Upon hearing this, Shen Xihe smiled slightly, neither contradicting nor repeating warnings about changing hearts. She stood up: “Since Your Highness is well, Zhaoning shall take her leave.”

At this moment, she neither trusted nor distrusted Xiao Huayong, neither rejecting nor accepting him.

“Youyou…” Xiao Huayong didn’t want her to leave. “Would you stay and sit with me for a while?”

After pondering for a moment, Shen Xihe sat back down but remained silent. If he wanted her company, she would give it.

Since she didn’t speak, Xiao Huayong took the initiative: “Youyou say my thoughts run deep, but you’re no less so. Your scheme with Yangling and Munuha was exquisitely planned, each step connecting perfectly. I truly admire it immensely.”

Shen Xihe’s methods differed from his.

He preferred to kill multiple birds with one stone, maximizing and extending benefits to their fullest.

Shen Xihe sought stability, avoiding complications and drawn-out affairs, but when she struck, her prey had no chance of escape.

Xiao Huayong had to admit, he was fortunate that Shen Xihe had chosen him. Otherwise, facing such an opponent, he would need to be extremely cautious. If Shen Xihe truly moved against him, he might not be able to escape.

“I can’t compare to Your Highness’s far-reaching vision,” Shen Xihe said, not out of modesty.

“Youyou and I are a match made in heaven,” Xiao Huayong’s smile deepened. “Youyou are meticulous and thorough, I plan far ahead. Together, we would be invincible.”

“I naturally hope to walk hand in hand with Your Highness for life,” Shen Xihe said sincerely.

As long as Xiao Huayong didn’t harm the Northwest, even if he became cold and distant toward her alone in the future, they could still be companions for life.

Xiao Huayong understood Shen Xihe’s meaning, but he smiled brilliantly: “I only heard Youyou’s admiration for me.”

“If that pleases Your Highness, then let it be admiration,” Shen Xihe didn’t mind how he interpreted it.

“Since we’re to be lifelong companions, and I’m lying here injured, shouldn’t Youyou comfort me?” Xiao Huayong immediately put on a weak, pitiful expression needing care.

Shen Xihe: …

“Your Highness, stop pretending.” They both knew whether he was truly injured. Was he the type to harm himself just to frame others?

If his eyes hadn’t been injured beforehand, he wouldn’t have risked his eyes like this. But his eye injury…

Shen Xihe understood – the Crown Prince wanted to remind her that his eyes were injured because of her snow lotus. However, she had already used the lotus and couldn’t return it.

Resigned, she asked: “What does Your Highness want?”

Having achieved his goal, regardless of whether he was leveraging her gratitude, Xiao Huayong’s eyes lit up strangely: “Can I have anything?”

“Let’s hear what Your Highness has in mind,” Shen Xihe guessed he wasn’t thinking of anything proper.

“Youyou… would you hold me and let me sleep in your embrace?” Xiao Huayong asked shamelessly.

Shen Xihe gave him an indescribable look. How could he say such improper things with such a serious tone?

“After our wedding, when Your Highness makes such requests, I will certainly comply,” Shen Xihe declined with a slight smile.

Her principle was: to act according to one’s position.

Until she became the Crown Princess, she couldn’t be so intimate with Xiao Huayong without restraint.

Just as while she remained Shen Xihe, she had to consider her father, brothers, and the Northwest.

“After our wedding, I won’t be satisfied with just that,” Xiao Huayong’s ambiguous gaze swept Shen Xihe from top to bottom.

Since being exposed by Shen Xihe, he has completely revealed his true nature. The elegant, dignified Crown Prince was just a mask he wore for others.

Before Shen Xihe, his identity was never Crown Prince, but her man!

“Xiao Beichen!” Shen Xihe called out his name in warning.

“Youyou, do you know how it feels to fall from snowy mountain peaks? Do you understand the torment of seeing only black, white, and gray in the world?” Xiao Huayong cast aside his dignity, trying every way to soften her heart. “Ah… even if Youyou think I went of my own accord, not at your request, I accept it. Who asked me to be unable to bear seeing you hurt even slightly…”

Shen Xihe felt she should stand up and leave immediately without looking back. She stood up suddenly with a cold face, making Xiao Huayong’s expression freeze, his eyes showing a moment of panic as he quickly hid his playful demeanor.

Seeing this reaction, even with her iron heart, Shen Xihe couldn’t step away.

After a moment of hesitation and struggle: “Zhenzhu, you may withdraw.”

Zhenzhu acknowledged and retreated with a bow.

Under Xiao Huayong’s somewhat cautious gaze, Shen Xihe approached and sat on the edge of the bed.

Xiao Huayong’s eyes immediately softened, and without Shen Xihe saying anything, he moved to rest his head on her lap. Looking up, his gaze exploded like starlight and fireworks, brilliantly beautiful. He didn’t dare say more, obediently closing his eyes.

His upturned lips revealed his joy. He had deliberately spoken that way and intentionally shown that expression at that moment, wanting to test her bottom line regarding him.

The results were pleasing – her tolerance for him was deeper than he had imagined.

His beloved never knew what a deeply sentimental person she was. He clearly understood that her current feelings for him weren’t romantic love, but rather stemmed from two reasons.

First was her gratitude, and second was her determination to marry him.

Both were essential – with her character, the first was impossible without; with her upbringing, the second couldn’t be without.

She had a peculiar fragrance, cool but not cold, refreshing yet comfortable. Xiao Huayong had thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but resting on her lap made him feel so secure that he let down all his defenses.

All these years, no matter how strong he became, his initial habits of vigilance followed him like a shadow. No one had ever allowed him to relax so completely, to fall into sweet dreams so quickly.

Shen Xihe had also expected Xiao Huayong to pester her or say more inappropriate things to tease her. She was prepared to push him away if he pushed his luck, but unexpectedly, within a few blinks, he had fallen sound asleep.

His long, defenseless, peaceful breathing made Shen Xihe pause slightly.

They were both people born into such complex environments, treading on thin ice ingrained in their bones. People as cautious as them couldn’t trust anyone so completely, not even their closest confidants.

Yet Xiao Huayong trusted her with his life. She knew that if she triggered the mechanism on her wrist now, she could easily end Xiao Huayong’s life.

Shen Xihe, who had originally planned to gently move him aside and leave, looked down at him for a moment before lowering her hand: “In the end, you’re different from others.”