That night, Sui Tan did not sleep soundly.

After being poisoned, her body alternated between chills and fever.

At times, she sought the nearest source of warmth, desperately curling into his embrace to fend off the cold;

Other times, she craved something cool, pressing herself against him, drawing comfort from his skin, which never refused her.

Sui Tan was in such a state, and Lin Qi dared not sleep.

All night, he held her, adjusting his support carefully in response to her needs, quietly waiting for dawn in the stillness.

Finally, the first light of morning spilled into the trap, and Sui Tan’s body temperature stabilized at last, sinking into a recuperative slumber.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Only then did he realize that his back had been stiff the entire night—he had been so tense that he hadn’t even noticed the discomfort.

“Morning.”

The grove at dawn was fresh and invigorating, and amidst the faint chirping of birds, Sui Tan slowly awoke.

After the poisoning, her entire body felt weak and limp. Lazily opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Lin Qi’s gaze.

Those eyes, usually calm and steady as if they could encompass mountains and rivers, were now uncharacteristically filled with emotion.

She read the worry etched in them and couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving like crescents:

“I’m so glad to see you again, Lin Qi.”

Lin Qi’s lips also curved upward:

“This subordinate is also glad to see you again, Miss.”

His voice trembled almost imperceptibly. Sui Tan could sense his lingering fear and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Her almond-shaped eyes darted around mischievously before she suddenly rolled over, extending a slender arm to loop around his neck.

“Your arm is injured!”

Lin Qi frowned in disapproval, leaning back to avoid her.

But Sui Tan acted as though she hadn’t heard, continuing to reach for him.

After a brief standoff, Lin Qi sighed silently and relented, lowering his head to let her have her way.

Delighted, Sui Tan’s eyes curved even more. Seizing the opportunity, she pushed herself up and straddled his lap, facing him.

Where their thighs touched, the heat was immediate and intense, the thin layers of clothing doing little to mask it.

Lin Qi swallowed reflexively. Sui Tan blinked playfully, her arms winding around his neck as she slowly closed the distance between them in that already intimate position.

“Thank you, Lin Qi. You saved me again.”

Her warm breath brushed against him, so close that a glance downward would reveal her fluttering lashes.

Lin Qi’s throat moved as he swallowed hard. When he opened his mouth, his tongue seemed to disobey him:

“M-Miss—”

“Master!”

A heart-wrenching shout shattered the hazy enchantment, yanking them back to the harsh reality of their predicament. Startled, they both looked up.

The grate covering the trap opening above had been removed at some point, and a dust-covered man in black clothing was craning his neck anxiously, peering down.

Suddenly, he froze as if he’d seen a ghost, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

At first, Lin Qi was puzzled by his reaction—until he heard Sui Tan’s muffled laughter against his chest and abruptly understood.

With the covering gone, the exit was wide open.

Morning light poured in freely, illuminating every hidden corner—including the two of them, with her sitting astride his lap.

Ahem.

Lin Qi cleared his throat awkwardly, deciding to feign ignorance and take the initiative:

“Yizhou?”

The man snapped out of his daze and hurriedly responded, “Yes, Master!”

With Yizhou’s help, the situation changed entirely—they could finally escape the trap.

But once back on solid ground, the moment Sui Tan got a clear look at Yizhou, her almond eyes widened in shock.

“You… you two…”

Her gaze flicked back and forth between Lin Qi and Yizhou in fascination.

They were nearly the same height, with similarly unremarkable faces, and wore identical black attire embroidered with golden patterns—standard for imperial shadow guards.

Standing side by side, they looked as alike as blood brothers.

“Uh, Miss Qin, it’s like this…”

Lin Qi remained silent, so Yizhou had no choice but to step forward and explain, sweating bullets:

“As you can see, I’m also a shadow guard.

Lin-Lin—ahem—Shadow Guard Lin and I trained together. We’re very close, so when I heard he was in danger, I rushed over in a panic, hahahaha…”

Sui Tan blinked. “But you called him ‘Master.’”

“Ah, no, no, not ‘Master’!”

Yizhou took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and blurted out: “It’s ‘Zhuzi’!”

“Y-you might not know this, but… humble names are easier to raise.

Before His Majesty bestowed his current name, Lin—ahem—Shadow Guard Lin was called Zhuzi. We’ve known each other since childhood, so I’m used to calling him that, hahahaha…”

His laughter was strained, his eyes darting everywhere—he didn’t dare meet her gaze.

Fortunately, Sui Tan didn’t press further, only drawing out a long, knowing “Ohhh~~”

“And what about Young Master Sun?”

She turned to Lin Qi with a new question, though her peripheral vision caught the actual imperial shadow guard exhaling in relief.

“Over there.”

The man she addressed immediately pointed in a certain direction. Sui Tan glanced over, then leaned back against him.

“Then let’s go.”

The night before, with Sui Tan in danger, Lin Qi hadn’t had time to deal with anything else.

After retrieving the antidote from the assassin, he had only managed to hastily tie the unconscious Sun Cheng to a tree near the trap before jumping in without hesitation.

Luckily, after a night of turmoil, they had escaped—and Sun Cheng was still there, unharmed.

By now, he had woken up, sitting blankly under the tree, neither crying nor making a sound.

This was… very unlike his usual self.

Spotting him from a distance, Sui Tan suddenly struggled violently in Lin Qi’s arms.

Reluctantly, Lin Qi loosened his grip, letting her slip free.

“Miss?”