When Jiu’er woke, the sky had already grown cool.

A man lay beside her. She blinked softly and turned her head to look.

His sleeping face was, without question, the most beautiful she had ever seen among all men. Even Mu Mu and Zhan Luori, those strikingly handsome figures, still could not compare with him.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s beauty was one without a single flaw from head to toe — and even scars upon his body could never become flaws.

On the contrary, they only made him appear even more striking and dashing.

Her head hurt!

Feng Jiu’er was startled and hurriedly turned her face away, no longer daring to indulge her admiration of the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

She did not know why it was this way, but it seemed every time she lost herself in the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s allure, her head would grow uncomfortable.

For the sake of her own life, she had better withdraw quickly and not let herself sink too deep!

Alas, she had ended up sleeping in the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s bed again. No matter how one looked at it, this relationship had become thoroughly entangled.

She quietly lifted the covers, lowered her head to look, and finally exhaled in relief.

Fortunately, her clothes were still on. The Ninth Imperial Uncle was not so depraved as to take advantage of her while she slept and do something improper to her.

Though, if the Ninth Imperial Uncle, being so remarkably handsome, truly had done something to her, even if the matter came to light, no one would likely believe it was the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s deliberate doing.

Everyone would certainly be convinced that she had been the one to take advantage of the Ninth Imperial Uncle while he slept.

Ah, handsome men simply had the advantage — whatever they said, people would believe it.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s physique was truly exceptional, and his height absolutely staggering, so Feng Jiu’er, sleeping on the inner side of the bed, would have to cross over him to get down.

If she woke the Ninth Imperial Uncle, would he refuse to let her leave again?

She moved with the utmost care, using the lightest motions imaginable, swinging one slender leg gently across — and made to cross over him.

Suddenly, her wrist was grazed by something she could not identify, and it went completely limp and numb, unable to exert any strength at all, let alone support her own body.

“Ugh…” Feng Jiu’er stumbled, and fell face-first directly onto Zhan Qingcheng’s body without warning. The two of them collided without any forewarning, and the impact sent a sharp ache through her chest.

It hurt! She was nearly flattened!

No — that was not what she should be concerned about right now. Surely what she ought to care about was whether she had woken the Ninth Imperial Uncle with the collision?

She carefully raised her head, and found herself staring straight into a pair of deep, dark eyes. Feng Jiu’er panicked, her heart nearly cracking apart.

“N-Ninth Imperial Uncle, um — good… good morning.” Ah! She had truly woken the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

How could she be so useless — even something as simple as climbing over him she could not manage properly. Could it be that her strength had not yet returned in the morning?

Otherwise, why had her wrist suddenly gone weak like that?

And yet, something was not right — she had clearly felt something graze her. Could it be…

Before Feng Jiu’er could work out what it was, Zhan Qingcheng’s voice sounded — low and husky with a sensual roughness from just waking: “Throwing yourself into this Prince’s arms at the crack of dawn?”

“No — no I’m not!” It was a misunderstanding, an absolute misunderstanding!

And yet, she lowered her gaze, and immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Could a misunderstanding really be explained away? She was still lying sprawled on top of him — and moreover, her legs were parted, seated directly upon his abdomen. This posture… how mortifying!

Jiu’er was startled and inadvertently met the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s eyes again. Her heart jolted in a panic, and she instinctively shifted her body downward, wanting to put more distance between them.

But… but what had she touched?

“You…” Zhan Qingcheng’s expression changed abruptly, and a flash of pain crossed the depths of his eyes.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle was a man of such composed steadiness. Even if a mountain crumbled before him, he could remain impassive and unmoved — yet right now, his expression had actually changed.

Jiu’er was momentarily bewildered. She thought for a moment longer, and her face went scarlet. She nearly screamed aloud.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

Where had her weakness gone now? She scrambled off the Ninth Imperial Uncle in a rush, leaped off the bed at maximum speed, did not even stop to put on her shoes, and hurried off to the side — far away!

When she sneaked a glance back at him, the Ninth Imperial Uncle had already sat up on the bed, one long leg bent, not looking at her — seeming to be concealing something.

He appeared to have regained his composure, but that muffled groan from moments ago had been wholly imprinted in Jiu’er’s mind.

She was quite uneasy, a little at a loss for what to do.

What had just happened — did it count as having disgraced the Ninth Imperial Uncle? First thing in the morning, not only had she collapsed on top of him, she had also sat down on his…

Feng Jiu’er’s face was flushed a brilliant red, and growing redder still, blood all but bursting from every pore.

The man on the bed let out a shallow breath, closed his eyes to rest for a brief moment, then said: “Go wash up. Keep this Prince company for breakfast.”

“Yes, Ninth Imperial Uncle!” Feng Jiu’er did not stop to think — she immediately turned and walked out the door.

The room next door seemed quite familiar to her, most likely because she had truly visited often in the past. In any case, the room next door was kept specifically for her use, with even her clothes prepared there.

Watching that young woman flee as though escaping, Zhan Qingcheng felt a complicated stirring in his heart. Was he truly so frightening that she would do everything possible to slip away whenever she was near him?

He had thought his looks were at least passable. Surely he was not so alarming as to frighten young women…

He drew his long legs back, and the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s expression shifted slightly once more.

A moment ago, the young woman had landed on him with her full weight, and the pain had been far more unbearable than a blade striking his body!

Otherwise, he would never have… let himself — that muffled groan — how shamefully embarrassing!

…

The servants had prepared the meal bright and early. After Jiu’er accompanied Zhan Qingcheng for breakfast, she had originally intended to return to the academy on her own as quickly as possible.

To her surprise, the Ninth Imperial Uncle used the excuse that it was on his way out to insist on personally seeing her off.

From the Ninth Prince’s manor to the imperial palace, how could that be on the way to the Imperial Academy? While it was not terribly far, it was genuinely not on the way at all!

But who would dare contradict the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s wishes?

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, the pastries here are delicious. Would I be allowed to bring some back for Qiaomu, Xiao Yingtao, Mu Mu, and the others?”

Zhan Qingcheng had raised no objection when Feng Jiu’er mentioned giving some to Qiaomu and Xiao Yingtao — but to include even Mu Mu!

“No.” He said flatly.

The smile on Jiu’er’s face froze in an instant. She blinked her large eyes at him, speechless.

Ninth Imperial Uncle, did he have to be so stingy? He would not even allow her a few little pastries!

“You don’t eat them yourself, so they’ll just be thrown out anyway. What’s wrong with letting me take them? It would be such a waste to throw them away!” She very nearly rolled her eyes at him.

Zhan Qingcheng paid her no mind. Yu Jingfeng, standing watch to one side, said: “There are not many pastries left in the manor. If given to Qiaomu and Xiao Yingtao, there should be just enough.”

This Yu Jingfeng truly was the worm living in Zhan Qingcheng’s stomach — whatever His Highness was thinking, how could he not know?

“But if Miss Jiu’er were to give them to other unrelated persons — for example, to a gentleman with a particularly large appetite — I’m afraid there would not be enough.”

Jiu’er was taken aback, then immediately understood.

So the Ninth Imperial Uncle was actually… jealous?