Curtsying to Lord Yi, the princess consort took the children and left the main hall. She was no longer young and beautiful, but she still had the charm of a mature woman. Ever since four years ago, Yun Hai had never touched her again. Right now, perhaps the only bond between them was their daughter. Pinching her fingers into her palm, the princess consort felt uncomfortable, but she had to pretend to be a tolerant wife.

Yun Hai didn’t notice the pain of his wife. Maybe he had never taken her seriously. Now, as he met Ruxin, all his thoughts went on her. Feeling Ruxin’s upset behind her enchanting smile, he wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how to act. Eventually, he just stayed where he was, not knowing what to do.

Adjusting herself quickly, Ruxin showed her sweet smile and looked seductive at Yun Hai. However, the more Yun Hai gazed at her, the faker he felt. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to expose it. He chose to patiently watch her do the performance.

“My lord, Princess Consort is so pretty.”

“Not so pretty as you.”

“My lord,” Ruxin said pettishly. That voice could make any man melt, and her timely blush only added weight to the effect.

“Ruxin, are you shy?”

“My lord, if you do it again, I won’t come here anymore.”

“From now on, call me Hai. Say ‘My lord’ once again, I’ll keep teasing you.”

“But I’m afraid it’s not appropriate!”

“Nothing inappropriate. I see you as a confidant. Do you think I’m too old for that?”

“No, my lord.”

“Um?”

“Well, I mean, Hai.”

“Um.”

“Do you want to hear me singing?”

“Great, let’s go to the yard. I’ll get wine and food prepared. Looking forward to my confidant’s singing.” This was the first time he didn’t let people address him as the lord, which he did only because of her.

“Have you heard that the lord brought a new girl back?”

“Like always. He has brought dozens of girls these years.”

“No, he is particularly kind to this one.”

“The lord is kind to all girls. I just don’t wonder how many days she will stay this time.”

“Yeah, no one has stayed longer than a week yet. But I kind of feel that he is different to this girl!”

“It’s none of our business. Go put the drinks in the yard. The lord will bring the girl over soon.”

“Alright.”

The two servants put down the things on their tray and stood aside, waiting to be of service.

Everything in this elegant courtyard had been prepared for the owner and his guest. Yun Hai walked in with Ruxin and sent all the servants away. Tonight, he just wanted to be alone with her.

He poured wine and got food for Ruxin. Seeing the face similar to Kong Yue’s showing in front of her, there was no way she could remain calm. Once again, he approached her, and she could almost feel his breath on her face. Hurriedly, Ruxin stood up and walked away from him.

“H-Hai. Do you want to see me dance?”

“Of course.”

Yun Hai sat down generously, sipping his wine while looking at her. The night had concealed his age. With the affection in his eyes, Yun Hai now looked even more like Kong Yue.

Ruxin felt something began to fill her chest, something familiar but strange. Although she had learned how to disguise herself, she could barely suppress her feelings right now. She knew she could not sing the song that Kong Yue had taught her because as long as she opened her mouth, tears would drop down out of control. Her seductive dance moves would seem so weird.

But Yun Hai liked to see her this way. At least she looked real, even a little bit pitifully cute. After her dance, he pulled her straight next to him and handed her some heated wine.

The moment his hand touched hers, Ruxin felt a little repulsive. His face had the power of making her lost in the past. Ruxin avoided his hand, directly picked up the wine cup, and drank it all. She did not eat any dishes but took the wine cup after cup. She knew that Xuan Zhi would always protect her in the dark. She trusted him. This was also the reason why she dared to do whatever she wanted.

Knowing she was deliberately getting drunk, Yun Hai snatched her cup.

“Ruxin, you are drunk.”

“I’m not. I’m still sober. Give me my cup.”

“Ruxin, listen, it’s enough.”

“It’s not enough. I want more.”

“It’s time to rest. We can drink tomorrow.”

“No, let me have more. I want my wine.”

“Okay, good girl. You can drink in the room.”

Seeing her stumbling up and trying to get the cup, Yun Hai immediately rushed to hold her up. Ruxin pushed him away, almost falling to the ground. She looked even drunker, but she managed to support herself against the table.

“Let me go. Don’t touch me. You are not him. Go away, go away...”

“Ruxin, I’m Yun Hai, not someone else.”

“Yun, yeah, you have the damn surname Yun. How could you be him?”

“Ruxin, you are drunk.”

