Chapter 010: Kiss Him

Mu Shengsheng had a very long, long dream.

In the dream, countless fragmented scenes played out—she dragged her frail, sickly body and tried in every conceivable way to get close to and seduce the Regency Prince, Lan Xun. Yet the man seemed utterly devoid of desire, rejecting her every single time.

In the end, Mu Shengsheng died countless times on her sixteenth birthday.

The dream felt intensely real. In it, the girls who appeared all looked exactly like Mu Shengsheng, but each had a different temperament and mannerisms. It was as if her body was being possessed and controlled by someone else. Yet all of them shared a single goal: to approach Lan Xun and extend their lives.

Unfortunately, none of them survived; in the end, even their souls were wiped out by an unknown force.

Mu Shengsheng felt a strange, indescribable sensation from the dream. Could it be a hint that even she wouldn’t survive, that she would die just like them?

“No… no, I don’t want to die…”

Having witnessed countless terrifying deaths of herself, she woke up almost crying, tears blurring her vision.

For a long while, she continued to sob, still trembling from the shock.

Beside her, a deep, magnetic voice, stripped of its usual sharpness and softened considerably, said, “Don’t be afraid. You will not die.”

Mu Shengsheng opened her eyes and saw Lan Xun sitting at her bedside.

He looked slightly weary. His raven-black eyes were calm as a still lake, reflecting her sickly figure lying in bed.

She recalled what Lan Xun had said earlier: that he would send her to see her father.

With tears in her eyes, she turned away, unwilling to look at him. In a weak, powerless voice, she said, “Your Highness, rest assured. I will pack my things and leave. I won’t die here, dirtying your Regency Prince’s mansion.”

Actually, Mu Shengsheng was quite angry. Even now, this heartless man wanted to chase her away. Fine—then she might as well die. She didn’t want to serve anyone anymore. Approaching a man like him was exhausting.

Lan Xun sneered coldly. “In this state, where could you even go? The people from the Duke of Zhènguó’s mansion are waiting outside, just for the moment you die, to take you and complete the ghost marriage.”

Hearing that the Duke of Zhènguó’s household was still holding onto the ghost marriage and waiting for her to die, she hurriedly pleaded, “No! Your Highness, don’t give my body to them… I only ask that after I die, you deliver my body to my father’s hands.”

Although she would be dead and it would no longer concern her, Mu Shengsheng did not want to rot in the mud with that despicable person, wasting her body.

Lan Xun sneered. “Do you know that this marriage was agreed upon by your father himself?”

Mu Shengsheng shook her head through tears. “No, it wasn’t my father’s intention. He had promised me to Fu Sanshou of the Duke of Zhènguó’s household, so that after my death I would have a place to belong. But then Fu Er suddenly died, unmarried, and the Duke’s household arbitrarily changed the marriage to that dead man instead…”

If Fu Er were alive, he would never marry a dying girl.

Her father’s true choice had been Fu Sanshou, Fu Yu—an illegitimate son, but talented, virtuous, and promising. In the future, if he achieved fame, Mu Shengsheng as his wife would die with some honor. Unlike Fu Er, who had died disgracefully from disease.

No wonder the Duke of Zhènguó’s household acted so brazenly—this explained everything.

Lan Xun lowered his gaze and reassured her, “Rest assured and stay here. The king has already sent someone to summon a divine physician to treat you. Your father will also be urged to return quickly.”

So, from his words, he did not intend to chase her away?

Mu Shengsheng saw a glimmer of hope. She looked at him eagerly and asked, “Your Highness… you’re not going to send me away?”

Lan Xun bent down, looking into her eyes with a threatening tone. “Mu Shengsheng, if you live, you may stay. But if you dare to die, the king will immediately send your body to the Duke of Zhènguó’s household for them to collect. Do you understand?”

When he spoke so close, she could feel the heat of his breath and a faint scent of sandalwood.

This man was utterly magnetic to her life force—every time she saw him, she wanted to cling to him.

Mu Shengsheng couldn’t help herself. She lifted her hand and looped it around the man’s neck.

She pursed her lips, smiling, her eyes blazing with desire, like a starving kitten. “Your Highness… hold me.”

“…” Lan Xun nearly laughed with anger. At a time like this, her mind was still on these things?

Mu Shengsheng wrapped her arms around his, wiggled a little coquettishly. “Your Highness… please hold Shengsheng.”

In truth, she wanted to tell this foolish man that one embrace could prolong her life; she wouldn’t have to die. But the words were stuck in her throat, as if some mysterious force forbade her from speaking.

Having just awakened, she feared any sudden stimulus might once again push her to the brink of death, like yesterday.

Finally, the man relented. He sat on the edge of the bed, one hand under her shoulders, the other under her legs, carefully lifting her from the blankets and cradling her fragile body in his arms.

His eyelids lowered, he asked in a deep voice, “Are you satisfied now?”

Feeling the hot warmth of his body and the steady energy flowing into her, Mu Shengsheng finally relaxed after two days of holding her breath. She was more than satisfied.

She smiled triumphantly, arms around his waist, leaning against his chest. “Shengsheng knew it… Your Highness can’t bear to let me die.”

Feeling the softness in his arms sparked a reaction, yet the man’s shame made him quickly try to push her away.

“Enough. Don’t get too carried away…”

As Mu Shengsheng rejoiced in gaining another day of life, she absentmindedly raised her head. His exquisitely handsome face filled her vision.

Mu Shengsheng rarely went out, and Lan Xun was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Every time she looked at him, she was distracted by his beauty, forgetting that he was a cold, ruthless man with blood on his hands.

She was lost in thought when a distant, ethereal voice whispered in her ear: Kiss him…

The voice was distant and otherworldly. She had heard it before—when her stepmother tried to send her to the ghost marriage, the voice had guided her escape. Drawn by some mysterious force, she had collided with Lan Xun. Everything seemed coincidental, yet also orchestrated.

Previously, Mu Shengsheng thought it was just a nervous hallucination. But now, could it be related to prolonging her life?

If hugging him could extend her life, what would kissing him do?

Her gaze fell on his lips—thin but well-defined, lightly tinted red, slightly pursed, exuding calm restraint.

Mu Shengsheng had little understanding of romance—she only knew what she had heard in conversation.

To actively kiss someone, especially a man as untouchable as Lan Xun, required tremendous courage.

Still, he was so handsome… kissing him would not be a loss.

“Your Highness…”

The girl suddenly called out, sweetly and softly.

Lan Xun lowered his head. A flash of pink lips filled his vision.