Pale and delicate skin, with black hair cascading down at the moment; if not for the tall stature, one might mistake the figure for a woman’s, so striking the resemblance.
"I’m done washing." Song Yanqing tried to speak in an absolutely calm voice.
"Hmm, then I’ll change into my nightgown."
"The screen has fallen over." Song Yanqing reminded.
"It’s okay." Xie Ruotong said.
At that moment, Song Yanqing’s face turned somewhat red.
Xie Ruotong was going to change in front of him...
And he wasn’t going to look.
However, at that moment.
He saw Xie Ruotong pushing up the fallen screen with ease.
Song Yanqing pursed his lips.
This woman, indeed, was much more formidable than he had imagined.
He could even recall the pain when her palm had struck him.
Xie Ruotong quickly changed into a clean nightgown and came out from behind the screen again.
Checking the time, it was already the hour of the hare.
Soon, it would be daylight.
She said, "Last night, you were affected by the scent of the ’Hallucinogenic Fragrance’."
Song Yanqing was naturally aware of it now.
He also knew it was the doing of someone from Duke Mansion.
Obviously, it was in order to bring him and Xie Ruotong together.
When it had first taken effect on him, he had thought it was Xie Ruotong’s scheme, but he now naturally understood it couldn’t have been her.
If it were her, she wouldn’t have refused.
And he had never imagined that Xie Ruotong would actually refuse.
In his heart, he couldn’t help but feel an unusual sentiment towards Xie Ruotong.
Perhaps, Xie Ruotong didn’t desire him as much as he had thought.
Song Yanqing lightly pressed his lips together.
And began to doubt whether he had held some misunderstandings about Xie Ruotong before.
"It must have been my grandmother’s doing to bring us together. Nothing happened between us, though," Xie Ruotong said.
"Hmm." Song Yanqing replied.
Without revealing any of his inner emotions.
"But in order not to let my grandmother do this again and to reassure her, I hope we can pretend in front of her," Xie Ruotong suggested.
Also not wanting a similar event to happen again.
After all, consumption of ’Hallucinogenic Fragrance’ could accidentally result in damage to all internal organs and death from bleeding out of all seven orifices.
Fortunately, the ’Hallucinogenic Fragrance’ that Song Yanqing encountered wasn’t the most fatal kind.
Of course, her grandmother definitely wouldn’t give Song Yanqing an overly potent one.
"How should we pretend?" Song Yanqing asked.
"In a short while, at dawn, my grandmother will certainly send someone over for our morning washes. To avoid suspicion that nothing happened between us last night, we need to sleep together now to allay her doubts."
Song Yanqing looked at Xie Ruotong.
He obviously wasn’t very willing.
"Don’t worry, I have no designs on you," Xie Ruotong stated bluntly.
Song Yanqing felt an inexplicable ... displeasure inside.
If it weren’t for last night’s experience, he would never have believed what Xie Ruotong said.
After what happened last night...
He had no strength to refute her.
"Once we get through today, there won’t be such things anymore," Xie Ruotong said.
"Hmm." Song Yanqing agreed, then looked at the bedding, "Should we tidy it up?"
"No need. My grandmother certainly knows we were supposed to sleep separately. Tidying up now would just raise her suspicions, so let’s just sleep together and keep everything as is."
With Song Yanqing’s agreement, Xie Ruotong got into bed first.
Her thought was, if Song Yanqing refused, she wouldn’t force him.
Xie Ruotong lay down on the bed.
Song Yanqing also lay down.
Both maintained a bit of distance between them.
Clearly, both were feeling aloof and constrained.
Song Yanqing gazed at the canopy in front of him, knowing it would be impossible to fall asleep with Xie Ruotong beside him.
And as he looked at the familiar canopy, the memories of that reckless moment on Xie Ruotong’s body when the drug took hold returned to his mind...
There must still be remnants of the drug in his system.
Song Yanqing couldn’t help but shift his body slightly.
Xie Ruotong also sat up in bed at this moment.
Song Yanqing’s body tensed suddenly.
He felt Xie Ruotong approaching.
His fists clenched involuntarily.
His body grew more and more tense.
As Xie Ruotong truly drew closer.
And yet, it seemed as if he was trying to calm himself.
He did not feel any movement from Xie Ruotong.
Opening his eyes, he saw a Dagger in Xie Ruotong’s hand.
Song Yanqing’s expression changed instantly.
"I’m not trying to kill you," Xie Ruotong realized the change in Song Yanqing’s expression and couldn’t help but laugh for a moment.
As she smiled, under the dim candlelight and the soft light, she seemed to possess a hint of seductiveness.
It was a bewitching charm that seemed innate, without any pretense, as if it was naturally ingrained within her.
For a moment, Song Yanqing was spellbound.
"I just suddenly remembered something." Xie Ruotong spoke, and then with the Dagger, she fiercely cut her own finger.
Song Yanqing instantly snapped back to reality.
Just as he was about to ask what she intended to do,
He saw Xie Ruotong drop a couple of blood droplets onto the bedsheets.
In that instant, Song Yanqing of course understood.
After staining the bedsheets with blood, Xie Ruotong used a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.
She said to Song Yanqing, "Sleep now, we can rest a bit more before people come in."
Song Yanqing said nothing.
He turned over, his back facing Xie Ruotong.
Seeing that her finger had stopped bleeding, Xie Ruotong also lay down, her back to Song Yanqing as well.
After a night of commotion.
Finally, they could sleep in peace.