Had he noticed she was pretending to be asleep?
Had he also seen through all her schemes?
Or… had he remembered something?
Song Yunfei forced herself to stay perfectly still, not daring to let even her eyelashes flutter.
The phantom of a three-foot strip of white silk swayed before her eyes again, and the illusory feeling of strangulation returned to her throat.
In the darkness, that figure leaned closer. The masculine scent of soapberry grew stronger.
“Uh…” With no choice, Song Yunfei half opened her eyes. She struggled to find her voice. “I… I wasn’t pretending. I really fell asleep just now.”
Even she thought the explanation sounded far too flimsy.
Chu Jinhan watched her silently without saying a word. In the darkness, that silence pressed on her more heavily than any interrogation.
Fine. No more pretending.
Song Yunfei steeled herself and opened her eyes wide, meeting Chu Jinhan’s startlingly bright gaze. “Cousin, I was afraid…”
Before she could finish, Chu Jinhan straightened at once. “You’re really afraid of me?”
“No, I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of the dark.”
“Afraid of the dark?” Chu Jinhan’s voice rose slightly at the end. Amusement flickered in his eyes. “Younger Cousin, that’s not what you said during the day.”
Song Yunfei knew he meant the original owner’s attempt to force him to sleep with her by refusing to eat.
Her cheeks instantly burned, though she couldn’t tell whether from embarrassment or anxiety.
She bit her lower lip and put on a tearful expression. “I was being childish then, making a fuss over nothing. The truth is… this room is so run-down. When the wind blows at night, it creaks everywhere. I… I can’t sleep alone.”
Song Yunfei did her best to make her words sound sincere. She needed Chu Jinhan to remember her as the spoiled little girl who was scared but too proud to admit it.
“Oh?” Chu Jinhan studied her closely, even the hint of a smile at his lips. “Do you truly mean that, Younger Cousin?”
“Could it be that Cousin…” Song Yunfei gritted her teeth and put on the air of the benefactor she had once been. “doesn’t trust Fei’er?”
Chu Jinhan hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed. “If that’s really the case, then so much the better.”
He looked up at the roof, which was indeed rather dilapidated, then spoke gently to Song Yunfei. “I’ll fix it up tomorrow.”
“Mm.” Song Yunfei nodded, not daring to look at him again. “That would be good.”
“In that case, Fei’er, get some rest.”
With that, Chu Jinhan really did turn around and lift the door curtain, seeming to intend to return to the straw bed in the outer room.
Song Yunfei relaxed. Just as she was about to lie back down completely, alarm bells suddenly rang in her mind.
Wait.
This made no sense at all.
Wouldn’t a man who’d been pressured to sleep with her be relieved and leave once she gave up?
Why had he been watching her with such a probing look?
Was he testing her?
“Cousin!” Song Yunfei shot upright and, in her haste, chased after him barefoot.
Chu Jinhan stopped in front of the curtain and turned back. Moonlight outlined his handsome profile, making him seem inscrutable.
“Fei’er, is something the matter?”
“I…” Song Yunfei looked at him, grasping for an idea in her panic. She pointed to the wooden basin of water nearby. “I’ll get you some hot water. You’ve been busy all day. You must be tired.”
At that, Chu Jinhan’s brows drew together slightly.
When had Song Yunfei ever shown concern for him?
Today, she hadn’t just stopped pressuring him to sleep with her—she was even offering to bring him hot water.
Chu Jinhan quickly hid the suspicion in his eyes. Glancing at her bare feet, he said softly, “There’s no need. You’re frail. Go back and lie down.”
“No, I… I can’t sleep anyway. I’ll be right back.”
Song Yunfei didn’t dare look at him again. She picked up the basin and fled from the room.
The cold, hard-packed earth stung her soles, and her mind cleared at once.
She went to the water jar and drew some water, then poured it into the iron pot to heat. In the cold moonlight, the face reflected in the water looked both familiar and strange—lovely, clever, and sly.
It was her, and yet not her.
Song Yunfei took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Only when the water had grown hot enough to sting her hands did she carry it slowly back into the room.
