With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

The carriage stopped.

Ah Chao lifted the car curtain, picked up Shen Nannan, and jumped out.

She nestled in his arms, rubbing against his chest, muttering, "Hot...so hot..."

"It won't be hot anymore soon," he whispered, carrying her forward.

In front of them was an inconspicuous back gate of a house, no different from the surrounding residences. Ah Chao kicked the door frame, and the door opened.

As they walked further in, a hidden door appeared, seemingly by some means.

Further in, there is a downward passageway.

This is A-Chao's headquarters in the capital, which he has been operating for many years. It is heavily guarded and filled with hidden sentries. Apart from his most trusted confidants, no living person has ever set foot here—only the dead awaiting trial have ever entered.

Shen Nannan squinted, blinded by the light, buried her face in his chest, and asked in a muffled voice, "Where is this...?"

"underground."

"What underground?"

"The territory of lackeys."

At the end of the passageway was another door. Ah Chao pushed the door open and went inside.

Ah Man was sitting at the table wiping his knife when he heard a noise. He looked up and saw his master carrying a woman as he walked in. He was stunned.

He had followed his master for over ten years, crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. This underground bunker was his master's most secret escape route. Not to mention women, even he and his trusted confidants, such as Mo Bai, could only move around in the outer hall and had never stepped into the inner room.

But now, the master has actually brought in Miss Shen!

"Master..." Aman had just opened her mouth when she was met with a cold glare from Achao.

Mo Bai emerged from the shadows, appearing remarkably calm as he witnessed the scene.

"Master." He bowed his head.

"Have the arrangements been made at the General's Mansion?" Ah Chao's voice was flat, and he didn't stop walking.

"Yes. Miss Shen's maids have been arranged properly, and no one will discover that Miss Shen is not in the mansion. Miss Qiu Tong has also been sent back and is fine."

"Guard the outer gate. No one is allowed to approach the inner courtyard. Anyone who disobeys will be killed."

Mo Bai responded and quickly retreated.

Holding the burning hot person in his arms, A-Chao strode through layers of mechanisms and entered the deepest room.

The room was furnished in a very minimalist style, with just a table, a chair, and a bed, without any superfluous decorations, yet it was surprisingly clean and tidy, not at all like the living space of someone who lives in darkness year-round.

He put Shen Nannan on the bed, but she wouldn't let go, clutching his clothes and pulling him down.

The effects of the medicine surged up again, making her feel weak all over. Her cheeks were as red as ripe cherries, and the stray hairs on her forehead were damp with sweat, sticking to her smooth forehead. Her almond-shaped eyes were wet and misty, and when she looked at someone, they were so alluring that they could steal one's soul.

"Ah Chao..." She reached out and softly grabbed his collar, pulling him into her arms, "It's hot...it's uncomfortable..."

Ah Chao's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

Just now in the carriage, he was able to hold on with a bit of jealousy and self-control, but now, in this enclosed space where only the two of them were, seeing her so vulnerable and at his mercy, the string of reason in his mind was already stretched to the point of breaking.

"Miss, wait a moment," he said in a hoarse voice, prying her hands off his clothes, his voice full of suppressed resentment, "I'm going to find Yun Jin to get the antidote, I'll be back soon."

He cannot take advantage of someone's misfortune.

Even though he wanted her, ever since she threw him that piece of milk candy on the street corner, he had wanted to keep her by his side for a full ten years.

But what he wanted was for her to be willing, for her to be fully conscious and have only him in her eyes, not for her to use him as an antidote because of the drug's effects.

He had just straightened up when Shen Nannan grabbed his wrist tightly.

She used all her strength, even though her body was weak, she clung to him and wouldn't let go, her wet almond-shaped eyes fixed on him, her voice trembling with tears, yet also carrying a hint of unconscious allure:

How can you be so tolerant?

"I don't want the antidote." She looked at him with seductive eyes, then with a sudden pull, she dragged him down to the edge of the bed. She then climbed up his arm, straddled his lap, and pressed herself against his chest.

"I don't want the antidote."

"Miss--"

I want you.

Ah Chao's breath hitched.

He looked down at her, and the moonlight streamed in through the skylight above, falling on her face and making her blush even more pronounced.

Her eyes were half-open, her lips were slightly parted, and her breath was hot.

Her clothes were torn to shreds by herself, the neckline wide open, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and the tooth mark he had left.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

"Miss," his voice was terribly hoarse, "do you know what you're saying?"

"I know," she said, reaching for his collar. "I said I want you. Can't you hear me?"

Her hands were trembling. She tried to pull it open twice but couldn't. In desperation, tears streamed down her face.

"How can you endure this?" Her voice was hoarse. "I'm already like this, and you're still looking for an antidote... Are you... are you impotent?"

Ah Chao's eyes narrowed slightly.

"no?"

"Then why...?"

She didn't finish her sentence.

Ah Chao suddenly grabbed her waist, looked up at her with red eyes, his eyes surging with suppressed madness, love, and possessiveness, like a beast that had been lying in wait for ten years, finally waiting for the prey he had been longing for.

"Is Miss questioning her servant?"

Shen Nannan blinked, seeing the desire about to burst forth in his eyes. It was... a little scary.

"I...I didn't say anything..."

"Didn't say anything?" His voice was terribly hoarse as his fingertips caressed the smooth skin of her lower back, causing her to tremble slightly.

"Shen Nannan, you asked for this!" He suddenly rolled over, pinning her beneath him, and a fierce kiss landed on her lips.

Their lips and tongues intertwined, and he pried open her teeth, sucking hard as if he wanted to lick all her sweetness clean!

"This is what you wanted, Miss," he said, biting her lip, his breath hot.

"Give it all to the servants."

"Don't even mention a life, my body is at your disposal, Miss, to use as you please."

He kissed her for a long time, until her lips were numb, before he pulled away, panting heavily.

"Miss," his voice was hoarse beyond words, "Say it again."

"What did you say?"

"Tell me you want me."

Shen Nannan looked into his eyes. In the moonlight, those eyes were red, burning with fire, but beneath that fire lay something precious, something carefully cherished, as if afraid of breaking something.

She reached out, cupped his face in her hands, and gently stroked his lips with her thumb.

"I want you," she said, enunciating each word clearly, "Ah Chao, I want you."

His body jolted violently.

He lowered his head and kissed her again.

His kisses slid from her lips to her chin, from her chin to her neck, and from her neck to her collarbone.

He hooked his fingers around the loose belt at her waist, and with a gentle pull, the clothes came undone, revealing a light purple undergarment underneath.

"Ah Chao..." Her voice trembled.

"Mmm," he responded, his lips pressed against her collarbone, without looking up.

"Be gentle..."

"it is good."