Chu Allowing stood in the hall, his face alternating between joy and worry. He had a woman now; this child had finally become a man. But would this make him want to leave more? No, he was the only remembrance she left behind; he absolutely could not let him go.
After Chu Yuan fell asleep, Ruan Ning slowly opened her eyes and moved slightly to look at his sleeping face.
His expression was peaceful, with the previously furrowed brow now relaxed, leaving only a faint line between his eyebrows. Inexplicably, Ruan Ning reached out and touched that line, hoping to make it disappear.
Seemingly feeling her touch, Chu Yuan’s eyelashes fluttered, and Ruan Ning quickly withdrew her hand. But he did not wake up, so she continued to look at him. He had discarded his black robe and was presumably naked. Ruan Ning wanted to touch his abs.
She held back but finally couldn’t resist exploring his lower abdomen. Her fingertips traced the outline of his muscles, finding them hard, just as rumored. She bravely poked again, and then her hand was caught.
Chu Yuan’s voice was hoarse: “What are you doing?”
Caught, Ruan Ning panicked and blurted out, “I just wanted to feel your abs, nothing else. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Abs?” he repeated, opening his eyes. “What are abs?”
“The muscles on the stomach,” Ruan Ning explained.
“Here?” Chu Yuan lifted the blanket.
A magnificent view appeared before Ruan Ning. She was stunned for a moment, then covered her eyes but peeked through her fingers. Her peeping was quickly discovered by Chu Yuan, who laughed, his mood joyful.
He realized there was pleasure in the world. He covered himself with the blanket, wanting to tease her: “Don’t you have them? Let me see.”
“No!” Ruan Ning dove into her blanket, desperately trying to wrap herself more securely.
Chu Yuan laughed, finding her adorable. He leaned over, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “We’ll look next time, sleep now.”
He returned to his blanket and quickly fell asleep. Ruan Ning didn’t dare to disturb him and thought about the details in the original text, but there was too little information about Chu Yuan. Gradually, she fell asleep too.
Chu Yunzheng and the Empress sat on the high platform. Upon seeing Chu Yuan, they ordered, “Let the Prince of Ning come over and speak.”
