Chapter 10: Climbing into Bed, Drawing Near to Young Master Pei...

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Pei Dongzhou knew he had been drugged. However, due to his unique constitution, ordinary potions could hardly affect him. This time, though, the drug was truly overwhelming, leaving his entire body weak and unable to open his eyes, though his senses remained somewhat clear.

He heard faint footsteps and sensed someone approaching. Though he held a dagger in his hand, he was too weak to raise it.

Shen Shuyi had just reached the bedside when she saw Pei Dongzhou gripping the dagger tightly, which startled her greatly. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the young master’s eyes were tightly shut, his lips lightly pressed together, lying straight on the bed as if unconscious.

She dared not utter a sound, fearing that Pei Dongzhou might be feigning sleep.

Hesitating, she stepped closer and waved her hand in front of his eyes several times.

There was no movement, indicating the drug had taken effect.

Still, she dared not act recklessly. She noticed a brush on the nearby desk and understood immediately. She picked it up and gently poked the young master’s nose with the tip.

Pei Dongzhou felt a persistent itch at the tip of his nose but could neither move nor open his eyes. Though he knew someone was shamelessly toying with him, he was powerless to resist.

Shen Shuyi poked his nostrils several times with the brush tip. Seeing no reaction, she finally relaxed.

At that moment, she decided to cut to the chase. She climbed onto the bed and leaned close to the young master…

Pei Dongzhou sensed a light breath near him, mingled with a faint fragrance. What kind of scent it was, he could not tell, as the drug dulled his senses significantly.

When a pair of soft, fragrant lips pressed against his face, his heart jolted, and his hand holding the dagger twitched involuntarily.

Shen Shuyi noticed his fingers move and was startled, hastily rolling off the bed.

Pei Dongzhou’s fingers moved again. Seeing this, Shen Shuyi’s face drained of color as she scrambled out of the room.

At the corner, Xia Nianchu, who had been waiting, saw her rushing out in panic and quickly asked, “What happened?”

Shen Shuyi lowered her voice, “Cousin’s hand moved, but his eyes are still closed. I don’t know if he’s really been drugged.”

She knew she couldn’t stay there any longer. If Pei Dongzhou realized she had behaved improperly, his favor toward her would surely plummet to minus one hundred percent.

“So what should we do now?” Xia Nianchu was momentarily at a loss.

Shen Shuyi ignored her and said, “You decide for yourself.”

With that, she hurried away.

Shen Shuyi briskly walked near the Great Hero Hall, relieved to find Lady Pei still bowing to the Buddha.

But then she realized the system hadn’t given her any notification of task completion.

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She slipped into a secluded corner and whispered to the system, “System, why didn’t it tell me I completed the task?”

[Host must kiss Young Master Pei on the lips to complete the task!]

Shen Shuyi’s face changed. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

[Forgot.]

Again, it had forgotten.

She should have learned her lesson and asked all the details before starting the task.

Shen Shuyi thought the system was perverse and longed to curse its ancestors.

No, now was not the time to be anxious; she needed to remove the most pressing problem first.

If Pei Dongzhou found out she had acted improperly, she might as well die now and not bother completing the task.

She carried her homemade osmanthus-flavored lip balm and secretly applied it in a desolate corner, then nonchalantly waited outside the Great Hero Hall.

Her eyes were blank as she stared ahead, pondering how, if she could miraculously clear suspicion this time, she would manage to kiss the sharp-tongued Pei Dongzhou within the remaining seven days.

The more she thought about it, the more impossible the task seemed, and she felt utterly hopeless, wishing she might as well wait for death.

Meanwhile, in the northern dormitory…

Xia Nianchu, seeing Shen Shuyi run off, was at a loss.

But she had finally gotten this chance. Even if she couldn’t sleep with her cousin, as long as she was found in the same room with him in a disheveled state, caught in the act, the position of Young Mistress might be hers.

Though aware of the great risk, she decided to try.

After instructing Liu Lu, she sneaked into Pei Dongzhou’s resting room.

There, the young master lay in bed fully dressed, seemingly unconscious. Could Shen Shuyi have been deceiving her?

She approached the canopy bed and moved closer to Pei Dongzhou.

The man’s refined features made her heart flutter wildly. Overcome with emotion, she wanted to kiss him. At that moment, Pei Dongzhou suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze like a drawn blade, sharp and cold.

She was terrified, not expecting him to awaken at such a critical moment.

“Y-Young Master, cous-cousin…” Xia Nianchu stammered, her eyes moist, voice unsteady.

Pei Dongzhou lay quietly, his eyes softening from fierce to gentle. He still could not move but managed to open his eyes.

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Xia Nianchu’s intentions were clear. Knowing he was still immobile, she feared she might act on him directly, confirming any scandal between them.

The situation was unfavorable to him; he could only try to calm her down for now.

Pei Dongzhou remained silent, calmly watching Xia Nianchu.

Under his steady gaze, she grew timid. “I-I was just worried something happened to you since you didn’t move, so I came to check. I-I’ll leave now.”

Pei Dongzhou spoke calmly, “Cousin, please close the door when you leave.”

Her palms were sweaty as she turned to the door. Just as she was about to close it, she hesitated—why was the young master still lying motionless?

Could he really still be unable to move?

She gathered courage to test him again, “Young Master, are you alright?”

Pei Dongzhou was well aware of her probing. He remained still and asked, “Do you wish me ill, cousin?”

Xia Nianchu quickly weighed the situation. This was a rare opportunity. She might as well undress now so that when Liu Lu arrived with others, seeing her and the young master in a disheveled state in the same room, he would have to take responsibility.

She reached for her buttons to unfasten them, but Pei Dongzhou’s deep voice interrupted, “Did you drug me, cousin?!”

Her hand trembled. Of course, she couldn’t let him know it was her. With a hurt expression and feigned innocence, she said, “How could that be? Even with a hundred lives, I wouldn’t dare do such a thing to you.”

He was stalling for time; she needed to seize the moment.

Just as she moved to undo another button, Pei Dongzhou said, “If you don’t leave, must I ask three or four times?”

Xia Nianchu pretended not to hear, still thinking he was bluffing.

But then, suddenly, the dagger in his hand shot toward her. Her eyes widened in terror as a lock of hair by her cheek was sliced off, and the dagger firmly embedded itself in the window frame behind her.

She broke out in cold sweat, watching Pei Dongzhou sit up.

The room was dimly lit. Sitting quietly on the bed, the young master resembled a coiled lion—handsome, noble, and dangerous…

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