Forced to die for his loyalty, he was reborn in the arms of the cold and cruel regent!

Hearing this, Shen Mengyao gently lowered her eyelids, and her pair of autumn-water scissors seemed to be filled with tenderness. She said softly, "Your Majesty's words really make Mengyao feel ashamed. Your grace of saving my life in the past is more important than Mount Tai to me, and I will never forget it in my life. In comparison, how can a mere bowl of soup be compared with Your Majesty's kindness? It's just Mengyao's humble contribution, I hope Your Majesty will not despise it."

Qi Sui'an sighed, unable to hide his disappointment, "Mengyao, why have we become so distant from each other?"

Shen Mengyao was stunned for a moment. She had never expected Qi Suian to ask this question.

And she hasn't figured out how to face the feelings that are gradually welling up in her heart but that she can't face?

Shen Mengyao's heart felt as if it was pierced by a fine needle, causing ripples. She looked up at Qi Suian, whose deep eyes seemed to contain endless stories and unfinished emotions, causing her to avoid his gaze involuntarily.

She responded softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Mengyao just hopes to do her best to repay your kindness in saving my life. As for other things, Mengyao never dares to think too much."

Upon hearing this, Qi Sui'an inadvertently curled up his lips into a bitter and helpless smile. He slowly straightened up, with a subtle difficulty in his movements.

Seeing this, Bei Lan was filled with worry and wanted to step forward to support him, but he was gently pushed away by his hand. His eyes revealed unquestionable determination, and he signaled the other party to step back.

As the door creaked shut, the room fell silent, leaving only the two of them standing facing each other.

Shen Mengyao slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with complex and unspeakable emotions. She opened her red lips slightly, wanting to say something but stopping herself: "Your Highness, I..." Thousands of words came to her mind, but she didn't know where to start. She could only let the heavy feeling linger in her heart.

Qi Sui'an lowered his head and coughed lightly a few times. Although the sound was light, it revealed his physical weakness.

He looked up at Shen Mengyao, and seeing her nervous and helpless face, a gentle smile rose involuntarily from the corner of his mouth: "Am I such a scary person in your eyes? Can I eat you alive?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Mengyao looked up involuntarily and met his eyes that were as bright as stars.

Those eyes, which might be as sharp as an eagle on ordinary days, had lost all their edge at this moment, replaced by an indescribable laziness and softness, as if only in front of her was he willing to let down all his defenses and disguises.

She stared at him blankly, with an inexplicable emotion welling up in her heart, and she didn't want to miss this rare moment of tenderness.

In order to cover up her gaffe, she tried to make her gaze more determined and bravely met his gaze.

"Your Highness, you misunderstood." Shen Mengyao's voice was soft and clear. She tried to make her words more detailed: "I'm not afraid of you, it's just..."

"What's the matter?" Qi Sui'an pressed on step by step, his eyes revealing unquestionable determination, his gaze fixed on Shen Mengyao without any relaxation.

Shen Mengyao felt embarrassed and moved her lips slightly, but she seemed unable to find the right words to explain.

Just when the atmosphere in the room was so tense that it almost froze, the sound of footsteps approaching from afar broke the silence, accompanied by Bei Lan's low but firm voice of dissuasion. He was obviously trying to prevent someone from breaking in.

"Fifth Prince, my prince is indeed not in a position to meet anyone right now." Bei Lan's voice was full of helplessness.

"Hehe, what shameful things are you doing secretly in the palace? Even this prince has disappeared? I must go in today. If you dare to stop me, don't blame me for being rude." The fifth prince's voice was filled with arrogance, and he rarely showed his royal majesty.

Bei Lan didn't dare to really stop him, so he could only kneel down in front of the Fifth Prince and begged, "If I can't stop you, the prince will definitely punish me severely, why don't you just punish me directly!"

The fifth prince sighed softly, seeming to feel a little helpless about Bei Lan's loyalty: "Why are you doing this?"

However, when he looked up, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had discovered something, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It turned out that the prince came out to greet me personally. It's really my honor."

Upon hearing this, Bei Lan thought that Qi Suian had stepped forward to resolve the awkward situation, but when he looked back, the door was still empty. The Fifth Prince simply took the opportunity to quickly step forward and suddenly opened the door.

The Fifth Prince scanned the room and finally fixed his gaze on Qi Sui'an, who was leaning on the couch and looked a little weak. "Why are you here alone? You look pale and have no energy, not much different from me. What's wrong with you?"

Qi Sui'an gently raised his hand to cover his lips, coughed a few times, and said calmly: "It's just a minor cold, no need to worry."

But the Fifth Prince obviously didn't believe it was that simple. He sat down next to Qi Sui'an, his eyes full of inquiry: "I don't think it's that simple. If you really had a cold, why would you close the door and refuse visitors for several days? You know, with Yanyi's status in the court, every move is watched closely."

Qi Sui'an didn't want to say more, so as not to cause trouble, and just said vaguely: "It's just some trivial matters. It has been resolved now. You don't need to ask more."

"Okay, then I won't ask." The fifth prince nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject, "But, you should tell me about the hidden treasures and stolen jades in your house, right?"

As he spoke, he flashed and went behind the screen. When he saw Shen Mengyao, he did not show any surprise. Instead, he greeted her naturally: "Princess, we meet again."

Shen Mengyao suddenly felt the embarrassment of being caught in the act. She forced a smile and walked out from behind the screen: "The prince fell ill because of me, so I stayed to take care of him. It's a courtesy."

The Fifth Prince seemed to have seen through everything, with a playful smile on his face: "If it were just that, I wouldn't think too much about it, but the two of you are trying to hide it, it's obvious that your relationship is very serious. Tell me, what's going on?"

Qi Sui'an chuckled, trying to ease the tense atmosphere with a joke: "Are you going to torture us?"

The fifth prince also took the opportunity to put on a businesslike appearance and pretended to be serious: "How dare I hide anything in court?"

Qi Sui'an glanced at him and shook his head helplessly: "That's enough, there's nothing. Princess, don't make fun of us if you are shy."

"I am not kidding. It's so late, and still..." The Fifth Prince's gaze moved between the two of them. The hidden meaning was naturally self-evident.

Before the Fifth Prince could finish his words, Shen Mengyao interrupted him tactfully: "Fifth Prince, you misunderstood. The prince was unwell, and I just happened to be in the mansion so I could take care of him. That's all, nothing else."