Jiang Ning felt as if she were back in her student days when she would be called on by the teacher to recite poetry. Whenever they finished studying classical love poems, the male classmates would always deliberately tease the girls they had feelings for. Slightly precocious for her age, Jiang Ning thought they were truly childish.
The bell signaling the end of class rang out, and the female instructor departed the hall. The quiet classroom gradually spiraled out of control, turning into the chaotic noise that Jiang Ning had fully anticipated.
With the restraining force of the female instructor present, they could still pretend to behave like decent human beings; once that restraint was gone, however, all of them regressed back to their original form.
Jiang Ning excitedly leaned against the outside of the window, observing this ten-minute recess of ancient times.
Scanning around, Jiang Ning’s gaze settled on a young girl in the first row. Her eyebrows and eyes were an exact replica of Wen Ya’s—could she be a teenage Wen Ya?
“Yaya, the handiwork class for the next period requires us to submit our work. Is your lantern finished? I made an extra one, so I’ll reluctantly give it to you.”
Little Wen Ya was just about to leave her desk when she was stopped by a young boy. That person was an acquaintance as well—he looked like a scaled-down version of the Prince of Jing.
The expression on his face was arrogant and defiant, as though Little Wen Ya had begged him and he was only grudgingly giving her the lantern because he pitied her. Yet his eager, expectant eyes—desperately hoping Little Wen Ya would accept the lantern—had long exposed the true thoughts in his heart.
Little Wen Ya extended both hands from behind her back, each holding an exquisite goldfish lantern. She gave Little Prince of Jing a faint smile. “Thank you, but I’ve already made mine.”
Having said that, Little Wen Ya happily walked over to a youth clad in green in the back row, calling out, “Brother Xiaonan~”
Brother Xiaonan took the goldfish lantern from Little Wen Ya’s hand and affectionately patted the top of her head. “Xiaoya is so impressive, even knowing how to make lanterns.”
Little Prince of Jing’s expression instantly turned terrible. He glared at them viciously, squeezing the lotus lantern in his hand until it deformed as an outlet for his anger.
“I don’t need it!”
A sharp voice drew Jiang Ning’s attention. She looked over; it was also in the back row.
A crowd of people had gathered. Roughly seven or eight teenage girls were holding all kinds of lanterns in their hands. Among them, a cute, plump girl in pink squeezed to the innermost spot, happily presenting the lotus lantern in her hand to the handsome youth surrounded by the crowd.
What she received in return, however, was the handsome youth’s unceremonious rejection. There was not a trace of warmth in his voice. “All of you go away! Do you have nothing better to do after eating your fill? Isn’t this annoying!”
Cruelly rejected, the pink-clad girl’s bright, large eyes instantly grew misty with tears. Standing on tiptoe, she shouted in huffing anger, “I am Her Royal Highness the Princess! I command you to take my lantern!”
The handsome youth’s expression did not change even a bit, firm and resolute: “I don’t need it!”
“Waaah—”
Having successfully driven the pink-clad girl to tears, the other young girls were also chased away under the handsome youth’s cold face.
Brother Xiaonan walked over to the handsome youth and said, “Jianshen, how can you speak to girls so harshly?”
Jianshen?
Gu Jianshen?
In an instant, Jiang Ning—who had been enjoying the show—felt a wave of intense cold creep over her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the handsome youth again; indeed, the more she looked, the more he fit the description.
That cold, distant demeanor that pushed people thousands of miles away really hadn’t changed from childhood to adulthood.
Little Student Gu retorted against Brother Xiaonan with a face full of impatience, “Men and women should not touch or exchange gifts inappropriately; proper boundaries must be kept. Not everyone has a marriage alliance like you and Wen Ya. It’s fine for you two to be closer, but if I were to get closer with them, how would I be any different from a shameless rogue?”
Restraining himself and adhering to etiquette, he acted just like a little adult.
Brother Xiaonan and Little Wen Ya looked at each other, their faces flushing red instantly.
After a good while, Brother Xiaonan asked, “Then when class starts in a bit, how are you going to report to the instructor?”
