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

"Waaaaah, cousin, please, don't..."

Lin Zhiyao knelt face down in the soft quilt, her slender fingers clutching the silk blanket, her almond-shaped eyes filled with shimmering, precarious light.

Shen Jin's hot breath was right next to her ear, "Hmm? What does Yao Yao not want her cousin to do? If Yao Yao doesn't explain clearly, her cousin won't understand."

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Lin Zhiyao's almond-shaped eyes again, filled with shame and helplessness. "How...how could this be...Cousin, you..."

next second.

"Hmm!"

Tears flew out and landed on Shen Jin's hand, where the veins stood out. He licked them away with a smile, "How can Yao Yao be so sweet? Even her tears are like honey."

Then, he seemed genuinely drawn in by the sweetness, forcing her to shed tears, and then swallowing it all down as if tasting a sugar painting.

*

"Yao girl, in a little over three months, you will be entering the palace."

My aunt, dignified and elegant, sat in the head seat, holding a celadon teacup in her delicate hand. She stirred the floating tea leaves with the lid but did not rush to drink it.

Incense burned in the hall, and wisps of white smoke rose from the mouth of a bronze animal.

Lin Zhiyao sat at the lower end, her hands resting on her knees, her fingertips clutching the crepe fabric of her skirt. She obediently replied in a low voice, "Yes, niece understands."

But a bitter feeling welled up inside me.

The emperor is forty-six years old this year, much older than her father.

She remembered seeing the dragon robe from afar during the Lantern Festival banquet. The emperor's temples were already gray, and he needed to hold onto the table to stand up after sitting for a long time.

But she had no choice but to marry such a man, becoming one of the dozens in the harem, and thus end her life in misery.

The aunt nodded in satisfaction, took a sip of tea, and remarked, "Jin'er is returning to the manor today. You haven't seen him in a long time, have you?"

Lin Zhiyao lowered her eyelashes: "Yes, my niece and cousin met once at a family banquet seven years ago, and haven't seen each other since."

Her aunt didn't say anything more, chatted for a bit, gave her a box of pine nut candy, and then waved her away.

Lin Zhiyao carried the box of candy out of the hall and walked back along the covered walkway.

Outside the corridor is a crabapple grove. It is early spring, and the pink and white petals are in full bloom. When the wind blows, a few petals fall on the bluestone bricks.

The March sun is gentle and warm.

But she felt cold.

Although Lin Zhiyao was unwilling to enter the palace, she could only swallow her bitterness and had no heart to appreciate the spring scenery. Therefore, when she turned the corner of the moon gate, she did not notice the corner and bumped into someone on the shoulder.

A refreshing scent wafts over, carrying a delicate fragrance of snow-covered pine and ink.

"Be careful."

The man gently helped her up, his palm pressed against her forearm through her thin spring clothes, the heat of his body clearly visible.

Lin Zhiyao was startled and subconsciously took half a step back.

How could a man from outside the aunt's household appear?

But then he realized that there was only one person in the entire Shen family who could have walked through the moon gate to get here.

She quickly lowered her eyes and bowed respectfully.

"I hope my cousin is well."

Shen Jin looked down at her.

Sunlight streamed down from the eaves, falling on the girl's slightly lowered, fair face.

Her eyelashes were long and drooping at the moment, like two closed raven feather fans. Her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were a natural light pink with full, moist lips that looked glossy in the midday sun.

Her neck was slender and white, protruding from the light blue collar of her dress, like a piece of soft jade soaking in spring water.

Shen Jin's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. The hand that was loosely supporting her arm was still suspended in mid-air, not withdrawn. After she stepped back, it lingered for a moment before being lowered without leaving a trace.

"No need for such formalities, cousin."

Shen Jin spoke, his voice clear and pleasant.

Lin Zhiyao then got up.

The bright sunlight streamed down the corridor, causing her to squint slightly as she slowly raised her gaze from the white jade pendant at the waist of the man in front of her.

Her cousin was much taller than she remembered. His slender frame from his youth had grown into a tall, upright figure, like a bamboo shoot. He wore a moon-white robe with dark patterns, and over it was a semi-transparent silk cloak, through which the thin yet strong outline of his shoulders and back could be vaguely seen.

His features haven't changed much; he still has that handsome appearance. It's just that the corners of his eyes are longer than when he was a teenager, his pupils are darker, and the corners of his eyes are slightly upturned, giving him a somewhat casual scrutinizing look when he looks at people.

His jawline was also sharper, and his Adam's apple protruded slightly, bobbing gently as he spoke.

If he was a handsome young man seven years ago, now one glance is enough to tell that he has seen a lot of storms.

Lin Zhiyao's gaze lingered on his face for a couple of moments before she lowered it again.

