After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

Standing in the doorway, Xiao Jingyuan looked into Xie Qinglan's eyes, which were exceptionally clear thanks to the misty rain, and a wave of bitterness welled up inside him again. He took a deep breath and stepped forward: "What do you mean?"

Xie Qinglan didn't answer, but simply raised his hand to adjust the slightly open collar of his bathrobe, covering the small patch of his fair collarbone. Then he sat down in front of the dressing table, folded the towel he used to dry his hair, and placed it aside.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Please allow me to finish."

Xiao Jingyuan paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Xie Qinglan raised her eyes and met Xiao Jingyuan's eyes, which were brimming with jealousy but still trying to maintain composure.

"Your Majesty, please lift the lockdown on Chang Le Palace. I wish to—"

"No!"

Xiao Jingyuan's voice suddenly rose, like a wolf whose tail had been stepped on.

He took a sudden step forward, bracing his hands on the edge of the dressing table, trapping Xie Qinglan between himself and the table. His pale eyes burned with a fierce jealousy, and his voice was so deep it sounded like it was being squeezed out between clenched teeth: "After all this time, you still can't forget her! You secretly went to see her behind my back! Now that I've sealed off her Chang Le Palace, you're pleading for her—Xie Qinglan, can't you let her go?"

Xie Qinglan was momentarily stunned by his barrage of questions, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him. He took a deep breath and patiently began, "Let me finish—"

"I don't want to hear it!"

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes were red-rimmed, his voice low and hoarse, carrying an almost obsessive ferocity. He bent down, grabbed Xie Qinglan's chin with one hand, and kissed her without saying a word.

This kiss was different from the previous ones. It was no longer a cautious, tentative exploration, nor a lingering, affectionate caress, but a punitive, brutal act of plunder.

Xiao Jingyuan's tongue pried open Xie Qinglan's lips and teeth, plunging in with a fierce force, as if declaring his dominance in this way.

Xie Qinglan's lower back hit the edge of the dressing table when he was bumped, and he groaned in pain.

Xiao Jingyuan didn't stop. After he finished kissing her, he stepped back a little, his forehead pressed against Xie Qinglan's, panting heavily, his lips still damp from their entanglement.

He looked at Xie Qinglan's lips, swollen and red from the kiss, and at the tears welling up in her cold, frosty eyes, and said, word by word, "You belong to me."

Xie Qinglan turned her head away, avoiding his eyes burning with jealousy, her voice slightly hoarse: "I only wanted to take her—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Jingyuan kissed him again.

This time it was even more ruthless than before. His hand slid from Xie Qinglan's chin to the back of his neck, gripping the back of his head, leaving him no room to back down.

With his other hand, he slipped his hand inside Xie Qinglan's waist, his palm touching his warm skin, and slowly caressing his back upwards.

Xie Qinglan's breathing suddenly became rapid. He raised his hand to push against Xiao Jingyuan's chest, but the man did not move at all, instead pressing his palm even tighter.

My fingertips slid slowly down the hollow of my back, carrying a burning heat, inch by inch.

"Mmm—mmm—" Xie Qinglan let out a few muffled sounds of resistance, but Xiao Jingyuan's lips blocked his mouth, swallowing all the sounds.

After another kiss, Xiao Jingyuan stepped back slightly, panting, and stared at Xie Qinglan's eyes, which were misty from the kiss. He said stubbornly, word by word, "You're not allowed to think about her anymore!"

Xie Qinglan's lips went numb from his kisses, and her head spun. She finally managed to get a chance to speak, and gasped, "I didn't—um."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Jingyuan kissed him again. This time, his hand didn't linger on his back, but slid down his waist to his front.

Xie Qinglan's body stiffened abruptly.

Xiao Jingyuan's hand froze, and he was completely stunned. He released Xie Qinglan's lips, lowered his head, and looked at the spot his hand had covered.

He felt that the temperature there was higher than elsewhere, and also more... like Jing Shi.

