Jingrong couldn’t tear his gaze away—he wanted to look at this woman for a lifetime, and that would be fine.

It seemed that merely seeing her made his heart feel unbearably sweet.

Ji Yunshu felt somewhat embarrassed under his tender gaze, her head drooping lower and lower…

“This prince is a bit tired. I’ll rest in your room for a while.”

Hmm?

Without waiting for her agreement at all, he was already lying down on the bed.

He seemed truly exhausted. Once he lay down, he didn’t move at all—he had probably fallen asleep.

Ji Yunshu had grown accustomed to such rogue behavior, so she let him lie there while she lit another lamp herself and placed it on the desk.

On the desk still lay the portrait of her that Jingrong had painted earlier. She hadn’t thrown it away—she couldn’t bear to throw it away. Instead, she carefully put it in the traveling trunk she carried with her, planning to keep it.

She spread a fresh sheet of paper on the desk, opened her sandalwood box containing paints and brushes, mixed several clean colors, selected a brush, and began to paint on the paper.

Every stroke was executed with great care.

Under the candlelight, she wore a pale gray long robe with her hair tied up high. The ribbon from her hair crown hung down gracefully, resting playfully on her shoulder. Her delicate facial features appeared smooth and clear in the flickering candlelight. Her eyelids lowered, her focus falling on the painting. Her slender fingers guided the brush, moving across the painting like flowing water.

Such a person, simply standing there, was a vision of beauty.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the man on the bed woke and saw this scene. His heart stirred with a sudden pang, and he turned over, got out of bed, and walked over.

Just then, Ji Yunshu put down her brush.

Seeing him approach, she wanted to flip the painting over, but her movement was a step slower than Jingrong’s.

He stood behind her, his hands reaching from her waist around to press down on the painting from behind, simultaneously confining her within his arms.

In the painting was none other than Jingrong himself.

The outline was clear, his eyes calm and profound, exuding the bearing of imperial nobility, carrying the imposing presence of a domineering prince, yet also bearing the deep affection he showed when gazing at Ji Yunshu. Such a man was undoubtedly perfect.

He was precisely the Jingrong in her heart!

Seeing his own portrait painted so vividly by Ji Yunshu on the paper, he curved his lips in a wicked smile, gradually drawing closer to the ear of the woman in his embrace. “This prince likes this painting very much.”

His warm breath lingered by her ear. She shrank her neck, as if someone had discovered some little secret of hers.

“I was just painting casually.”

He smiled.

Suddenly—

His hand wrapped around her slender waist. His palm exerted force, spinning her entire body around to face him, making her crash directly into his embrace, her back pressing against the edge of the desk.

The two were pressed very close together!

Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest the moment she turned.

Jingrong curved his lips wickedly. “If you want this prince, this prince will give himself to you. Why paint him on paper out of longing? From now on, this prince will always be by your side for you to look at anytime.”

Her watery eyes looked at him as she pouted. “When… when did I say I wanted you?”

“Then, this prince wants you.”

Uh!

She started in surprise. Before she could react, Jingrong’s lips were already pressing down on hers.

Lips and teeth met!

It lasted only a few seconds.

Ji Yunshu went from initially struggling to gradually responding.

After an unknown amount of time, Jingrong finally released her, who was about to suffocate.

Her lips had been “nibbled and bitten” until they were flushed red. She panted slightly, looking at the domineering man before her. She saw him suddenly reach toward her head. She lowered her head slightly.

Jingrong’s hand touched the high bun on her head and removed the hair crown from it.

In an instant, three thousand strands of hair broke free and fell down, draping over her back, shoulders, and face…

Gone was the scholarly air of a man; in its place was the charming grace of a woman, elegant and gentle.

Jingrong tucked the hair by her temples behind her ears, then gently cupped her palm-sized face.

Their four eyes met. In each of their hearts, it was as if there was a ball of fire slowly merging together.

Then—

Jingrong scooped her up in his arms and gently placed her on the bed.

His body pressed down on top of hers. “Yunshu, you can only be this prince’s woman for your entire life.”

The woman’s eyes flickered slightly. She didn’t resist.

The gauze curtains were gradually lowered.

The candlelight in the room was extinguished by the wind, and two shadowy figures vaguely overlapped together.

…

Meanwhile, Muruo was bringing medicine—ginger tea for that girl Tang Si. Standing at the door, he knocked and knocked, but there was no response.

He thought to himself, could this girl have fallen asleep?

He was about to leave when he discovered that the door wasn’t actually closed, so he pushed it open and went in.

Little did he know—

Tang Si had just been bathing in the inner room. Seeing a figure enter, she was immediately terrified.

“Ah!”

She screamed from where she sat in the wooden tub.

At the same time, the ginger tea in Muruo’s hand also crashed to the floor with a “clang.”

It shattered into pieces.

“Scoundrel! Last time you slept with me, and now you’ve come to watch me bathe—I’m going to kill you…” She kept cursing while sitting in the wooden tub.

Muruo, however, stared wide-eyed in shock.

It wasn’t that he wanted to take advantage—he was purely shocked, his eyes widening.

“You’re still looking?”

Pfft—

He came to his senses and quickly turned around. Hearing the shouting, people outside were running this way. Muruo hurriedly closed the door.

From outside came a voice: “Miss Tang, are you alright?”

If people found out that Muruo had just seen her naked body, it would certainly be catastrophic. Tang Si quickly calmed her voice and raised it to say, “I’m fine, it was just… just a rat I saw. You can all leave.”

“Oh, it was a rat. We thought something had happened to you, Miss Tang.”

“Nothing, nothing. Please leave quickly.”

The group outside dispersed.

Muruo also breathed a sigh of relief. Not daring to look in the direction of the inner room at all, he explained, “A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I really didn’t know you were bathing.”

“Then couldn’t you have knocked?”

“I knocked for ages. You didn’t respond, and the door was open, so I came in.”

Tang Si glared at him fiercely. “Then what are you running over here so late for?”

“To bring you ginger tea. Didn’t you get caught in the rain?” It was a kind gesture.

Looking at the floor, there really was a bowl of ginger tea. Her anger subsided somewhat.

Seeing that the people outside had all left, and worried that Tang Si might grab her whip to lash him, Muruo quickly said, “Well, I’ll leave first. What just happened was an accident, an accident…”

“Hey, you…”

Before Tang Si could call out to him, he had already made his escape.

He closed the door.

Tang Si soaked in the wooden tub, watching that figure flee at top speed, then looking at the bowl of ginger tea on the floor. Her heart actually blossomed with joy.

From the initial chest bindings incident, to sleeping together for one night, and now this…

Just thinking about it, Tang Si bit her lip.

“You brat, lucky you.”

Hehehe.

After Muruo ran out, he was practically like someone escaping from dire straits—gasping for breath, covered in sweat.

He must be bewitched—he must definitely be bewitched!