Shen Xuan hurriedly cleared her throat, hoping the small action would somehow calm the strange warmth spreading through her chest.
Her cheeks were still slightly flushed.
She quickly looked away from Yichen.
"Heart, close!"
"Lock!"
"Don’t you dare open!"
"And don’t you dare get moved by something as simple as I’ve missed you!"
Shen Xuan pressed her lips together.
She had read enough novels in her previous life to know exactly how dangerous these situations could become.
One moment, you were simply being nice to someone.
The next moment, you were emotionally attached.
And before you knew it, you were trapped in a complicated relationship that could destroy your peaceful salted-fish life.
Absolutely not.
She had learned her lesson.
She was going to live quietly.
Eat good food.
Sleep whenever she wanted.
Read books.
Play with her nephew.
Spend time with her family.
That was enough.
There was no room in that plan for complicated relationships.
"You should go to bed," Shen Xuan finally said, deliberately making her voice calm. "You look really tired."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"At least consider the fact that you woke me up in the middle of the night."
"I’m sleepy."
"I was sleeping so peacefully before you came."
Yichen’s lips twitched.
"Mmm."
He answered so casually that Shen Xuan almost thought he hadn’t heard her.
Then he bent down.
He removed his shoes.
Shen Xuan watched him in confusion.
Her brows slowly drew together.
"What are you doing?"
Yichen didn’t answer.
Instead, he climbed onto the bed.
He moved toward the inner side, away from the edge, and calmly lay down.
Shen Xuan stared.
Her mouth fell open.
"Eh?"
Her eyes widened.
"Eh?"
She looked at him.
Then at the bed.
Then back at him.
What is he doing?
Yichen turned his head toward her.
"Going to bed."
His answer was so natural that Shen Xuan was left speechless.
"You..."
She pointed at him.
"Why are you on my bed?"
Yichen glanced around the room.
Then he looked back at her.
"Because this is the only bed here."
Shen Xuan blinked.
She looked at the large bed.
Then at Yichen.
Then at the large bed again.
There were many questions she wanted to ask.
But before she could say anything, Yichen reached out.
He gently caught her wrist and guided her back toward the bed.
"Wait—"
Shen Xuan stumbled slightly.
Yichen immediately steadied her.
He made sure she was sitting properly before speaking.
"I only want to stay beside you."
His voice was quieter now.
"I want to know that you’re really here."
Shen Xuan became silent.
Yichen lowered his eyes for a moment.
"I won’t do anything."
His voice was sincere.
Then, almost too quietly to hear, he added,
"...At least not now."
Shen Xuan’s eyes widened.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Yichen’s expression remained completely calm.
Shen Xuan narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
She wanted to argue.
She really did.
But the warmth of the bed, the lateness of the hour, and the exhaustion weighing down her body made it difficult to keep her eyes open.
She yawned.
Her eyelids became heavy.
Yichen noticed immediately.
"Go to sleep."
Shen Xuan hesitated.
Then she sighed.
"Fine."
She lay down.
The moment her head touched the pillow, she felt her body relax.
"Dear author..."
"You’re going to be sued for this."
That was her final complaint.
Within moments, her breathing became slow and even.
She had fallen asleep.
Yichen remained awake.
He turned his head toward her.
Moonlight entered through the half-open window, falling gently across Shen Xuan’s sleeping face.
For a long time, he simply watched her.
His expression was completely different from the one he showed outside.
There was no coldness.
No distance.
Only tenderness.
Four years.
It had been four long years since he had last seen her.
She had been ten when he first met her.
At that time, she had been a little girl who could somehow make an otherwise ordinary day feel brighter.
He remembered her laugh.
Her little hands.
The way she would sit beneath the tree reading while eating snacks.
The way she would complain about being disturbed.
The way she would sometimes look at him as though he were an inconvenience before quietly allowing him to stay.
Those memories had remained with him.
At first, he had thought they would fade.
He had been wrong.
During the years away from the Shen Residence, there had been countless nights when he lay awake, staring into the darkness.
Sometimes he could almost hear her voice.
Sometimes he remembered her smile so clearly that he could swear she was standing before him.
Then, one day, he realized something that frightened him.
He couldn’t remember the exact shape of her face anymore.
The realization had left him unsettled.
That night, he had taken out paper and ink.
He painted her.
Then another painting.
And another.
Whenever he feared he was forgetting something, he painted again.
Soon, painting her face had become a habit.
