Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

Lin Zhiyao cried, "Waaah, cousin, I'll never play again!"

She cried so hard, her little face flushed, and her waist and abdomen were covered in dry grime, making her look even more pitiful and endearing.

Shen Jin gently kissed her temples, where her hair was damp with sweat, and Lin Zhiyao's trembling long eyelashes swept across his eyes, causing a slight tickle.

Lin Zhiyao noticed that his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably.

Then, he moved his lips down and gently kissed the corner of her wet, red eyes.

"Cousin, I really can't go on..."

Lin Zhiyao sobbed and turned her head to avoid him, but he held the back of her head in his palm and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Mm." Shen Jin responded, his tone returning to its usual gentle manner. "I won't bother you anymore, go to sleep."

Lin Zhiyao didn't have the energy to reply to him.

I don't know if he was telling the truth or lying.

After all, he had said those words many times before, but he would soon pretend he had never said them before and would come back to say them again.

Lin Zhiyao had no heart to argue anymore; her eyelids were so heavy she couldn't open them, and even her eyelashes were trembling.

She curled up uncomfortably in the coarse cotton quilt, like a soft piece of silk that had been crumpled and then barely gathered together. Her body went limp, and her breathing gradually became long and even.

Shen Jin sat on the edge of the bed watching her. Moonlight shone through the window paper, illuminating Lin Zhiyao's slightly furrowed brows in her sleep. Her face was still flushed, her nose was red, and her lips were a little swollen.

He watched her for a while, then reached out and brushed aside the damp strands of hair at her temples, tucking them behind her ear, his fingertips brushing against her earlobe.

Lin Zhiyao hummed softly in her sleep, but didn't wake up.

Shen Jin stared at her like that for an unknown amount of time, until she fell asleep, then slowly sat up, turned around, and pushed the door open to leave.

A night breeze swept over me.

Shen Jin stood on the stone steps in front of the door and whispered into the shadows, "Prepare warm water."

A figure moved in the darkness, whispered "Yes," and was about to leave when Shen Jin stopped him.

"Wait."

Shen Jin's eyes were thoughtful. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Later, when you destroy the incense oil in the temple, do it discreetly. Only leave the oil in the east wing; there's no need to leave too much."

The dark figure, it seemed, then moved swiftly down the corridor.

Soon after, hot water was delivered.

Shen Jin sat on the edge of the bed, rolled up his sleeves twice to reveal his well-defined forearms, wrung out a handkerchief, and patiently wiped Lin Zhiyao's neck, starting from the side of her neck.

The handkerchief was warm, and he moved very gently to wipe away the thin layer of sweat. He then used another handkerchief to wipe away the dried stains on her face.

They rinsed the water three times like that.

Shen Jin threw the last handkerchief into the copper basin, and the originally clear water became slightly turbid.

He covered her with the quilt again, then pulled Lin Zhiyao's long hair out from under the pillow and gently gathered it to one side.

She revealed half of her serene profile, which was buried in the pillow.

With his fox-like eyes lowered, he stared for a moment in the dim morning light before getting up to gather the copper basin and handkerchief, then pushed open the door and went out.

*

By the time Lin Zhiyao woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

Birds chirped outside the window, and sunlight streamed in through the paper window, illuminating the entire room.

There were faint sounds of people talking and moving around outside the courtyard. Xiao Tao's footsteps came from the outer room, and she pushed open the wooden door and came in.

"Miss is awake?" Xiao Tao placed the tray on the table, picked up her outer robe, and came forward to help her. "It's already noon. Miss, you slept so soundly."

Lin Zhiyao propped herself up and sat up, her whole body aching and weak.

She looked down at herself. She was wearing a clean undergarment, her body was dry, the quilt was tucked in neatly, and even her hair had been combed back together.

Lin Zhiyao was stunned for a moment.

He looked like he hadn't woken up yet, sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, wearing an outer robe.

"Xiao Tao, did you bathe me this morning?"

Lin Zhiyao suddenly asked.

Xiao Tao shook her head, slightly puzzled. "No, what's wrong, Miss? Is there something you need?"

Lin Zhiyao shook her head, "It's nothing."

