Shen Lingzhen’s earlobes were unusually thin and sensitive to touch. Huo Liuxing’s habit of whispering near her ears at the slightest provocation was something she truly couldn’t handle.
She quickly covered her ears and backed away, but his ambiguous whisper—“What do you think?”—kept echoing in her mind like a soft rustle.
Her expression flickered as she pondered aloud, “You must have… must have only been referring to the poem, right?”
Huo Liuxing didn’t confirm or deny it. He simply smiled leisurely and began tidying up the inkstone and brushes. After a long pause, he tossed her a line, light as air: “If that’s what you think, then so be it.”
Shen Lingzhen had been strung along for ages, and even now, the answer felt elusive.
His unreadable attitude left her mentally rattled. Sensing the moment, Huo Liuxing smoothly shifted the topic. “My cloak and handkerchief, are they still at the Duke’s estate?”
She nodded.
“Does anyone else know about me saving you?”
“Don’t worry.. Only my parents and I know the truth. Even my Imperial Uncle hasn’t been told.”
Huo Liuxing caught a subtle note in her words and smiled. “Why keep it from His Majesty? I thought Princess Royal and the Emperor were close siblings, surely they share everything.”
Shen Lingzhen had once thought so too. But back then, no matter how hard they searched, they couldn’t find the man who had saved her. She’d suggested asking her powerful imperial uncle for help, but her mother had firmly refused.
Her mother had said the man’s identity might be extraordinary. If the Emperor found out, it could cause a major upheaval.
Shen Lingzhen repeated her mother’s words.
“Extraordinary identity?” Huo Liuxing’s smile didn’t waver, but the hand hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly.
Shen Lingzhen nodded without hesitation. In her mind, his helmet alone, crafted to the standards of a Grand General, was enough to raise alarm. If her Imperial Uncle, who had once seized the throne through that very title, discovered it, wouldn’t it stir up a storm of blood and fire?
She added, “Husband, isn’t the insignia on your helmet already extraordinary enough?”
“…” So this even involves a helmet and its insignia.
Huo Liuxing wanted to keep probing, but a helmet wasn’t like a silk handkerchief, he had no excuse to claim he’d forgotten its appearance and ask her to sketch it. He could only respond vaguely, “I suppose so.”
“But why would my husband wear a helmet that violates regulation?”
She asked him, but who was he supposed to ask?
Huo Liuxing couldn’t dodge the question. A plan formed in his mind. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Then he pointed toward the window, as if to suggest someone was eavesdropping from behind the wall.
Shen Lingzhen immediately covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.
They remained frozen for the time it takes half a stick of incense to burn. Then she gave Huo Liuxing a wink: Are they gone?
He nodded.
She patted her chest and let out a long breath, momentarily forgetting about the helmet. In a whisper, she asked, “Could it have been a spy sent by Fourth Prince?”
Without the slightest guilt, Huo Liuxing pinned the blame on Zhao Xun. “You do have a sharp eye for people.”
Shen Lingzhen sighed. “But it seems that Eldest Young Lady hasn’t seen through Fourth Prince’s true nature. Shouldn’t you warn her?”
“I was the one who told her that night at the teahouse that Fourth Prince risked his life to save me. That’s why she’s been so friendly with him. If I warn her now, it’ll only ruin things.”
Shen Lingzhen paused, then understood. Zhao Xun had clearly taken a liking to Huo Shuyi’s straightforward nature and deliberately befriended her, hoping to extract information about the Huo family.
If they told Huo Shuyi now that Zhao Xun harbored ill intentions toward the Huo family, she might accidentally give herself away in front of him.
But then…
“You’ve certainly protected the bigger picture. But when she learns the truth later, won’t she be heartbroken to know you deceived and used her?”
“What else can be done? Preserving the greater good is hard enough, can we really expect everything to be perfect?” Huo Liuxing looked into her innocent eyes. “Look around Bianjing. From ministers to royals, anyone who survives in court walks a tightrope and uses every trick they have. You can try to be a good person in every way, but you won’t live long.”
Shen Lingzhen hadn’t understood this before. But after enduring two unjust calamities, she knew Huo Liuxing’s words weren’t without truth. At that thought, her gaze dropped.
Huo Liuxing choked slightly.
It felt as though he’d dragged an innocent young girl onto a battlefield strewn with corpses, forcing her to open her eyes and witness just how cruel the world could be.
He cleared his throat. “It’s not that serious.”
Shen Lingzhen looked up, her eyes questioning.
“I mean, this place isn’t as complicated as Bianjing. Fourth Prince might leave soon.”
“How do you know that?”
Of course, it was because he had a way to make Zhao Xun leave. After taking a blow so passively, Huo Liuxing would never let it go unanswered.
But that was something he could never reveal to Shen Lingzhen. He’d spoken too freely.
He smiled. “Just a guess. There’s plenty going on in the capital, His Highness isn’t exactly idle.” To keep her from asking more, he turned and snuffed out the oil lamp, leaving only a short candle. “It’s late. Time to sleep.”
Still preoccupied with thoughts of Zhao Xun, Shen Lingzhen nervously wheeled herself to the bedside. She was about to climb onto the bed the way she had the past few nights, balancing on one foot, when she saw him suddenly stand up.
