He Yuying made a choking sound behind them.
Song Meiyu quietly dropped the roll of gauze. It hit the floor with a soft thud.
Shen Zhenyu turned his head away and muttered, "I'm not hearing this. I'm injured. My ears are broken."
Linyue blinked at Shu Mingye, completely calm despite the tension. "You said that when you were sleepy."
"I'm not sleepy and I never joke," Shu Mingye whispered back, his tone flat and terrifyingly certain.
She tilted her head. "Except when you do."
He didn't answer. Not even a trace of a smile. His jaw was tight. His eyes stayed fixed on her, dark and unreadable. His spiritual energy was swirling and doing that ominous low hum thing it did when he was about to murder someone politely.
There was a very loud silence.
Song Meiyu was visibly trembling from holding in a squeal. She whispered under her breath, "Is that how the Demon King flirts with her?"
He Yuying, true to his survival instincts, had picked up a teacup and was now inspecting it with deep focus.
Linyue kept her breathing steady. Shu Mingye clearly knew what happened. His spies were everywhere, and lying was pointless. She didn't like lying anyway. Not unless the situation was completely out of control. Or involved soup. So she opened her mouth and said the first nonsense that popped into her head.
"It must be the soup," Linyue began her nonsense. "The soup spilled on him. It got into his clothes. Messed with his brain. He lost his mind for a second and said weird things. I think… I think he even flirted with Brother Zhenyu."
Shen Zhenyu, still half-bandaged and sulking slightly in his chair, coughed so hard he nearly knocked over the gauze roll.
Shu Mingye's eyebrow twitched.
"It's true," Linyue added quickly, very seriously. "That Soup Man even sent petals to Brother Zhenyu. A whole swirl of them. Very suspicious. Very flirty. I was there. I saw it. Brother Zhenyu nearly drowned in flower-scented danger."
Shu Mingye stared at her in silence.
She stared back, her face calm and composed. Her expression said logic. Her eyes said "please believe this complete fantasy."
Shu Mingye let out a slow, long breath. Then he snorted softly, though there was no humor in it. "Is that so?" His tone was low and sharp like a warning. "Pie, do you really want me to believe that?"
Linyue met his gaze without blinking.
Oh no. Still mad. Very, very mad. That didn't work. Not even the twitch of a smile. His face was serious. His aura practically screamed danger.
Linyue sighed quietly in her head. She knew every word she had just said was pure nonsense. It had no logic, no sense, and probably insulted soup as a concept. But still, she had hoped. Maybe he would chuckle. Or smirk. Or roll his eyes and say something like, "What am I going to do with you, Pie?"
But no. Nothing. So, in one last desperate attempt to escape this very dangerous staring contest, Linyue pushed her luck. She stuck out her lower lip in a dramatic little pout. Her voice went soft, small, and pitiful.
"…It's not my fault being so pretty," she said very seriously. "You should've known what kind of trouble would follow when you decided to keep such a beautiful woman beside you."
There. Perfect logic. Unshakable logic.
She tilted her head up a little, peeking cautiously at his expression.
Still furious. Still not laughing. Nope. She lowered her head immediately like a turtle retreating into its shell and stared hard at the floor. The floor, at least, wasn't mad at her. The floor understood. The floor had seen everything. The floor was safe.
From the side, Song Meiyu was shaking violently from holding back laughter. Her hands clamped over her mouth to stop the sound.
Shen Zhenyu murmured under his breath, "Bold strategy. Let's see if she survives it."
He Yuying didn't even look up. "She's dead. Chain incoming."
Shu Mingye said nothing. He stepped forward, wrapped an arm firmly around Linyue's waist, and lifted her straight into the air. Then he turned and walked out of her chamber. Calm. Silent. Terrifying.
Song Meiyu clutched Shen Zhenyu's arm, eyes wide. "It's happening," she whispered in a shaky, dramatic voice. "It's finally happening."
Shen Zhenyu sighed, shaking his head. His expression stayed perfectly calm. "She'll be fine."
He Yuying nodded lazily. "Yeah. If anything, he's the one who'll end up roasted."
Meanwhile, Linyue was still suspended mid-air. Her arms dangled awkwardly at her sides as she craned her neck to look at the side of Shu Mingye's face.
Still terrifying. Jaw tight. Eyes sharp. Shoulders tense. Not even a flicker of humor.
Uh-oh.
"Where are we going?" she asked, forcing her voice to sound sweet. Maybe even a little pitiful.
He didn't miss a beat. "Bed. Chain."
Linyue's brain hiccupped. "…Can we negotiate?"
No answer. Oh no.
They reached his chamber in a few quick strides. Shu Mingye didn't slow down. He kicked the door open, walked in, and kicked it shut behind them with a loud bang.
Linyue's survival instincts went into full gear. Alright, negotiation failed. Time for bribes.
She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're very handsome today," she said in her softest, sweetest voice.
No reaction. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. Still no reaction. She kissed the corner of his lips. "Your jawline is especially sharp today," she added, just in case that helped.
Still silent.
Shu Mingye reached the bed and set her down without a word. But Linyue didn't let go.
Plan C: total distraction.
She tilted her chin up and pressed her lips fully to his.
Silence. Then—
"…Bribe accepted," Shu Mingye murmured against her lips. His arms slid firmly around her waist again. "But the chain stays."
Before she could even protest, he moved. One knee pressed into the edge of the bed as he caught her lips in a kiss so rough it stole her breath. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders, clinging as he leaned forward and guided her back onto the bed. His lips didn't pause. The kiss deepened, hot and demanding, his teeth grazing her lower lip before he claimed her lips again.
When he finally pulled away, they were both breathless. His chest rose and fell hard, and his dark eyes burned into hers with barely restrained need.
"Pie, I don't want to wait anymore," he said, voice low and rough. "I want to do it. Let me…" His hand slid to the ties of her robe, fingers brushing the fabric in a way that made his intent very clear. The intensity in his gaze wasn't just desire. It was sharper than that. Hotter. Possessive.
"Are you doing this because you're… jealous?" Linyue asked carefully. "I barely know him. I already forgot his name."
His eyes stayed locked on hers, dark and heavy. The hand working at her robe froze, caught between hunger and something deeper. "Jealous?" His voice dropped even lower. "Yes. I'm jealous. But that's not why I'm doing this."
He leaned in so close she could feel his breath against her lips. "I've wanted this long before anyone else even dared look at you."
Linyue's pulse stuttered. She swallowed, fingers curling slightly against his neck. "We haven't gotten married yet," she murmured.
Shu Mingye exhaled sharply, his grip on her robe tightening. "So what? Does it make any difference? You've already agreed to stay by my side."
She held his gaze. His fingers still tangled in the sash, hovering between restraint and surrender. Then with a rough sigh, he relented. His hand loosened its hold on her robe as he buried his face into the curve of her neck. He inhaled deeply, as if memorizing the sweet, refreshing familiar scent of her skin.
Linyue's breath caught in her throat.
His words followed, quiet but heavy, and too honest to ignore. "I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want," he said, his voice low and hoarse. "But don't ask me to pretend I don't want you."
The room fell silent except for their breathing. His head stayed tucked against her neck, his arms slowly tightening around her waist. Linyue's fingers brushed lightly through his hair—slow, thoughtful. Her heart was thudding far too loud in her chest. She didn't know if it was from nerves or from the way he always spoke like he meant every word with his entire soul. She stared at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to think clearly. That didn't work.
After a while, she whispered, "I didn't say no."