The two of them stared at each other in silence.
Nearby, Kang Xuan felt the chill emanating from them and did his best to shrink into himself, staying quietly to the side, daring not to make a sound.
He hadn't expected the petite Madam, despite her small stature, to be capable of exuding such a fierce aura.
After a long pause, what felt like an eternity, Xiao Linye finally broke the silence with a laugh. He beckoned to Ye Yuning, "Come here."
However, Ye Yuning remained standing where she was, not moving any closer.
Still looking stubbornly at Xiao Linye, she asked harshly, "Did you two sleep together?"
"No!"
Xiao Linye didn't tease her any longer.
He had been genuinely a bit angry when she hadn't come in directly but had calmly called him instead.
But now, watching her—so sensible, yet radiating an untouchable defiance—and realizing that this fierce protectiveness, this 'forbidden scale,' had grown because of him, a sense of relief finally washed over him.
