Shen Ying could not help but murmur a few complaints at Goldie.
Perhaps Shen Ying’s nagging was actually effective; Goldie lifted its head, glanced over, and only then spoke up lazily, “It’s a good thing that the future tyrant is close to you. Him coming to find you on his own initiative saves you a ton of trouble. If you can seize this chance to get close to the big tyrant through the little tyrant, that would be even better.”
The sooner the task was completed, the sooner its energy would return.
Looking at the blackening progress bar concerning the big tyrant inside the space, Goldie flattened itself back into a cat pancake shape.
He truly was just one step away from destroying the world.
Even if the little Crown Prince was a future tyrant, he was still just a child right now, making him quite easy to fool. Of course, judging from the current situation, the little Crown Prince acting like this was not something Shen Ying had tricked him into either.
As for the little Crown Prince’s father, the big tyrant’s blackening value had only a tiny sliver of space left; once that last gap was filled, it would be time for this world to be destroyed.
Its energy bar had been almost entirely drained when it pulled Shen Ying into this small world, leaving only a tiny fraction to sustain its own life.
The energy the little Crown Prince could provide was limited; the crucial point still lay with the tyrant.
Once its energy bar vanished completely, it would no longer be able to suppress the destruction of this world.
Although Goldie was anxious, it knew better than to push too hard, able only to wait patiently for Shen Ying to soothe the tyrant’s blackening value so its energy bar could grow.
As for urging Shen Ying to pursue the little Crown Prince’s father, Goldie had not gone without thinking about it, but it knew Shen Ying was not the type to do whatever it told her to do. At this point, it could only wait patiently.
Shen Ying ignored Goldie. Forcing her to run off and fawn over the little Crown Prince’s father was an utter impossibility.
When had she ever fussed over someone to curry favor? The mere thought felt awkward. Still, she found the little Crown Prince exceptionally adorable.
As the little Crown Prince sat there obediently, Shen Ying picked up a piece of pastry to feed him; he opened his mouth obediently to take a bite, looking cuter the more she looked at him.
In the time it took to eat two pieces of pastry, several inner attendants, under the direction of Attendant Liu, carried a large block of ice into Shen Ying’s room.
Attendant Liu had also brought mosquito-repellent sachets according to the little Crown Prince’s instructions. Shen Ying hung one on her person, while the attendants lit insect-repelling incense. Shen Ying and the little Crown Prince sat beside the ice outside.
The attendant beside the little Crown Prince possessed exceptional tact, holding a fan and gently wafting air beside the ice block. As the cool air was fanned over, Shen Ying felt as though she had finally come back to life.
This was truly far from easy.
Though it was not as cool as air conditioning, at least it was no longer stiflingly hot, and threads of cool air now lingered inside the room.
No matter how one looked at it, it was vastly better than before.
That Attendant Liu was likewise extremely observant, even having servants bring over an ice chest containing washed grapes and sliced watermelons.
There were even lychees transported via express courier.
Shen Ying sampled a bit of each. Aside from the pleasant taste after being chilled in ice, nothing else held much appeal for her. Before being pulled over by Goldie, she could eat produce flown in daily from abroad at home.
The offerings before her now were hardly anything rare or remarkable to her.
Thinking that all of this was brought to her by the little Crown Prince, Shen Ying picked up another piece of pastry and fed it to him. “Eat some pastry.”
Seeing Shen Ying smile, the little Crown Prince smiled as well, taking a bite of the pastry directly from Shen Ying’s hand before taking the treat into his own hands to eat.
The little Crown Prince looked up at Shen Ying, his small face flushed bright red—though whether from the heat or something else was hard to tell. Holding the pastry with both hands, he said, “As long as you like it. If you lack anything else, just tell me, and I’ll have people bring it to you.”
If he could, the little Crown Prince wanted to have Shen Ying move directly to the Eastern Palace to live with him; this place was not good at all.
Shen Ying leaned against the table, her eyes squinted as she soaked in the cool air from the ice. Speaking of what she lacked, she truly lacked quite a lot.
Yet even if she spoke of them, none existed here, so the little Crown Prince naturally had no ability to fetch them for her either.
The little Crown Prince imitated her posture and leaned against the table as well. Looking at the red marks on her neck, he frowned and asked, “Did the ointment I gave you not work?”
“I used it, but the effects probably aren’t that fast,” Shen Ying said lazily.
Having slept poorly yesterday due to the heat, now that it had cooled down, drowsiness washed over her instead.
She covered her mouth and let out a yawn, waving her hand at the little Crown Prince. “I’m sleepy and want to sleep for a bit. Go play by yourself.”
“Then… then I want to take a nap too.”
Hearing the little Crown Prince’s words, palace servants immediately stepped forward to take him to rest.
Yet unexpectedly, the little Crown Prince frowned and pushed the palace servants away, walking over to Shen Ying’s side and grabbing her hand. Looking at Shen Ying, he asked with a touch of caution, “Can I sleep with you for a bit? I… I’m very good, I won’t disturb you.”
Shen Ying glanced down at the little Crown Prince. Seeing the child looking up at her with big, pleading eyes, she originally intended to refuse, yet her heart softened after all, and she agreed, “Alright then.”
Hearing this, the little Crown Prince beamed with joy at once. Shen Ying went to the inner room to change her clothes, then lay directly down on the bed.
