“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I only went to bathe and change my clothes.”

Feng Jiu’er walked over toward him, but the moment she caught sight of his strikingly beautiful figure clad in white, her footsteps abruptly slowed.

The events of that night flashed through her mind one scene after another. As she recalled that misunderstanding earlier in the evening, her little face instantly flushed a deep red.

Back then, Ninth Imperial Uncle had held her in his arms — an embrace so intimate it had reached the very height of ambiguity!

It wasn’t as though it was the first time he had been so brazen, but it was the first time Jiu’er had ever felt from him a genuine, undeniable surge of impulse.

In the past, he hadn’t understood such things, and would never have had that kind of impulse — and even if he had, it was most likely not something he had truly intended.

It was all that scoundrel Yu Jingfeng’s fault — that shameless old rogue, showing Ninth Imperial Uncle all those spring, summer, autumn, and winter palace paintings for no reason at all. He had taken such a pure and upstanding young man and turned him into someone who was now, apparently, no longer so pure.

Ahem — the man was almost twenty-six years old, so perhaps it was indeed about time he received a certain kind of… education. Ahem, what on earth was she even thinking about!

Zhan Qingcheng was watching her, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his expression far from pleasant.

Well — after she had turned him down tonight, he had worn that exact expression ever since. The way he looked at her was filled with unmistakable displeasure.

“Um, Ninth Imperial Uncle, staying up so late without sleeping is bad for your recovery.”

Feng Jiu’er gathered her courage and walked over to him, intending to help him lie down.

But Ninth Imperial Uncle’s large hand closed around her wrist. He said nothing — he simply watched her in silence.

Ninth Imperial Uncle’s silent gaze… oh, it was truly frightening.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle…”

“You made a promise.” He let out a cold scoff.

Feng Jiu’er felt a jolt in her heart, almost on the verge of tears. “Ninth Imperial Uncle, that really was a misunderstanding — I thought you meant…”

“In This Prince’s presence, there are only promises. There are no such things as misunderstandings!” He scoffed again, and this time, the coldness was even sharper.

Feng Jiu’er nearly rolled her eyes at him. She had known he would say something like this.

“But Ninth Imperial Uncle, do you even like me?”

“Have you forgotten what This Prince has already said?” Zhan Qingcheng narrowed his eyes, and a flicker of danger swept through their depths.

“Yes, yes, I remember — you said you like me. But,” Feng Jiu’er wagged her finger, “the kind of ‘like’ I’m talking about isn’t the kind of ‘like’ you’re thinking of. You…”

She didn’t know how to explain it to him. This man had lived for over twenty years without ever once being in a relationship — how was she supposed to explain something like this to him?

Ha, as if she herself had ever been in a relationship!

But was it really all right for him to be this stubborn?

He truly didn’t understand any of this. She feared that after reading those lurid books, his heart had grown restless, and he simply wanted to find someone to try things with.

And she, most unfortunately, had been placed on his list of candidates.

No — as of now, she had been promoted directly to the position itself.

“Um, Ninth Imperial Uncle… then… do you love me?”

Wasn’t that how it always went in dramas? For that sort of thing to happen, surely there needed to be tender affection between two people first — loving each other to distraction — before everything could naturally fall into place?

Love… Zhan Qingcheng turned the word over in his mind. After a moment, he shook his head. “What does that mean?”

Feng Jiu’er had known it — he was someone who understood neither feelings nor love.

When he had said he liked her before, it had been just that — a pure, simple kind of liking. A liking that, for the moment, was merely a little stronger than his liking for a treasured object or a beloved pet.

But then, she had never expected anything more, so naturally there was no disappointment either.

Ninth Imperial Uncle treated her very well — far better than the people of the Hua Family, by a thousand times over.

That was enough. They were family. Ninth Imperial Uncle was someone she wanted to cherish and protect — nothing more, nothing less.

“Um, Ninth Imperial Uncle, it really is very late now. Let’s sleep.”