Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

The man's palm was large and warm, with rough fingertips, easily encircling her slender joints.

"You..." Su Wuli's body stiffened, and she tried to pull her foot back, but he held it even tighter.

"Don't move." Yu Chen lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her ankles and calves.

"It gets chafed here when I ride a horse." He pressed a slightly red spot on the inside of his ankle.

Then he said slowly, "Remember to use a soft cloth tomorrow."

The touch of his fingertips on her skin sent a shiver down her spine.

Su Wuli wanted to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

Yu Chen loosened her ankle, but his hand moved upwards, his palm supporting her calf.

The muscles there were already sore and weak, and they trembled slightly under his palm.

He pressed his fingertips firmly on a sore and swollen tendon on the inside of her calf, saying, "This will be sore tomorrow."

His voice was still somewhat low and hoarse, but the volatile temper from before was gone.

I pressed my fingertip against that sensitive skin.

Su Wuli's toes curled up, and her cheeks began to burn again.

Then he moved his palm up to support her knee, with his thumb pressing against the inside of the joint.

He added, his gaze rising to her face, "You're using the wrong force here; your knees are too tight, and your muscles are taut."

There was a hint of reproach in her words, "No wonder you're sour."

His palms were burning hot, pressing against the back of her knees with a sense of control.

Yet it seems... there's something else involved.

Su Wuli's heart skipped a beat. Being examined by Yu Chen while holding her leg like this made her feel even more at a loss than when he applied the medicine earlier.

She tried to pull her leg back, and in the process, her other leg unconsciously bent.

Her knees unconsciously brushed against his lower abdomen as he leaned over.

The next second, Su Wuli felt dizzy.

Yu Chen gripped her ankles and knees tightly, pulling her down sharply.

She lay back on the animal skin, completely defenseless, and instinctively let out a gasp.

With a steady gaze, I saw Yu Chen kneeling on the edge of the couch, leaning closer.

His face was so close that she could see the turbulent undercurrents.

The hot breath brushed against her lips.

"What are you hiding from?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Each word felt like a hook, scraping against her eardrums. "Weren't you quite tight against me on horseback just now?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli's face flushed bright red, and even her neck turned crimson.

She was so embarrassed that she turned her head away, trying to avoid his burning gaze and breath.

But he grabbed her chin with one hand and forcibly turned it back.

"Watch," he commanded, his eyes unfathomable.

Su Wuli didn't know what he wanted her to look at, so she could only reluctantly meet his eyes.

His fingertips traced her trembling lower lip, the movement carrying an almost intimate force.

Su Wuli's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she was about to open her lips.

The next instant, her lips were captured, an invasion that carried a punitive undertone.

It robbed her of all her breath and sobs.

Su Wuli's mind went blank, leaving only the domineering scent of the man on her lips and tongue, and the familiar feeling that had been forcibly awakened deep within her body by this kiss.

It set everything ablaze.

What had been forcibly suppressed before now surged forth like a burst dam, instantly overwhelming all reason.

When he pressed down on her, the weight and heat of his body suffocated her.

With a single flip, it becomes different from usual.

Tears welled up in her eyes again.

The man's voice, indistinct yet burning hot, seared into her skin.

"Like just now..."

"No...no..."

He pulled back slightly, pinching her chin to force her to open her eyes and look at him.

Su Wuli's eyes were blurry with tears.

A hidden fire burned in his eyes. "Why are you crying?"

He ran his thumb across her wet eyes, the movement far from gentle. "You were quiet while learning to ride a horse, but now you're crying?"

It also carried a punitive connotation.

"I taught you that, have you forgotten?"

Su Wuli's reason was completely disrupted and became a jumbled mess.

The man guided her through the movements he had just taught her.

Every instruction was given with perfect precision.

"Repeat it," he commanded. "Where did you go wrong just now?"

Su Wuli shook her head, her words incoherent.

He looked like a poor student who wasn't paying attention in class.

"Not going to tell?" Yu Chen suddenly chuckled, sounding just like a stern teacher. "Then I'll keep telling you until you remember it."

Su Wuli finally broke down, uttering those professional terms intermittently.

Every word made her feel ashamed and her whole body burned, yet he forced her to memorize them.

When she was pushed to the edge once again, Su Wuli subconsciously opened her mouth and bit his shoulder, which was inches away from hers.

It took a lot of effort.

Yu Chen let out a muffled groan.

A few seconds of deathly silence.

Then, Su Wuli suddenly became more sober and realized what she had done.

Her eyes, brimming with tears, dared not look at him.

Then, in the next instant, a low, husky laugh was heard.

His voice was close to her ear, "You dare to resist now?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli's already hazy consciousness became even more confused.

However, unexpectedly, things calmed down afterwards.

No longer with punishment.

However, Su Wuli soon discovered...

It's actually more grueling.

He lowered his head and kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

He whispered, "Don't be afraid when riding a horse."

His lips brushed against her sweaty forehead, his voice low and almost a whisper, "If you're afraid, you'll fall."

Then, a deeper kiss descended, silencing all her sounds.

After that, Su Wuli completely lost her ability to think and just shook her head, saying she didn't want to learn anymore.

The man chuckled again, and finally let her go.

"Okay, no studying today..."

Then the world spun around.

But after only a short while, Su Wuli cried and said that the bruises on her lower back hurt.

Yu Chen sighed softly and picked her up.

Su Wuli had never felt so tired before.

Finally, completely exhausted, as if all her bones had been removed, she lay limply on his chest.

He can't even lift a finger.

He could hear the heavy, unsteady beating of his own heart.

In her dazed state, she felt him pull over the thin blanket that was scattered nearby and haphazardly cover the two of them.

His arms were still tightly wrapped around her waist, and his chin was resting on the top of her head.

The lingering scent inside the tent.

The oil lamp had gone out sometime ago, and only the faint light from the campfire outside the tent shone through the gaps, casting blurry, flickering shadows on the ground.

Although her consciousness was hazy, Su Wuli was not completely asleep.

She was startled when she was lifted up.