She immediately glanced around, worried his shadow might fall across the window. Just as she confirmed it was safe, she felt her body lift. He had scooped her up in his arms.
Shen Lingzhen let out a soft “Ah,” curling into his embrace, eyes wide with alarm.
Huo Liuxing gently laid her on the bed, pulled the quilt over her, and tucked her in with care.
Only then did she realize he’d simply meant to help her onto the bed.
Curled in the corner, she suddenly recalled his earlier words: “I’m in love with you.” Her hands clutched her chest, where her heart beat wildly like the flickering candlelight. “Husband, be careful, someone might be watching through the window. You don’t need to take such risks for me. I can manage on my own.”
Huo Liuxing lay down beside her with a smile. “It’s not for you. It’s for myself.”
“Hm?” Shen Lingzhen blinked in surprise.
“I just couldn’t bear to see you struggle alone.”
Shen Lingzhen’s breath caught, her lashes trembling like fluttering wings.
Huo Liuxing turned slightly to glance at her. Seeing that she was now thoroughly distracted from thoughts of Zhao Xun, he closed his eyes. But as the saying goes, too much teasing invites trouble.
He had barely shut his eyes when he heard her voice: “Husband—”
This girl truly defied all logic.
Huo Liuxing felt a mouthful of blood stagnate in his chest, yet his body remained perfectly still.
“Husband, are you pretending to sleep?”
“…”
Shen Lingzhen sighed, her brows furrowed in distress.
Just as Huo Liuxing was about to surrender and “wake up,” she began speaking to herself: “I’ve thought it over carefully. I believe I understand what you meant.”
“?” Understand what?
“Young Master expressed himself so clearly tonight. If I continue to avoid the matter out of shyness and feign ignorance, it would be unfair to you. I believe, both emotionally and morally, I ought to give you a proper response.”
“?” Did he express anything?
“My husband holds such affection for me, and I’m truly grateful. Though I’ve been focused solely on repaying your kindness, and hadn’t considered anything beyond that…”
“…” Was that a rejection?
Huo Liuxing was about to “wake up” and explain, but then came the twist: “But I recall you hinted earlier today that all people in this world act either for gain or for love. If not for profit, then for emotion. You saved my life, and I shouldn’t be stingy with my gratitude. If you seek my affection, then I’m willing to try and cultivate feelings for you in return. I’ve often heard that love cannot be forced, so I ask you to be patient with me. I’ll do my best.”
“…”
Huo Liuxing had lived long enough to pride himself on handling people and situations with ease, meeting force with force, water with earth. Yet this was the first time he truly understood what it meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
To open his eyes and deny it would be wrong. To keep them shut and tacitly accept it would be worse. In the end, it was Shen Lingzhen’s gentle understanding—“So you really did fall asleep”—that saved him. And so, he committed to the act and “slept” through the rest of the night.
The next morning, both of them, having slept poorly, woke up late. When Jian Jia and Bailu came to rouse them, they turned and caught each other’s gaze, feeling inexplicably awkward.
As their eyes locked, Shen Lingzhen blurted out, far too quickly to be casual: “Husband, did you sleep well last night? You seemed to fall asleep the moment your head hit the pillow.”
Huo Liuxing didn’t mind her choice of words. He opened his eyes and lied smoothly, “Mm, I slept quite well. And you?”
“I did too,” Shen Lingzhen replied with a guilty smile. She crawled to the foot of the bed, circled around him, and quickly said, “Rest a bit longer. Today it’s my turn to rise first.”
Jian Jia frowned slightly. Something about the atmosphere between the young mistress and her husband felt… off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Not until she finished helping Shen Lingzhen wash and dress did it hit her, this scene was eerily similar to a story she’d once heard.
In that tale, a scholar confessed his feelings to the woman he’d long admired. But the lady didn’t return his affection. After rejecting him, they found themselves trapped in awkward silence ever since.
Jian Jia and Bailu accompanied Shen Lingzhen to have breakfast outside. Kongqing and Jingmo entered to attend to Huo Liuxing, only to find that the usually sharp and alert Master was oddly listless this morning.
Kongqing noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked curiously, “Young Master, did you go out late last night?”
Huo Liuxing glanced at him, then suddenly asked, out of nowhere, “Say one night you just wanted to light a fire to keep warm. But you accidentally added too much wood, and the flames grew so strong they could roast a whole sheep nearby. What would you do?”
Kongqing blinked. “Well, if the fire’s already that strong, might as well roast the whole sheep. Waste not, right? Whole roasted sheep is delicious.”
“But what if that sheep wasn’t yours to eat?”
“A sheep’s a sheep. Why split hairs over whose it is? If you really think you shouldn’t eat it, then just put out the fire.”
“But the sheep saw how strong the fire was and got ready to be roasted. If you suddenly put it out, wouldn’t it be disappointed?”
“Are there sheep that are kind-hearted?” Kongqing stared. “Wait, Young Master, why do you care what a sheep thinks?”
Huo Liuxing gave a soft “Oh” and nodded.
Yes… why did he care what a sheep thought?
Author’s Note: Huo Liuxing: No one warned me that one little flirt would turn into this mess…