"My cousin must have had a long and tiring journey."

"It's alright," Shen Jin said. "The scenery along the way is quite nice, and it's not too difficult to travel."

It didn't sound like he recognized her.

That makes sense, though. The two had only met briefly seven years ago when she accompanied her mother to a banquet at the Shen residence and saw this eldest son of the Shen family from afar.

The boy was handsome and refined, with striking features. When he smiled while talking to people under the eaves, it was like the first snowflakes melting on the branches in early spring.

Later, her mother had to leave early due to other matters, without even having a chance to say a formal goodbye.

After that, they had no further contact.

"Is it that cousin from the Lin family?"

Shen Jin spoke first, his voice a few decibels lower than before, with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Lin Zhiyao was taken aback, not expecting to be remembered. She quickly lowered her body and replied, "Yes."

"We're family, no need to be so polite."

Shen Jin gently helped her up again, his gaze lowered.

Lin Zhiyao wore a light blue spring shirt today. The fabric was thin and light, and it clung to her body when the wind blew, outlining her slender and well-proportioned figure beautifully.

Her waist was extremely thin, and her clothes were loosely tied, so that he could pinch it with one hand.

Shen Jin's gaze lingered for a moment on that astonishing arc.

"It's been many years since I last saw my cousin, and she's grown a lot taller," Shen Jin said.

Lin Zhiyao sensed the scrutinizing tone in his words, her ears burning slightly. She lowered her eyes and stared only at the white jade pendant at his waist: "Cousin, you are becoming more and more handsome and dashing."

The two stood two steps apart, one with his head bowed and the other looking down at her.

Shen Jin casually stroked the jade pendant at his waist, chuckled softly, his gaze still lingering on her slender waist, his tone gentle and alluring: "No matter how outstanding your beauty is, it can't compare to my cousin's light green dress, which is so captivating."

Lin Zhiyao was slightly startled and didn't know how to reply. In her panic, she simply took her leave.

At that moment, two petals of a crabapple blossom outside the corridor were blown off by the wind and adorned the faint wrinkles on her waist. She didn't notice, but Shen Jin's gaze followed the fallen petal upwards.

"cousin."

Shen Jin suddenly spoke.

Lin Zhiyao stopped in her tracks, turned to the side, and looked at him with a hint of confusion in her almond-shaped eyes.

He took half a step forward, and the distance suddenly closed.

Lin Zhiyao smelled the crisp pine and ink scent on his clothes again, mixed with the faint smell of dust from the journey.

She gripped the edge of the food box slightly with her fingertips, not understanding what he was going to do.

"Don't move," Shen Jin said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Zhiyao only saw him raise his hand, his fingertips brushing past her temple, plucking a tiny pink and white petal.

Lin Zhiyao was stunned.

"A petal fell," Shen Jin said in a low voice, as if afraid of startling something, "and it's stuck in your hair."

As he withdrew his fingertips, the pads of his fingers brushed against the stray hairs above her ear, as if it were an accidental touch.

Lin Zhiyao's ear tips immediately burned.

She abruptly stepped back, creating distance, her tiny earring swaying violently. As she looked down, her eyelashes fluttered wildly, and her voice became more urgent than before: "Thank you, cousin. I... I'll go back now. My aunt must still have something to discuss with you."

He was already rambling incoherently.

Without waiting for his reply, she turned and walked quickly along the corridor she had come from.

Her light green skirt swept over the crabapple petals that had fallen on the bluestone bricks. Her back was slender yet well-proportioned, and her waist was cinched into an extremely thin arc by her narrow-sleeved short jacket. As she walked, the layers of crepe on her skirt rippled like water.

She walked faster and faster, and as she turned the corner of the crabapple tree gate, she tilted her head slightly. The sunlight outlined a small section of her chin on her profile, and then she disappeared behind the lush crabapple grove.

Shen Jin stared intently, his fox-like eyes deep, until Lin Zhiyao had completely disappeared from sight before turning around and slowly walking along the corridor toward his mother.

When he leaned closer, he smelled a faint fragrance in her hair, a warm and comforting scent from rose dew and her body heat.

It also had a bit of agarwood mixed in, so it probably didn't stay with my mother for very long.

The spring sunlight outside the corridor was bright, but it couldn't melt away the dark depths in Shen Jin's eyes.

He was still holding the petal between his fingers, and as he lowered his eyes to put it into his sleeve pocket, he noticed a small stain on his cuff.

It was probably from the spot where I helped her earlier, perhaps from the syrup that seeped out of the box of pine nut candies.

Shen Jin wiped his fingertips with his thumb, and sure enough, some honey stuck to his fingertips. He then brought the honey to his lips and tasted it.

It was as sweet as he had expected.