Shen Xihe teased, making Xiao Huayong’s eyes sparkle with starlight. He couldn’t help but lower his head and smile – a gentle, clear smile that carried an intoxicating warmth: “In this world, only you can truly know me, see my genuine nature.”

He slowly raised his eyes. In the long night with its warm lamplight, the glow softened his features, his gaze clear and revealing a depth of tenderness: “And only you can make me lower my defenses and shed my facade.”

Though his eyes weren’t naturally phoenix-shaped or inherently amorous, they constantly held such deep emotion that people dared not meet his gaze. Shen Xihe slightly averted her eyes, glancing at the sky: “Your Highness should rest more.”

A soft laugh and gentle smile – she was avoiding him. Xiao Huayong wasn’t frustrated at all; instead, a secret delight crept into his heart. He said softly: “I still need to remain unconscious tomorrow. Youyou needn’t worry about my lack of sleep, but you should rest.”

Shen Xihe nodded compliantly, her gaze falling on the five fingers gripping her wrist, using her eyes to signal him to let go.

Suddenly, Xiao Huayong’s smile took on a wicked, mischievous edge. Not only did he not release her, but he pulled her onto the bed instead.

As if in the blink of an eye, Shen Xihe’s head was resting on the pillow, surrounded by the familiar scent of Pingzhong leaves. Xiao Huayong lay on his side next to her, propping up half his body to hover above her, meeting her angry eyes while still smiling unrestrained.

Knowing she wouldn’t make a sound to attract others, he slowly lowered his head, his ocean-deep eyes filled with ambiguous light.

Shen Xihe stared at him intently, her pupils as if covered in frost, silently warning that if he dared to misbehave, he would face consequences.

His breath, tinged with medicine, brushed warm against her face as he lay down close beside her, his lips almost touching her earlobe. His lowered voice carried an indescribable intimacy: “If Youyou leaves now, people might suspect I’ve awakened. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do here for the night. I promise not to offend you.”

“Having read all the sage texts, could it be Your Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t understand what ‘offend’ means?” Shen Xihe said coldly.

Sharing a bed, their hair intertwined – did this not count as offensive?

“It’s not that I don’t understand,” Xiao Huayong’s chest rumbled with a low laugh, “Rather… one who has been indulged by Youyou… becomes fearless.”

Shen Xihe’s face reddened with anger, regretting that her childhood weakness had prevented her from learning martial arts. If she had her father and brothers’ fighting skills, she would surely teach this shameless fellow a harsh lesson right now.

Knowing that she always prioritized the bigger picture and wouldn’t easily put him at a disadvantage, he brazenly pushed the boundaries of her tolerance, even proudly admitting to it.

Xiao Huayong knew he had touched Shen Xihe’s forbidden line. Before she could react, he obediently rolled inward, pressing himself against the inner edge of the bed, leaving plenty of space between them.

Shen Xihe quickly sat up. Her sense of propriety wouldn’t allow her to easily share a bed with a man, even if he was her betrothed, even with distance between them. She coldly moved to the nearby couch, shifted its small table to one end, lay down fully clothed, and quickly fell asleep.

Her breathing became deep and even. Xiao Huayong couldn’t help but turn his head to look at her. As he watched, some thought made him smile with genuine happiness, and he fell asleep still watching her.

In the early morning, Xiao Huayong woke first. Detecting footsteps, his movement to sit up also awakened Shen Xihe.

They exchanged a meaningful glance before Xiao Huayong lay back down. Shen Xihe walked to the door and opened it to find Liu Sanzhi, with three Imperial Physicians and Tianyuan behind him.

“Princess,” Liu Sanzhi bowed to Shen Xihe. “This servant comes by command to check on His Highness.”

Shen Xihe stepped aside: “The Crown Prince hasn’t awakened yet.”

Liu Sanzhi led the physicians to take turns checking Xiao Huayong’s pulse. After much muttering among themselves, they shook their heads at Liu Sanzhi, who then respectfully said he would return to report and left.

Shen Xihe returned to her quarters. She already lived quite close to Xiao Huayong, and after washing up and changing clothes, she took her morning meal at his residence.

This place wasn’t like the Eastern Palace, especially at this crucial time. Even if there hadn’t been people watching before, who knew how many eyes were hidden in the shadows now? During the day, Xiao Huayong didn’t wake up to speak with Shen Xihe.

Tianyuan had prepared some medicinal soup – it was for nourishment, as even the strongest body couldn’t endure going without food indefinitely.

When Tianyuan tried to feed him, nothing would go in. Shen Xihe remembered how at the Empress Dowager’s palace, this fellow would only eat dumplings if she fed him. Not wanting to indulge him, she strode out of the room – surely he would learn better if she wasn’t there.

But Xiao Huayong simply wouldn’t drink. After Tianyuan spilled a bowl of medicine, she had to dejectedly seek Shen Xihe’s help. Shen Xihe, reading a book, simply said: “When he’s hungry enough, he’ll drink.”

It wasn’t her going hungry – she wanted to see how long he could hold out.

Shen Xihe had underestimated Xiao Huayong’s endurance. Even with his stomach growling at midnight, he could still pretend to be unconscious, lying in bed with his eyes closed. At first, Shen Xihe still chose to ignore it, but his stomach kept rumbling.

Finally, thoroughly annoyed, Shen Xihe warmed a bowl of medicine and scooped up a spoonful: “Drink properly, and don’t push your luck.”

As she brought the spoon to Xiao Huayong’s lips, he obediently opened his mouth. Though his eyes were closed, his eyelashes and lids trembled, and his lips couldn’t suppress their upward curve. That smug expression nearly made Shen Xihe lose control and dump the entire bowl of medicine on his face.

After finishing the medicine, once everyone had left, Shen Xihe asked: “How long do you plan to keep up this act?”

She didn’t want these days to continue too long. Withdrawing her care would raise suspicions, but staying here to help him maintain this pretense – what kind of behavior was this?

“This poison was never meant to be taken in one dose,” he told her truthfully.

Being poison, even when using poison to counter poison, it had to be administered in stages. Otherwise, if the two poisons failed to suppress each other and instead activated together, it would cost him his life.

Shen Xihe frowned, not from disbelief in Xiao Huayong, but suddenly feeling sympathy for him: “It must have been very bitter before.”

These words made Xiao Huayong’s heart bloom with joy. Beaming, he immediately forgot himself and grabbed Shen Xihe’s hand: “Not bitter at all. If it can earn even a fraction of Youyou’s sympathy, any hardship is worthwhile.”

Thinking of it this way, he felt grateful for being poisoned. If not for the poisoning, he probably wouldn’t have gone into hiding and feigned illness, nor would there have been the pronouncement of his short life expectancy. How else could he have gained Shen Xihe’s favor?

This chain of cause and effect delighted him greatly.

“If experiencing all manner of hardships was necessary to meet you, I would be grateful even for the depths of hell.”