After being reborn, I hugged the villainous boss tightly.

Ye Zhuxi, who was about to stand up, knelt down again.

She glanced hurriedly at Fu Jingyuan, then looked up at the emperor nervously.

"Your Majesty, none of this is my elder brother's fault. It was Ye Fan who deliberately provoked and insulted him, which is why my elder brother attacked!"

Ye Fan was, after all, the emperor's nephew, and Ye Fan was biased towards him. When he heard Ye Zhuxi say this, his face immediately fell.

"I'm asking about Fu Jingyuan, why are you in such a hurry!"

Ye Zhuxi was speechless. She frowned and secretly glanced at Fu Jingyuan, who had an indifferent expression, before lowering her head and biting her lip.

Fu Jingyuan looked at Ye Zhuxi, who was eager to defend herself, his dark eyes deepened, and after a moment of hesitation, he knelt down before the emperor in the hall.

"Your Majesty, it was indeed my dispute with the Crown Prince that led to the fight; it had nothing to do with anyone else!"

The emperor sneered, "You two really are taking sides!"

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat tense.

Ye Xiaoran put down the Arhat Cup in his hand, stood up and bowed to the emperor.

In a light and casual tone, he said, "Father, I think they are siblings with a deep bond, so it's only natural for them to protect each other, but it's also quite reasonable."

"Moreover, I often hear outside the palace that Ye Fan often uses his status to oppress the people. So his conflict with Fu Jingyuan is entirely because he is used to bullying others."

The emperor glared at Ye Xiaoran: "You know about the deep bond between siblings, but why don't you defend your cousin?"

Ye Xiaoru smiled faintly: "My cousin is already 18 years old. If I were to protect him again, it would cause chaos. Besides, my cousin insulted others first, which was wrong of him. I believe that Father is a benevolent ruler and will not easily forgive him because of his status."

Ye Xiaoran's words were so tactful that the emperor's expression finally returned to normal.

He remained silent for a moment, then looked down at the two people kneeling on the ground, sighed, and waved his hand.

"Alright, I understand. You two may rise as well!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After Ye Zhuxi stood up and returned to her seat, she secretly glanced at Ye Xiaoran, who seemed calm and collected, wondering why he was helping her.

Ye Xiaoran met Ye Zhuxi's gaze, raised an eyebrow slightly, and his eyes were full of teasing that Ye Zhuxi couldn't understand.

The dinner tonight was thrilling, and Ye Zhuxi's tense spirit only gradually relaxed after returning to the carriage.

I looked at Fu Jingyuan and, recalling his reply to the emperor, felt a chill of fear. It was inevitable that the emperor favored Ye Fan, and Fu Jingyuan even admitted to having a dispute with him.

She couldn't help but speak up: "Brother shouldn't have admitted to arguing with Ye Fan just now. If it weren't for the Third Prince speaking up for us, you might have been punished."

Fu Jingyuan frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the distance, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"I'm just stating the facts, and... if I didn't say it this way, the Emperor would also blame you..."

"Oh, I see."

Ye Zhuxi smiled, her eyes narrowed, her tone full of amusement.

She moved closer to Fu Jingyuan, her gaze sweeping over his handsome face. Seeing his increasingly unnatural expression, she suddenly felt a surge of joy.

He said cheerfully, "So my older brother cares about me too!"

"..."

Fu Jingyuan ignored her and closed his eyes to sleep.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent, with only the creaking of the carriage and the lanterns on its roof swaying gently.

People tend to get sleepy when they relax, and today's banquet kept Ye Zhuxi very busy.

She stared at Fu Jingyuan for a few moments before feeling sleepy, and soon fell asleep as well.

Half an incense stick later, Fu Jingyuan felt a weight on his shoulder. He suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look, only to see Ye Zhuxi sleeping soundly with a look of enjoyment on her face, leaning on his shoulder.

She must have had trouble sleeping in the carriage, because her brows were constantly furrowed.

Fu Jingyuan frowned slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and then he raised his hand to push her away unhappily.

Unexpectedly, after being pushed away, Ye Zhuxi slowly fell towards him again and landed precisely on his lap.

Fu Jingyuan: "..."

Ye Zhuxi was completely unaware of how unseemly her sleeping posture was. She even shifted on Fu Jingyuan's lap, finding the most comfortable position to continue sleeping.

Her movement made Fu Jingyuan stiffen, and suddenly a warm current slowly flowed into his lower abdomen...

His handsome brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and his complexion grew increasingly pale.

If Ye Zhuxi hadn't been sleeping so peacefully, he would have suspected she was faking it.

"..."

In a corner of the palace.

Ye Xiaoran had his back to Mu Zichen, his gaze fixed on the distance.

After a long while, a deep, cold voice slowly came through: "Didn't you say that Ye Zhuxi is always clueless? Why is she different from what I saw today?"

Mu Zichen clenched his fist, his face also full of disbelief.

"I don't know why she suddenly changed like this. Just two months ago she said she wouldn't marry anyone but me, but now she's like a completely different person..."

Ye Xiaoran pursed his lips, his dark eyes filled with icy coldness.

"Is it possible that Ye Zhuxi never loved you at all?"

"Impossible. Her love for me back then didn't seem fake. She even disregarded her reputation for me," Mu Zichen denied without hesitation.

No man would admit that the person who once loved him to death suddenly says that he never loved him.

Although Mu Zichen didn't like Ye Zhuxi, he also enjoyed Ye Zhuxi's affection for him.

Ye Xiaoran turned around and gave him a cold look, her tone full of displeasure: "That means she already found out about your affair with Ye Fuyao."

Mu Zichen murmured, "Impossible!"

In his eyes, Ye Zhuxi's change only began after she saw him and Ye Fuyao in bed that day. He once thought that Ye Zhuxi loved him too much and couldn't accept it, and that she would come to him to reconcile after a few days.

After all, Ye Zhuxi's previous affection for him couldn't possibly change so easily!

Ye Xiaoran's eyes were filled with a cold light.

Ye Xiaoran was not unaware of what Mu Zichen and Ye Fuyao were doing behind the scenes; he simply had never paid attention to it. However, he never expected that this would directly ruin the opportunity to win over the General's Mansion.

General Ye was someone many people wanted to win over, but now he's ruined because of Ye Fuyao!

"Keep an eye on Ye Fuyao and tell her not to provoke Ye Zhuxi recently, so as to avoid causing a lot of trouble later."

Mu Zichen nodded, not daring to speak up for Ye Fuyao, fearing that Ye Xiaoran might kill her if he was displeased.

Given Ye Xiaoran's ruthless nature, he had no doubt.

Thinking of Ye Zhuxi's current attitude towards him, Mu Zichen swallowed nervously: "Then what should we do next?"

Ye Xiaoran's deep eyes narrowed slightly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

After a moment, he spoke: "You don't need to worry about what happens after that. I'll figure out the rest myself."

Mu Zichen: "Yes!"