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

A complex mix of emotions suddenly welled up inside her.

He Jinzhi is a man of strong principles and a hard heart.

But he investigated the case not for promotion or wealth, but for the sake of "reason".

There aren't many people like that left in this world.

"Miss." Ah Chao's voice came from behind, sounding a little muffled.

She turned around, and there he stood beside the carriage, his mask gleaming coldly in the moonlight. But something was off about his eyes—they were dark and unfathomable, like a bottomless pool of water.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's nothing." He looked away. "Let's go."

Shen Nannan stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.

She walked over and poked his chest.

"Ah Chao".

"Um."

Are you jealous again?

"no."

"Every time you say 'no,' it means 'yes.'"

"What did he ask you?" His voice was flat, but the sourness in his voice couldn't be hidden even through the mask.

"He told me not to go to the palace recently."

Ah Chao's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"What else did he say?"

"no."

Ah Chao paused for a moment, then walked over, put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her closer to him.

"Let's go," he said. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

Shen Nannan was held in his arms, feeling the warmth of his palm seeping through her clothes. She looked up at him; his jaw was taut, his lips pursed, as if he were thinking about something.

"Ah Chao," she called him.

"Um."

Are you scared?

"What are you afraid of?"

"People from the palace."

He glanced down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips—a smile she recognized—not gentle, but cold.

"This servant is not afraid," he said. "What this servant fears is that someone will try to harm Miss."

Shen Nannan looked at him, suddenly smiled, and poked his chest: "Then you should protect me well."

"Mmm." He took her finger that was poking his chest, kissed it, and said, "I'll protect you for life."

"However, Miss, you should still stay away from that man surnamed He."

"He Jinzhi is not a bad person."

"He's not a bad person." Ah Chao looked up at her.

"But the cases he investigates involve too many people. And... he's a man too..."

"He Jinzhi is a man who only cares about cases, not women. Don't worry."

Ah Chao turned his head and looked at her face, which was so close to his. Her eyes were bright, reflecting his image.

"This servant is not worried," he said, his voice still a little muffled.

"You're still jealous even though you know?"

"...I wasn't jealous."

"Then smile."

His lips curled into a slight smile, still with a sinister look.

Seeing his sour expression, Shen Nannan suddenly stood on tiptoe, reached out and pushed his mask up an inch, leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth, then pulled his mask down again.

"Alright, it's stamped." She stepped back, her eyes shining. "You're mine, no one can take you away."

Ah Chao paused for a moment, then reached out and touched the spot where she had kissed him, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"...Miss, this is cheating."

"What? You don't accept it?"

"I'm impressed." He reached out and took her hand, their fingers intertwined. "I'm absolutely impressed."

-----

It was almost midnight when they returned to the Shen residence.

Ah Chao didn't go through the main entrance; he carried Shen Nannan and climbed over the wall to get in.

Although the Shen family had a tight security detail, he was familiar with the shift changes at each post and was extremely skilled. He managed to scale the wall with one other person without alerting anyone.

He held Shen Nannan in his arms, nestled against his back, and whispered, "How come you climb over the wall like it's flat ground? Do you do it all the time?"

"Not often." He paused, "Occasionally."

"Occasionally, only a few times?"

"Why do you ask that, Miss?"

"curious."

Ah Chao paused for a moment, then put her down from his back and placed her in front of the back window of the Wutong Courtyard.

He reached out and pushed open the window, stepping aside to let her go in first.

"I haven't calculated it."

The autumn rain has stopped, and the courtyard is pitch black except for a lamp left on under the eaves.

As soon as Shen Nannan stepped into the courtyard, she suddenly heard a soft laugh behind her.

"Miss."

She turned around and saw Ah Chao standing at the courtyard gate. The moonlight fell on him, illuminating his masked face with a cold and desolate look.

"What's wrong?"

"Regarding tonight," he paused, "the young lady handled it very well."

Shen Nannan was taken aback. He rarely praised her, and even less often in this tone.

It wasn't just perfunctory or polite; it was genuine.

"That's right." She raised her chin. "Don't you even know who I am?"

"Miss." His voice was low.

"Um?"

"You were on the roof just now, saying that Madam Qian has quite a strong grip."

"What's wrong?"

"This servant has quite a bit of strength." He paused. "Would Miss like to try?"

Shen Nannan was stunned for a moment, then realized what he was talking about, and her face turned red instantly.

"you--!"

He took her hand, placed it in his palm, and gently squeezed it.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"It doesn't hurt."

"How about this?" He increased the pressure a little.

"It hurts a little."

"Be gentle, my servant." He released her hand, turned it over, and kissed her palm.

Shen Nannan's heart skipped a beat. She pulled her hand back, glared at him, and said, "That's enough."

"Not enough," he said. "Ninety-nine more."

"What do you mean, ninety-nine times?"

"Miss owes this servant something." He smiled slightly. "I said last night, it depended on my mood. How are you feeling today?"

Shen Nannan was speechless, so she reached out and pushed him, saying, "Okay, okay, time to sleep."

"Miss hasn't said whether she's in a good mood or not."

"not good."

"Then I will come back to ask again tomorrow."

He stood up, walked to the window, and glanced back at her.

"Miss."

"What's wrong now?"

"Was tonight's performance good?"

Shen Nannan thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, but Lin Wan'er wasn't beaten badly enough. I didn't get enough of it."

"Should I have someone beat you again for you to see next time, Miss?"

"Thank you, but there's no need for that."

Ah Chao's lips curved slightly, and he turned to leave.

"Ah Chao," she called to him.

He turned around.

Are you... still on watch tonight?

He didn't say anything, but walked back, sat down on the veranda, leaned against a pillar, bent one leg, and rested his arm on his knee.

"Miss, go inside and sleep," he said. "This servant will stay and watch over you."

Shen Nannan looked at him, then suddenly walked over, squatted down beside him, and reached out to remove his mask.

Under the moonlight, that face was revealed—alluring and aloof, yet her reflection lingered in those eyes.

"Ah Chao," she called him.

"Um."

"You've had a tough day."

"It's not hard work."

She reached out and gently rubbed his temples.

His brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed.

"What are you doing, Miss?"

"It's a treat for you." She smiled slightly. "Didn't you say I should treat you?"

Ah Chao looked at her without saying a word. Her hands were soft, her fingertips cool, pressing gently against his temples, one light touch at a time.

He closed his eyes and let her massage him.

She didn't know how much time had passed before her hand stopped.

He opened his eyes, and she was already leaning on his shoulder, her eyes closed, her breathing long and even.

She fell asleep again.

Ah Chao looked down at her, the moonlight falling on her face, making her eyelashes stand out clearly. She looked completely different when she was asleep than when she was awake—less guarded, less complicated, without those emotions that he couldn't understand.

He put the mask back on, reached out and pulled her into his arms to make her more comfortable.

The rabbit suddenly hopped out of the house and squatted down at their feet, its red eyes darting around.

Ah Chao glanced down at it.

"She complimented me today," he said softly, a hint of pride in his voice.

The rabbit twitched its ears.

She said I'm amazing.

The rabbit twitched its ears again.

She even touched my face.

The rabbit immediately tucked its head into its body and stopped listening.

He pulled a piece of milk candy from his sleeve, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

Sweet.

Sweet as she is.

He closed his eyes and slowly melted the candy in his mouth.

It's saccharified, but the sweetness lingers on the tip of your tongue for a very long time.