Is There Any Way

Gu Chengyin looked at Shangguan Yunying.

He looked into her eyes, seeing the fear, the persistence, and the trust within them.

He suddenly smiled, a very gentle smile.

"Alright."

Gu Chengyin held Shangguan Yunying's hand, moved it away from his lips, then placed it in his palm and gently clasped it:

"Let's not talk about that. I promise you."

"I will definitely come back."

Things had come to this point.

What needed to be tested had been tested.

What needed to be confirmed had been confirmed.

Gu Chengyin had used every method he could think of.

All results pointed to the same conclusion: Luo Zhao was in a perfect state of hypnosis.

There were no flaws.

Or rather, he hadn't found any.

But Gu Chengyin remained suspicious; this was the most basic level of caution.

When something was too perfect, too aligned with expectations, one had to be wary of whether a massive trap was being set.

However, suspicion was just suspicion. It didn't mean he had to spend all his time on endless probing.

Furthermore...

Gu Chengyin's gaze fell upon Shangguan Yunying.

She was leaning against his chest, the hem of her crimson palace dress spread across the bed, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall over his arm.

Her cheeks still bore a lingering flush, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her breathing even and long, as if she had already fallen asleep.

But Gu Chengyin knew she was awake.

She was waiting.

Waiting for his next move, his next words, his choice.

The corners of Gu Chengyin's mouth curled up slightly.

He now had a true ally.

An ally who stood by his side without needing to be hypnotized or controlled.

Gu Chengyin gently patted the beauty in his arms, making a move to get up.

Shangguan Yunying couldn't very well stay in his embrace any longer.

She followed suit, taking a step back to create some distance, and asked:

"Are you leaving?"

Gu Chengyin nodded. "Yes. Although Her Highness's bed is very soft, we can't really spend the night here, can we?"

The teasing tone of his words made Shangguan Yunying's cheeks instantly flush red again.

Not spending the night in Her Highness's bed...

Did that mean going to another bed was fine?

The moment this thought popped up, Shangguan Yunying wanted to slap herself.

What nonsense was she thinking about now!

She was the dignified Chief Lady-in-Waiting, the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family.

Absolutely not some love-struck fool!

Shangguan Yunying quickly gathered her wits, dispelling the messy thoughts from her mind.

Gu Chengyin straightened his slightly rumpled clothes, then scanned the bedchamber once more.

Every corner was clearly presented in his perception.

No anomalies.

At least, within his perceptual range, there was nothing unusual.

But Gu Chengyin already knew that perception wasn't omnipotent.

Just like Gu Xiaoli—heaven knows where she was hiding right now.

Therefore, he couldn't rely solely on perception.

Gu Chengyin strode outward, with Shangguan Yunying following closely behind.

At the same time, she didn't forget to sneak a glance back at Luo Zhao.

Upon stepping out of the bedchamber and standing under the night sky,

Gu Chengyin let out a long breath.

How should he describe tonight?

It seemed fruitful.

Yet also seemingly fruitless.

Gu Chengyin turned around and said to Shangguan Yunying behind him:

"Go back and rest. I'll be leaving now."

Shangguan Yunying stood at the doorway of the bedchamber, her crimson palace dress fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

She didn't speak, merely looking at him. Her eyes held reluctance, worry, and a trace of anticipation.

Looking at Shangguan Yunying, Gu Chengyin suddenly understood something. He took a step forward, standing right in front of her.

He raised his hand and gently tilted her chin up.

Then he leaned down, leaving a light kiss on Shangguan Yunying's lips.

A brief touch, quickly parted.

No lingering, no deepening—just a simple, gentle, farewell kiss.

"Wait for me to come back."

After leaving these words behind, Gu Chengyin turned and walked away with a dashing air.

Shangguan Yunying stood rooted to the spot, watching him leave.

The attachment in her eyes gradually faded.

Replaced by the awe-inspiring resolve of someone facing death without flinching.

What she had to face next was the true test.

Shangguan Yunying turned and walked into the bedchamber. After closing the doors,

she walked inward, step by step.

Her steps were steady, but her heart beat like a drum.

Shangguan Yunying knew what she was about to face, but she didn't shrink back.

Stepping before the bead curtain, she paused for a moment, took a deep breath, then lifted the curtain and stepped into the inner chamber.

On the bed.

Luo Zhao had, unsurprisingly, opened her eyes.

She didn't sit up, didn't show anger, and didn't interrogate. She merely lay there, quietly looking at the ceiling.

Shangguan Yunying walked up to the bed and knelt beside it without the slightest hesitation.

She didn't speak to beg for mercy, nor did she offer an explanation.

She simply kept her head down, kneeling there.

Like a sinner awaiting judgment.

The bedchamber fell into a long silence.

So long that Shangguan Yunying's knees grew numb, so long that she almost thought she would kneel here for a lifetime.

Luo Zhao finally spoke. Her voice was faint and very calm, devoid of any discernible emotion:

"The floor is cold. Get up."

These words made Shangguan Yunying tremble all over.

Luo Zhao wasn't angry.

No interrogation.

No punishment.

This calmness was more terrifying than anger.

Because anger meant Her Highness still cared, still minded.

What did calmness mean?

Did it mean Her Highness no longer cared?

Did it mean Her Highness was utterly disappointed in her?

Shangguan Yunying's heart sank to the very bottom.

But she still slowly stood up from the floor, then looked at Luo Zhao on the bed.

Luo Zhao turned her head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at Shangguan Yunying.

Those phoenix eyes were currently as calm as a deep pool, betraying no emotion.

Yet Shangguan Yunying could feel something icy hidden beneath that calm.

Luo Zhao's gaze slowly swept over Shangguan Yunying.

From the disheveled dark hair to the rumpled palace dress, to the smudged makeup, and finally to the slightly swollen lips.

The traces of what just happened still lingered there—moist, swollen, gleaming with an ambiguous luster.

It was the gift that bastard had left behind in this bedchamber, right beside her bed.

Luo Zhao's gaze lingered on Shangguan Yunying's lips.

Then, she withdrew her gaze and looked back at the ceiling.

She issued an unquestionable command:

"Come up."

These two words left Shangguan Yunying stunned.

Come up?

Up where?

The bed?

Her Highness was telling her to... get on the bed?

This command left Shangguan Yunying completely bewildered.

She didn't know what Her Highness meant.

Was it a punishment?

A humiliation?

Or some kind of judgment she couldn't comprehend?

But she didn't ask. Instead, she silently took off her shoes and socks, and climbed onto the bed.

Then she lay down beside Luo Zhao.

Neither too far nor too close.

Able to feel each other's body heat, able to smell each other's scent, but without any physical contact.

Luo Zhao continued to look at the ceiling, not looking at Shangguan Yunying.

Shangguan Yunying also looked at the ceiling, not daring to look at Luo Zhao.

The bedchamber fell into silence once again.

But this silence was different from before.

The previous silence was a unilateral, judgment-awaiting silence while kneeling on the floor.

The current silence was an eerie silence between two people lying on the bed.

After a long time.

Luo Zhao finally spoke again:

"Yunying, tell me... is there any way."

"To hypnotize Gu Chengyin?"