Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The silvery moonlight streamed through the crack in the door, stretching Zhou Yunning's figure into a long shadow that enveloped the small form on the bed.

He gently closed the door, shutting the silver light outside.

He didn’t rush to bed but sat on the floor beside it, resting his chin in his hand, tilting his head as he looked at the sleeping face of the person on the bed.

That person had an extraordinarily beautiful face, and his sleeping form resembled that of a delicate little creature, making one's heart soften. Yet, he was not nearly as fragile as he looked—instead, he was incredibly resilient.

Zhou Yunning recalled the past few days spent with him. It seemed he hadn’t uttered one complaint about the hardships of the cold palace. On the contrary, he'd often hear him say with a smile, "Your Highness, I have a solution," or "Your Highness, let me handle it."

Without thinking, his hand reached out, almost touching the other’s cheek, but then curled back. The rough pads of his fingers feared causing pain, so he only gently brushed the other’s face with his knuckles, handling it like precious treasure.

His gaze lingered on the other’s lips, and he stared for what seemed like forever.

Until the closed eyes slowly opened, and the person, saying "Your Highness," sat up while holding the quilt around himself. Rubbing his eyes, he mumbled sleepily, "I thought this bottle looked beautiful, so I picked it up. It’s already cleaned. Your Highness, do you think it’s valuable?"

A soft, small hand pulled a small white jade bottle from his robe and pressed it into Zhou Yunning’s hand, while the person leaned closer.

The scent of peonies filled the air. Zhou Yunning silently recited the Calming Incantation and didn't pull back. The small bottle in his palm carried the other’s body warmth, feeling burning hot. He put a hand on the other’s shoulder and heard himself say soothingly, "It’s too dark to see properly right now. We’ll look at it tomorrow. Go back to sleep first."

"Oh," the other replied, lying down and lifting the quilt edge, squinting while gesturing, "Your Highness, come quickly. It’s too cold outside."

His hand at his side clenched into a slightly trembling fist. Zhou Yunning heard himself say, "I still need to wash up. You sleep first. Don’t wait for me."

"Then hurry up, Your Highness," the other murmured, withdrawing the hand that held the quilt.

Soon, even breathing sounds filled the room.

Zhou Yunning opened the door and stepped out.

He walked to the center of the courtyard, put his hands on his hips, and lifted his head and breathed in. The chilly air rushed into his nostrils, chasing away the floral scent. He shook his head, his mind gradually clearing, but still not satisfied, he splashed cold water on his face and even brought back half a bucket of cold water to the north room.

Opening the wardrobe, Zhou Yunning put his robe back on first before lying down on the bed, without covering himself with the quilt. The half bucket of cold water was placed by the bedside, within reach.

...

That night, Gao Zhen had a dream—a dream about being buried in red light.

Red light explosions filled the sky, a sea of red, red light everywhere, flashing so brightly it nearly blinded him.

Thus, the first thing he did upon waking was check his system panel. When he pulled it up, he was startled—

Favorability: 2888

He quickly rubbed his eyes, afraid he had misread. Although he knew the Ninth Prince had been contributing favorability points like crazy the day before, he had checked the data before bed, and it wasn't this high.

In other words, after he fell asleep, the Ninth Prince had—

So, that dream full of red flashes might not have been a dream but a live broadcast...?

This was too intense! He couldn't begin to imagine what had happened.

Gao Zhen decided not to waste time speculating and immediately started "spending"—

Spent 2880 favorability points to increase Karma Points.

Deducted 300 Karma Points to increase his life battery.

New data immediately appeared on the system panel:

Name: Gao Zhen

Life Battery: 70%

Karma Points: 22

Favorability: 8

Note 1: Current battery level needs improvement. Please consume Karma Points to increase the battery level and prepare to unlock new functions.

Note 2: "Complete Plot [First Encounter Night] Progress 99.9%," "Expand Plot [Warm His Heart] Progress 20%"

Note 3: "[Hidden... Mission] Progress 1%" Hint: Please make contact with the clue character as soon as possible "Character Card: He Shurong"

Huh?

Gao Zhen looked at the panel in surprise. The content of Note 1 had changed—it was hinting at new functions?

But what surprised him even more was the "[Warm His Heart] Progress 20%"?!

What was going on? Good heavens, what happened while he was asleep? It felt like he had missed out on a fortune.

Before bed, it was only 12%. Now, after waking up, it had increased by 8%.

Gao Zhen was burning with curiosity. Unfortunately, he couldn't turn back time, or he would have stayed awake last night to observe the Ninth Prince closely.

But now, Gao Zhen didn't have time to regret it. The 30% increase in battery life warmed his body from the inside out. The most noticeable change was a light sweat forming on his palms and the soles of his feet.

Gao Zhen could feel the accumulated chill within him being expelled bit by bit. The previously blocked meridians seemed to be cleared by an invisible flow, becoming unobstructed again.

His body felt incredibly light, and all fatigue vanished. Gao Zhen got up and realized that it was only just dawn outside. The bed beside him was cold, indicating that the Ninth Prince had gotten up even earlier.

He had returned late last night and risen so early—it was as if he had hardly slept at all.

How could this be?!

Wasn’t this ruining his health?

At this thought, Gao Zhen couldn’t wait any longer. He quickly put on his shoes and rushed out.

"Your Highness?"

The courtyard was empty, with no response. The doors to the east and west rooms were locked. Gao Zhen hurried to the foot of the west wall, lifted his head, and called out, "Your Highness?"

This time, he finally heard movement—a rustling sound like falling leaves. In the blink of an eye, a figure flipped over the wall, landing almost silently. Gao Zhen was stunned.

The Ninth Prince actually had such skills? This was completely unexpected.

"Quiet."

Zhou Yunning made a gesture, and Gao Zhen quickly covered his mouth and nodded. He followed the Ninth Prince, watching him scoop water to wash his hands, then trailed him back to the north room.

After closing the door, Zhou Yunning’s voice returned to normal as he asked, "Hungry?"

Gao Zhen shook his head and said, "Your Highness returned late last night and woke up so early today. If this continues, your health will suffer."

"It’s fine. I know my limits. It’s only for these few days."

"Then you should at least get a full six hours of sleep." Gao Zhen would not be swayed by the Ninth Prince's few words and emphasized seriously.

"Alright," the Ninth Prince actually took the advice in stride, just like that.

Gao Zhen asked, "What were you doing in the west courtyard, Your Highness? I’d like to go too."

"In a few days," the Ninth Prince did not refuse outright but said, "For now, don't go to the west courtyard. Moving the ladder back and forth is quite inconvenient."

Gao Zhen nodded. He sensed that the Ninth Prince seemed to have plans for what was to come, so he decided not to cause any trouble.

However, the Ninth Prince’s state last night had been truly unusual, and Gao Zhen was worried. He asked, "Your Highness, were you feeling unwell yesterday? May I check your pulse?"

His eyes were filled with concern. Under the gaze of such eyes, how could the Ninth Prince refuse? He sat down in a chair and said, "Come here."