As dawn broke, Ran Weiyi woke up.
She had slept exceptionally well. Stretching lazily, she felt every bone in her body loosen and relax.
Last night’s kiss was still vivid in her mind. Without thinking, she touched her lips, her heart bubbling with sweetness.
After freshening up and preparing to go downstairs for breakfast, she opened the door—only to find a tall, straight figure standing rigidly outside, like a silent guardian deity.
Ye Mochen had no idea how long he’d been standing there. His body carried the faint chill and dampness unique to early morning.
He was clearly well-prepared: clean loungewear, hair neatly styled. But beneath his deep-set eyes lay unmistakable dark circles he couldn’t hide.
The moment he saw her, the fatigue in his eyes lit up instantly, bursting with a scorching brightness.
“Morning,” he said. His voice was hoarse from staying up all night, yet tinged with a careful softness meant only for her.
Ran Weiyi didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him. She reached out and poked his solid arm.
“Are you a door guardian now? Standing watch all night just for me?”
“……”
Ye Mochen said nothing, suddenly too guilty to meet her gaze—like a giant dog caught doing something wrong.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
He finally spoke, his tone muffled, carrying an oddly righteous sense of grievance.
Ran Weiyi completely lost her resolve.
She had meant to head downstairs, but seeing the heavy exhaustion in his eyes, she couldn’t make herself take a step.
With a sigh, she turned back, resigned. Lifting her hand, her cool fingertips gently brushed the dark shadows beneath his eyes.
The skin beneath her fingers felt slightly cold. That fatigue seemed to seep through her touch and tug at her heart.
It seemed that dealing with this Clingy Demon King required more than just “orders.”
She withdrew her hand and looked at him. Because of her touch, his gaze had grown even more focused—obedient, almost tame.
She needed to find a way to make him sleep properly.
Ye Mochen took her hand. The warmth in his palm was gentle and soft, and instinctively, he tightened his grip, completely enveloping her smaller hand.
“I’ll take you to see something.”
He led her through the meticulously tended garden of the estate, toward the quiet bamboo grove in the eastern courtyard. Deep within the grove stood a refined, two-story wooden building. With upturned eaves and an all-wood structure, it radiated a tranquil elegance untouched by worldly noise in the morning light.
“Yiyi, it’s quiet here. From now on, this place is yours.”
He looked at her as if offering a treasure, expectation practically spilling from his eyes.
“Take a look at your new dispensary. See what’s still missing.”
This place had once been prepared as another cage for himself—a more refined, dignified prison.
But now, she was here.
She had barged in without permission, turning his prison into her territory… into his rebirth.
Ran Weiyi looked at him, then stepped forward and pushed open the heavy wooden door. A faint fragrance of wood mixed with medicinal herbs drifted out.
The first floor had been completely renovated. One entire wall was lined with brand-new huanghuali wooden cabinets, each drawer engraved with the name of an herb in neat small-seal script—ancient, luxurious, and imposing.
On the opposite side stood rows of modern precision instruments, metallic and cold, glass vessels reflecting sharp light. Everything was expensive. Everything meticulously arranged.
Ye Mochen stood behind her, his tall figure enveloping her completely. The air around him brimmed with restrained anticipation.
These were all the finest items he’d gathered based on imagination alone. He didn’t know whether she would be satisfied.
Ran Weiyi walked straight to the medicine cabinets. Her pale fingers brushed lightly over drawers labeled Ginseng, Deer Antler, without hesitation.
Finally, her hand stopped at an empty drawer. She pulled it open—inside was nothing.
“This one is missing licorice root, atractylodes, and poria,” she said coolly, her voice echoing clearly through the space.
She then turned to the other side and gestured toward the expensive equipment.
“Those are for chemical analysis. What I need are a jade mortar and pestle, and clay pots for decocting medicine.”
She turned back to him, her clear eyes meeting his intent gaze.
“Mochen, the poison in your body is rooted in your bloodline—and hidden in your mind.”
“Western medical instruments can’t detect its cause.”
“And these rare tonics?” She paused. “To you, they’re nothing but fuel that accelerates the poison.”
Ye Mochen’s breathing stopped.
He had thought that giving her the best of everything in the world was enough.
He hadn’t realized that what she truly needed—he hadn’t prepared any of it.
A crushing wave of frustration and remorse surged up. The redness that had only just faded from his eyes stirred again, threatening to resurface.
“I…”
His throat was dry. He couldn’t say another word.
【Ding! Straight-man gift-giving has crashed and burned! Sister, he looks like a big dog who spent a fortune on a cat tree—only to find out you’re raising a fish.】
Doudou’s voice chimed in his mind at just the right moment.
Ran Weiyi, however, seemed oblivious to the storm brewing in his emotions. She walked up to him and lifted her face to look at him.
She wasn’t short—but in front of his one-meter-ninety height, she still seemed small.
“But the location you chose is very good.”
Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of approval.
“It’s quiet. The detox process can’t be disturbed.”
Ye Mochen’s eyes snapped up.
The storm inside him instantly calmed because of that one casual sentence.
She wasn’t blaming him.
She was even… praising him.
Ran Weiyi reached out—not to hold his hand, but to gently straighten his slightly rumpled collar. The gesture was intimate and soothing. Through the fabric, her fingertips brushed his scorching skin.
Ye Mochen’s body went rigid. He lowered his gaze, greedily drinking in her face so close to his, her long, thick lashes.
“I’ll make you a list later,” she said calmly.
“Everything I need—herbs, tools. Not a single thing can be missing.”
“Okay.”
One word escaped from deep in his throat—low, hoarse, and filled with absolute obedience.
His goddess was planning his future.
All he had to do was obey—and offer her everything he had.
Suddenly, Ye Mochen stepped forward.
The oppressive presence of his tall body instantly engulfed Ran Weiyi.
Her back hit the cool huanghuali cabinet with a soft thud.
He didn’t touch her—but he braced his arms on either side of her, trapping her between himself and the medicine cabinet in a tight, airtight space.
He bent down, his devastatingly handsome face magnifying in her vision.
The storm that had just subsided surged again in his eyes, dark and heavy. His gaze slid from her calm face downward… finally burning onto her soft, full lips.
His Adam’s apple rolled unconsciously—so clearly visible under her gaze.
He leaned in close, so close that his warm breath brushed against her lips, carrying a faint tremor.
It was unclear whether he was begging—
Or asking to take.