CFSSIR

‧₊˚ 97 ‧₊˚

"Yaoyao, Yaoyao?" Lu Zhao's hand gently landed on Shen Qingyao's back and nudged her, leaning close to her ear to call her, "Wake up first, shall we sleep a little longer later?"

"Mmm..." Shen Qingyao stirred slightly, impatiently grabbing his hand and pulling it in front of her, even rubbing her face against it, yet still unwilling to wake up.

Lu Zhao looked a bit helpless, but his eyes revealed fondness. He hooked the finger that she had grabbed, lightly scratching her face with its cool tip, making Shen Qingyao feel ticklish. She instinctively shrunk her neck to avoid it without fully waking up.

A few muffled laughs escaped Lu Zhao's throat as his fingers became more playful.

Shen Qingyao was annoyed by his restless finger but couldn't bear to let go of it, as she had just grabbed it moments ago. The fragrance of the cold lingered around, and she couldn't bring herself to release it.

In her half-asleep state, she furrowed her brow and tightened her grip on Lu Zhao's hand, pressing the mischievous finger firmly against her head.

Lu Zhao exerted considerable effort to retrieve his hand without waking her up.

Just then, Kong Lin had already been brought to the courtyard by Cui Qiao. Even before they entered the room, Kong Lin's loud voice filled with anger could be heard from afar.

"What? Sleeping? At this hour? How could you sleep now? Have you just fallen asleep or haven't woken up yet? This is unacceptable!"

Kong Lin's temper remained as fiery as ever, showing no signs of mellowing with age. If anything, he seemed more confrontational with age.

Especially towards Shen Qingyao.

Everyone could see that Master Kong treated Shen Qingyao like his own granddaughter, but the more he cared, the more scolding he gave.

Cui Qiao seemed to laugh dryly and said a few more words, too quiet for Shen Qingyao to hear clearly. However, Kong Lin seemed less furious after hearing Cui Qiao's words, and his voice gradually softened.

In her dream, Shen Qingyao heard Kong Lin's voice and reflexively tensed. Uncomfortably, she moved, causing Lu Zhao to think she was waking up. He quietly waited for a while, only to see the little girl's face flush, falling back asleep again.

*...Pfft.* Lu Zhao chuckled again, shook his head, and decided not to disturb her any further.

He could only turn helplessly towards Kong Lin, who had just pushed open the door. "Apologies, Doctor Kong, please proceed. Yaoyao has been unusually sleepy lately, and we're not sure why."

With that, he gently pulled Shen Qingyao's hand out, exposing her wrist to Kong Lin.

Seeing that she still wasn't awake, Kong Lin instinctively frowned. Stroking his beard, he muttered, "Unacceptable," but dutifully set down his medicine box and began to carefully examine her.

Shen Qingyao had fallen asleep just after noon, but by the time she woke up, it was dusk.

The room was quiet, and the dim light momentarily left her disoriented, unsure of the time or place. There were no sounds of wind or people around, giving her a brief sensation of being abandoned by the world.

Thankfully, when she turned her head, she saw Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao was leaning against the bedside, with nothing in his hands, quietly watching her.

Seeing her awake, Lu Zhao smiled gently at her.

Shen Qingyao looked up at him from below, a perspective she had seen many times before, but each time she couldn't help but marvel: how could someone look so good from this deathly angle?