Shen Youying held a soft pillow in her arms, facing the inside of the bed, keeping a foot's distance from the person behind her.
Even so, the unfamiliar aura still invaded forcefully and savagely.
Incense burning is very popular in this dynasty, and both men and women have the habit of burning incense. Although Shen Youying has never seen Xue Shen burn incense, he is always surrounded by a faint sandalwood scent. The scent is not obvious during the day, but when you occasionally smell it, you feel that this heavy and compassionate aura is very different from his personality.
But at night, perhaps because of the close proximity, the faint sandalwood scent became stronger.
The woody scent wafted towards Shen Youying's nose, its presence strong and overpowering. It kept her tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Her previous answer to Xue Shen wasn't exactly a lie; she had indeed grown accustomed to being alone, and now that there was someone else by her side, it was making it difficult for her to sleep.
However, looking at the person behind him, their breathing was deep and even, indicating that they had already fallen asleep.
Shen Youying angrily squeezed the soft pillow in her arms. She carefully turned over, but dared not make too much noise, for fear of waking the sleeping person next to her.
Shen Youying wondered, biting her lip, whether Xue Shen was grumpy in the morning.
She turned over again.
This time, she was facing sideways to Xue Shen.
Xue Shenping lay flat, and because it was summer, the thin blanket was only pulled up to his waist and abdomen, leaving his entire upper body exposed.
Perhaps her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but in the dim light, Shen Youying noticed that thin muscle lines were visible through the open collar of his nightgown.
She blinked slowly, her gaze following the lines outlined in the nightgown to confirm it carefully. In the end, she had to admit that Xue Shen, who had been confined to a wheelchair for so long, actually possessed a muscular physique that rivaled that of his father and brothers.
Recalling how he had easily climbed onto the bed by supporting himself with his arms without asking for help, it seemed normal again.
It must have taken years of training to support his body with his arms.
Shen Youying's gaze unconsciously shifted to his face.
The sleeping person looked very peaceful. His long, narrow black eyes, which were usually filled with gloom, were now closed. His eyeballs moved gently under his thin eyelids, and he did not look as imposing as he did during the day.
It sleeps in a good position and hasn't moved since it fell asleep.
It looks safer than during the day, and it's not as scary.
Shen Youying's mind wandered aimlessly, her gaze lingering on Xue Shen's face, lost in thought.
Have you seen enough?
The sleeping man suddenly turned to face her, propped himself up on his right arm and leaned towards her, his strong upper body hanging above Shen Youying, looking at her with a half-smile in the darkness.
Shen Youying was slow to react, her pupils dilated slightly, and she looked at him with a flustered expression, feeling ashamed of being caught spying.
In the quiet darkness, the young woman's voice was incoherent and fragmented: "I...I didn't...did I wake the prince?"
Xue Shen hummed in response, his voice still slightly nasal from just waking up, like a wild beast that had retracted its claws and was lazily teasing its prey.
Can't sleep?
Having spent a long time with him, Shen Youying could tell that he wasn't angry. She turned her head slightly to avoid his face getting too close and gave a soft "hmm".
Xue Shen withdrew his arms and moved closer to her. His nose twitched slightly, as if he were sniffing Shen Youying's scent: "If Your Highness doesn't want to sleep, why don't we do something fun?"
As his voice rang out, a warm and strong hand pressed down on Shen Youying's lower back.
Shen Youying stiffened slightly, wanting to refuse but afraid of angering him.
She bit her lip, her mind racing. She thought that if he really wanted to consummate the marriage, even if she avoided it today, she couldn't avoid it tomorrow.
A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.
Shen Youying's eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes lowered and her mind blank, but she did not resist.
Warm palms gently caressed the slightly concave waist for a moment, then moved up the slender spine, the nimble fingers counting the vertebrae as they climbed, finally stopping at the sensitive and delicate back of the neck.
Shen Youying closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly.
Recalling the absurdity of that time at the Zhou family's villa, she felt a surge of fear and tension, and her cheeks flushed.
Shen Youying felt like a clam, forced to open its shell and reveal its soft and fragile interior.
Xue Shen stopped moving, his fingers gently circling the back of her neck. Seeing that she was trembling, he suddenly chuckled softly, "Scared already?" He leaned close to Shen Youying's ear, his voice low and husky, "If you know you're scared, don't try to provoke me next time, understand?"
After saying that, he placed his warm hand over Shen Youying's eyes and said, "Sleep."
Shen Youying's eyelashes trembled, but she dared not open them.
My heart was pounding like a hundred rabbits.
Xue Shen showed no intention of removing his hand, and Shen Youying dared not make a sound, afraid of provoking him again. She could only close her eyes and force herself to fall asleep.
Then, without realizing it, he fell asleep.
When she woke up again, Danzhu was knocking on the door outside, and a somewhat anxious voice came in: "Your Highness, Your Highness, someone from the palace urgently summons you."
Shen Youying listened in a daze, then suddenly woke up with a start.
Xue Shen woke up before her and was getting dressed with his back to her.
Seeing that she was awake, he explained, "The palace urgently summoned you. Please change your clothes quickly."
Shen Youying was still a little confused. She glanced at the water clock on the display shelf and said, "It's only the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) now."
Summer days are early, but at this hour, it's not even fully light yet. Why is the palace in such a hurry to summon them?
Xue Shen didn't seem worried at all, and reassured them, "It's probably because of the fire last night. Anyway, it doesn't have much to do with us. Let's go into the palace and take a look."
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