A quiet obsession he never spoke about.
Whenever he had time, he would draw her from memory.
Her eyes.
Her smile.
The curve of her cheeks.
Even the little expressions she made when she was annoyed.
He had kept those paintings hidden.
No one knew.
Not even the people closest to him.
His life away from the capital had not been peaceful.
There had been blood.
There had been danger.
There had been nights when he wasn’t certain he would survive until morning.
But through everything, one thought had remained.
He wanted to return.
He wanted to see her.
He wanted to hear her voice.
He wanted to hear her laugh.
He wanted to know that she was safe.
And now...
She was here.
Right beside him.
Yichen slowly lowered his gaze to their hands.
After hesitating for a moment, he gently held Shen Xuan’s hand.
His fingers were careful.
Almost reverent.
He didn’t want to wake her.
"Awu..."
He whispered her name.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I’m finally back."
Shen Xuan shifted slightly in her sleep but didn’t wake.
Yichen watched her for another moment before finally closing his eyes.
For the first time in many years, he slept peacefully.
Morning arrived quietly.
The sound of footsteps outside gradually filled the courtyard.
Servants moved back and forth.
Doors opened and closed.
Water was carried into the courtyard.
Someone outside was giving instructions.
Shen Xuan’s brows slowly furrowed.
Her peaceful sleep was disturbed.
She turned over.
The noise continued.
Her eyes opened halfway.
She stared blankly at the ceiling.
Then her brows knitted together.
"Xiao Mei..."
Her voice was filled with displeasure.
"Xiao Cao..."
The footsteps outside immediately stopped.
"Young miss?"
The two maids hurried inside.
They approached the bed and bowed.
Shen Xuan sat up slowly.
Her hair was slightly messy from sleep.
"What is all this noise about?"
Her voice wasn’t loud.
But there was enough displeasure in it to make both maids stand straighter.
Shen Xuan treated her servants well.
She gave them good food.
She made sure they were properly clothed.
She never treated them as inferior simply because they served her.
But she was not a completely lenient mistress.
When servants made serious mistakes, she punished them.
That was why Xiao Mei and Xiao Cao knew better than to disturb her sleep without a good reason.
Xiao Mei quickly bowed.
"Young miss, please forgive us."
She hesitated before explaining,
"An honoured guest has arrived."
Shen Xuan blinked.
"An honoured guest?"
"Yes."
"The master instructed us to prepare you and bring you to the main hall."
Shen Xuan sighed.
"Oh..."
She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"I understand."
She pushed aside the blanket.
Xiao Cao immediately came forward to help her put on her slippers.
Shen Xuan stood.
As they helped her freshen up, she casually asked,
"Do you know who the guest is?"
Both maids exchanged a glance.
"No, Young miss."
"We weren’t told."
Shen Xuan nodded.
"Strange."
She didn’t think too much about it.
After washing her face and combing her hair, Shen Xuan was dressed in a simple but graceful outfit.
It was neither overly luxurious nor too plain.
The light fabric moved gently around her as she walked.
Her hair was arranged neatly, with only a few simple hairpins decorating it.
She looked ready to attend an outing.
But at the same time, she looked perfectly suited to spend the entire day inside her courtyard reading books and eating snacks.
Exactly how Shen Xuan preferred it.
She left her room with Xiao Mei and Xiao Cao following behind.
As they approached the main hall, the sound of distant voices became clearer.
Shen Xuan walked several more steps.
Then suddenly stopped.
Her feet froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
A thought came to her.
Yichen.
She had completely forgotten about him.
She turned her head.
He wasn’t there.
She glanced toward the courtyard behind her.
Nothing.
Her brows furrowed.
"Where did he go?"
She remembered falling asleep beside him.
But when she had woken up...
He had already disappeared.
"Did he leave again?"
A tiny pang of disappointment touched her heart.
It was so small that she almost ignored it.
Shen Xuan lowered her eyes.
She had already convinced herself that Yichen had simply returned because he happened to be passing through.
Perhaps he would leave again.
Perhaps this visit would be just like the last one.
A brief reunion.
Then another long absence.
She didn’t understand why that thought suddenly made her feel uncomfortable.
She quickly shook it away.
"Forget it."
She whispered to herself.
Xiao Mei looked at her curiously.
"Young miss?"
"I’m fine."
Shen Xuan straightened her clothes.
Then she continued toward the main hall.
Whatever the honoured guest was here for...
She would find out soon enough.