He had just been reborn when he was imprisoned by his nemesis, the Empress?

Su Qingluan gently nuzzled the back of Xu Yi's neck with the tip of her nose, her voice tinged with a hint of teasing.

"You're so weak, you're tickling me."

As she spoke, she gently swayed her long, slender legs.

Xu Yi understood that his resistance would only give this mentally unstable woman pleasure.

He gritted his teeth in anger, then simply withdrew his hand, letting her hold him.

"Get down here right now..."

Xu Yi's voice was muffled, carrying a hint of resigned helplessness.

Upon hearing this, Su Qingluan gently shook her head.

Her soft lips planted a light kiss on the top of his head, the gesture carrying a hint of casual intimacy.

Then she lowered her head slightly, leaned close to Xu Yi's ear, and spoke in a soft voice.

"Don't use such a gentle tone, scold me a couple of times."

Xu Yi completely gave up struggling and let himself sink into her warm embrace.

Seeing that he remained motionless, Su Qingluan couldn't help but reach out her slender fingers and gently scratch Xu Yi's chin.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Xu Yi dodged to the side as she scratched him with her slightly long nails.

"I really want to say three words to you right now."

Su Qingluan raised an eyebrow, deliberately drawing out her words.

"I love you?"

"No, it's swearing."

Xu Yi spoke without hesitation.

Su Qingluan feigned disappointment, sighed, and gently rubbed her fair cheek against his neck, her voice soft and sweet.

"That breaks my heart."

A classic battle between the left and right brains: who was laughing and joking around just a second ago, making me curse at her?

He rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with Su Qingluan anymore.

......

At noon, in the Imperial Garden

Xu Yi sat leisurely on a stone chair, with several plates of glistening, plump fresh fruit on the white jade square table in front of him.

Just as we were enjoying our meal, a fragrant breeze suddenly approached.

Before Xu Yi could react, the fruit plate beside him was snatched away by a delicate hand.

Su Qingluan's voice rang in my ears with a hint of unwavering confidence.

"Come play chess with me."

Xu Yi's mouth was stuffed with fruit, his cheeks puffed out, and he looked up blankly.

He looked at Su Qingluan, who was standing close to him and exuded confidence, and frowned in confusion.

However, Xu Yi was too lazy to delve into the reason for her sudden confidence. He moved his cheeks, his mouth full of fruit, making his speech unclear.

"Why do you want to play chess again? I won't play with a cheater like you! Give me back the fruit platter!"

As he spoke, he reached for the fruit plate, but Su Qingluan deftly dodged it.

Su Qingluan looked at him with his cheeks puffed out, like a hamster eating.

She couldn't help but chuckle softly, feeling that mischievous thought of teasing him resurface.

The laughter was crisp and melodious, startling several birds on the branches into fluttering away.

She swirled the fruit platter in her hand, her tone full of enticing allure.

"This time I absolutely won't cheat. Do you dare to compete again?"

Xu Yi paused, looking at her suspiciously.

Should I really compete with her again? But I'd much rather sit here than waste my brainpower...

Xu Yi thought to himself silently.

Su Qingluan seemed to have read his mind and threw out a heavy bargaining chip.

"You win. That unconditional request you owed me last time while fishing is now void. How about it?"

Xu Yi, who was still hesitating, immediately stopped hesitating.

He swallowed the fruit in his mouth in a few gulps and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Okay, it's a deal!"

Fearing Su Qingluan might change her mind, Xu Yi quickly added, then stood up and grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go! Let's go now!"

Seeing his impatient look, Su Qingluan's smile deepened.

Without hesitation, she waved her jade hand gently, and instantly a black jade chessboard appeared on the white jade square table.

Xu Yi stared at the chessboard, rubbed his hands together, and was full of fighting spirit.

He stepped forward to the chessboard, chin slightly raised, and declared confidently...

"Men first."

Su Qingluan slowly walked to the opposite side of the chessboard and sat down. Her elegant skirt draped to the ground, outlining her slender and graceful figure.

She stretched out her slender fingers, picked up a white chess piece, and spoke with a hint of languid compromise.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say."

Upon receiving confirmation, Xu Yi immediately perked up and reached for the black piece.

Su Qingluan rested her chin on her hand, looking at his eager expression, and said softly.

"Oh, right, I haven't told you what will happen if you lose. If you lose, you'll owe me another request, no matter what. How about that?"

"It doesn't matter."

......

However, after a few moves, the eagerness on Xu Yi's face gradually disappeared.

His fingers, which were holding the chess piece, paused slightly. His brows furrowed more and more, and his eyes were filled with surprise and doubt as he stared at the chessboard.

Is this really a move that Su Qingluan could make?

What a joke! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

He suddenly looked up at Su Qingluan opposite him.

She was resting her chin on her hand, looking at the chessboard with a relaxed and contented expression.

Xu Yi wiped away his sweat; his face was almost contorted with embarrassment.

Is there some kind of chess master's spirit standing next to her? Otherwise, how could she suddenly become so powerful?

You should know that Su Qingluan won the last game of chess only after taking back countless moves and stealing countless pieces.

But Xu Yi couldn't find a single flaw in the chess moves before him; it was as if he were a completely different person.

As he pondered this, he couldn't help but speak, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Su Qingluan, have you... been possessed by someone?"

Su Qingluan was pondering while fiddling with a chess piece when she heard him speak. She looked up at him with a faint smile in her eyes.

She gently placed the chess piece, and with that one move, she cut off Xu Yi's path to survival.

Then, she leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Xu Yi, her long legs intentionally or unintentionally brushing against his knees.

"Xu Yi, you can't be such a sore loser, can you? Just because someone else plays well, you start spouting nonsense?"

Xu Yi abruptly pulled his leg back, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

"Don't try to distract me with your beauty. If you keep doing this, I'm not admitting defeat this time!"

Su Qingluan slowly leaned back in her chair, her posture languid yet alluring, her red lips parted slightly, and she said provocatively.

"So you know you can't win, and you're starting to make excuses, aren't you?"

Xu Yi, who had been righted, fell silent.

......

After some time, Xu Yi was defeated.

What humiliated him even more was that Su Qingluan clearly had the opportunity to make him lose miserably, but deliberately only let him lose by half a point.

This is clearly an old man teasing a child.

Su Qingluan put down the chess piece, her fingertips lightly tapping the table. She was about to tease him when Xu Yi abruptly interrupted her.

"I concede this round."

Xu Yi raised his head, the veins on his forehead bulging slightly.

"But do you dare to play another round with me? If you lose again, I'll grant you one more request unconditionally."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingluan stretched lazily, her neckline slipping slightly to reveal her delicate collarbone, her tone nonchalant.

"The gap between us is so big now, do you really want to try again?"