"Brother-in-law?"
Gu Zhixing's fingers, which were tapping on the car wall, suddenly stopped, and his eyebrows rose high.
He slowly turned his head to look at Shen Jintang, his eyes flashing like embers suddenly lit.
Shen Jintang lowered her eyelashes and remained silent, only reaching out to protect Shen Youyi behind her. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyes, obscuring the emotions in them.
Gu Zhixing could clearly see that the corners of her lips tightened slightly, and her jade-like earlobes flushed with a barely perceptible blush.
Brother-in-law...
Gu Zhixing recited it silently again.
The address was like a sweet honey, so sweet that Gu Zhixing's heart trembled.
He suddenly found the timid little girl in front of him extremely pleasing to the eye, and even her hand tugging at Shen Jintang's sleeve no longer seemed so offensive.
"Should I... not call you that?" Shen Youyi timidly raised her eyes, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two of them.
She keenly sensed a subtle change in the air, yet couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Gu Zhixing chuckled softly, his voice deep and magnetic, but his gaze remained fixed on Shen Jintang: "It's right, why shouldn't it be right?"
His voice was hoarse like sandpaper, and he lightly brushed his knuckles against his lower lip as he said, "You little girl, you have better taste than your sister."
Shen Jintang finally raised her eyes to glare at him, but her gaze was not as sharp as usual; instead, it was gentler.
Gu Zhixing could see it clearly: the blush at the corner of her eyes was even more vibrant than rouge, like the sunset glow spread by the warm spring sun, breathtakingly beautiful.
The word "brother-in-law" seemed to reassure Gu Zhixing, and he indeed calmed down considerably along the way.
But those hands with distinct knuckles were always restless—sometimes fiddling with the jade pendant tassel at Shen Jintang's waist, sometimes "inadvertently" touching her fingertips, just like a cat that got a good deal but acted innocent.
Annoyed by his antics, Shen Jintang glared at him, and the man immediately sat up straight, a smug smile still playing on his lips.
Shen Youyi huddled in a corner, trying her best to act as if she were invisible.
This delicate balance continued until the carriage stopped in front of the princess's residence.
As dusk spread like thick ink, it gradually enveloped the world in a hazy mist.
The lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the breeze, their soft light casting long and short shadows on the bluestone slabs, as if telling a story of the night's tranquility and unease.
"The west wing has been tidied up." Gu Zhixing stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor. His voice suddenly became stiff, like a rock covered with frost. He stared at Shen Youyi, who was holding Shen Jintang's arm, with a look of vigilance in his eyes, as if he were looking at a robber who had stolen his treasure.
Shen Jintang gently patted Shen Youyi's thin shoulders, as if to convey a sense of warmth to her, and said, "She'll be sleeping with me tonight."
Her voice was calm and firm, as if stating an undeniable fact.
"What?"
Gu Zhixing's voice suddenly rose, and the sudden high note startled the night birds perched under the eaves. They flapped their wings and made a series of panicked cries, breaking the tranquility of the night.
He strode up to Shen Jintang in a few steps, his brows furrowed into a tight knot, his expression like that of a ferocious beast whose scales had been touched.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Three hundred elite guards are on duty day and night at the Princess's residence," each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a hint of suppressed anger, "Do you think the guards' swords aren't sharp enough, or that the walls of the Princess's residence aren't high enough?"
“She was frightened.” Shen Jintang pulled Shen Youyi behind her, the moonlight casting a shadow under her eyelashes, as if veiling her eyes with a thin veil. “She always needs someone to be with her when she has nightmares.”
Gu Zhixing's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He sneered and strode closer.
The dark robe fluttered in the night wind, as if carrying endless chill, leaving a sharp shadow on the bluestone ground.
As he bent down, the jade pendant at his waist struck Shen Jintang's foot heavily, producing a crisp ringing sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet night.
"Then why didn't you come to keep me company when I had nightmares?" His warm breath brushed against Shen Jintang's ear, carrying a hint of questioning and grievance.
Shen Jintang's ears burned, and she abruptly looked up at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, her voice carrying a warning: "Gu Zhixing!"
Shen Youyi was so frightened that she held her breath. She could feel the tense atmosphere in the air, as if a storm was about to break out at any moment.
She saw the dark undercurrent in Gu Zhixing's eyes, like the sea before a storm, surging and ready to unleash a raging torrent.
Shen Youyi reached out to tug at Shen Jintang's clothes with some fear, afraid that they would have a conflict, but before her hand could touch him, she was stopped by Gu Zhixing's sharp, knife-like gaze.
She was frozen in place, unable to move, and could only watch helplessly as the atmosphere between the two grew increasingly tense.
Suddenly, Shen Jintang raised her hand and gently touched Gu Zhixing's heart with her fingertips.
The movement was so light it was as if it were just a touch of a feather, yet it froze the enraged man instantly, his breath catching in his throat for a moment, as if he had been frozen in place.
“Just this once,” she said softly, like a whisper in the night breeze, her fingertips tracing the lines of her dress as if caressing a precious treasure.
Finally, her fingertips suddenly clenched, as if she had grasped something important, and her voice carried a hint of reassurance, "I promise."
Gu Zhixing's Adam's apple bobbed violently, as if he was suppressing some surging emotion.
He grabbed the mischievous hand with such force that he almost crushed her wrist, but the moment he touched her pulse, he instantly reduced his strength by seven-tenths.
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