Why were you so delicate and sensitive like a little girl just now? I didn't say a word, how many twists and turns were in your mind? What are you thinking about? Are you afraid that I will report it to the police?"

Pei Yuan's heart was pounding. He took a deep breath, turned around, held Bao Ning's shoulders, and asked softly: "Don't you care?"

Baoning asked him back, "Do you know why I like to keep dogs?"

Pei Yuan shook his head.

Baoning said, "Because dogs protect their food, I protect my shortcomings."

After a long time, Pei Yuan seemed to have relieved himself. He took a step forward and hugged Baoning tightly, buried his head in her neck, and murmured, "You scared me..."

Baoning said, "Don't do that again in the future."

"No." Pei Yuan said, bending down and hooking her knees, hugging Baoning all the way back to the bed, taking off her shoes, and covering her with a quilt, "You should eat."

His lips were very dry, and he gently pressed against Baoning's forehead for a moment: "You sit here and wait for me to come back."

Baoning watched him hurried out, forgetting to take off his armor, and covered with dust. After a while, he came in again, carrying a tray of light food, and a cooked egg that had not been peeled.

Pei Yuan placed the small table in front of her, and put all the food on it, but did not give her chopsticks.

"I have washed my hands, they are not dirty." Pei Yuan spread out his five fingers, waved them in front of Baoning, and then cracked the egg shell, and after a few peels, the soft egg slid along the edge of the bowl into the bottom of the bowl. He held the bowl, scooped a spoonful of porridge, put it to his lips to test the temperature, and then brought it to Baoning's lips, "Open your mouth."

He played the game he had played before: "The carriage carrying the baggage is here, it's under the city gate, please open the door and let it pass!"

Baoning opened her mouth obediently, Pei Yuan picked up some side dishes for her, and scooped another spoonful.

There was porridge stuck to her lips, and without Baoning telling her, he took a towel and wiped it clean for her, and he didn't stop until Baoning said she didn't want it anymore. He sent all the dishes out, brought in a bowl of soup, and fed her mouthful by mouthful without getting tired of it. He did things carefully, trying to arrange everything properly.

Baoning was not used to Pei Yuan like this, but she could see the uneasiness in his heart. If this would make him feel at ease, then so be it.

After dinner, Pei Yuan went to the kitchen and ate a few mouthfuls, then immediately went back to the room. Baoning asked him to take a shower, but he refused at first, and hesitated for a long time before agreeing, on the condition that Baoning would sit in the bathroom with him. Bao Ning agreed reluctantly. It was her first time to see Pei Yuan taking a bath. She felt a little uncomfortable at first, but later she got used to it. After all, it was a familiar body to her, and after watching it for a long time, she felt a little bored.

Pei Yuan did not use a bathtub. He took off his clothes, scooped water and rinsed, exposing his whole body to Bao Ning.

He deliberately turned his chest and abdomen towards her, and washed her with water, showing her his bulging muscles, but Bao Ning was so drowsy in the warm water vapor that she almost fell asleep.

Pei Yuan threw the scoop of water back into the bucket in frustration, wiped his body clean in a few seconds, and silently picked up Bao Ning and walked into the house.

Bao Ning woke up in shock. She noticed Pei Yuan's intention and hurriedly supported his chest with her hands: "Alright, alright, you haven't finished tormenting yourself yet. Have you had enough temper? General Wei is still waiting for you. Where is Chang Xi?"

Pei Yuan put her on the couch, pushed the bedding aside, and took the time to reply: "He should be hanging on the ceiling."

Bao Ning said: "I think you should go see him now."

"No hurry." When mentioning Chang Xi, Pei Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of viciousness, which was soon replaced by lust. He closed his eyes, leaned over and gently kissed Bao Ning's lips, coaxing her, "I'm very nervous now. You stay with me, so that I can feel better. Otherwise, I will be poisoned again."