“Wangye? Wangye?”
Shen Yue called out several times before Xiao Yuheng finally snapped back to attention.
“Wangye, look! Your hair has turned black again! I told you it would get better!”
Shen Yue seemed even more excited than he was, the person actually affected. Watching her, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. “It’s only temporary. It’s getting late, let’s go out.”
“Alright.”
The two exited the secret chamber through another hidden door. Only after emerging did Shen Yue realize this door led directly to Xiao Yuheng’s bedroom.
She had sneaked into this bedroom before but had never discovered any hidden mechanisms. Strange.
Our Little Shadow Guard refused to believe there was any mechanism she couldn’t discover. As soon as she stepped out, she began feeling along the wall, trying to find the door’s activation button.
Xiao Yuheng knew exactly what she was thinking. “Stop looking. This door only opens from the inside.”
“Oh, no wonder.” Hearing this, Shen Yue finally stood up.
Just then, rapid knocking sounded from outside the room.
“Wangye, are you there?”
It was Changfeng’s voice.
“Enter.”
Xiao Yuheng responded and slowly moved to sit at the table.
Upon receiving permission, Changfeng and Zhao Si limped into the room.
Seeing Shen Yue also in the room, Changfeng visibly paused for a moment, then showed a trace of anger on his face.
He had just received a caning the day before yesterday. The benevolent Wangye had granted him a few days of rest, but this reprieve was short-lived. At dawn today, Zhao Si had woken him, saying the shadow guards had been knocked out again, and knocking on Wangye’s door had received no response. The shadow guards didn’t dare to enter without permission, so they came to him for guidance.
At that moment, he felt as if the sky had fallen. Disregarding his injuries, he rushed over in a panic.
Now it seemed certain that this Shen Er was behind the trouble again.
Thinking this, he shot another fierce glare at Shen Yue.
Shen Yue: …What now? What did I do this time? This really has nothing to do with me!
Xiao Yuheng observed their reactions, the corner of his mouth quirking up secretly before he quickly suppressed it.
“What is it?”
Zhao Si knelt on the floor trembling and spoke first:
“This humble subordinate deserves death! We’ve let intruders break into the Wangfu again! I beg Wangye for mercy! Please don’t expel the brothers from the estate…”
Shen Yue then remembered that Zhao Si, this unlucky fellow, had been on night duty again yesterday. She looked at him sympathetically, then struggled to contain her laughter as she turned her gaze to Xiao Yuheng.
She wanted to see how this damned Wangye would deal with them this time.
Ahem.
Xiao Yuheng glared at her and said impassively:
“Expulsion from the Wangfu is indeed rather harsh. Very well, all members of the Four Divisions shall receive twenty strokes. And… be more careful next time.”
Zhao Si clearly hadn’t expected Xiao Yuheng to let him off so easily. He stared blankly for a long moment until Changfeng discreetly coughed to prompt him. Only then did he react, thanking His Highness excitedly before withdrawing from the room.
“Wangye, the shadow guards reported that you didn’t respond when they knocked last night. Were you in the secret chamber? Could it be that your Cold…”
Changfeng looked anxious, wanting to say something but hesitating because Shen Yue was present, ultimately leaving the words unspoken.
“Indeed, it was a Cold Poison flare-up.” Xiao Yuheng replied as if it were nothing significant.
Hearing this, Changfeng’s lips parted slightly, his pupils filled with shock.
Wangye actually admitted to the poison flare-up in front of Shen Er!
That meant Shen Er already knew about the Cold Poison he carried?
From when Wangye said he would take him under his wing until now, only two days had passed. How could he already know so much about Wangye?
It should be known that Changfeng had been by the Wangye’s side since childhood and only learned this secret when he was eight years old.
Back then, the Wangye, afraid of frightening them, would hide alone in dark places whenever the Cold Poison flared up. Only after the toxicity subsided and he returned to normal would he reappear. Despite this, when Changfeng first witnessed the Wangye’s condition during an episode, he was so terrified he cried for three days.
From that time on, the Wangye grew even more disgusted with his poisoned state, and no matter how Changfeng pleaded, the Wangye never allowed him into the Secret Chamber.
But judging by the current situation, Shen Er must have just come out of the Secret Chamber…
For some reason, he felt a pang of displeasure, and his gaze toward Shen Er held a hint of hostility.
However, the most urgent matter was the Wangye’s health. He pressed his lips together and pressed on, “The Wangye’s poisoning shouldn’t occur for another ten days or so. Why did it flare up early? Did the Wangye consume something cold?”
Hearing the words “cold food,” Shen Yue blinked her innocent large eyes and asked puzzledly, “The Wangye did have some Sushan. What, he can’t have cold things?”
“Sushan?” Changfeng’s expression darkened immediately. “Do you have any idea that we usually don’t even dare let the Wangye touch cold water? How dare you let him eat something as frigid as Sushan? You have quite the nerve!”
Shen Yue was stunned. “I… I didn’t know! He’s a grown man, it’s not like he has his period. How was I supposed to know he can’t touch cold water or eat cold things?”
Changfeng: “You—”
Just as the two were about to clash, Xiao Yuheng finally spoke, “Changfeng, it was I who wanted to eat it. It has nothing to do with Shen Er.”
“But—”
“Enough. Dismissed.”
The man’s words were measured, but his tone held an undeniable authority.
Changfeng could only sigh helplessly and withdraw resentfully.
Watching his retreating back, Shen Yue snorted coldly, spread her hands, curled her fingers like claws, and made an exaggerated grimace. “Hah! Serves you right for scolding me…”
Her demeanor was rather like that of a petty person gloating over a minor victory. Xiao Yuheng watched quietly, thinking how absurd it was that he had suspected her of being a woman just moments ago.
He couldn’t help but let out a self-mocking laugh and shook his head.
When he looked up again, he saw Shen Yue studying him seriously. “Wangye, you look quite handsome when you smile.”
For some reason, he felt uncomfortable and could only cover it up with a cold rebuke. “How dare you!”
Shen Yue hadn’t expected him to flip his mood so quickly. She shuddered, her shoulders trembling, and reflexively dropped into a smooth kneel.
The moment she knelt, she regretted it. How had a few months as a shadow guard made her so subservient? That kneel was far too smooth…
Xiao Yuheng hadn’t intended to scold her in the first place. Now he just found it amusing, and his earlier discomfort vanished. “You are dismissed as well,” he said, feigning composure.
“Oh.” Shen Yue stood up dejectedly.
“Wait.”
“What now?” Her expression was far from pleased. Was this never going to end?
The Wangye cleared his throat. “You worked hard last night. Go back and get some proper rest. Leave the training drills to others.”
That’s more like it.
“Can I sleep for three days and three nights then?” she asked cheekily.
“…Shen Er, don’t push your luck.”
“Heh, this subordinate was just joking.”
“You are granted two days of rest. No more.”
“Yes!”
Having unexpectedly gained two days off, Shen Yue was overjoyed and planned to sleep like the dead. Little did she know she wouldn’t even manage to sleep a full day before waking up.
For no other reason than the rumors about her and Xiao Yuheng had already reached her doorstep.
“Hey, did you hear? Last night our Director slept in Wangye’s room!”
“Really?”
“As true as gold! They were at it all night—people from the Four Divisions knocked on the door for ages with no answer!”
“Not only that, but our Director was holding her waist when she went out this morning, and she even had dark circles under her eyes!”