The mistress who remarried has returned.

Although Su Yunxi had no experience with matters between men and women, she roughly understood what he meant. However, the Crown Prince was on his sickbed, and it would be too inappropriate for her to submit to Qin Huai by his side. Even if the Crown Prince woke up, he would probably be so angry that he would die immediately. She quickly pressed down her sash and resolutely refused to serve Qin Huai under these circumstances.

"I don't truly believe you're genuinely committed to healing the Crown Prince. I'll only do this with you if he wakes up. Since he hasn't woken up, I can't keep my promise. What if I do keep my promise now, but you go back on your word? I can't do anything about it then. One thing at a time. Even if I do do this, I won't do it in front of him. I want at least some respect. I'll choose the location."

"Okay, one thing at a time," Qin Huai said in a low voice. "You can choose the location."

Su Yunxi's tough stance gave her a temporary advantage in the negotiation. She breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Qin Huai was a young master from a prominent family and wouldn't really force a woman or make her do such a thing against her will. She tried to pull her hand out of the cabinet door that he had pressed down on, but he still held her hand firmly and wouldn't let go.

"Let me go."

"You got quite a bit of money from Lord Su when you went back to the Su residence, didn't you?" Qin Huai pinched her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "You used me, so how are we going to settle this debt today?"

Su Yunxi had assumed he hadn't noticed and that everything was fine, but when he suddenly brought it up, she panicked and avoided his gaze. "I don't understand what you mean..."

Qin Huai noticed that even when she lied, her eyes kept darting around. He pursed his lips slightly and said, "Wearing my cloak into the Su residence and using my name to extort money from Su's father, how are we going to settle this score today? Didn't you notice me looking at you?"

Su Yunxi's eyes darted around before she slowly said, "I didn't realize I was wearing your cloak into the Su residence. Lord Su himself misunderstood that we had a chance to reconcile. It wasn't that I was using you."

"You have plenty of opportunities to clarify things, why don't you clarify what our relationship is?" Qin Huai forcefully pressed her arm against the wardrobe, his muscular body moving closer. "You still say you didn't take advantage of me? You know better than anyone whether you took advantage of me or not!"

"My mother is drinking cold water in the backyard to stave off hunger." Su Yunxi's eyes finally reddened as she helplessly revealed her impoverished situation. "I really need money. Should I tell my father that I sold myself to you for your pleasure, only to get no money and be beaten and scolded? Even if I am indeed being used, it's not worth selling myself to you for something so trivial! Qin Huai, why don't you go and find out how much the Crown Prince's woman is worth on the black market? Such a fun object must be quite valuable."

As he spoke, he choked up.

Looking at her reddened eyes, Qin Huai's earlier agitation subsided somewhat. "So, according to you, Lady Liangdi, this humble servant will simply let it go?"

Su Yunxi didn't know what she was angry about or what she felt wronged about. Perhaps it was because his petty attitude was so different from how he used to pamper and dote on her. She raised her head and asked, "So what do you want...?"

Qin Huaifu's hand moved down from her lips and grasped her slender neck.

Su Yunxi realized that he was so angry that he wanted to strangle her again, so she said in a trembling voice with red eyes, "If you strangle me, the guards of the East Palace will know that you came here today. If this gets out, the government will naturally investigate. Don't think that just because I didn't die in your villa, you can get away with it... um..."

Before she could finish her question, a cool touch pressed against her lips. Her eyes widened suddenly, and Qin Huai's handsome face was right in front of her. His hand did not choke her neck, but instead used his thumb to press against her chin, making her lift her face.

At first, he was just testing the waters, lightly brushing his lips against hers with a shallow kiss. He gradually increased the intensity, their lips lingering and their breaths mingling, losing the proper decorum one would show to someone from the imperial family.

She could clearly feel the lines on his lips, delicate and moist.

He stepped back slightly, creating some distance between them.

Su Yunxi was stunned by the sudden kiss, staring at him blankly and helplessly. He moved closer again, no longer a tentative light kiss, but a complete embrace, no longer a gentle friction, but with a long-restrained force. He tilted his head slightly, forcing her to raise her face, and he traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his tongue.

Su Yunxi forgot to breathe; it all happened so suddenly. This was her first kiss.

Her body was restrained by Qin Huai, his hands roaming over her waist.

"Open your mouth." Qin Huai pressed his lips against hers, his breath ragged and his throat becoming rapid. She kept her teeth tightly closed, not allowing him to pry open that defense.

Su Yunxi realized that he kissed her very skillfully, even ordering her to open her mouth. Was this how he and Xue Wenying kissed?

Su Yunxi struggled to break free from Qin Huai's grip on the wardrobe and slapped him across the face. She had lost her senses from the kiss and didn't even care about the consequences of hitting him.

Qin Huai was hit, but he kissed her even more fiercely, pressing his body against Su Yunxi and leaving several hickeys on her neck. "Is this all the strength you have to hit someone?"

Qin Huai tried to break through her defenses, and Su Yunxi could barely resist. In desperation, she bit his lip, and Qin Huai released her in pain.

Su Yunxi covered her lips, her eyes red-rimmed, and said, "I only took forty-seven taels from Lord Su, is that enough?"

Qin Huai licked the wound on his lips, the taste of blood mingling with her sweet scent filling his mouth. He stroked her reddened eyes. "Feel guilty towards him? But... this is nothing. How much betrayal has he experienced compared to what I've experienced?"

Su Yunxi raised her hand to cover her lips, her cheeks and neck already flushed red as if blood was about to seep out.

Qin Huai ran his hand through her hair, the skin of her neck leaving a burning heat in his palm. "You're so blushing, does that mean you don't kiss the Crown Prince often? Do you always go straight to the point?"

Su Yunxi sensed his distrust of her character in his words and immediately lost the desire to continue arguing with him. She pushed against his chest and said, "The doctor could bring the medicine in at any moment, Qin Huai. What do you want in order to let me go?"

Just then, Kang Yin indeed came in carrying a bowl of medicine, saying as he stepped over the threshold, "Lady, the medicine is ready. Feed it to His Highness while it's hot."

Kang Yin looked up and saw General Qin, who was usually abstinent, pinning Consort Su against the wardrobe. Consort Su's face was flushed with embarrassment. Kang Yin immediately lowered his head and retreated.

Su Yunxi gasped and immediately buried her face in Qin Huai's shoulder. Kang Yin had seen what was happening, and she was completely flustered. If word got out, what kind of image would it have? She would have no chance of survival, and Qin Huai's reputation would be ruined as well. "What should we do now?"

Unlike her, Qin Huai didn't lose his composure. His gaze lingered on the hickeys on her neck for a moment before he whispered, "Kang Yin is mine."

Su Yunxi felt somewhat relieved, knowing that the matter would not be leaked. However, she was still extremely embarrassed when facing Kang Yin.

Liu Shun then reported from outside the door, "General, it's getting late. Miss Xue is already waiting for you at the Jingxin Market. It's time to set off to meet her."