The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night

Lady Wei was stunned for a moment, then sighed. "He’s not a three-year-old child. How could he be tricked by someone else? If he hadn’t given her an opening, how could she have possibly had the chance to scheme against him?

Besides, if he hadn’t allowed it, would Lady Wang have been able to give birth to the child?

It’s all just excuses. You’re still young. Don’t be fooled by a few simple words from him."

Zhi Wan nodded. "You’re right, Aunt."

She knew her uncle was also at fault, but she had to tell her aunt the truth so she would know that Aunt Wang was not to be trifled with.

After bidding farewell to her aunt, Zhi Wan returned to Yaoguang Pavilion.

It had been a busy and tiring day. After her bath, she went to bed early.

As she fell asleep, she thought of the man from her dream and couldn’t help but worry about his condition.

’I wonder how he’s doing. Did he manage to get off that deserted island?’

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself on the same island from last night.

But it was pitch black all around, and there was no sign of the man.

Hearing the sound of the river water lapping against the sandy shore, she suddenly felt a surge of fear and couldn’t help but shout out to bolster her own courage.

"Hey, are you still here?"

The words had barely left her mouth when footsteps sounded from behind. The darkness before her was partially dispelled by the glow of a fire behind her.

She froze for a second, then turned around.

She saw the man standing there, holding a torch.

Delighted, Zhi Wan ran toward him. "You’re still here! I thought you had already left..."

Before she could finish, her foot sank into a hole in the sand. Just as she was about to fall, the man reached out in time to catch her.

"Slow down," the man’s deep voice rumbled from above her head.

Zhi Wan breathed a sigh of relief, steadied herself with his arm, and asked with concern, "How’s your wound? Is it any better?"

"Mhm, I’ve applied some herbs. It’s fine now," the man said gently.

"Really? Let me check for you." As Zhi Wan spoke, she moved to untie his pants.

A vein throbbed on the man’s temple. He grabbed her hand just in time, his dark eyes staring deeply at her. "Are you trying to check on me, or are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Zhi Wan blinked. "Are the two mutually exclusive?"

The man: "..."

He released her hand and walked straight ahead.

Zhi Wan hurried after him. "Are you angry, or are you shy?"

The man had just stopped when Zhi Wan, who had been running too fast, crashed right into his back.

THUD!

She rubbed her forehead and complained, "Your back is so hard. That really hurt."

The man immediately turned to check on her, asking nervously, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Mhm, it hurts so much!" Zhi Wan nodded, tilting her face up to make it easier for him to see.

Gazing at her smooth, beautiful face in the firelight, the man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The hand that was about to rub her forehead instead cupped the back of her head, and he lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Zhi Wan’s eyelashes fluttered. She quickly closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself.

Both were overcome with passion, kissing until they forgot themselves.

When Zhi Wan came to her senses, she discovered that the man was holding her up with both arms, and her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist.

This position...

Zhi Wan’s face burned.

Just then, the man suddenly staggered.

Startled back to her senses, Zhi Wan quickly clung to his shoulders and back. Only then did she remember his leg was still injured. She said urgently, "Quick, put me down."

The man did as she said, setting her down before turning his back to her.

Zhi Wan took a moment to compose herself, then went over and hugged his slender waist from behind. In a soft, breathy voice, she said, "Don’t hide. I saw everything."

The man’s throat tightened. "What did you see?" His voice was hoarse.

Zhi Wan didn’t answer, her fingers tracing a path down his firm abdomen.

A vein throbbed on the man’s temple again. He quickly caught her fingers and chided in a rough voice, "Don’t mess around!"

Zhi Wan sulkily pulled her hand free. She turned, pulled the torch he had stuck in the ground, and walked off to the side with it in her hand.

"What are you doing?" the man asked with a frown.

"I’m going to relieve myself." Zhi Wan turned her head and gave him a mischievous half-smile. "Want to come with me?"

The man: "..."

He cleared his throat and instructed, "Don’t go too far. I’ll wait for you right here."

"Got it," Zhi Wan replied, but she only walked a few steps before stopping.

In truth, she didn’t dare go into the jungle.

Seeing that the man had already turned his back, she decided to take care of business right there.

She stuck the torch in the dirt and then undid her pants.

"Don’t you dare turn around," she added, not quite trusting him.

The man: "..."

Realizing the girl was taking care of things not far behind him, his ears burned. He walked a few steps forward to put some distance between them.

A moment later, Zhi Wan was finished. She pulled up her pants, plucked the torch from the ground, and held it in her hand again.

After walking back to the man’s side, Zhi Wan asked, "Where are we sleeping tonight?"

The man didn’t speak. He took her hand and led her toward a large rock not far away.

As they got closer, Zhi Wan saw that it was covered with a thick layer of leaves.

The man untied his outer robe and spread it on top.

Seeing this, Zhi Wan understood. She immediately handed the torch to the man, then obediently climbed onto the rock and lay down.

Although it wasn’t as soft as a mattress, the thick layer of leaves underneath kept it from being uncomfortable.

"Did you know I was coming? Did you prepare this specially for me?" Zhi Wan asked smugly, after rolling around twice on the robe he’d laid out.

The man lay down beside her and responded with a low "Mhm."

"Really?" Zhi Wan immediately propped herself up with interest, resting on his chest to look at him.

Meeting her sparkling eyes, the man paused, then raised a hand to stroke her hair. "Really."

"But how did you know I’d come? Sometimes we don’t see each other for ten days or even half a month," Zhi Wan asked curiously.

The man froze for a moment, then said lightly, "It was just a guess."

"Well, you guessed pretty accurately then," Zhi Wan said.

"It’s getting late. Go to sleep," the man said, gently patting her back.

Zhi Wan nodded and lay down next to him, but her leg misbehaved, hooking over his waist, and her hand roamed restlessly over his chest.

The corner of the man’s eye twitched, but he let her be, only intervening to stop her when her restless hand started to wander downward.

Tired from her playing, Zhi Wan finally started to feel sleepy.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she thought she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance.

When she opened her eyes, she found she was still in her own bed. Outside, the sky was just beginning to lighten with dawn.

She furrowed her brow, guessing that the footsteps she heard in the dream must have been someone coming ashore.

’Does that mean the man was rescued?’

「At the same time」

Lu Zhan also heard footsteps and woke up.

"Princely Heir!"

"Old Lu!"

He had just sat up when he heard several familiar voices calling out.

He paused. Instead of responding immediately, he stood up and put on his robe.

He had just jumped down from the rock when Duan Ling, Jiang Shi, and a group of guards came to greet him.

"Old Lu, it’s great that you’re okay."

"Princely Heir." Jiang Shi and the guards knelt on one knee.

"You’ve all worked hard. Rise," Lu Zhan said in a deep voice.

Suddenly, Duan Ling raised a torch and peered at him closely. "Old Lu, why do you look so cheerful? You don’t look like someone who was wretchedly stranded on a deserted island at all."

Lu Zhan gave him a faint glance. "Is that so? Sorry to have disappointed you."