Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Liu Wenying's heart skipped a beat, and she tentatively asked, "Really? If I reach out, I can touch anything?"

Pei Dingxuan agreed, "Yes, whatever you say."

The woman raised her slender, fair fingers, but instead of tracing his handsome features and sharp profile as he had expected, she did not do so.

She gently placed her palm down, softly covering his eyes, shielding them from the glaring candlelight and the densely packed files on the desk.

The woman's palm, warm and comforting, pressed against my eyes, dispelling the dryness and soreness from days of working late into the night.

Liu Wenying sighed, "You've been working yourself to the bone, and you don't even know how to take care of yourself. Close your eyes and rest for a bit."

Pei Dingxuan's Adam's apple bobbed.

His thin, long eyelashes trembled slightly beneath her warm palm, betraying the turmoil in his heart.

The world sees him as holding a high position, in charge of criminal matters, and making decisive decisions, but who cares about his exhaustion and hard work, working late into the night with bloodshot eyes?

Her delicate care, however, is far more moving than romantic intimacy.

A moment later, Liu Wenying finally released her palm.

"How are you feeling? Are your eyes much more comfortable?"

"Um."

"You, once you take on a case, you want to do it perfectly, but don't forget that people aren't made of iron, they're made of flesh and blood."

Liu Wenying muttered to herself, but Pei Dingxuan listened intently and took it all to heart.

After she finished speaking, he opened his mouth and said, "I will remember what Yingniang said."

"How about we take a break?" Liu Wenying suggested.

"Give me another fifteen minutes, and I'll be able to sort out the clues."

"A quarter of an hour?" Liu Wenying raised an eyebrow.

He nodded, his tone serious, "Yes, just fifteen minutes."

Knowing she couldn't persuade him otherwise, Liu Wenying said, "Then I'll wait for you."

Pei Dingxuan took her hand. "Go to sleep first, it's late."

"If you don't sleep, I won't sleep."

Liu Wenying withdrew her hand, crossed her arms over her chest, and said, "I mean what I say."

Pei Dingxuan looked at her stubborn expression and felt quite helpless.

He knew her nature; if she said she would wait, she really would.

He could disregard his own safety, but he couldn't disregard hers.

So he sighed softly and said, "Okay, I promise you, I'll rest after I finish this."

A smile returned to Liu Wenying's eyes: "You keep your word."

"You keep your word."

Pei Dingxuan picked up his pen again, the candle burning quietly.

The moonlight outside the window was even brighter, its silvery glow filtering through the window screen like a thin layer of frost.

Time passed slowly, and the candles shrunk by half before Pei Dingxuan finally put down his pen, carefully folded the paper filled with writing, and put it into the dossier.

He rubbed his temples and looked up at Liu Wenying across from him, only to find that she had already fallen asleep.

He leaned back in the chair, his head against the windowsill, one hand still clutching a book, about to drop it.

Pei Dingxuan took the book from her hand, but she didn't wake up, indicating that she was sleeping soundly.

He suddenly remembered seeing her keeping watch at the Duke of Yu's mansion many years ago, and couldn't help but pinch the soft flesh of her cheek.

At that time, they were separated by social status and worldly conventions.

But now, she was right in front of him, sleeping soundly without any guard. The night was quiet, with nothing but stars and the moon.

In a certain part of Pei Dingxuan's heart, something collapsed and softened completely.

He picked her up and carried her step by step into the inner room.

The person in his arms was light and soft, nestled obediently in his embrace, sleeping soundly and without worry.

The bed curtains were drawn, and the two slept together.

As dawn broke, the sky began to lighten.

"Yingniang..."

Pei Dingxuan suddenly awoke, his eyes still filled with fear and apprehension.

The nightmare I just had was so vivid that I was still shaken even after waking up.

In my dream, late spring was desolate, and fallen petals scattered.

He dreamt that the peach trees he and Yingniang had planted with their own hands had all withered and died.

After the peach tree withered and died, the green shadow beside him also disappeared into the world, leaving the surroundings empty and the flowers all fallen.

He was utterly defeated.

Even after waking up from the dream, I was still shaken.

In the early morning, Liu Wenying, a light sleeper, was awakened by his voice.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

She propped herself up and reached out to touch his forehead.

Pei Dingxuan didn't answer, but pulled her into his arms, tightening his grip as if afraid she would disappear.

Liu Wenying was struggling to breathe from his tight grip, but she didn't struggle. She gently stroked his back repeatedly, asking, "Did you dream about me again?"

She remembered that once he woke up in the middle of the night and held her for a long time without saying a word.

The next day, he became unusually clingy, and he even asked for leave from the government office. He followed her wherever she went, his eyes always filled with a sense of anxiety and uncertainty.

Pei Dingxuan buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breathing rapid.

But he couldn't calm down, so he grabbed her hand and slapped it against his face with a loud thud.

Liu Wenying was startled and quickly pulled her hand back. "What are you doing?"

Pei Dingxuan looked at her, his eyes bloodshot, "If you feel the pain, it's not a dream."

Liu Wenying smiled helplessly, reached out and touched her cheek that had just been slapped, rubbing it with her palm.

"Aren't you silly? I'm right here beside you, it's real, how could it be a dream?"

Pei Dingxuan pressed her hand against his cheek, and the fear in his heart was gradually soothed.

"I dreamt again that the peach tree had withered, and you... had disappeared."

"Dreams and reality are opposites, aren't they? The peach tree is perfectly fine; it even blossomed this March, didn't it?"

Pei Dingxuan gazed at her for a long time before finally smiling and saying, "Yes, everything is fine."

However, he was not entirely at ease. After breakfast, Pei Dingxuan said he had to go out for a while.

She didn't ask where you were going, only telling you, "Come back soon."

Pei Dingxuan went to Peach Blossom Village because he had selfish motives back then and wanted to hide her away.

Therefore, I specially found an extremely remote and secluded place to use as a gilded cage.

After planting peach trees, his dedication to their care became almost obsessive.

Every day I would take some time to check on the peach tree to see if it was alright and if it was sprouting new branches.

To outsiders, it's a pointless struggle, a self-inflicted hardship.

But for Pei Dingxuan, that tree was a symbol of longing, a hope for a fulfilling life ahead.

It was only after moving into the round building that he changed his daily visits to Peach Blossom Lane to every two or three days.

Even so, the journey was tiring.

Liu Wenying couldn't bear to watch any longer, and after he returned from the peach blossom garden, she softly suggested that the peach trees be transplanted back to the round building.

"There's still some empty space in the round building. Let's set aside a piece specifically for it, so you can see it every day without having to travel so far. What do you think?"

However, Pei Dingxuan had some concerns: "Moving trees is not easy, and such a long distance might damage the root system."

"We can hire the best florist and use the safest method."

After weighing the options, Pei Dingxuan realized he really didn't want to keep going on this kind of journey.

Each trip to Peach Blossom Village took time, which meant he had less time to see her, and he was reluctant to part with her.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements tomorrow."

Liu Wenying leaned over and gently kissed the corner of his lips. "That's more like it."

The next day, Liu Wenying was sitting in her room when she suddenly heard a commotion outside.

She got up, opened the window, and was stunned by what she saw.

Outside the round building, a large group of dozens of people arrived.

The leader was a gardener, followed by a specially made cart loaded with huge wooden crates filled with damp soil.

There were also more than a dozen strong men surrounding them. If they hadn't been without swords at their waists, the scene would have looked more like they were escorting a rare treasure than moving a tree.

…………