"Qinglan, you...you here..."

Xiao Jingyuan's voice carried a hint of disbelief and shock, along with a subtle, cautious curiosity.

Xie Qinglan followed his gaze downwards and instantly felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He abruptly pulled his bathrobe over himself, his face flushed crimson, even his ears turned bright red, and his lips trembled—it was unclear whether he was angry or ashamed.

"You brute!"

He used all his strength to push Xiao Jingyuan away.

Xiao Jingyuan staggered a few steps and bumped into the corner of the table behind him with a dull thud.

Xie Qinglan turned her back, her shoulders trembling slightly, her voice filled with suppressed anger and embarrassment: "Get out!"

Looking at his tense back, and then at the hand he had just touched, Xiao Jingyuan felt a mix of panic, secret joy, and a strange, inexplicable heat.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but saw Xie Qinglan's shoulders trembling even more violently. Afraid of really angering him, he could only lower his head sheepishly: "I'm sorry, Qinglan, I... I didn't mean to..."

"Get out!" Xie Qinglan's voice rose a few decibels, tinged with a barely perceptible sob.

Xiao Jingyuan dared not say anything more. He could only walk to the door, turning back every few steps, gently open the door, and then look back at Xie Qinglan's back before reluctantly walking out and gently closing the door behind him.

The palace doors clicked shut, and silence returned instantly inside.

Xie Qinglan stood with his back to the door until he heard Xiao Jingyuan's footsteps completely disappear into the distance before slowly turning around. His face was still flushed, his lips were slightly swollen, and his eyes were still misty.

He looked down at the bulge under his bathrobe, and then remembered Xiao Jingyuan's shocked look and his own out-of-control reaction. He felt his face burning and wished he could disappear into the ground.

How could he... how could he react after just a few touches from that brute...?

Xie Qinglan bit her lip, walked to the bedside, lifted the quilt and lay down, burying her face in the pillow and forcing herself to close her eyes.

But the heat was like a spark ignited by the wind, impossible to suppress. He turned over, then over again, his fingers gripping the blankets, his knuckles turning white.

The heat inside his body grew stronger and stronger. The places where Xiao Jingyuan had touched him earlier still retained a burning heat, as if it were engraved on his skin.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but the heat grew stronger and stronger, almost threatening to engulf him.

Xie Qinglan rolled over, buried his face in the blanket, and let out a muffled breath. Then he made a decision that made him feel utterly ashamed and indignant.

He bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, clenched and unclenched his fingers several times before finally probing his trembling fingertips into the depths of the brocade quilt.

He closed his eyes, bit his lower lip, and mimicked how Xiao Jingyuan had treated him in his past life...

Xiao Jingyuan's face uncontrollably appeared in my mind: his reddened eyes, his clumsy kiss, his hot breath, and his shocked yet secretly pleased look.

All the scenes he had deliberately forgotten from his past life flooded back—the person nibbling on his earlobe, their fingers slowly moving downwards, the movement gentle, as if seeking his consent. The person's hot breath brushed against his neck, calling his name again and again in a hoarse voice. The person said, "Qinglan, you're so soft."

His breathing became increasingly erratic...

He subconsciously gripped the brocade quilt beneath him, his fingers curling tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned a cold white from the force. The soft quilt was crumpled into a large, wrinkled mass that lingered for a long time.

He bit his lip hard, refusing to utter a sound, but an extremely faint moan escaped his throat uncontrollably. The sound was soft and gentle, like shattered moonlight, exceptionally clear in the silent hall.

After an unknown amount of time, a long, satisfied sigh faded into the night.

Xie Qinglan lay on the bed, her chest heaving violently, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on his slightly flushed cheeks and making his cool eyes appear exceptionally moist.

He stared at the tent ceiling, silent for a long time. He raised his hand, shielding his eyes with the back of his hand, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his still-burning lips. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a low curse.

"Xiao Jingyuan...you stupid dog."