“I’m not drunk. If I am, why can’t I see him? Why? I really miss him.”

Regardless of her struggle, Yun Hai lifted Ruxin in his arms, whispering in her ear, “You really hate the Yuns, right? What should I do? I’ve started to hate my face now. You’re looking at another person through it. But I also feel lucky. If it’s not for this face, how can I get to see the true you? I know you are painful, but I can’t let you go!” After that, he hugged the beautiful woman in his arms even tighter and carried her to his bedroom.

Before leaving, Yun Hai took a glance back at the big tree behind him. Hidden in the tree, Xuan Zhi hurriedly followed when he saw Ruxin being carried away.

After coming to Feng City four years ago, Yun Hai had never shared a room with the princess consort. The couple had long been separated. More accurately, Yun Hai had never brought any woman into his bedroom. Ruxin was absolutely the first. All the servants there were watching Lord Yi holding the girl blankly. What surprised them even more was that although the lord often smiled and appeared kind, he was indifferent and polite to everyone except his daughter Yun Youyun. They had never seen him treating a woman with such care and love.

Holding Ruxin in his arms, Yun Hai had to guard against her restless hands and legs. He put her on the bed, with his left hand holding her little hands and his right hand touching her cheek. Looking at her sympathetically, he couldn’t help touching her frowning brows. Lifting Ruxin’s upper body, he held her in his arms. With his chin rested on her hair, Yun Hai lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. If it was possible, he wanted to keep it like this for the rest of his life. As a middle-aged man with good self-control, he still wanted to indulge himself while facing her.

Although she was drunk, Ruxin could still notice the arms she was in right now felt strange. Struggling for a while, she lifted her face. In her eyes, he looked exactly like Yue, but her body felt something different. Ruxin felt more confused. Because her hands were tied, she kept kicking her feet and saying, “Go away, you are not Yue. Don’t touch me. Go away...”

As she was drunk, Ruxin struggled harder and harder. He didn’t mind it at all, just kissed her on the forehead and let her go, “I’m sorry. Take some sleep. I won’t touch you anymore.” He took off her shoes and tucked her in the quilt.

After leaving the stranger’s embrace that she hated, Ruxin stopped resisting. But her memory returned to the hunting field four years ago. Once again, she saw Yue standing among his dead companions. The arrows pierced into his body. He looked at her with dismay, shaking his head and talking silently, “Don’t.” Yue, her lover, was dying right in front of her. She wanted to touch him, but she couldn’t. Tears flowed down out of control. She cried out heartbreakingly, “Yue, Yue, no! No! Please, let him go. Please, don’t shoot him. Yue, Yue...”

Looking at the drunk woman who completely lost her mind, Yun Hai was heartbroken. Yet his touch only made her crazier. He clenched his fist tightly and hit the table hard. There was no way to wake her from the nightmare. He couldn’t bear watching her suffering, turned around, and left the room.

Xuan Zhi immediately appeared next to Ruxin. As always, he hugged her and calmed her down. The warm and familiar touch was like a tranquilizer, bringing the drunk woman back to reality. Ruxin stopped struggling. She gently grasped Xuan Zhi’s sleeves and closed her eyes in peace. The pain was still there, but she had someone to rely on. Kong Yue’s death would remain her lifelong wound, but Xuan Zhi was like her moon, slowly walking her in the dark.

Yun Hai stood outside the door. Faced with the shut door, he had mixed feelings. He could do nothing but watching another man giving her comfort. It was his bedroom, but he could only stay outside as the owner, leaving it to her and a stranger. What torture! But at the same time, he smiled bitterly. Yun Hai couldn’t believe that he fell in love with this girl who was more than ten years younger than him.

The Yun Family was never short of offspring. Growing up as a prince, he was used to a world full of conspiracy and learned that only the fittest survived. A pure girl like Ruxin in the past was like poison, making the Yuns addicted. But because of their schemes and selfishness, any innocent soul would be contaminated. Although Yun Hai didn’t set the plan to ruin her country, he was one of the culprits. He had been unqualified to hug or love her. He just couldn’t control himself...

The breeze was blowing on Yun Hai, bringing a hint of coolness. Beside him, a man in black knelt down.

“My lord, that man...”

“Let him go, as long as she is happy.”

“But, my lord, you...”

“It’s okay. No need to monitor him anymore.”

“But what if he wants to hurt you?”