Chapter 164 Weren't you asleep?
Shen Qingci could clearly hear a hint of weariness in Chu Jichen's voice.
Her heart softened.
Yes, he is now trapped in the palace, facing interrogation and surveillance by Liu Wenyuan's pack of wolves and tigers day and night. He certainly cannot show the slightest fear and must maintain a composed demeanor at all times.
They must be completely exhausted and unable to get proper rest.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingci stopped struggling and let him hug her tightly like a big cat seeking warmth and comfort.
"Go to sleep." She softened her voice and gently patted his arm that was wrapped around her waist. "I'll be here to protect you."
Chu Jichen gently nuzzled her neck, letting out a satisfied sigh. His breathing quickly became steady and long, as if... he had really fallen asleep.
Hearing his even breathing, Shen Qingci gradually relaxed.
However, this position was still somewhat uncomfortable, so she tentatively tried to turn around quietly.
But as soon as she moved, the hand that had been loosely wrapped around her waist suddenly tightened!
He even began to move rather erratically, slowly ascending along the hem of her undergarment...
Shen Qingci's body froze instantly!
She called softly, her voice tinged with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance: "Chu Jichen! Weren't you...asleep?"
Behind me came a hoarse voice filled with laughter.
"I was asleep," he said innocently. "But I woke up as soon as you moved."
"..." Shen Qingci bit her lip. "Then I'll stop moving now. You can continue sleeping."
Chu Jichen let out a soft chuckle in her ear: "But... now that I'm awake, I... can't fall back asleep."
His warm lips brushed against her earlobe, his voice growing increasingly hoarse and filled with a dangerous undertone: "Judging by the days, her menstrual flow... should have ended long ago, right?"
"May I?"
Shen Qingci's eyelashes trembled violently uncontrollably.
They were already husband and wife, and had already consummated their marriage, so this matter... was perfectly acceptable.
But her mind kept replaying the image of him being so gentle and affectionate with that mother and daughter in Yunmeng Tower.
She remained silent for a long, long time, so long that Chu Jichen almost thought she wouldn't answer, before he heard her speak slowly in an almost calm voice:
"Your Highness, the 'Wanqing' sleeping in the next room is an imposter."
"It was Liu Wenyuan who sent him to take the place."
"Although I gave her some sleeping pills just now, I was afraid she would become suspicious, so the dosage was not high. I'm afraid... she will wake up soon."
"If she wakes up, what if... she hears what's going on here..."
Before she could finish speaking, she clearly felt the burning hot body behind her becoming even more excited because of her words.
Sure enough, the next moment, Chu Jichen's laughter rang out softly close to her ear.
"Wouldn't that be even better?"
His voice was filled with a malicious, schadenfreude-like interest.
"Think about it, Liu Wenyuan sent her here to find out your secrets. So we... might as well just give her a big one."
"Everyone knows that I, Chu Jichen, am incapable of sexual intercourse."
"And I should be confined within the deep palace now."
“I used to learn some beatboxing, and I can easily imitate voices that are completely different from my own.”
He leaned closer, his warm breath almost scorching her earlobe: "Tell me, if that fake 'Wanqing' heard some ambiguous sounds coming from your room late at night, and the man's voice was completely different from mine... what would she think?"
Shen Qingci's eyelashes trembled slightly.
That would be really...exciting.
She could almost imagine that the mole must have thought he had caught someone red-handed!
She would suspect that Shen Qingci had been having an affair with another man while her husband was trapped in the palace!
She even dared to brazenly bring her lover back to the Regent's bedroom!
She would frantically speculate about who that man was, and would think that she... possessed a secret that could put her to death!
As Shen Qingci was thinking, Chu Jichen's kisses landed heavily on her lips.
“You know,” he asked in a muffled voice between kisses, “doesn’t this make things… a little more interesting?”
Interesting is...interesting.
But a thorn always remained in Shen Qingci's heart.
She pushed him away abruptly, and under the gaze of those eyes filled with desire and doubt, she finally asked the question that had tormented her for so long.
“Huo Yunzhan told me,” she looked at him, her voice calm but with a barely perceptible tremor, “that you married me only to use me as a shield in the open.”
He said...you actually love someone else. You even...already have a child.
She stared intently into his eyes, not missing a single subtle change in his expression.
"Your Highness," she asked, emphasizing each word, "is this true?"
"Although I do want to use the prince as a lifeline to take revenge, I... am unwilling to hurt another innocent woman, and even less willing to... hurt an innocent child."
The lust and mockery on Chu Jichen's face vanished completely in an instant.
He looked at her with some surprise, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with undisguised confusion and bewilderment: "Qingqing, why...why would you believe the nonsense of someone like Huo Yunzhan?"
"I saw it."
Shen Qingci slowly lowered her eyes, her voice devoid of any emotion, yet it made Chu Jichen's heart sink.
She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was somewhat hoarse: "A few days ago, at Yunmeng Tower."
Yunmeng Tower...
Upon hearing this, Chu Jichen was taken aback at first, but then immediately realized what was going on!
The confusion in his eyes instantly turned into understanding and a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.
He should have realized it sooner; that despicable Huo Yunzhan would never let go of any opportunity to sow discord between them.
“You,” he looked at her, his voice filled with helplessness and a hint of nervousness that even he himself was unaware of, “you should… have come directly to ask me.”
He did not deny it.
Shen Qingci's heart sank even further.
He slowly said, "That woman does indeed have a close relationship with me. But..."
He paused, his deep eyes fixed on her in the dim light, his voice utterly solemn, "Absolutely not, romantic love."
“Her identity is very special.” A complex and unreadable emotion flashed in Chu Jichen’s eyes. “Forgive me… but I cannot tell you her true identity at the moment. It involves the relationship between the Great Zhou and another country.”
“But don’t worry,” he reached out and gently stroked her cheek, his voice low and sincere, “once all these things are settled, I will personally… take you to see her.”
"At that time, you will naturally understand everything."
Their relationship is close, but not romantic.
His identity is special, and he is also involved in the relationship between the Great Zhou and another country?
Shen Qingci's mind was instantly filled with even greater doubts.
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