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

Shen Nannan's throat bobbed slightly; the alluring face in her dream overlapped with the pale face before her.

She used almost all her strength to keep herself from turning and running away.

Those eyes were dark and unfathomable, staring straight at her—

She knew that look all too well.

In his past life, every time he was about to become suspicious or angry, he would look at her like this.

Then he began to slowly and deliberately loosen her belt.

What awaited her was a whole night of entanglement.

A cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

But the most important thing she learned during her three years of imprisonment in her previous life was that the more afraid she was, the less she could let anyone see it.

She slowly unsheathed the dagger from her sleeve, tugged at the corners of her mouth, and made herself look like a spoiled young lady who had been offended.

"What are you thinking? If I wanted to kill you, why would I need to call a doctor to treat you?"

Her voice was languid, carrying the languor of someone who had just woken up, yet unconsciously revealing the allure she possessed in her past life.

Xiao Yunzhao stared at her face.

He didn't say anything.

Like a wolf surveying its prey.

Shen Nannan felt uneasy under his gaze.

You little wolf cub, you tormented me for three years in my past life, and now you want to bite me as soon as you wake up in this life?

I was just about to say something more to bolster the argument,

"Hey, what brings you to a place like this in the middle of the night, sister?"

A affected, pretentious voice came from the doorway.

Shen Nannan turned her head.

Shen Yin stood at the door, covering her nose, and peered into the house with a look of disgust.

The eldest daughter of the second branch of the Shen family, and her "good" cousin.

"When the younger sister heard that her older sister had rushed to the stable in the middle of the night, she thought something had happened..."

Shen Yin's gaze swept back and forth between her and the boy on the bed, finally landing on Xiao Yunzhao's face. Her eyes darted around...

"Oh, this stable boy is quite handsome—"

She dragged out her words, her laughter growing increasingly sarcastic.

"Could it be that Master Pei is ignoring my sister, and she's so lonely that she's fallen so low as to... oh, have taken a fancy to a stable boy?"

Pei Ran.

The fiancé from her past life who broke off the engagement immediately after her family's downfall.

Shen Yin was infatuated with Pei Ran, and because of this, she often spoke sarcastically to her in her past life.

Shen Nannan narrowed her eyes.

Shen Yin was still laughing: "What, this stable boy is as filthy as a dog, how could you, sister, bite him..."

"Snapped!"

Shen Yin was stunned by Shen Nannan's sudden slap; half of her face swelled up instantly, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Shen Yin covered her face.

"You...you hit me?"

Shen Nannan remained silent. She recalled her past life, when the Shen family fell into ruin. It was then that she learned the second branch of the family had already sided with the Crown Prince.

And how much did this treacherous second wife contribute to the tragic deaths of her father and brothers?

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

She grabbed Shen Yin's chin, tightened her grip, and forced her to raise her head.

The other hand slipped out from the sleeve—

The cold blade pressed against Shen Yin's cheek.

Shen Yin froze, her pupils shrinking sharply.

"I heard another sentence,"

Shen Nannan's voice was very soft, so soft it was as if she were saying how beautiful the moonlight was tonight.

"You can get rid of that face of yours."

The blade was pressed slightly down against the skin.

Shen Yin trembled all over, her eyes wide as she stared at Shen Nannan in front of her—

This cousin was spoiled since childhood, but she never acted like this.

Those eyes held only a cold, chilling aura.

Like...

He really will kill her!

"besides"

Shen Nannan tilted her head, smiling gently, "What did you just say? Pei Ran?"

She applied slight pressure with her hand, pressing the blade in even deeper.

"You seem quite concerned about Mr. Pei—what, are you eyeing your future brother-in-law?"

Shen Yin's lips trembled: "I didn't, I didn't..."

"No?"

Shen Nannan tilted her head to look at her, and the blade gently patted her face.

"So you came to the stables in the dead of night just so I could slash your face?"

As she spoke, Shen Nannan suddenly raised the blade, stopping it just inches from Shen Yin's eyes.

"ah--"

"I won't do it again... I won't do it again..."

Shen Yin finally broke down, tears streaming down her face.

"Sister, I was wrong, I really won't do it again—"

Shen Nannan stared at her for a moment.

Then let go.

Shen Yin's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward as if she had seen a ghost.

"roll."

Shen Yin scrambled to her feet and ran, bumping into the door frame. She stumbled and disappeared into the night.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

The room fell silent.

Shen Nannan looked down at the dagger in her hand.

The blade gleamed coldly.

In his previous life, he was imprisoned for three years and poisoned to death. Now that he's been reborn, he has to listen to this kind of idiot barking in front of him.

It's better to just cut it cleanly.

A very faint sound suddenly came from behind.

Shen Nannan suddenly turned around—

The boy leaned against the headboard, his face as pale as paper, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

He looked at her.

Something flashed across those dark, deep eyes.

Shen Nannan's heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively tried to put the dagger away, but it was too late.

"Miss."

The boy spoke, his voice terribly hoarse, yet carrying a meaning that was hard to define.

"The dagger...is exquisite..."

The boy's smile deepened, like a wolf that had spotted prey delivered to its doorstep.

Shen Nannan felt a chill run down her spine, but at that moment, she suddenly noticed something flash beside his hand.

The candlelight was too dim for her to see clearly.

But that light—

Shen Nannan's body reacted before her brain; her back tensed instantly.

In her past life, she had seen it countless times: Xiao Yunzhao always hid something in his sleeves—blades, poison needles, and all sorts of deadly gadgets.

That's the skill he used to survive.

Shen Nannan's pupils contracted.

In his past life, he was in a good mood once and taught her how to use hidden weapons, saying that such things were called "finger blades," hidden between the fingers—

"It kills instantly upon contact with blood."

That's what he said.

She was so frightened that her face turned pale.

He laughed, pinching her chin and saying, "What are you afraid of? I won't use it against you."

And he just now—

Did they want to kill Shen Yin?

Or does he still want to kill...her?