Little Student Gu raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Don’t act like I don’t have a lantern. I’ll show you something novel.”
Little Student Gu reached his hand into the desk drawer. Both Brother Xiaonan and Little Wen Ya looked over with curiosity.
Jiang Ning also poked her head out to stare, curious as to what kind of gadget he could pull out.
When Little Student Gu pulled out a birthday lotus lantern produced in Yiwu, Jiang Ning’s mind temporarily went blank.
What on earth!
In an instant, the world spun around.
Jiang Ning felt a burst of dizziness. When she settled back down, her surroundings had already changed.
On a bamboo couch, before Jiang Ning could clearly see her surroundings, she was pinned down by someone pressing over her. It felt as though he wanted to rub her into his very bones, treating her like a precious treasure lost and regained, gently and softly caressing her.
Soon, this gentleness was gradually replaced by impatience. He began kissing her wildly and tearing at the clothes on her body, extremely unable to wait.
The residual effects of the drug inside Jiang Ning’s body seemed to reignite, lighting a fire within her.
Dry wood and intense fire burned fiercely…
.
“Concubine Jiang, wake up! What’s wrong with you? Wake up!”
Jiang Ning was shaken awake. Surrounding her were anxious shouts. She slowly opened her eyes; she was drenched in sweat, which had already soaked through her inner garments, leaving her body sweltering hot and sticky.
The person beside the bed was Chuntao. Full of concern, she pressed, “Concubine Jiang, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Unwell?
The flush on Jiang Ning’s face had not yet faded, and a trace of passion lingered in her eyes. That man always appeared in her dreams like this, teasing her and making her sink uncontrollably into temptation.
Thinking back to that winter day at the head of her bed when he said she would make babbling cries…
Jiang Ning raised her hand to cover her eyes and asked in a raspy voice, “Was I making noise?”
Chuntao nodded and asked in confusion, “Concubine Jiang, I did hear it. Were you having a nightmare?”
Jiang Ning parted her lips bitterly. “It was a nightmare. Go fetch some water; I want to bathe.”
Chuntao complied and left to fetch water.
Jiang Ning’s entire face was bright red. She didn’t dare open her eyes, hoping it was just a hallucination. It was truly mortifyingly embarrassing.
By now, it was early morning, and the horizon was revealing a pale dawn. The maids responsible for sweeping in the estate had already begun their busy routine.
Jiang Ning lay in the wooden bathtub, washing herself clean. She pondered whether that dream man was like Xuanzang’s flesh—a grand tonic that swept away all the exhaustion of recent days, making her body and bones feel thoroughly relaxed and refreshed.
East Court.
A pair of long legs stepped out of the bathtub. Water droplets slid down his sexy collarbone, all the way past his sturdy chest muscles and lean abdominal muscles, before being wiped clean by a white bath towel before falling any further.
Gu Jianshen possessed standard broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Putting on a robe loosely gave him an exceptionally sharp silhouette, and a sense of satisfaction following fulfillment rested upon his face.
He had finally dreamed of the fairy maiden again.
His rationality and willpower were always easily demolished before the fairy maiden, driving him deeper into inescapable passion than any drug in the world ever could.
The only pity was that he hadn’t had the chance to ask the fairy maiden where she was located before waking up.
“Master, Concubine Jiang was a bit off last night. She was moaning during the night.”
Gu Jianshen had always instructed people to keep Jiang Ning under surveillance. Suddenly receiving such a report, he was somewhat taken aback.
He asked back uncertainly, “Moaning? Is her body feeling unwell?”
The female shadow guard said, “It might not be discomfort. It should be described as the kind of sound from feeling overly comfortable. Afterwards, Miss Chuntao came over to send me away, so I didn’t continue listening.”
She then added, “Master, Concubine Jiang is your woman no matter how one puts it. In this fantasy of hers, it is unknown who her target was, and it hasn’t happened just once. Your subordinate feels she is disloyal to Master, so it was necessary to report this to Master.”