A good moment passed before the little Crown Prince came over, dressed in apricot-yellow sleepwear. Seeing Shen Ying lying on the bed with a round fan still held in her hand, he tiptoed onto the bed and lay down beside her.
Seeing that Shen Ying did not move, he nudged closer to her side, resting his small head against her shoulder while his round eyes stared fixedly at her side profile.
“Mother,” the little Crown Prince called out softly.
Shen Ying was truly exhausted. She knew the little Crown Prince had come over and was snuggled beside her. Hearing someone speaking without catching clearly what was said, she asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing, I just feel so happy. Today is my happiest day,” the little Crown Prince said.
Shen Ying gave no response; she had fallen asleep.
Likely infected by Shen Ying’s sleepiness, the little Crown Prince covered his small mouth, let out a yawn, and drifted off to sleep as well.
The servants in the outer room naturally dared not disturb them.
Attendant Liu was exceptionally tactful, addressing Xuerong with noticeably more politeness, “I have never seen His Highness the Crown Prince act so close to anyone before. This Selectee Shen truly possesses great fortune.”
Xuerong offered a smile, though in her heart she was quite astonished herself; ever since their first encounter, the little Crown Prince seemed exceptionally different toward Selectee Shen.
She did not know the specific reason, nor did she dare speak recklessly. She simply nudged the ice block a little further inward, and seeing that both had fallen sound asleep, she dared not disturb them, merely exchanging a brief word with Attendant Liu.
By the time Shen Ying woke up, the sky had already turned dark.
She sat up abruptly from the bed. Awakened by the sudden movement, the little Crown Prince rubbed his eyes and sat up alongside her. “Mother, what happened?”
“The sky is already dark,” Shen Ying murmured.
This nap had been immensely comfortable—so relaxing that Shen Ying felt thoroughly refreshed all over right now.
Just at that moment, the candle lanterns inside the room were lit, illuminating the space.
“His Highness the Crown Prince and Lady have awakened.”
“Xuerong, you haven’t clocked off work yet?” Shen Ying asked in surprise.
Xuerong did not respond to those words. The hours of their shifts were dictated by His Majesty, and the order that no special treatment should be given to this group of Selectees came directly from His Majesty as well.
Yet with the Crown Prince here today, she naturally could not simply walk away.
After getting out of bed, Shen Ying changed into another set of clothes.
Attendant Liu also rushed over to help the little Crown Prince change clothes, inquiring what he would like to eat for dinner.
Dressed and ready, the little Crown Prince ran up to Shen Ying. Shen Ying, who had just poured a cup of tea preparing to drink, handed the newly poured tea over to him.
“Thank you.” The little Crown Prince smiled brightly at once, taking the teacup with both hands and gulping it down.
Only after finishing did he remember that he had come over to ask Shen Ying what she wanted to eat for dinner.
Shen Ying was just about to say she would not eat because she needed to go on a diet.
Lowering her head to look at her current body, she realized it was even thinner than her original body. The original host was disliked by her biological father and stepmother; the servants at home trimmed their sails to the wind, naturally paying little attention to her. For her, even staying fed and warm posed a problem, making her noticeably thinner than Shen Ying’s original self.
If judged solely by written descriptions, one might not notice any issues; yet under current circumstances, it differed in no way from the real world, making her feel quite uneasy to look at.
When she used to clamor about dieting, slender as she was, her necessary nutrition was never lacking, and she would never have starved into such a state.
Shen Ying let out a sigh, swallowing back her words about dieting. If she went on a diet under these conditions, she would be as good as gone.
“Whatever works. Anything is fine.”
Meals still had to be eaten; at worst, she would just eat a little less.
Dinner was not eaten at her quarters, but at the little Crown Prince’s palace.
The little Crown Prince had brought her along to the Eastern Palace.
Though small, the child was exceptionally clever, claiming that since Shen Ying had hosted him, he should also bring Shen Ying to the Eastern Palace so he could host her in return.
Although Shen Ying did not feel she had hosted the little Crown Prince in any real sense, seeing him gaze at her with big, pleading eyes, she ultimately followed him to the Eastern Palace anyway.
Amid the astonished gazes of everyone at Mingxiu Palace, she boarded the sedan chair and left alongside the little Crown Prince.
Compared to her tiny room, the place where the little Crown Prince resided was by no means small, with numerous servants attending.
Attendant Liu had already given instructions early on, so the moment they arrived, dishes were served up.
Looking at the several dishes on the table, Shen Ying’s brows knit together once again; every single one of these dishes happened to be her favorites.
If it were a coincidence, it was far too coincidental.
Yet if it were not, how could this be explained?
Shen Ying called out to Goldie to ask about the situation, but Goldie looked as good as dead, flattened there completely motionless. Shen Ying was actually long accustomed to Goldie playing dead at every turn.
Receiving no answer, Shen Ying pondered for a moment, concluding that her transmigration over must have accidentally triggered something.
Back when she was bored, she had read transmigration novels as well; for someone like her, having a bit of a protagonist halo was entirely normal.
Aware of Shen Ying’s thoughts, Goldie did not bother to move. Blame it on wasting energy the moment it had some; now its power was scarce once again, making even speaking feel exhausting. Flattening itself like this made it feel a bit more comfortable.
Occasionally, it would flick its tail to indicate it was still alive.
Although Shen Ying accused it of playing dead, to Goldie, with only a tiny sliver of energy left, it truly was not far from actual death.