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"Yaoyao, she's gone." Bei Zhenting reminded Luo Yao.

Luo Yao blushed and bit his lip as he angrily glanced at Bei Zhenting, the instigator, then broke free from Bei Zhenting's hand and walked forward on his own.

The weather was too cold, and Aunt He's worries that night were not false. The well water had frozen into a thick layer of ice, and even the water in the earthenware water tank in the kitchen a few days ago was covered with a thin layer of ice.

He was washing vegetables in the kitchen. When she saw him come in, she smiled and brought him a bowl of hot sugar water.

"Drink some sugar water first and wait for Aunt He to make you some noodles."

Luo Yao nodded and took the sugar water. He was indeed hungry. His body had consumed a lot of energy fighting against the pathogens, and he also slept until the afternoon, so he really felt hungry.

While drinking sugar water and looking around for something to eat, Luo Yao soon noticed a bulging sack in the corner. He didn't know what was in it.

He noticed his look and explained, "Those are the sweet potatoes that Manager Zhou bought in the countryside yesterday. We bought them in Yao Village earlier. They're very sweet. Since the young master wanted to eat some, I washed them and cooked them."

"No need." Luo Yao went over and took two plump sweet potatoes, threw them into the ashes, picked up a plate of pear cake and ate it while leaning against the kitchen door.

Bei Zhenting came over and waved to Luo Yao like a puppy.

Luo Yao reluctantly moved to stand next to Bei Zhenting. He didn't know how to get along with Bei Zhenting.

Bei Zhenting undoubtedly had a strong attraction to him. Luo Yao felt his heart leap with joy almost the moment he saw Bei Zhenting waving at him, but he was hesitant about how to run towards Bei Zhenting.

Passive lovers do not have the ability to actively express love.

In intimate relationships, people who lack love will be confused for a long time about the changes in the relationship.

They won't give themselves up easily, and they're both excited and afraid of deep emotional connections. They look forward to being closer to their loved ones, but they're also afraid their behavior won't match this new relationship status. They may even feel unsure about intimacy, even if they were just passionately intimate.

If there is no external force to break this state, this uncertainty will continue to deepen or persist forever.

Luo Yao stood beside Bei Zhenting, lowering his head and nibbling on the pastries in small bites, without speaking to Bei Zhenting.

"I want to eat too." A low and magnetic voice suddenly came from above his head.

The hair on the top of his head was blown by the air flow, and Luo Yao's heart tightened. He raised his head in panic, and a cold, handsome and majestic face instantly came into his sight.

Bei Zhenting's delicate, sculpted features were close at hand. Beneath his high nose, his thin lips were slightly raised. Tenderness was hidden in his deep eyes, clearly reflecting Luo Yao's slightly flustered expression.

Luo Yao's heart was pounding. He swallowed the cake in his mouth, raised it slightly, and said word by word: "You, eat."

Bei Zhenting didn't move. Luo Yao looked up at Bei Zhenting again.

"I want to eat what's in Yaoyao's hand." Bei Zhenting looked at the pastry in his hand that he had taken a bite of.

He has already eaten them all... Why does the prince want to eat them...

Luo Yao's mind went blank. Being looked at by loving eyes, he slowly reached out and handed the pastry in his hand to Bei Zhenting's mouth.

Bei Zhenting took the whole cake away. Luo Yao looked around and said nothing more as Bei Zhenting ate the piece of pear cake that he had taken a bite of.

"There should be a war in the north soon... When are you... When are you leaving?"

"It won't be too late for me to leave after my beloved wife recovers from her illness." Bei Zhenting took the pastry from Luo Yao's hand, pulled him to sit at the table, and held Luo Yao's hands.

"You have to call me husband from now on, understand?"

Luo Yao looked at Bei Zhenting's serious face and turned his head away awkwardly.

"Shy?"

Luo Yao said nothing and did not move.

Bei Zhenting pinched Luo Yao's soft fingertips and pulled him closer. "Call me husband. This king wants to hear it."

Luo Yao opened his mouth but said nothing. Instead, he bit his lips.

"I want to hear you call me husband, Yaoyao." Bei Zhenting's deep eyes were fixed on the person in front of him. His low and magnetic voice was encouraging and gentle, like a spring breeze blowing across the lake, soft and intoxicating.

The slightly rough big hands kneaded Luo Yao's hands, which seemed warm and soft due to illness. There was expectation and encouragement in the eyes, and she waited patiently for him to speak.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, every second stretching infinitely longer. For Luo Yao, taking this initiative was undoubtedly a matter of both tenderness and cruelty. He bit his lip slightly, lowering his eyes, not daring to meet Bei Zhenting's gaze, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Luo Yao's eyes were red.

Bei Zhenting still gently stroked his hand.

Delicate care and warmth were transmitted to Luo Yao's heart through his fingertips.

Finally, Luo Yao seemed to have mustered up all his courage and slowly opened his mouth.

"Husband, sir..." The call was as soft as a mosquito's whisper, as if it was from a child who had just learned to speak, two syllables without any emotion.

The moment he shouted, Luo Yao's tears fell.

The first time Bei Zhenting heard Luo Yao call him "husband", he was delighted but also heartbroken. He reached out to wipe away the tears from the corners of Luo Yao's eyes and pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly.

This call exhausted all of Luo Yao's courage.

He is a monster guarding the mountains and wilderness that is his own little territory, and he has always been hostile and suspicious of all visitors.

At this moment, he finally mustered the courage to take a step forward, cautiously opening the tightly closed door of his heart for the one he loved. Even if it was just a tiny crack, Luo Yao's suppressed emotions were relieved, and his mind gradually became empty and peaceful. A feeling of "luck" slowly rose from the bottom of his heart.

This feeling is like the warm sun in winter, with its miraculous power to heal people's hearts, warming Luo Yao's body and mind little by little.

Unconsciously, all the uneasy emotions in his heart subsided, his heart gradually became calm, and the tears on Luo Yao's face dried up.

"He is my husband after all. Why are you crying when I call you husband?" Bei Zhenting touched Luo Yao's head gently with a smile in his eyes.

Luo Yao rubbed his eyes and looked at Bei Zhenting.

"Princess, the noodles are ready..."

Qingling appeared at the door carefully carrying a bowl of noodles, looking at the two people sitting close to each other inside with a puzzled look on her face.

Bei Zhenting stood up and took the noodles, sent the peeking little girl away, and returned to Luo Yao.

"Eat, you've been hungry all day."

Luo Yao didn't move, just staring at Bei Zhenting.

Bei Zhenting laughed and picked up the chopsticks to feed Luo Yao noodles.

Luo Yao pursed her lips and took the chopsticks from his hand.

Bei Zhenting watched Luo Yao eat noodles from the side, and saw Luo Yao looking at him while eating.

With red eyes filled with attachment and his heart filled with something, Bei Zhenting couldn't help but reach out and hold one of Luo Yao's hands in his palm, squeezing it gently again and again.