The mistress who remarried has returned.

She unscrewed the cap of the wound medicine, sprinkled a considerable amount onto his wound, then bandaged it with gauze and pressed it for a long time until the skin adhered and the bleeding stopped. Only then did she say softly, "Let's treat it simply for now. When you get back to your residence, I'll have a doctor take a proper look at it. The wound is quite deep; if it gets infected, it will be very troublesome."

Qin Huai withdrew his hand, carefully examined the neatly bandaged gauze, his eyebrows twitched, but he remained silent with a cold expression. After a long while, he said, "It's none of your business. You just need to take care of Zhou Yu."

After speaking, Qin Huai walked towards the door.

Seeing him about to leave, Su Yunxi inexplicably reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Her face nestled against his broad back, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "Can you stay with me for a while? I'm so sad. Will Su Yuanzhou come back after you leave? Will he come back and say he regrets giving birth to me, that I'm a selfish and cold-blooded person?"

Qin Huai's breathing became slightly heavier. He felt her face gently pressing against his back and said coldly, "Let go."

Su Yunxi buried her face in his back, her warm breath carrying through his not-so-thin cotton coat as she spoke and breathed, sending an unexpected tingling sensation down his spine. "But I...I don't want to be alone. Even if you're pretending, just tell me, I...I'm not the kind of bad girl my father talks about, okay? I think I'm just too desperate."

"Master, you're hugging and touching me, wanting me to stay with you. Is it because you're sad and lonely, or is it for something else? Master knows the answer." Qin Huai said indifferently, "You wouldn't bother me if it weren't for that matter. However, it was Master who taught me to keep things separate. The matter of trampling on the cloak made by my grandmother seems to have not been settled yet, has it? Until that matter is over, Master, I'm afraid I can't do anything about what's on your mind."

Su Yunxi came over. He felt that her constant pestering was all about the Crown Prince's follow-up appointment, but she was too helpless tonight and hoped he could stay with her, even if it was just about getting her medicine at the Crown Prince's palace. As long as he could stay, she would accept it. "How can we settle the score for destroying the cloak?"

Qin Huai lowered his head, looking at her hands wrapped around his waist, tightly gripping his belt. Her slender fingers were caught in the belt, leaving red marks on her fingertips. She was still clinging to him in every way. "My lord, besides this body, you have nothing of value, right? But since the Crown Prince hasn't woken up yet, my lord can't keep his promise to open up and steal a moment with me. I'm afraid this is a dead end. I really can't help you."

Qin Huai pried Su Yunxi's hands off his waist, creating some distance between them.

"Like that day at the Eastern Palace, is that alright?"

As Su Yunxi watched his receding figure, she understood that once he left, there would be no more chances for the Crown Prince to have a follow-up appointment and get his medicine renewed. Perhaps they would never see each other again in this lifetime, and they would part ways forever, never to see each other again. Even though she knew that she was being extremely self-degrading, what other choice did she have? She had indeed missed him these past few years.

Qin Huai understood that she was referring to the kiss they had shared in the East Palace bedroom that day, and said disdainfully, "Kissing him with your mouth tightly shut like that, like kissing a piece of wood, is incredibly disappointing. Do you think that's acceptable? I'd rather kiss a wall."

Qin Huai walked to the door with no interest, placed his hand on the latch, and quickly pulled it open in Su Yunxi's sight.

"I'll open my mouth."

The latch clicked open as Qin Huai pulled it open, and at the same time he heard Su Yunxi's voice, as soft as a cicada's wing.

"What did you say?" Qin Huai seemed not to have heard clearly, facing the door panel, he asked as if to confirm, "Say it again."

"May I open my mouth this time?"

Seeing that Qin Huai hadn't made a move yet, Su Yunxi asked again, without much confidence, "What appeal could this proposal have if it has no leverage whatsoever?"

Qin Huai stared at the bolt for a long time, then tightened his grip on the wooden bolt, pushed it in, and with a click, the bolt was inserted back into the hole.

He turned around, took out the dagger from under his sleeve, and casually placed it on the table with a dull thud. He looked at her and said in a deep voice, "Okay."

Qin Huai walked towards Su Yunxi, taking off his blood-stained outer military uniform and casually hanging it on the back of a chair, leaving only his clean undergarment.

As Su Yunxi watched him bolt the door, she suddenly became extremely nervous, stumbling backward in a flustered manner, subconsciously wondering what incredible thing she had promised.

Qin Huai walked up to her, put his arms around her buttocks and lifted her up, his forehead touching hers. She could hear his breathing, which was restrained and irregular. He carried her to the dressing mirror and made her sit on the dressing table. Then he slowly lowered his head.

"Since he is ill, and you are so helpless, as his subject, I should help him relieve his worries." Qin Huai gently gathered her hair with his hands, then loosened her hair ribbon, letting her silky hair cascade down. He ran his hands through her hair, supporting the back of her head in a controlled manner, and said softly, "You have suffered a great injustice. Let me comfort you and give you some solace, okay?"

Su Yunxi didn't understand why he would stay because of her suggestion. She had initially thought it was a risky suggestion, but his gentleness, even if it was feigned at her request, filled her heart. She nodded, "Yes. My father is just talking nonsense, isn't he?"

"You are the most special and responsible girl I have ever met." Qin Huai gazed deeply at her. "You spare no effort to protect anyone who enters your heart. Don't belittle yourself because of Su Yuanzhou's words. He doesn't deserve to be your father, he doesn't deserve to have a daughter like you."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunxi's eyes became misty, and she sobbed, "Were you really...really going to kill me?"

Qin Huai sighed almost inaudibly, "If that were true, you wouldn't have the chance to bother me here now."

Su Yunxi stopped asking, although she knew that this was just a pretense of comforting her that she had asked for, and it was enough to get her through this helpless winter night.

It was something she got by opening her mouth. She didn't understand.

Qin Huaiqing's handsome face drew closer to her, and his lips slowly covered hers.

Su Yunxi stared at his approaching lips, all the sounds around her disappearing, as if she could only hear her own heartbeat in the silence.

At first, Qin Huai's lips were tentative and restrained, his tongue only lingering outside her teeth, not trying to pry them open, as if avoiding feeling her resistance. Each light touch between her lips and teeth was just a fleeting taste, and the fragrance of seasonal flowers wafted between their breaths.

Su Yunxi felt his hand on her waist tighten as she slowly opened her jaw.

Was it her imagination? Why did she feel that he was just as fragile and vulnerable as she was at this moment, as if she could shatter him if she clenched her teeth in resistance? She should rebel against him, but subconsciously she didn't want him to be disappointed or heartbroken, so she opened her lips and teeth a crack.