The rustling sound of the pages brought You Yuji back to her senses. She lowered her head and randomly flipped through the book, trying to find the page she had been reading.
Suddenly, Si Que’s slender hand appeared in her sight.
The book was taken from her hands. Si Que flipped through it, found the page You Yuji had been reading, and handed the book back to her.
You Yuji kept her eyes lowered, not looking at him, but she heard him say, “I’ve been ill for a long time and have learned some medical skills. If you have any questions, you can ask me.”
You Yuji didn’t respond. Her brow furrowed slightly, a trace of confusion appearing. This confusion quickly dissipated, replaced by hesitation.
She was not ignorant of matters between men and women, nor was she unaware of her own beauty.
She suddenly felt a bit confused about her relationship with Si Que.
— He was neither her husband nor her lover.
For a moment, You Yuji thought about many things.
She suddenly felt that there were some things she needed to clarify with Si Que.
She looked up again, gazing into Si Que’s eyes, seriously but gently saying, “I’ve been reading some books on conceiving a child these past two days and found that the timing of intercourse is important for getting pregnant. It seems that these recent days are not favorable.”
Si Que listened to You Yuji’s words. He knew she sought him only for the purpose of having a child, but hearing her say it still displeased him.
“Unless it’s for the purpose of getting pregnant, I am indeed not very willing,” You Yuji paused, choosing her words carefully, “because you are not my husband, nor do I consider you my lover.”
Si Que listened to her speak the harshest words in the gentlest tone.
The two sat facing each other in silence. Si Que lowered his eyes, his long lashes hiding his emotions.
You Yuji carefully observed his expression.
Was he unhappy?
After a long silence, You Yuji lightly bit her lip, her slender brows slightly furrowing. She adopted a gentle, coaxing tone: “Si Que, I’m telling you this so you don’t misunderstand. I don’t know if you simply want to enjoy the pleasures between a man and a woman, or if you have even a slight affection for me. If it’s the latter, I don’t want you to misunderstand that I consider you my lover.”
Si Que continued to sit quietly, eyes downcast, lips pressed together, saying nothing.
You Yuji waited for a while, but he remained silent. Her brows furrowed even more. She reached out, gently covering Si Que’s hand with her palm, her voice even more coaxing: “Please don’t be unhappy, okay? Sister is not rejecting you, just trying to make things clear. It’s me who has a request of you, and if you wish for it, sister will not refuse you.”
Her slender fingers slowly curled, grasping Si Que’s index finger in her palm and giving it a gentle shake.
“I like sister,” Si Que suddenly raised his eyes. “I really like sister.”
You Yuji was taken aback, her hand releasing Si Que’s finger. She looked into his bright, dark eyes, not hiding her surprise.
For a few breaths, her mind went blank.
She had vaguely sensed that Si Que might have a slight affection for her, but she was not certain. She never expected him to be so forthright about it.
Just as You Yuji was about to withdraw her hand, it was suddenly grasped tightly by Si Que.
Si Que looked at You Yuji with a pure, harmless smile, and said, “I can’t sleep, always thinking about sister. The more I think about sister, the harder it is to sleep. So I came to find sister.”
You Yuji was bewildered by his straightforward words.
“If I could hold sister while sleeping, I would definitely sleep well. If sister doesn’t want that, I will just sleep on this wooden couch. As long as I know I’m in the same room with sister, I can sleep peacefully.”
“Sister, I’ve never had anyone treat me as well as you do.”
“Sister, in these nineteen years, I’ve never especially liked anything until I met you.”
“Sister, I know you just want a child and don’t like me. But if I sincerely like you, will sister possibly like me even a little in the future?”
He frowned, his usually cold features showing a hint of pitifulness.
You Yuji was already stunned by his straightforward words, staring at him blankly, unable to find the words to respond.
Si Que suddenly lowered his eyes. Just before his long lashes hid his bright eyes, You Yuji saw a trace of disappointment in them.
His voice also dropped: “Although I can’t give sister the status, wealth, and power like the heir can, I will never annoy sister like he does. I will only cherish you, be good to you, and offer my whole sincere heart to you.”
“I want to be your lover,” he said, looking deeply into You Yuji’s eyes. “Even if you think I don’t have much time left, please try to like me, okay?”
“Okay.”
As soon as she spoke, You Yuji pursed her lips.
For a moment, she felt she had been coaxed by sweet words. She rarely acted impulsively, but at that moment, she was swayed by the eyes filled with her image.
She couldn’t bear to refuse or to continue looking into those clear eyes. She gently shifted her gaze to Baisui, sitting nearby. At some point, Baisui had stopped grooming and was tilting its little head, watching Si Que and listening to him.
You Yuji closed her eyes lightly. Si Que’s words seemed to still linger in her ears.
“Did you agree, sister? You won’t regret it, right?” Si Que asked.
You Yuji could hear the hidden joy in Si Que’s voice.
Well… she had been coaxed, and that was that.
She let out a gentle sigh, turned her face back to Si Que, and smiled warmly, “No regrets. I will try to like you.”
Si Que instantly smiled, “Sister is so good. Thank you for letting me be your lover.”
You Yuji once again thought that rumors were never to be believed. Everyone said that Princess Que of the Si Kingdom was silent and never smiled, like an iceberg. But after truly interacting with him, she found such talk to be absurd.
“Sister, can I sleep here now?”
You Yuji nodded.
Si Que tugged on You Yuji’s hand and asked, “Sister’s hand is so beautiful, may I kiss it?”
