Chapter Sixty-One: Sweet as Honey

When the time comes, he will return to the imperial palace and resume his position as a prince—how could he possibly remain in the Duke of Zhen's estate?

Shen Nanyuan’s gaze was calm as she looked toward the distant capital city. After a moment's contemplation, she suddenly pressed her palms together before her chest, gently closed her eyes, and fell silent.

Xiao Yan was a little surprised. “Miss?”

Shen Nanyuan paused briefly before opening her eyes and lowering her hands. “I was making a wish for the new year.”

She smiled. “You should make one as well.”

“...” Xiao Yan watched her. Beneath the silver-gray moonlight, her radiant smile made his heart tremble. He shook his head, dark lashes quivering. “I will not make one.”

“Why not?” Shen Nanyuan was puzzled. “Go ahead, make a wish.”

She smiled softly and said, “You have to keep a few hopeful thoughts in your heart, so that each day holds anticipation. Is there nothing you look forward to?”

One of Xiao Yan’s hopes was certainly related to Meng Chuyue, perhaps to leave the Duke of Zhen’s estate sooner. But all these would soon come to pass.

Under her gentle gaze, Xiao Yan lowered his eyes and softly echoed her words, “Something to look forward to.”

Something to look forward to...

Could the greed in his heart also come true?

Suddenly, he looked up, his gaze landing directly on Shen Nanyuan. His eyes were deep and earnest, so dark and luminous that Shen Nanyuan’s smile faltered, and an inexpressible tide of emotion surged in her heart.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Xiao Yan answered quietly, shaking his head. He imitated Shen Nanyuan, closing his eyes softly. After a moment, he asked, “What did you wish for, Miss?”

“That I can’t say. If I do, it won’t come true.”

She had no grand ambitions; here, her greatest wishes were only two: that the Duke of Zhen’s estate would survive its impending disaster, and that she could return home soon.

No matter how prosperous this place was, her heart longed for only one thing—her own home.

When she finished speaking, Shen Nanyuan smiled gently at Xiao Yan. “And you? What did you wish for? Tell me, maybe I can help you make it come true.”

Xiao Yan’s lips curved. “My wish, Miss, could indeed be fulfilled by you.”

As the words fell, he continued with a faint smile, “But since you said wishes spoken aloud won’t come true, I’d better keep mine to myself.”

Shen Nanyuan felt a slight pang of disappointment at his response.

No matter how she pondered, she couldn’t imagine what wish of his she could possibly fulfill.

So she decided not to think about it any further.

The moonlight was hazy; she had no idea what hour it was. Shen Nanyuan yawned, pulling her cloak tighter around herself—she was growing sleepy.

The air was silent, not a sound to be heard, which only made her drowsier.

Ever since she arrived here, she’d rarely stayed up late. After so long with a regular routine, staying awake through the night was becoming difficult for her.

Shen Nanyuan shook her head, trying to clear it. “Say something, will you? If I have something to listen to, I might stay awake a bit longer.”

The city’s fireworks wouldn’t begin until midnight. No wonder Shen Sinian said last year the original miss hadn’t managed to stay up.

Xiao Yan paused. “What would Miss like to hear?”

“Anything will do,” she replied. Everything in her vision was blurring; she forced her eyelids open and continued, “I’m so tired, but I want to stay up with you to see the fireworks. If Qingrui were here, she’d be nagging me to rest.”

“Why don’t you urge me to sleep?”

“Me?” Xiao Yan’s gaze drifted toward the brightly lit distance, his eyes reflecting the bustling capital. After a long pause, he spoke softly, “Because I want to see the fireworks with you, too.”

The tiny greed in his heart could not be suppressed—it wound around him like a vine, entwining tighter and tighter, leaving him breathless.

Only after he spoke did he realize he’d said too much.

Before he could take it back, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, and a familiar, pleasant fragrance enveloped him. With her so close, all his senses sharpened, his heart raced uncontrollably, and his hand trembled slightly.

The moon, high in the heavens, cast its cold, radiant glow across the earth, enveloping the two of them as if in a cloak of silver.

Xiao Yan’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched involuntarily. Stiff with tension, he gazed at the scene before him, his heart like a cat’s soft paw, lightly but restlessly scratching within.

The sensation spread to every corner of his being.

His throat tightened as he called quietly, “Miss?”

Her gentle breathing brushed his neck, raising goosebumps along his skin. Warmth radiated from the arm where they leaned together. He turned his head carefully, lowering his gaze to the sleeping face of Shen Nanyuan, so close at hand.

She was deeply asleep, exhausted, her lips parted to reveal pearly teeth, her lashes long and trembling, every fine downy hair on her face visible.

Without the slightest guard, she’d entrusted herself to him, resting so trustingly against his shoulder.

Xiao Yan’s heart felt as if gripped tightly in a fist. He hurriedly turned his head away, but in the next instant, unable to help himself, he looked back, his eyes lingering on Shen Nanyuan.

He had once been like a lone leaf adrift on water—no one to lean on, no one to trust, no one who truly cared for him.

Trapped in a whirlpool, unable to escape.

Then suddenly, one day, someone had plucked him from the depths, smiled at him, treated him kindly, gave him full trust. She shattered his bleak world, coloring everything around him in vivid hues.

At first, he was lost, wary, afraid that if he gave his trust, he would be met with a blade.

But now, he accepted it gladly.

A gentle warmth gradually filled Xiao Yan’s eyes, and a faint smile touched his lips.

From the distance, a sudden sound rang out. Then, with a resounding boom, fireworks burst forth in the sky, dazzling and colorful, blooming for a fleeting moment before vanishing.

Shen Nanyuan woke with a start, just in time to see another spray of fireworks blossom at the horizon, lighting up the sky—and her face.

She smiled sweetly. “How beautiful.”

Xiao Yan murmured his agreement, his dark eyes reflecting the distant fireworks. But he could not help turning to look at Shen Nanyuan, her radiant face shining brilliantly, and he smiled softly. “Very beautiful.”

“Xiao Yan,” she turned to him, her lips rosy, “I hope all your wishes come true in the new year.”

Shen Nanyuan tilted her head, her smile luminous. “May the new year bring you every happiness.”

Beneath the cascade of fireworks, her eyes shone with earnest darkness, her brows arched in laughter.

In that fleeting, breathtaking glance, she lodged herself in Xiao Yan’s heart—forever inescapable.