Lian Rong paused slightly: "Tonight?"
Xu Yin pressed his lips tightly: "The sooner, the better."
He couldn’t imagine what had happened that night when the captured guard fell into the enemy’s hands. Although he trusted each of them not to reveal him, he couldn’t lower his guard against the people lurking in the shadows.
After all, he could even find the dagger from Liang Ningnian’s hand six years after her death, so nothing was certain!
This wasn’t the first time they slept in the same room, but on this particular night, Fu Zhen felt awkward doing anything as she watched Pei Zhan sit comfortably under the lamp, studying military tactics.
She was a young, spirited woman! Who could stay calm seeing such a young guy sitting in front of them at night, dressed in a robe and exposing his neck?
The canopy bed Mrs. Ning had made for her was large, but it couldn’t fill the entire room. He sat under the window frame, and she couldn’t help but notice his shadow constantly flickering under her eyelids.
Moreover, when Fu Zhen first came into the house, she was coaxed into taking over the chores, busying herself during the day and reluctantly fulfilling her role as the mistress at night.
They were seated east and west, with only a table in between, making it even more unsettling.
She looked at several pages of accounts, and somehow, the words on the paper all turned into the young man’s eyebrows, eyes, and mouth. Annoyed, Fu Zhen snapped the account book shut and crossed her arms.
Pei Zhan remained unmoved, slowly turning the pages of his book.
Fu Zhen tapped on the table.
Finally, he lifted his eyes: "What’s the matter? Aunt."
Fu Zhen sprang up as if on a spring.
In the distance, Ziyan, who was tidying a copper basin, was surprised to hear the word ’aunt’ and looked up, only to see Fu Zhen had moved to Pei Zhan’s side. She smiled knowingly and carried the basin out.
She thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
Fu Zhen looked to the side, just meeting a pair of eyes soft as moonlight.
She quickly said, "I’ve told you, don’t call me aunt anymore!"
Pei Zhan glanced at her: "When I refused to call you aunt when I was younger, you held a grudge. Now that I’ve changed, you don’t want me to call you that anymore?"
Fu Zhen sat down: "It’s enough for you to remember I’m your elder. No need to say it out loud."
"I want my words to match my heart."
Fu Zhen gave him a sidelong glance, sipping her tea: "Always going against me?"
Pei Zhan pressed his lips together, remaining silent.
He wasn’t stupid; being playful should have its limits. If he wasn’t more honest, he’d only end up at a disadvantage.
Seeing him quietly bury himself in the book again, Fu Zhen finally withdrew her gaze.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his robe sleeve lifted by the evening breeze. Underneath the white silk robe, his tanned skin was faintly visible, and his chest and arm muscles undulated like vast desert dunes.
Pei Zhan closed the book: "Even if I deliberately called you aunt twice, you wouldn’t need to worry about it. After all, in my heart, I have never thought of you as an aunt.
"But if you still want to call me Zhan Er, I’m fine with that."
Seeing her by his side, Pei Zhan felt delighted. Whether she called him Zhan Er or not, it wasn’t that important anymore.
Fu Zhen squinted at him: "You’re overthinking it. I just remembered why I tapped the table."
Fu Zhen reached out to adjust his open collar: "Wearing that is like wearing nothing. If you don’t want to wear it, I’ll take it off for you."
With that, she began to pull down his collar.
Pei Zhan’s body froze slightly, and he immediately pressed his hands down on his clothes!
"What’s wrong?" Fu Zhen raised an eyebrow, "Could it be a tactic of playing hard to get?"
Pei Zhan’s cheeks grew warm.
Who was playing hard to get?
He originally bet that she’d only flirt verbally but wouldn’t really act on it, feeling satisfied if he could catch her glancing a few more times.
He never expected her to not only act but do so with such ease and naturalness.
It was truly unsettling!
Looking at this fully cooked shrimp, Fu Zhen lifted her lips, saying, "Run, but you can’t hide. You might as well give in and take it off!"
Pei Zhan scowled at her, then reluctantly pulled over a robe beside him and put it on properly.
Darn it, he had lost this time!
Fu Zhen gave a little snort of laughter, swaggering a few steps away before turning back to him, leaning in: "If you can’t handle it, wear your clothes properly from now on and stop doing useless things!"
Pei Zhan looked at her face full of smugness, stretched out his long arm, and swiftly pulled her into his embrace: "Fine, then I’ll do something useful!..."
(Happy New Year to everyone!)