With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

"That's enough." Pei Jinxuan's voice became even hoarseer, and his demeanor was weak, as if he had given up.

Lin Ci lowered her eyes, a smile still playing on her lips. "Just two more injections, bear with it."

Endure? Pei Jinxuan looked up at his useless body, then lay back down helplessly. He wished he could just faint and end it all.

The sound of rain outside the window grew denser, a soft patter like a young girl's whispered words, which made him blush.

Ever since that acupuncture session, Pei Jinxuan has refused to practice on Lin Ci again. He doesn't care about his life, but rather his reputation.

In the dead of night, I dreamt of you.

He met her under the window. She was wearing a plain silk dress, her black hair was braided and hung down her side, with a red ribbon tied at the end. The ribbon swayed gently in front of him like a goldfish's tail.

He reached out and gently pulled the red silk ribbon, his dark hair falling onto his chest, stirring up his inner fire.

……

His hand caressed her slightly cool, fragrant shoulder, his lips landing on her neck, hot and clumsy. She felt ticklish and involuntarily shrank her neck, raising her hand to gently push him away.

He moved closer again, shameless and brazen, pressing his face against hers and gently biting her earlobe.

With her eyes alluring and in a daze of passion, she grabbed his restless hand and gently bit it.

He winced in pain, hissed, and pulled his hand away, his fingers twirling as he made a series of hand gestures: "I will never let you down." Then, his hand returned to her waist, refusing to leave.

Lost in thought, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Suddenly, she thought to herself: What if my master sees me?

Suddenly, he burst in and took her without a word.

The rain pattered softly, and her breath came in soft gasps.

He pressed his body against hers, his rapid breaths echoing in her ear.

"Aci..." he called to her.

It was Pei Jinxuan's voice.

Lin Ci woke up instantly. She sat up abruptly, but all she could see was darkness, as if she were trapped in a deep dream and couldn't tell where she was.

"Ah Xuan! Ah Xuan!" she called out instinctively, her voice trembling, "Quickly turn on the lights, I can't see..."

She stretched out her hand desperately, groping blindly in the darkness, her fingers brushing across empty space, grasping nothing at all.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms grasped her hands, like a piece of driftwood reaching out from a raging storm. Lin Ci didn't care anymore; she gripped that hand tightly and leaned in, only to fall into a warm embrace.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

It was still Pei Jinxuan's voice.

Lin Ci's heart raced even more. She tried to push him away, but her body wouldn't obey her commands; her hands, as if acting on their own will, clung to him tightly.

His embrace was warm, and his clothes carried a faint scent of sandalwood. This was clearly not Song Xuan's scent, but she couldn't bear to part with the warmth and refused to move an inch away.

Pei Jinxuan hugged her even tighter, his hot chest pressed against her slender body, his steady and powerful heartbeat transmitted through the thin fabric.

The pounding of his heart both reassured and frightened her. After much hesitation, she gritted her teeth and forcefully pushed him away.

"No..." She turned her head away, her voice barely audible.

Pei Jinxuan's hand hovered in mid-air, hesitated for a moment, and then finally fell.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He tried to lower his tone and soften his voice.

Lin Ci turned her face away slightly, nodded, and then asked softly, "Why are you in my room?"

"I was just thinking of taking care of you; I meant no harm."

Lin Ci pursed her lips upon hearing this, then asked, "What time is it now?"

"It's past mid-morning, and the first rays of dawn are appearing."

"You slept on the side all night?"

"I..." Pei Jinxuan couldn't help but think of that dream, his face flushed, he rubbed his hands together, the words stuck in his throat, unable to come out for a long time.

Lin Ci understood. She knew he was following the rules, so she didn't ask any further questions. She simply said, "It's getting late, I should get up. I still need to brew the medicine today."

She used the edge of the bed to get up, but before her feet even touched the ground, her shoes were already at her feet.

Pei Jinxuan squatted down, holding her foot in one hand and the embroidered shoe in the other, carefully slipping it onto her feet with even gentler movements than Zhang Niang.

His silence made Lin Ci even more embarrassed. She pulled her feet back a little and said, "I can put on my own shoes."

"Isn't it the same if I dress you?" Pei Jinxuan looked up at her, his eyebrows curving upwards. The morning light fell on his well-defined face, adding a touch of radiance.

Unfortunately, Lin Ci couldn't see. She groped for the bamboo pole beside the bed and stood up. "Let Zhang Niang do it."

"Zhang Niang isn't feeling well today, so I'll let her rest. Just let me know if you need anything."

It sounds like he's planning to stick to his guns and refuse to budge.

Lin Ci thought for a moment, then deliberately made things difficult, "Do you know how to comb hair?"

"Of course I can, what's there to not know?" Pei Jinxuan took her hand and led her to sit down in front of the dressing table. "What kind of hairstyle do you want?"

Lin Ci was somewhat bewildered. He could do that? How could he?

Taking advantage of her momentary daze, Pei Jinxuan picked up the jade comb and carefully combed her waist-length black hair. He had often seen palace maids serving his mother by combing her hair before, and he was quite familiar with these small trinkets such as hair ribbons and hairpins.

His fingers ran through her hair, gently untangling the fine knots. He would occasionally glance at his reflection in the mirror; even the most beautiful peach and plum blossoms couldn't compare to her. He felt a surge of joy but dared not express it, so he hid his feelings between his fingers, stroking them one by one.

The person in the mirror slightly raised her eyes, seemingly looking at him through the bronze mirror. Their gazes met in the mirror, and Pei Jinxuan's heartstrings trembled slightly. He couldn't help but smile at the mirror, but unfortunately, her eyes became empty again as they moved.

Pei Jinxuan's heart sank, growing heavier and colder with each passing moment.

He was absent-minded, his wrists twirling as he tied his black hair into a bun. Many strands of hair fell out along the way, so he put them back in with hairpins. In an instant, Lin Ci's head was covered with jewels, and her bun was at least two and a half ounces heavier than usual.

Lin Ci shook his head, making a tinkling sound.

"Have you finished combing your hair?"

Pei Jinxuan examined the bronze mirror and straightened a crooked plum blossom hairpin. "It's done."

Lin Ci didn't believe it and reached out to touch it. Pei Jinxuan quickly grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "I prepared the water a long time ago. It will get cold if you don't wash."

"Then bring it over quickly."

"it is good."

Pei Jinxuan turned around to get the basin, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Lin Ci was still up to no good and wanted to reach out to touch the hair bun on her head. So he took the basin and the pot over together.

"Is the water temperature okay?" He deliberately lifted the kettle higher so that the water would splash into the basin.

Lin Ci reached out and tried it, then nodded. "It fits perfectly."

"That's good then." With that, Pei Jinxuan soaked the towel in the basin, watching the water gradually turn the pure white into a light gray.

Amidst the wisps of smoke, Lin Ci's eyes became misty, her emptiness turning into deep affection. He took it as her looking at him, wrung out his face towel, and gently wiped her brows, her eyes, and her lips...

He thought, why not just stay like this forever?