The dim oil lamp was already lit. Chu Jinhan hadn’t gone to rest on the straw bed in the outer room; he was seated at the table, reading an old book.
Was he waiting for her?
Wait. Military strategy?
Why was he reading military strategy?
Head bowed, Song Yunfei edged over to the bed, then climbed onto it with a sinking heart. She quickly pulled the quilt over herself and turned her back to Chu Jinhan, wrapping herself up as tightly as she could.
“Cousin, I’ve brought you the hot water. You should get some rest.”
Behind her, the pages rustled as he turned them. A long while later, she heard him murmur, “Mm.”
Song Yunfei kept her eyes closed, but couldn’t fall asleep. She had no idea how much time passed before she heard the oil lamp go out with a soft puff, plunging the room into total darkness.
The footsteps didn’t head for the outer room. Instead, they stopped beside her bed again.
Song Yunfei’s heart pounded as if it might leap out of her chest. Then the bed dipped slightly beside her.
H-he really had gotten into bed?
Every muscle in Song Yunfei’s body tensed. She didn’t dare move, barely even daring to breathe.
She was a single office worker with no romantic experience and had never been this close to a man. Through the thin quilt, she could even feel the faint warmth radiating from his body, along with that infuriating soapberry scent.
Time ticked by. The man lying beside her remained perfectly still, making no further move.
Had she… imagined it?
Song Yunfei reassured herself. He was, after all, a Crown Prince with a hidden ailment. He must have actually believed her nonsense about being afraid of the dark—that was why he’d lain down beside her, right?
At the thought, the tension in Song Yunfei’s nerves eased a little. But just as drowsiness grew so heavy she could barely lift her eyelids, a warm, broad hand landed without warning on her waist.
“!”
As if scalded, Song Yunfei tensed again.
But the hand didn’t stop there. Through her clothes, it began to explore slowly, inch by inch, moving downward.
Shame, nervousness, fear, curiosity, and a jumble of other emotions flooded over her all at once.
“N-no… don’t…” At last, Song Yunfei managed a protest as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “Cousin…”
Instead of stopping, Chu Jinhan rolled over, his tall frame swiftly covering her completely.
His powerful masculine presence crashed down over Song Yunfei. When his warm breath brushed her neck, shivers rippled through her.
Just as her consciousness was beginning to slip away, her instinct to survive overpowered every other desire.
“Get off me!”
Song Yunfei had no idea where she found the strength, but she shoved the god of war off her with all her might.
He hit the floor with a heavy thud, followed by a muffled groan.
Clearly, Chu Jinhan hadn’t expected Song Yunfei to suddenly fight back. Caught off guard, he fell hard to the ground.
The room was so quiet they could hear each other breathing.
Song Yunfei scrambled upright, fumbling for the fire striker. Her hand shook as she lit the oil lamp.
In the dim yellow light, the man who was usually as aloof as an immortal looked thoroughly disheveled as he climbed to his feet. His coarse sleeping clothes were covered in dust, and his ink-black hair hung loose across his forehead.
Chu Jinhan looked up. In the dancing lamplight, his deep eyes were filled with astonishment.
Song Yunfei straightened her back and, before he could speak, said with righteous indignation, “Who told you to get handsy with me?”
Chu Jinhan frowned, bewildered. “Weren’t you the one who kept demanding we sleep together?”
Song Yunfei’s gaze darted away. “I saw you resting in the outer room and was afraid you’d be cold, so I kindly offered to share my bed…”
Even as she said it, the logic sounded bizarre to her. But she absolutely could not let this amnesiac heir to the throne have any physical intimacy with her.
That was her line.
Seeing Chu Jinhan’s expression darken, Song Yunfei hurriedly summoned her tears. Huge drops spilled from her eyes at once. “Although we were betrothed when we were children, as long as Cousin hasn’t recovered his memories, Yunfei would never take advantage of you…”
Her voice caught, just the right mix of hurt and understanding. Hearing her, Chu Jinhan immediately looked ashamed.
“Fei’er, I was too forward…”
“But if I never remember the past, what are we to do?”