Your Highness, Time for a Nap

After eating the sticky rice dumplings, the drowsiness of a full stomach washed over her like a tide. Jiang Yunlu yawned lazily, a few reflexive tears seeping from the corners of her eyes.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at Lin Mo with watery eyes, her voice carrying a hazy, soft sweetness.

"Lin Mo, I'm a little sleepy. Can I borrow your bed for a nap?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xie Yuling, who was sitting to the side, practically bounced off the sofa in an instant. With an eager smile plastered on her face, her voice rose an octave.

"Sleepy? Yunlu, why don't you go sleep at my place? My apartment is just upstairs, and it's absolutely quiet!"

Both of them had intentions as obvious as Sima Zhao's, but Jiang Yunlu merely waved her hand lazily. Her eyelids were almost sticking together, yet the corners of her mouth curled up in a sly arc.

"No need. I'm a heavy sleeper; even thunder couldn't wake me."

Saying so, she didn't even spare Xie Yuling another glance and walked straight toward Lin Mo's room. Her posture made it seem as if she were asserting her sovereignty.

Watching this scene, Lin Mo smiled somewhat helplessly.

The little mind games between girls were truly direct.

However, he didn't refuse. His rented room didn't have much privacy to begin with—just a bed and a wardrobe, clean and tidy, nothing more.

After all, it was just a rented apartment.

He followed her to the doorway, leaning against the doorframe with one hand. Watching Jiang Yunlu, who was already making herself at home and sizing up the room, he couldn't help but tease her.

"You can sleep, just don't drool on my pillow."

"I will not!"

Jiang Yunlu bristled instantly. She turned back to glare at him, casually grabbing the pillow and pretending to throw it at him. "I never even drool during nap time at school, stop falsely accusing me!"

Lin Mo smiled and raised his hands in surrender.

He naturally knew that sleeping face down on the desk at school compressed the glands, making it easy to drool. But even when sleeping on her desk, this young girl maintained excellent posture.

Seeing him give in, Jiang Yunlu gave a hmph, placed the pillow back, and carefully patted it smooth.

She carefully sat on the edge of the bed, took off her shoes, and slipped off her short white socks, revealing a pair of delicate, fair feet.

Then, like performing a magic trick, she pulled a pack of wet wipes from her pocket and meticulously wiped her hands and feet.

Only after finishing all this did she suddenly remember that Lin Mo was still leaning against the doorframe watching. Her cheeks instantly burned hot, and she explained with evasive eyes.

"I... I was afraid of dirtying your bedsheets."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, carrying a bashfulness she herself hadn't realized.

Looking at her earnest little appearance, a soft spot in Lin Mo's heart was gently touched, and the smile on his lips became much more genuine.

"Then thank you very much, you good, hygienic student. Throw the wipes in the trash can next to the nightstand."

His tone carried an imperceptible trace of gentleness, making Jiang Yunlu's face even redder.

She haphazardly tossed the wipes into the trash can and couldn't help but look up at Lin Mo again. Seeing that he was still there, his gaze unblinking, she stammered.

"What... what are you looking at me for!"

"Nothing," Lin Mo's gaze was calm and devoid of any distracting thoughts. "I'm waiting for you to lie down so I can turn off the light and close the door for you. Go to sleep."

He said it as a matter of course, but it made Jiang Yunlu's heartbeat skip.

She didn't say anything more. She raised a hand to untie her hair tie, letting her smooth, long hair cascade down her back like a waterfall. Then she obediently lay down and pulled the blanket over herself.

She turned her head, looking at the lean, upright figure under the doorframe, and said softly.

"Good afternoon, classmate Lin Mo."

"Alright, please enjoy your nap, princess."

Lin Mo replied and casually pulled the door shut.

The door lock clicked softly, and the room instantly darkened. Only a few faint rays of light seeped through the gap in the curtains, drawing long bands of light in the air.

Darkness and silence wrapped around her entire body.

Jiang Yunlu couldn't hold back anymore. She buried her whole face into Lin Mo's blanket and took a deep breath.

There was no heavy perfume scent, only a refreshing aroma of sunshine mixed with a faint soap fragrance, along with a trace of a clean, pleasant body scent that uniquely belonged to Lin Mo.

This scent made her feel an unprecedented sense of peace.

"I'll have to ask him what brand of shower gel he uses later."

The young girl murmured to herself under the covers, her words only audible to herself. Her consciousness gradually blurred, and she sank into a sweet slumber.

Meanwhile, outside the door.

As soon as Lin Mo turned around, he met Xie Yuling's eyes, which held a mix of scrutiny and dissatisfaction.

Xie Yuling crossed her arms, her tone a bit aggressive. "You just let her sleep in your room like that? It's so noisy here, you should have let her go up to my place to sleep."

It was a high-sounding excuse.

Lin Mo, however, saw right through her little scheme at a glance and deliberately said,

"It's rare for her to visit. Just treat her like a younger sister and let her have her way."

"What do you mean let her have her way! I don't understand what you're talking about."

These words were like stepping on a cat's tail. Xie Yuling's cheeks instantly flushed red, and her voice rose a few pitches. "I... I'm simply worried that she won't get a good rest, do you understand!"

The more she defended herself, the more obvious her discomfort became.

Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush with her. He lifted his chin, gesturing toward the kitchen. "Alright, don't just stand here. Look at Miao Miao, she took the initiative to wash the dishes."

Xie Yuling followed his gaze, curled her lip, and aggressively put her hands on her hips.

"I didn't even eat any sticky rice dumplings. What, do you expect me to wash the dishes?"

She put on a posture as if she were about to fiercely interrogate Lin Mo, but her arrogance didn't last three seconds before she deflated on her own.

She suddenly took a step forward, grabbed Lin Mo by the wrist, and with a nervous expression, dragged him over to the small balcony.

After sitting down, she vigilantly glanced toward the kitchen to make sure Miao Miao couldn't hear them. Only then did she lower her voice and recount the entire incident of running into Zhao Dezhu at the ancestral hall, leaving no detail out.

As she reached the end of her story, her voice grew quieter, and her gaze became somewhat evasive.

Especially regarding the part where she used the Misfortune Talisman on Zhao Dezhu.

Having finished, she stared intently at Lin Mo's face and anxiously added, "This thing... it won't kill anyone, right?"

This was what she was truly worried about.

Looking at her, acting like she had done something terrible but was scared to death, Lin Mo actually found it somewhat amusing.

He shook his head and leaned back comfortably against the sofa. "Relax, it's just a mere Misfortune Talisman."

He paused, then said unhurriedly, "If it could really take a life that easily, it wouldn't be called a Misfortune Talisman. It might as well be renamed 'Death Warrant Talisman' or 'Final Destination Talisman'."

Hearing Lin Mo's words, Xie Yuling breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she only wanted that person to be unlucky, not for him to die.

After all, in her eyes, that person's crimes did not warrant death.

An imperceptible curve touched the corners of Lin Mo's lips.

"It mostly means he'll step in a pothole every time he walks, choke every time he drinks water, get hit by bird droppings when he goes out, and have his key break in the lock when he goes home."

His tone was flat, but the scenes he described were highly impactful.

Xie Yuling's eyes instantly lit up. Her previous lingering fear and worry were swept away, replaced by a satisfying sense of vindication.

However, upon learning of this matter, Lin Mo had more or less made alternative preparations in his heart.