Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

Her voice was urgent yet soft, carrying a sense of panic that Su Wuli herself hadn't even noticed.

She even unconsciously took a small step toward Yu Chen, tripped over the hem of her robe, and swayed.

He stopped, turned halfway to the side, and the light from the oil lamp shone from behind him.

The face was hidden in the shadows, and the expression was not visible.

Su Wuli opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak.

The noise from the soldiers outside the tent was far more intense than the noise from the person in front of her who had almost strangled her to death, but hadn't actually done so...

Yu Chen seems safer.

"There are still people outside..." Su Wuli's voice lowered, carrying a plea she herself was unaware of.

She tightened her grip on the cuffs, "I'm all alone..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Chen turned around to face her.

He then took a step forward, instantly closing the distance, and a tall figure stood in front of her.

The crisp scent mingled with moisture and clean soapberry.

He did take a shower.

"Now you know that a person can be afraid?" he asked.

His warm breath brushed against her damp forehead. "Where did you get the nerve to splash me with water and hit me with a ladle?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli's cheeks instantly burned, and she wished she could shrink into her robe and disappear completely.

Suddenly I realized that I had indeed done that.

She didn't say anything, only sniffed softly, the sound of her aggrieved voice particularly clear in the silence.

Su Wuli looked up at his still-wet face, and stammered, "I...I'll wipe it off for you..."

As soon as she said it, she felt so guilty that she didn't even dare to look up to see Yu Chen's expression.

She slowly raised her arm, hesitantly reaching towards his cheek with her wide sleeve.

But she forgot that she was standing barefoot and was much shorter than him.

The sleeve was stretched out in mid-air, still quite a distance from his face.

It shook in vain, appearing unusually clumsy.

Su Wuli froze, her arm hanging awkwardly in the air, feeling even more embarrassed.

Before his death, Yu Chen was the regent; she couldn't possibly make him bow down.

I'm torn between these two thoughts.

Just as she was wondering what to do, she seemed to hear a chuckle from above.

The next instant, the world spun around.

Yu Chen suddenly bent down and easily picked her up in his arms.

Su Wuli gasped softly and instinctively raised her hand to wrap around his neck.

In this way, one's line of sight is just level with his, or even slightly higher.

Yu Chen stood there, then looked up at her.

I was so close I could see the moisture still clinging to his eyelashes.

"Damn." He uttered a single word, with a hint of command, yet also something else entirely.

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Wuli suddenly came to her senses.

He held her like that, their breaths almost mingling, and she suddenly felt her fingertips go numb.

After hesitating for a moment, she raised her hand and gently pressed the inside of her sleeve against his cheek.

Through the damp fabric, I could feel the distinct lines of his jawline.

Su Wuli barely dared to breathe as she carefully wiped Yu Chen's face from his cheeks to his chin, removing the watermarks.

She performed the actions, but dared not raise her eyes.

The man's gaze remained fixed on her face, causing her hands to tremble slightly and her breathing to become labored.

After wiping her face, she hesitated for a moment before moving her sleeve toward his wet collar.

There was a patch on her collarbone, so she didn't dare to apply too much pressure; she just quickly dabbed it.

Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his Adam's apple, and Su Wuli glanced at him subconsciously.

His prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down once.

Su Wuli quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been burned, her ears burning.

Yu Chen didn't speak, but he didn't put her down immediately either.

They held each other like that for a few seconds.

In the cramped cubicle, there were only the sounds of breathing and the occasional soft thud of water droplets falling from the edge of the wooden tub.

The air was so thick it wouldn't dissolve.

Then, Yu Chen suddenly made a move, abruptly changing to holding her with one arm, turning around and walking out of the small cubicle.

Su Wuli was startled and subconsciously glanced at him, only to unexpectedly meet his gaze.

He suddenly stretched out one hand.

Su Wuli was startled by what she saw, and instinctively closed her eyes and hunched her shoulders.

However, the hand only landed on her head, carrying the cool dampness of her recent shower.

He ruffled her half-dry hair haphazardly, making it even messier.

He muttered two words under his breath, "Troublesome."

However, his tone didn't reveal much that he genuinely found it troublesome.

However, as soon as he lifted the fur curtain of the cubicle, he bumped into someone.

They were several soldiers wearing dark leather armor.

They seemed to be on their night patrol when they suddenly saw Yu Chen carrying her out.

They all stopped in their tracks, bowed their heads, and greeted him, "Your Highness."

The voices were unified, carrying the indomitable spirit unique to military camps.

Su Wuli was so frightened that her whole body stiffened, and the color drained from her cheeks, which were already flushed from their closeness.

He was only wearing the man's large robe, with nothing underneath.

Almost instinctively, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and hugged him even tighter.

She wished she could shrink into his arms, into his very bones, and disappear completely.

Yu Chen stopped in his tracks, holding her as he stood still.

Then he spoke, "Yes, add two more sentries to the west post. It'll be windy in the latter half of the night, so be careful with fire."

"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.

Su Wuli didn't know if they had seen her.

Even so, she could still sense the presence of those silent figures.

Her body, pressed tightly against his chest, trembled slightly with tension.

Yu Chen seemed to sense this, tightening his grip and pressing her even deeper into him.

Then he briefly gave two more instructions, but Su Wuli didn't hear them clearly.

All I could hear was my own heart pounding like a drum.

The soldiers respectfully accepted the order and stepped back a few paces to make way.

Yu Chen then carried her and continued walking towards the main tent.

Until Su Wuli was placed on the tatami mat.

Immediately afterwards, Yu Chen pulled a thin blanket over her and lay down on the outside.

He wrapped his arm around her, and the panic he had felt earlier gradually faded away as his breathing and body temperature calmed down.

"Go to sleep." He closed his eyes, his voice muffled between the pillows and mat, carrying a slightly lazy nasal tone.

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli stiffened.

Her waist felt slightly warm as he held her through the thin blanket.

He... just fell asleep like that?

The man's breathing quickly became steady, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically.

The arm that was wrapped around her waist was very noticeable.

After a moment, it was confirmed that Yu Chen was indeed asleep.

Su Wuli couldn't help but secretly turn her head to look at him from the edge of the blanket.

The man had his eyes closed, and his brows were relaxed.

In the dim, flickering light, his profile lost its usual coldness and oppressiveness, revealing a rare calm and serenity.

She couldn't sleep, and the arm draped around her waist was impossible for Su Wuli to ignore.

My gaze couldn't help but slowly drift downwards, landing on that hand.

The hands are large with distinct joints, and there are clear calluses on the fingertips and the web of the hand, which must have been accumulated over many years.

Even though it's just a temporary structure, you can still feel the power it contains.

Especially the calluses on his hands; every time they touched her skin, they made her heart tremble.

Thinking this, Su Wuli's ears burned slightly, and her mind was in turmoil.

Su Wuli was genuinely afraid of him.

But... it was him who told her what to do when she was most terrified and helpless.