Xiu Yong felt uneasy seeing Yun Shunan in that state.
Xiu Yong couldn't understand what was so good about Mu Qi.
Xiu Yong said with a dry throat, "Your Highness, you should know I am speaking the truth."
"Only what I acknowledge as truth is truth. If this is all you have to say, you needn't come again."
Yun Shunan coldly dismissed him, completely unlike the Yun Shunan who had just lectured Mu Qi on politeness.
As soon as Yun Shunan finished speaking, she turned and went upstairs, leaving Xiu Yong to stand by himself.
Xiu Yong watched Yun Shunan's retreating back until she disappeared, then vanished from his spot in an instant.
The Empress and Zhaoxue together, the Empress no longer possessed her former carefree smile. Zhaoxue was ultimately not a good match for the Empress.
He would make the Empress completely forget Zhaoxue, forget Mu Qi, and return to being the free and happy Empress.
"Alas, where did that gentleman go?" Not long after Xiu Yong left, Zhang Sao, who had finished cleaning the kitchen, came out. Seeing the empty living room, Zhang Sao momentarily thought the visitor had been a figment of her imagination.
"Mu Qi." After going upstairs, Yun Shunan bumped into Mu Qi, who was guarding her bedroom door, the moment she opened it.
Mu Qi hadn't expected Yun Shunan to come up so quickly and instinctively felt nervous.
It wasn't until the next second, when Yun Shunan walked into his embrace, that Mu Qi slowly relaxed.
"Mhm, are you done talking?" Mu Qi stroked Yun Shunan's head.
"Done." Recalling Xiu Yong's words, Yun Shunan's tone was filled with hostility.
Mu Qi wanted to know what Yun Shunan had said to that man, but he worried she would get angry if he asked directly, so he resorted to beating around the bush. "Nian Nian, where is my surprise?"
Yun Shunan was startled, then realized, "The gift is on its way."
Yun Shunan swallowed nervously, feeling a bit ashamed, and secretly resolved that she must not disappoint Mu Qi.
"Mhm, good." Yun Shunan's answer revealed nothing of what she had discussed with... Mu Qi frowned slightly.
"Mu Qi, I'm unhappy." Mu Qi was still contemplating how to probe what Yun Shunan had said to Xiu Yong when Yun Shunan abruptly interrupted his thoughts.
"I want a kiss, I want a hug." Before Mu Qi could respond, Yun Shunan had already voiced her demands.
Mu Qi hadn't even fully processed it before Yun Shunan kissed him and pushed him onto the bed.
However, even if Mu Qi had reacted, he would have been even more cooperative. After all, Mu Qi was obedient.
Finally, Yun Shunan was coaxed into a good mood by the afternoon.
Zhang Sao placed the lunch she had prepared earlier on the dining table and retreated to the side, her gaze fixed on her own feet.
That night, Yun Shunan and Mu Qi slept in each other's arms.
"Your Highness, why not come out for a moment? We haven't seen each other in ages, and after all, we have centuries of friendship."
In her sleep, Xiu Yong's figure appeared before Yun Shunan, and she suddenly opened her eyes.
What spell had Xiu Yong cast on her?
Yun Shunan's expression was strange, but then, unable to resist her sleepiness, she drifted off again.
"Your Highness, don't we have centuries of friendship worth reminiscing about?"
Yun Shunan opened her eyes again, then, unwilling to believe it, closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
...
Back and forth like this, Yun Shunan was finally annoyed.
Yun Shunan got out of bed in a fit of rage, only to have Mu Qi's arm encircle her waist as she sat up.
"Nian Nian, where are you going?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Qi even unclasped the chains between them, but Yun Shunan knew she wouldn't be able to leave tonight.
The next morning, Yun Shunan, using the excuse of checking how Zhang Sao's breakfast was coming along, left the bedroom before Mu Qi.
As soon as she reached the ground floor, Yun Shunan opened the front door directly.
As expected, Xiu Yong was waiting outside.
Yun Shunan, helpless, pulled Xiu Yong to a secluded corner outside the villa.
"What do you want?" Do you know that most insomniacs become mad?
"I just want to reminisce with Your Highness."
"Reminisce about what?" Not having slept enough, Yun Shunan's brain wasn't functioning.
"Centuries of friendship." ... Xiu Yong was also a little stunned by Yun Shunan's question.
"Fine, then reminisce." Yun Shunan rubbed her eyes, seemingly not knowing what she was saying.
Your Highness, I apologize, but this is all for your own good.
Xiu Yong silently expressed his apologies in his heart, then waved his sleeve at Yun Shunan.
"You reminisce. How?"
Yun Shunan rubbed her eyes a few more times. Hearing no sound from Xiu Yong, she became annoyed again.
"Your Highness, do you know who Mu Qi is?"
"Of course he's my husband. Could he be yours?" Yun Shunan, still sleepy, said whatever came to her mind.
Xiu Yong's expression stiffened. He frowned slightly and then asked, "What about Zhaoxue?"
This time, after Xiu Yong finished speaking, Yun Shunan completely wilted. Even her irritability vanished without a trace.
"Xiu Yong, if you have nothing important to say, don't keep bothering me."
Yun Shunan felt that Xiu Yong would be on her blacklist for a long time.
After speaking, Yun Shunan turned and went back into the villa.
Xiu Yong watched Yun Shunan's retreating back in silence for a long time, then sighed.
"How could Your Highness have engraved that person's image into her very soul?"
However, it wasn't Yun Shunan's fault. Those whose images were engraved into the soul were the objects of their heart's deepest desires, something Yun Shunan couldn't control.
The moment Yun Shunan turned and entered the villa, she was immediately drawn to Mu Qi, who was already sitting at the dining table.
"Mu Qi, you're down." Yun Shunan, groggy, walked over to Mu Qi and leaned against him.
"Mhm, just came down." As he replied, Mu Qi's gaze darted away, and his tone was more evasive than usual, as if he had "lying" written all over his face.
"Oh, drink your milk first." Yun Shunan, not having slept enough, didn't mind this. Even a well-rested Yun Shunan wouldn't have minded.
In any case, there was nothing just now that would have caused Mu Qi to misunderstand. On the contrary, even if Mu Qi had misunderstood, Yun Shunan would have explained it clearly.
Mu Qi took the cup and drank it down in one gulp.
Yun Shunan, not having slept enough, looked somewhat dazed. At this moment, she gazed at Mu Qi with a slightly infatuated expression.
After Mu Qi finished drinking and placed the empty cup back on the table, Yun Shunan, after a moment of dazed staring, suddenly rubbed Mu Qi's head.
"Husband is so good."
The moment Yun Shunan said this, Mu Qi's first reaction was to assume this was the surprise Yun Shunan had mentioned.