The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 196 My Cousin, Cold and Aloof in Public, Is Actually Like This in Private
Evening, Yaoguang Pavilion.

When Shuang'er brought another cup of strong tea, she advised Zhiwan, who was bent over her painting, "Miss, it's very late. Drinking so much strong tea will keep you awake."

"It's alright." Zhiwan put down her pen and took the tea from her hand.

She deliberately chose to be unable to sleep, so that she wouldn't have any more trysts with her cousin in her dreams.

After finishing her tea, she handed the cup to Shuang'er and asked, "Have you packed everything?"

"I'm all packed." Shuang'er nodded. "I've followed your instructions and only brought some changes of clothes. I didn't pack any of the jewelry that Madam gave you."

“That’s excellent. We’ll travel light this time,” Zhiwan said.

She didn't intend to take the jewelry and expensive clothes her aunt gave her.

"But is Miss sure you want to leave without saying goodbye?" Shuang'er couldn't help but ask. "How heartbroken Madam will be if she finds out you're leaving."

If she could, Zhiwan would naturally not want to leave without saying goodbye, but if leaving would alarm her aunt, she would definitely not be able to leave, and she would also have a hard time explaining it.

Therefore, she had no choice but to leave without saying goodbye.

“I will leave a letter for my aunt,” Zhiwan said.

Seeing that she had already made up her mind, Shuang'er didn't try to persuade her any further.

"It's alright, you should go and rest now. You have to get up early tomorrow," Zhiwan instructed.

"Yes," Shuang'er replied, then added, "Miss, don't paint too late. You should rest early. You didn't sleep well last night."

"Ah."

Despite drinking a lot of strong tea, by midnight her eyelids started to droop.

She didn't go back to sleep after waking up from her dream last night.

This afternoon, her cousin was at home, and she was afraid that she would have nightmares if she fell asleep, so she didn't sleep.

So now that she's made it this far, she's starting to feel the strain.

She quickly got up and went to the washstand, splashing cold water on her face to temporarily clear her head.

She walked around the room a few times, and when she felt better, she sat back down at the table.

But soon, drowsiness struck again, and she got up to dampen her spirits once more.

After repeating this several times, she finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep on the table.

The feeling of her body being lifted into the air startled her awake.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the man from her dream.

The man was carrying her, walking towards the bed.

Zhi Wan narrowed her eyes, slightly dazed, "It's you..."

Upon hearing this, the man's heart skipped a beat. "Do you know who I am?"

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan shuddered and suddenly remembered what had happened in the past two days.

The person in front of her was her cousin, Lu Zhan.

She was the one she decided to stay far away from.

When asked, she shook her head decisively, "I don't know. Or would you like to tell me?"

My cousin probably doesn't know yet that she has recognized him.

This gave her some small comfort.

The man didn't say anything, but carried her to the bed.

Once on the bed, Zhiwan rolled to the inside of the bed, trying to keep her distance from him.

The man saw her actions.

He paused for a moment, then slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, took off his boots, and naturally lay down on the bed.

Seeing this, Zhiwan pressed herself even closer to the wall, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

She's leaving the capital tomorrow, and to avoid any complications, it's best not to bring this up.

"What are you doing standing so far away from me?" The man propped his head up with one hand, looking at her with a half-smile.

"I'm afraid of the heat," Zhiwan said awkwardly.

"If you're worried about the heat, you can wear less," the man said unhurriedly, his gaze sweeping over her tightly wrapped clothes.

Zhiwan: "..."

In the past, she wouldn't have thought anything of it, after all, she had said many frivolous and vulgar things to him.

But now that she knew the man was her cousin, she felt embarrassed and ashamed to hear him say such things.

Moreover, my cousin is usually cold and aloof, and his current recklessness is a stark contrast to his usual coldness and detachment.

If she hadn't verified it herself, she wouldn't have believed that the person in front of her was her aloof and woman-averse cousin. Seeing the girl frozen there, the man's lips curled slightly, "Why are you shy after just one day? You weren't like this before."

Zhiwan: "..."

The other person's teasing reminded her of the ridiculous things she had done to him in the past.

She was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear, and her face turned bright red. However, she was glad that the other person couldn't see her face clearly, so they wouldn't know how awkward she was.

She forced herself to remain calm and said, "I...I'm about to have a husband who will live with me, so naturally I can't...I can't do anything reckless anymore."

She spoke very softly the last few words.

Because it reminded her of the indecent things she had done to this man in the past.

"I told you, your husband can only be me. Have you forgotten so quickly?" The man's handsome face darkened slightly, and his voice was displeased.

As soon as Zhiwan raised her head, a shadow fell over her. Before she could react, the man lowered his head and kissed her lips domineeringly.

The familiar scent of cedarwood wafted into her nostrils, startling her for a moment before she realized what was happening and frantically pushed him away.

"You, you're not allowed to kiss me again!" Zhiwan exclaimed angrily.

The man paused, his voice slightly hoarse, "You've kissed me quite a few times too."

Zhiwan: "..."

She curled her toes in embarrassment.

“You touched me,” the man continued.

Zhiwan pulled the blanket over her head, but the man pulled it off shortly afterward. He supported himself on one side of her with one hand and patted her head with the other.

"You..." Zhiwan had barely uttered a single word when the man captured her soft lips.

"Didn't you used to love it when I kissed you?" The man's muffled voice came through his lips.

"boom--"

Zhiwan felt a wave of dizziness.

……

When Zhiwan was startled awake, she found herself still lying face down on the table.

Thinking about what happened in her dream, her face became hot and red.

She hadn't known he was her cousin before, but now that she did, she was so embarrassed she felt like she was on fire.

She never imagined that her cousin, who seemed so cold and aloof in public, was like that in private...

Zhiwan felt extremely ashamed.

She rushed to the washstand and splashed some cold water on her face to lower the temperature. After drinking two cups of cold tea, she finally calmed down a bit.

Fortunately, she was leaving.

I won't have to feel awkward facing my cousin anymore.

……

Qingyun Residence.

Lu Zhanyi has also woken up.

Thinking of his cousin's resistance to him in his dream, his handsome brows furrowed tightly.

Furthermore, even though her cousin had already guessed his identity, she pretended not to know in the dream.

Remembering what Chen Jiu said about Zhao Donglai visiting his cousin's residence, he suddenly understood something.

The next day at court, he asked Chen Jiu to stay behind.

"Keep a close eye on Miss Biao. If she gets lost, you don't need to come back to see me!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiu felt a chill run down his spine.

The prince's tone was truly frightening.

But the young lady is right here in the mansion, how could she be lost?

Is the Crown Prince possessed?

He quickly understood why the prince was so solemn.

Following the prince's instructions, he dared not slacken his efforts for a moment, keeping a close eye on Miss Biao.

Unexpectedly, at the crack of dawn, the young lady boarded the carriage that Zhao Dong had hired, left the city gate, and headed towards the dock.

Where is Miss Cousin going?
Chen Jiu was shocked and hurriedly sent someone to inform the Crown Prince, while he himself quickly followed.

(End of this chapter)