Xiao Tao said "Oh," turned around to pour her some water, and babbled, "Miss, you don't know, the young master came to the temple this morning and was talking to the abbot in the front courtyard just now! He happened to see me going to the kitchen to get you some porridge, and he even asked me how you were, Miss—"

Lin Zhiyao's fingers, holding the teacup, suddenly tightened.

She nearly spilled the water, steadied her wrist, and placed the teacup back on the table: "Why...why is my cousin here?"

"They said they were passing through on official business," Xiao Tao said, her voice brimming with barely concealed excitement. "The young master is truly a handsome man. When he stands under the eaves of that courtyard, many nuns are secretly watching him."

Lin Zhiyao did not respond.

With his eyes downcast, his fingertips dug into the rim of the teacup.

But I felt a slight sense of relief.

Since this is a business trip, I suppose I won't be staying for long, and it's more convenient to travel during the day.

I suppose they'll be leaving before dark.

Xiao Tao kept chattering away.

Lin Zhiyao remained silent throughout.

She stared at the vegetarian meal that she had found quite refreshing and light the day before, but she still couldn't muster any appetite.

"Xiao Tao, I'm not very hungry today. You can take the lunch away later."

Xiao Tao was taken aback. "Hey, didn't you say during the day that the vegetarian food here was quite good?"

Lin Zhiyao was about to say something more.

A strangely familiar sound of footsteps came from outside, unhurried and slow, approaching from afar along the corridor.

Lin Zhiyao tensed up, and sure enough, she heard the footsteps stop outside her door, followed by two knocks.

"Is my cousin awake yet?"

It was Shen Jin's voice, gentle and clear, with just the right amount of concern. Anyone who heard it would think that a dignified gentleman was inquiring about his cousin's well-being.

Lin Zhiyao's knuckles turned white as she gripped the teacup.

Xiao Tao had already run over and opened the door, bowing respectfully to those outside: "Greetings, Young Master."

Shen Jin stood outside the threshold, dressed in a moon-white outfit. Sunlight slanted in from behind him, enveloping him in a soft glow. He was indeed as dignified as Xiao Tao had said.

"Cousin, did you rest well? The temple is quiet, more suitable for recuperating than the manor." Shen Jin's gaze passed over Xiao Tao and landed on Lin Zhiyao. A gentle smile naturally appeared on his face, and his fox-like eyes were slightly curved, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Lin Zhiyao's knuckles unconsciously loosened and then clenched again. She lowered her head and tried to keep her voice calm: "Thank you for your concern, cousin. I'm fine."

"That's good." Shen Jin didn't linger, only nodding to Xiao Tao. "Take good care of your cousin. I'll be staying in the next room. If anything happens, just send someone to tell me."

Lin Zhiyao suddenly looked up, in disbelief.

Didn't I have official business to attend to?

How did you end up staying here?

Xiao Tao didn't notice Lin Zhiyao's expression behind her and responded.

Shen Jin gave Lin Zhiyao a deep look, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then turned and walked along the corridor.

Lin Zhiyao quickly asked Xiao Tao, "Didn't my cousin have official business to attend to? Why is he staying here?"

They still live next door.

Shouldn't male guests stay in the west wing if they want to stay overnight?

Xiao Tao was lively and loved to chat, so she had already found out the whole story. "Just now, the abbot personally brought the young master here. He said that the young master had just arrived at the temple this morning and was staying here on official business. So the abbot arranged a room on the west side for him."

At this point, Xiaotao seemed to realize that there was something slightly off about what she was about to say, and hesitated a bit, but she couldn't figure it out, so she continued.

"But the young master said that he and the young lady are family, and it would be more convenient for them to take care of each other if they lived close by, so he insisted on staying in the empty meditation room next to ours."

"The abbot hesitated at first, saying that it might not be in accordance with the rules. But the young master said something... that he had already gone to the west wing and found that the lamp oil there was moldy and waterlogged and unusable. It would delay him from handling official documents, and he also had some clan matters to discuss. It would be more convenient to live closer and borrow lamp oil. The abbot had no choice but to agree."

As Lin Zhiyao listened, her heart sank deeper and deeper.

Why is even the heavens helping him? It just so happens that the lamp oil in the west wing is unusable.

and……

Judging from the implication in Shen Jin's words, it seems that he is not just staying for a few days, but for an unknown period of time.