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

Shen Nannan suffered cardiac arrest.

But at this moment, she cannot back down.

She was the legitimate daughter of a general's family.

There's no need to explain to a stable boy why he's carrying a dagger in the middle of the night.

She pretended not to see the weapon in his hand.

He calmed his mind.

"My things are naturally good."

He naturally put the dagger back into his sleeve.

"How are you?"

The boy just stared at her.

In the candlelight, the fresh scar on his face was illuminated, giving him a broken yet dangerous beauty.

After a long pause, he gave a very slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"I won't die, but..."

His voice was still hoarse, but he deliberately showed the hidden weapon in his hand again.

"That young lady stared at me for so long... what was she thinking?"

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her face, tracing her eyebrows, nose, and lips inch by inch…

This appearance...

It reminded her of a past life when he pinned her to the bed, forced her to look at himself in the bronze mirror, and whispered a question in her ear in a low, husky voice.

"Little girl, who are you thinking about? Hmm?"

The more she trembled, the harder he tormented her.

"I……"

She bit her lower lip and blurted it out.

"I came to see if you were dead."

She regretted it as soon as she said it.

Sure enough, a faint hint of mockery flashed in Xiao Yunzhao's eyes.

"Then I... have disappointed you, Miss."

He tried to sit up, but the movement aggravated his wound, and he groaned softly.

Shen Nannan reached out to help almost instinctively.

The movement was so natural—she had done it countless times during her three years in the Regent's Palace in her previous life.

Whenever he was injured, he wouldn't allow anyone else to get close to him; only she was allowed to take care of him.

The moment their fingers touched his arm, they both froze.

One is fear,

One wanted to kill someone.

The boy's arms were lean and strong; you could feel the taut muscle lines underneath even through his coarse clothes.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on her hand that she hadn't had time to retract.

"Miss."

Your hands... are shaking.

The boy moved even closer.

Because of this action, blood seeped through his bandages again, but he seemed not to feel the pain, only staring at her.

"Miss seems to be afraid of me."

Why?

That muffled groan earlier was definitely an act.

Shen Nannan's breath hitched. In that instant, she vaguely saw that person from her past life—after he had finished tormenting her on the bed, he looked just like this...

Why?

Because in my past life you imprisoned me in a house for three years, because you repeatedly tormented me in bed, because in the end I died without knowing why—

Those images flooded back: his panting as he pressed down on her, the look in his eyes as he forced her to call his name, her last glimpse of his crazed face before she died…

She thought she could hold on, but with him staring at her like that, all the strength she had been holding on to suddenly dissipated.

She could only look at him, her eyes unconsciously reddening.

It wasn't acted.

It was genuine grievance, genuine fear, and the despair of having to face this madman again in this second life.

Xiao Yunzhao glanced at her reddened eyes, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

He couldn't understand it. His usual approach to such matters was to kill the culprit and end it all.

But... if he stays in the general's mansion, she will still be of use to him.

"If you have nothing else, Miss, you may return."

He suppressed his murderous intent, and his voice regained its previous weakness.

"This place is dirty, don't get your shoes dirty."

Dirty?

correct,

In her past life, she often said these words: "You lowly thing," "You're filthy," "Stay away from me."

Later, she became his concubine.

He would deliberately spill alcohol on her.

"Now, Miss, you're just as dirty as I am."

At that time, every word he uttered,

With a burst of force, it was as if they wanted to return all the humiliation of those years.

Do not,

We can't just give up like this.

Not at least not now.

She took a deep breath.

Xiao Yunzhao's mood was unpredictable; the only reason she was able to survive for three years in that kind of environment was because of her abilities.

Now that you're awake, take good care of yourself.

She tried to make her voice sound calm, even deliberately softening it.

"Once you're healed, get back to work as soon as possible. My money wasn't wasted."

As she spoke, she naturally walked to the old, worn-out table by the bed and picked up the medicine bowl on it.

As she moved, her wide sleeves fluttered, and her sweet fragrance wafted over.

Xiao Yunzhao's gaze followed her hand.

"This room is simple." Shen Nannan had her back to him, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the bowl.

"Once you're better, I'll have someone find you a new place to stay. After all..."

She turned around and gave him a faint smile.

The curve of the corners of the lips is just right.

It shouldn't be too alluring, as that would appear frivolous; nor should it be too bland, as that would lack flavor.

This smile was learned from the courtesan in her previous life. She was the only person Xiao Yunzhao allowed her to interact with. He himself benefited from it, so he naturally gave it his tacit approval. Shen Nannan rarely had the opportunity to interact with others, so she naturally learned it diligently.

It's just that the habit is ingrained in her bones, and even in this life, she carries that irresistible allure deep within her.

"After all, you're mine now, you can't keep living next to the stable forever."

After she finished speaking, her heart was pounding like a drum.

Xiao Yunzhao's expression remained unchanged.

He stared at her smile for a full three breaths before slowly speaking:

"Miss is kind and benevolent."

Shen Nannan handed over the bowl of medicine.

A few strands of hair almost touched his arm.

The aroma became clearer.

"Miss," he suddenly spoke, his voice even lower than before.

"Give me a name."

Shen Nannan was taken aback.

"They said I was a stable boy that Miss bought," Xiao Yunzhao said slowly, each word sounding like a test.

"As a lady, she should at least have a name."

In his previous life, when Xiao Yunzhao was in a good mood, he always liked her to call him "Ah Zhao".

So much so that later on, in bed, he would find all sorts of ways to torment her, making her call that name until she cried out, and only then would he be satisfied and hold her as he fell asleep.

Ah Zhao...

She silently repeated the name in her heart, and her tongue tasted bitter.

"Miss?" the boy asked, waiting for her answer.

Shen Nannan snapped out of her daze and met his eyes.

In his youth, Xiao Yunzhao's features were not yet so cold and hard; instead, he possessed a kind of enchanting beauty that was somewhere between youthful innocence and maturity.

He lay there weakly, but his eyes still held a sharp, piercing gaze that seemed to penetrate one's very soul.

She suddenly remembered a certain afternoon in her past life when he was in a rare good mood, holding her by the window as they basked in the sun.

He was already incredibly powerful then, yet strangely quiet. He rested his chin on her head and whispered, "My dear, if only I had met you a few years earlier."

She didn't understand then, but now she seems to understand a little.

"Ah Chao (pronounced zhao in the first tone)."

She heard her own voice, slightly unsteady.

"Can I call you Ah Chao?"

A flash of murderous intent crossed the boy's eyes: "Which Zhao?"

"The 'Chao' in 'Chaoyang' (morning sun)."

After Shen Nannan finished speaking, she added another sentence, her voice softening.

"As the sun rises, the past is swept away."