“Does my lord want this?” Shen Wan picked up the candy and waved it in front of Pei Changli’s eyes a couple of times.
She had simply been struck by a playful mood, wanting to tease Pei Changli a little.
At worst, if he got angry, she could just load a save and start over.
But to Shen Wan’s astonishment, Pei Changli did not react as she had expected—feeling insulted. Instead, like a child, he nodded obediently.
What… was wrong with him?
Shen Wan didn’t understand, but at least Pei Changli had tossed his sword aside, so her immediate danger was temporarily gone.
“Here you go.” Shen Wan placed the candy in his hand.
Having gotten the candy, Pei Changli instantly transformed into a child, quietly eating it.
Shen Wan thought for a moment, then patiently said in a soft voice, ”After you finish the candy, it’s time to lie down and sleep.”
Pei Changli didn’t fuss at all. He simply lay down on the bed and let Shen Wan tuck him in with the blanket.
Before long, his breathing became even.
“My lord… my lord?” Shen Wan called softly a couple of times, but Pei Changli only rolled over and kept sleeping.
Shen Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at Pei Changli sleeping soundly on the bed. His sleeping face was calm and peaceful, like a carefree child.
“How is this possible… Could he have a split personality?” Shen Wan couldn’t help but grumble.
Pei Changli, who was normally decisive in killing and as fearsome as a living King of Hell, had suddenly become like a little child—one piece of candy was enough to make him content and obedient!
Unbelievable. It was simply unbelievable!
When Pei Changli woke up, he felt something pressing against his hand.
He grabbed it and saw a candy resting steadily in his palm.
“This is from last night. You ate one, and there were some left over. Do you want more?”
Shen Wan’s voice came from the foot of the bed.
Pei Changli’s calm eyes immediately flashed with a cold light.
He had returned…
“You like candy so much. As long as you behave obediently, I’ll bring you some more.” Shen Wan was smug. As long as she had this leverage over Pei Changli, wouldn’t he do whatever she said from now on?
“Shut up.” Pei Changli snapped coldly.
Shen Wan flinched and quickly shut her mouth, not daring to speak. She just blinked her eyes, curiously studying Pei Changli.
This man’s moods changed far too quickly.
Did he not like candy anymore?
“If you dare tell anyone about this, I will not spare you,” Pei Changli threatened.
Shen Wan was puzzled.
So what if he liked candy?
Was it really that embarrassing?
But then again, since he had made a demand, she could take the opportunity to propose an exchange!
Shen Wan crossed her arms and leaned against the edge of the bed. “Agreeing is simple. My lord just needs to agree to one condition of mine.”
“Speak.” Pei Changli was terse.
Shen Wan couldn’t suppress the smile on her face. “I want to be able to come and go freely from the residence from now on.”
Pei Changli pondered. If he confined her, it would actually be harder to spot any slip-ups. Better to let her roam freely and observe her secretly.
“Fine,” Pei Changli agreed.
“Wonderful!” Shen Wan hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly.
Thanks to her own cleverness, she had negotiated such a great deal!
When Yan Qingqing came over, Shen Wan was playing with a cat in the courtyard.
There was no helping it—life in this deep, walled compound was simply far too boring.
“Why did you come over?” Shen Wan caught a glimpse of a red dress from the corner of her eye.
She looked up to see Yan Qingqing, her hair adorned with pearls and jade, dressed in gorgeous clothing—she had clearly dressed up carefully for this occasion.
Shen Wan admitted that in this world her status was inferior to Yan Qingqing’s, but this was the prince’s residence, not the prime minister’s estate.
Even if she was just borrowing the tiger’s might, Shen Wan felt she was entitled to it.
“I summoned her here,” Pei Changli said, appearing from who knows where.
Amid his refined, elegant air there lingered a hint of cold menace.
Confused, Shen Wan tugged gently at his sleeve and asked in a low voice, “What’s this about?”
“To stand up for you,” Pei Changli said, his thin lips parting slightly.
Those simple four words sent a chill down Shen Wan’s spine.
Pei Changli standing up for her—that sounded utterly absurd.
Surely he wasn’t scheming something sinister?
Or was it because of what she’d told him at the market that he’d decided to get back at someone for her?
But back then she’d only made up that excuse offhandedly to brush him off—she never expected him to take it to heart.
Besides… as far as she could remember, after Loading Saves multiple times, Yan Qingqing had never really done anything too terrible to her…
No, no—now even she was getting confused.
In any case, while there was bad blood between her and Yan Qingqing, there really was no need to summon her here specifically to apologize.
Besides, in this world, Shen Wan was nothing but a maidservant. If she acted too brazenly, who knew what kind of trouble she’d stir up.
“Actually…” Shen Wan wanted to say something.
But Yan Qingqing completely ignored her and went straight for Pei Changli.
“Qingqing pays her respects to Your Highness.” Yan Qingqing bowed slightly, her face glowing with warmth—she truly looked charming.
Only, her restless eyes lingered all over Pei Changli. Her interest in him was practically written on her face!
“That day at the lake outing, the flower cakes were absolutely delicious. I didn’t get to see Your Highness then, so I brought some today for you to taste.”
Yan Qingqing personally set the food box in her hands on the stone table nearby.
“Sparing with favors for no reason…” Shen Wan muttered under her breath.
Pei Changli gave her a sidelong glance.
Shen Wan had forgotten—he was a martial artist with keen hearing.
But so what if he heard?
She wasn’t wrong.
Yan Qingqing opened the food box and held the flower cakes out to Pei Changli, but her head was bowed and her shoulders trembled slightly.
Was she… crying?
Puzzled, Pei Changli’s mouth twitched, and he took a step back, showing no intention of taking the flower cakes.
Yan Qingqing set the cakes down and quickly pulled out a handkerchief, pretending to wipe away tears. “Forgive me, I lost my composure.”
“That day at the lake, this maidservant may have clashed with me and humiliated me in public, but I don’t hold it against her.”
This pretense of magnanimity mixed with feigned grievance made Shen Wan want to gag.
If she could tolerate this, what would she need a golden finger for?
Shen Wan rolled up her sleeves, pointed at Yan Qingqing’s nose, and let loose a torrent of abuse. “Look at you, the top-tier white lotus, all sweet to the face and vicious behind the back. Slandering me while deliberately putting on this act of being so magnanimous—isn’t it all just to seduce a man? He may not see through it, but I see it perfectly clearly!”
“If you like chasing men, go chase them! But dragging me in as your foil—how shameless can you get!”
Having vented all in one breath, the frustration in Shen Wan’s heart finally eased a little.
Without waiting for Yan Qingqing and Pei Changli to react, she quickly loaded a save.
Yan Qingqing set the cake down.
Shen Wan clearly noticed that the glance Pei Changli cast her way carried a hint of curiosity, as if he had discovered a fascinating new continent.
“An apology,” Pei Changli said slowly.