Su Yaoyao’s face flushed slightly as she feigned annoyance. "Don’t be ridiculous. He probably just thought it’d be more convenient for me to stay in a room I’m familiar with. You’re overthinking it."

As she spoke, she subconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to hide her inner turmoil.

Noah blinked mischievously. A cryptic smile on his face, he leaned closer to Su Yaoyao and whispered:

"Sister, stop kidding yourself. I’ve known Mingye for so long; you think I can’t tell what he’s thinking? It’s obvious he’s just using this as a chance to spend more time alone with you." His gaze was sly as if he had seen through everything.

Su Yaoyao’s heart leaped into her throat, and she quickly denied it. "Noah, don’t make wild guesses. The most important reason we’re here in Snake Scale City is the peace talks. We can’t let trivial matters like this get in the way of official business."

Though her words were firm, her heart was aflutter. She couldn’t stop flashes of her past moments with Mingye from surfacing in her mind.

Seeing her reaction, Noah stuck out his tongue and said with a cheeky grin, "Alright, alright, Sister. I was just joking. Look how tense you are. You’ve had a long day, you should get some rest."

Su Yaoyao nodded, trying to compose herself. "Yes, you too. Get some rest. Good night."

"Good night." Noah’s eyes crinkled as he smiled like a little fox and waved at Su Yaoyao.

Su Yaoyao gently closed the door to her room. She leaned against it and took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

Meanwhile, Noah carefully pulled a vial of purple potion from his pocket, swirling it in his hand. He muttered to himself, ’Mingye, my good friend, I’ll just help you out this one time. With that difficult personality of yours, if I don’t give you a push, when will you ever win her heart?’

With that, a glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes, as if he could already see what was about to happen.

At that moment, Mingye was lying on his large, soft bed, his gaze fixed on the virtual screen floating before him. Displayed on it was the inside of Su Yaoyao’s room.

The young woman had just finished showering, steam still clinging to her skin. Wearing only a loose bathrobe, without having changed into a nightgown, she lay languidly on the bed. Exhaustion was written all over her face, and she soon began to doze off.

Mingye’s gaze was both gentle and fervent. He raised a hand to gently caress the screen, as if trying to reach through it and touch Su Yaoyao’s face for real.

His fingers slowly traced her delicate features, finally resting on the red lips he yearned for day and night. They were just as full and alluring as ever.

That accidental kiss at the shooting range was seared into his mind like a brand, becoming a precious, indelible memory.

Every time he thought back on it, he could clearly feel his heart pound and his blood rush, just as it had in that moment.

How he longed to feel her soft lips again and relive that dreamlike moment.

He had arranged for Su Yaoyao to stay at the old castle precisely to create an opportunity for them to be alone, yet he was filled with conflict.

’I have such a terrible personality, I even scared Yaoyao with a knife once. Could a wonderful woman like her ever truly like someone like me?’

At this thought, Mingye couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

However, a voice deep inside reminded him that if he missed this rare opportunity, there might never be another chance for him and Su Yaoyao.

After a fierce internal struggle, Mingye finally made his decision. As soon as he woke up tomorrow, he would find Su Yaoyao and summon the courage to confess his feelings.

As Mingye watched Su Yaoyao’s sweet, sleeping face, the corners of his lips curved up into a smile filled with adoration and love.

He lost track of how long he watched her. As drowsiness crept in, he slowly closed his eyes, drifting into slumber along with the sleeping woman on his screen.

In her sleep, Su Yaoyao suddenly felt something writhing softly on her body. She slowly opened her eyes.

The room was pitch-black, so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Yet, it was filled with a strange purple mist that exuded an incredibly pleasant fragrance. Wisps of it snaked into her nostrils, leaving her in a daze.

Then, she felt something cold slowly slithering up from her thigh, working its way under her loose bathrobe.

The object was ice-cold and hard to the touch. It pressed uncomfortably against her skin, making it itch. It felt awful.

She instinctively tried to throw off the covers to see what was happening, only to discover in horror that her body was bound by some invisible force. She couldn’t move at all.

A wave of intense terror washed over her, making her heart pound violently.

The feeling of being entangled reminded her of Noah’s tentacles, but whatever was coiled around her now felt much harder and more solid.

As her mind raced with wild thoughts, her already loosely-tied bathrobe was pushed completely open by the sudden "uninvited guest."

Just then, a green snake slithered out from under the covers.

The color instantly drained from Su Yaoyao’s face. While the green snake wasn’t the size of a giant python, it was far from a juvenile. Its coiling form was enough to fill her with dread.

Only then did she understand the source of that hard, pressing sensation—it was the snake’s tough scales.

The green snake stared at her, its dark green, slitted pupils fixed on her. It slowly drew near her cheek, flicked out its long, forked tongue, and gave her a light lick. The cold, wet sensation made her shiver.

"Yaoyao..." a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

Su Yaoyao’s pupils trembled. That voice... It was Mingye!

"I’ve missed you so much." The voice was filled with endless longing and deep affection.

The moment the voice faded, the green snake before her rapidly transformed. A completely naked Mingye now pressed down on top of her, though his lower body was still a thick tail coiled tightly around her legs.

Su Yaoyao’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her, her mind a chaotic mess:

’Mingye is naked in my room?! How is this possible?! Am I dreaming?’ She blinked hard, but the scene before her remained terrifyingly real.

Mingye slowly raised a hand and gently touched her cheek. His fingers tenderly traced her features, as if trying to etch her face into the depths of his soul.

Unable to move, Su Yaoyao could only stare at him.

For some reason, she felt her own body growing scorching hot, but the cool touch of Mingye’s skin was strangely pleasant—like a cool spring in a searing desert.