“No!” You Yuji refused but couldn’t help but smile at his tone.
Si Que immediately let go of her hand, saying, “Alright, I’ll listen to sister.”
The smile in You Yuji’s eyes deepened, and she said, “Alright, go to sleep. I still want to read for a while.”
“I want to stay with sister.”
You Yuji said nothing, just moved a bit towards the inner side of the beauty couch. Seeing this, Si Que got up and fetched a thin blanket from a nearby rack and returned. He draped the thin blanket over You Yuji’s legs, then leaned against the side of the beauty couch next to her.
You Yuji’s gaze remained on the medical book in her hand. Without looking at him, she pulled the blanket he had placed on her legs a bit towards him—did he bring her the blanket because he felt cold? His health wasn’t good; she didn’t want him to catch a chill.
The charcoal fire in the room burned warmly, filling the room with heat.
Time flowed slowly as You Yuji quietly flipped through the medical book, with Si Que sitting close by, accompanying her.
Baisui seemed to have lost interest in the scene. It yawned widely, then curled up into a ball next to You Yuji, holding its little paws and falling asleep.
After a long time, footsteps echoed from outside the door. Baohe announced from outside, “Madam, the heir has come.”
You Yuji frowned and said, “Tell him I am resting.”
It was clear she did not want to see Chen Anzhi.
Just as she finished reading the page, she reached to turn it, but before her fingers touched the paper, Si Que turned it for her.
Not long after, heavy footsteps were heard outside. It was clearly not her maid. Soon, Chen Anzhi barged in directly.
“You Yuji, is there someone hiding in your room? I saw it—the window reflected the shadows of two people—”
Chen Anzhi’s eyes widened in shock when he saw Si Que next to You Yuji. His words got stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down.
Without even lifting her head, You Yuji said, “It’s late, the heir should leave.”
“You!”
Chen Anzhi snapped out of his daze, and hearing the coldness in You Yuji’s voice, a fire burned in his heart. He was about to lose his temper but ultimately held back because of Si Que’s presence.
Under the thin blanket that covered both their legs, Si Que held onto You Yuji’s hand.
You Yuji was startled, her hand stiffening momentarily. Just as she was about to pull away, Si Que’s grip tightened. She hesitated for a moment, then decided not to struggle and let him be.
Si Que turned his head with an expressionless face, casting a cold glance at Chen Anzhi standing at the door, his voice equally cold: “Does the heir believe I am an illicit lover with sister?”
As he spoke, he gently caressed You Yuji’s hand under the thin blanket, stroking from the back of her hand to her slender fingers and then to her fingertips, repeatedly and tenderly, as if he were cherishing a rare treasure.
You Yuji sneaked a sideways glance at Si Que, astonished by his quick change of demeanor. She could hardly connect the cold, aloof Princess Que now with the person who had been gently coaxing her just moments ago…
“I…” Chen Anzhi was speechless.
Clearly, he was always reluctant to leave a bad impression on Princess Que. After racking his brains, he finally said, “I was worried she might be coerced by some wild man and harmed!”
Si Que nodded perfunctorily.
Chen Anzhi stood awkwardly at the door, unsure of what to say or do.
Having drunk a bit at the banquet today, he felt a strong urge to find a woman for relief. Fang Qingyi was unwell, and the usually obedient Chunxing had also turned him away. After thinking it over, he came to Tanxiang Yingyue, remembering his father’s admonition that producing an heir was of utmost importance.
But he had not expected to see the silhouettes of two people cuddling through the window, assuming You Yuji was reverting to her old ways. Angrily barging in, he found out he had misunderstood—there was no wild man, only Princess Que…
Si Que gave Chen Anzhi a cold look and slowly said, “Does the heir, in visiting so late, expect sister and me to serve you together?”
“No, no, no!” Chen Anzhi waved his hands repeatedly. “The princess misunderstands, how could Anzhi dare to think such a thing!”
He proclaimed himself a gentleman, swearing up and down, but involuntary images filled his mind.
Chen Anzhi’s gaze shifted from Si Que to You Yuji.
Si Que’s face suddenly turned cold as he slightly moved to shield You Yuji. His eyes narrowed, glaring at Chen Anzhi.
Chen Anzhi snapped out of it, immediately smiling ingratiatingly, “It’s very late, reading too much will tire your eyes. You both should rest early; I won’t disturb you any longer.”
He smiled, turned around, and walked out, not forgetting to close the door behind him. From outside, he repeated, “Rest well; I won’t disturb you.”
Inside the room, Si Que had already turned around, his face cold as he reached to adjust You Yuji’s collar.
You Yuji slapped his hand away.
Si Que looked at You Yuji and suddenly smiled, all traces of his earlier coldness gone. He obediently said, “The collar is too loose; I was afraid sister would catch a chill.”
You Yuji did not respond and instead changed the topic: “It’s very late; let’s sleep.”
She glanced towards the bed.
She had been sleeping on the beauty couch for several nights. If she let Si Que sleep there tonight while she stayed here, she feared he might overthink it.
Si Que didn’t do anything to You Yuji; he simply lay quietly beside her, holding her hand. Before closing her eyes, she saw Si Que’s obedient smile directed at her.
You Yuji fell asleep.
Si Que glanced at You Yuji, picking up a strand of her soft hair and twirling it around his slender finger, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. “When you fall in love with me, and I die in your arms, won’t that be amusing, my little fox spirit?”
