With her delicate face and slender waist, the royal uncle lost control.

The warm tip of his tongue gently traced the shape of her lips, and a tingling sensation spread from her lips all the way to her heart.

Yun Nian couldn't help but tremble slightly, and she gripped his clothes even tighter.

Her whole body went limp, and she collapsed weakly into his arms.

The kiss gradually became longer and deeper.

His breath wove into a fine net, trapping her within, with nowhere to escape.

Yun Nian's breathing gradually quickened, and her cheeks burned.

She could feel his equally erratic breathing, and the hand around her waist tightening around her waist.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Jiuchen slowly withdrew.

Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling.

Yun Nian opened her eyes, her gaze shimmering with tears, her lips slightly swollen and tinged with an alluring rosy hue.

"You've learned how to breathe."

Qin Jiuchen chuckled softly.

Yun Nian then realized that she had almost suffocated from holding her breath, and it was he who stepped back several times to let her breathe, gradually teaching her how to breathe during a kiss.

A wave of embarrassment washed over her belatedly, and she buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled: "You...you're bullying me."

"Is this what you call bullying?"

Qin Jiuchen hugged her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head. "What will we do then?"

"What do you mean, 'afterwards'...?" Yun Nian pretended to be stupid.

Qin Jiuchen, however, refused to let her go, lifting her face and making her look into his eyes.

His gaze was deep, as if he wanted to see into her very bones: "The engagement with the Crown Prince is canceled, so you don't want to get married anymore?"

Yun Nian's cheeks flushed again.

Of course she knew what he wanted to hear, but having finally escaped the prince's wedding, the thought of getting married again felt too fast, too fast for her to be mentally prepared for.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

She downplayed the issue, speaking softly, "In front of the Emperor, fight for me to have more options."

Qin Jiuchen looked at her quietly, without saying a word.

He didn't ask any further questions, but simply stroked her hair gently.

He understood her hesitation and was willing to wait.

Yun Nian felt relieved, but also felt a pang of indescribable guilt.

She quietly adjusted her position, finding a more comfortable spot in his arms, and snuggled closer to him.

The intimacy was so natural that even she was surprised at how quickly she adapted.

"The task the prince entrusted to me..."

She said softly, "I'm done."

Qin Jiuchen hugged her tighter, his voice low: "Nian'er, have you thought it through? The Yun family is still your family."

Yun Nian was silent for a moment, then spoke again in an unusually calm voice: "That's not my home."

She tilted her head slightly from his embrace, her eyes clear yet cold: "Have you ever heard of this? When your family treats you as a pawn, they want to get rid of you to avoid future trouble."

She said the word "eliminate" so casually, but it made Qin Jiuchen's heart tighten.

"Um,"

He tightened his arms, pulling her completely into his embrace. "I understand."

Since that day, Yun Nian has not moved back to the Yun residence.

Qin Jiuchen casually made up an excuse, saying that she needed to rest and should not change her environment, and thus she was able to stay at the Prince's Mansion.

Naturally, no one dared to utter a single word.

The wedding originally planned for Yun Nian and Qin Senyao was not canceled.

The only difference is that the bride has been changed to Qin Jiaxue, and the wedding is scheduled for half a month later.

The atmosphere in Qin Jiaxue's boudoir was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Qin Senyao sat in the chair, his face showing no joy of being newly married, only irritability and regret.

That day, I impulsively agreed to marry Qin Jiaxue, but now that I've calmed down, I realize the consequences are unavoidable.

"Xue'er,"

He rubbed his temples. "Who...is that man?"

Qin Jiaxue sat on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face, her handkerchief soaked with tears. "I don't know... Brother, I was taking a walk in the garden that day when someone suddenly knocked me unconscious from behind. When I woke up, I was in bed, and I don't remember anything after that..."

She cried her heart out, but Qin Senyao felt no pity whatsoever; instead, an unnamed anger burned ever brighter.

He was angry that Qin Jiaxue had lost her innocence, and even angrier that he himself was going to marry a "loose woman".

The original longing for the beloved was shattered by this sudden change.

Seeing his increasingly grim expression, Qin Jiaxue cried even harder, "Brother, do you despise me?"

Qin Senyao suddenly stood up, his sleeve knocking over the teacup on the table, which shattered on the ground with a "clatter".

He found her crying irritating, and he couldn't answer the question.

"I'm going back now."

He coldly uttered a sentence and turned to leave.

"Brother!"

Qin Jiaxue's cries rang out behind her, heart-wrenching and filled with despair.

Qin Senyao left without looking back, his frustration growing stronger.

He wandered aimlessly through the mansion, and before he knew it, he had wandered into the courtyard where Yun Nian lived.

The courtyard gate was wide open, and the afternoon sun of autumn filled the courtyard.

Several osmanthus trees are in full bloom, their branches adorned with delicate golden blossoms, their fragrance wafting in the breeze.

Yun Nian was standing under the largest osmanthus tree.

Today she wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), covered with a light blue gauze, and her black hair was loosely tied up, secured with only a white jade hairpin.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on her, as if she were enveloped in a soft halo.

She was standing on tiptoe, reaching out to grab a branch of osmanthus in full bloom.

The moment her fingertips touched the flower branch, a gust of wind blew by, and delicate petals fluttered down, landing in her hair and on her shoulders.

"oops!"

She gasped softly and quickly reached out to catch them, but only managed to catch a few scattered petals.

Seeing this, Qiluo smiled and handed over a small bamboo basket: "Please take your time, young lady, let me help you."

"Need not,"

Yun Nian smiled and reached for another branch, saying, "Only the ones I pick myself smell the best."

She was intently picking flower branches, her profile glowing like jade in the sunlight, her long eyelashes slightly lowered, and a faint smile playing on her lips.

Occasionally, a petal would fall onto the tip of her nose, and she would wrinkle her nose and gently blow it away, looking charming and adorable, just like a playful little fairy.

Qin Senyao stood outside the courtyard gate, momentarily stunned.

In my memory, Yun Nian was always meek and cautious; she had never been so lively and vibrant.

Her smile was so bright, her eyes sparkled, and she seemed to radiate light.

A sudden pang of emotion gripped my heart, mixed with an inexplicable sense of regret.

He unconsciously stepped inside.

Yun Nian was chatting and laughing with Qi Luo when she looked up and saw him, and the smile on her face instantly disappeared.

She took a half step back and gave a proper bow: "Greetings, Your Highness."

His voice was distant yet respectful, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

Qin Senyao felt a pang of disappointment and waved to Qi Luo, "You may leave."

Qi Luo looked nervously at Yun Nian, and only after seeing her nod did she bow her head and retreat.

Qin Senyao stepped forward, his gaze falling on Yun Nian's hair.

A few osmanthus petals had fallen onto her temples without her noticing, making her black hair look like clouds, and she was more beautiful than the flowers.

He couldn't help but reach out, wanting to wipe it away for her.

Yun Nian instinctively dodged backward to avoid his touch.

Qin Senyao's hand froze in mid-air, and he awkwardly withdrew it.