Xi Yu is not a fool.

He raised his voice, "I’m not into men!"

Liu Xu, feeling guilty, gave a sheepish smile, "I didn’t say that, Divine Doctor Xi, don’t overthink it."

Xi Yu smiled without it reaching his eyes, "You didn’t say it, but you thought it!"

"Really, I didn’t."

"You did."

Liu Xu quickly moved the grilled lamb in front of Xi Yu, "Eat more, calm down."

The grilled lamb, with its perfect color and aroma, looked very tempting.

The little one sitting in Xi Yu’s lap sniffed and reached out to grab some food.

He was so tempted that drool was coming out.

Xi Yu, quick as a flash, grabbed Zimu’s little paw, not letting her touch food she couldn’t eat.

Soon after, drool dripped onto Xi Yu’s hand.

Xi Yu didn’t mind, but Ji Mingzhu felt embarrassed.

She quickly asked the nanny to take Zimu away and had Jade fetch water for Xi Yu to wash his hands again.

Xi Yu didn’t think it was a big deal but complied to ease Ji Mingzhu’s tension.

After wiping his hands, he looked at Liu Xu and said in a melancholic tone, "Do you think I’m not angry enough?"

Liu Xu quickly swapped another mood-calming dish in front of him.

Xi Yu was still displeased, "Are you mocking me for being hot-tempered?"

Liu Xu was sweating profusely.

Never in her life had she met such a sarcastic man.

She only had herself to blame for saying what she shouldn’t have.

She raised her tea as if it were wine and straightforwardly said, "If I’ve offended you, please forgive me, Divine Doctor."

"You’re admitting it then?"

Xi Yu’s eyes glinted dangerously.

Liu Xu didn’t dare admit to it.

Dealing with Xi Yu alone was challenging enough; if the Lord heard about it and came after her, she couldn’t handle it.

She cursed herself silently for her loose tongue, always saying the wrong things.

Liu Xu smiled obsequiously, "Divine Doctor Xi, please forgive this little person. I’ll be careful with my words from now on."

Xi Yu snorted, "I’ve noted this down, and I’ll get back at you when the time comes."

Liu Xu was about to kneel before him, unsurely asking, "Divine Doctor Xi, you wouldn’t use poison, right?"

Seeing the tension in her eyes, Xi Yu let a slight smirk slip.

He quickly returned to normal, "Depends on my mood, if I’m in a bad mood..."

He left it at that, giving Liu Xu room for imagination.

Xi Yu picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.

He looked very pleased with himself!

Ji Mingzhu had just dismissed the thought.

Upon seeing the natural interaction between the two, the idea uncontrollably popped back into her mind.

She coughed lightly, "Divine Doctor Xi, are you going back to your hometown for matchmaking this year?"

Xi Yu gave Ji Mingzhu a meaningful look.

This person was exactly like Ah Zhen, the type who loved watching drama!

He raised his chin proudly, "Depends on my mood."

Ji Mingzhu asked again, "When are you leaving Yanzhou then?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu also looked at Xi Yu.

If he left Yanzhou, he probably wouldn’t get back at her for that matter, right?

Under Liu Xu’s gaze, Xi Yu smiled smugly, "I’ll leave after settling the score!"

Liu Xu looked to Ji Mingzhu for help.

Ji Mingzhu tried hard not to laugh, "Divine Doctor Xi is quite nice, Xu Niang, you might want to pay more attention. You might discover his many virtues."

This wasn’t nonsense.

Ji Mingzhu truly thought Xi Yu had many virtues, and just his good temper was something Xie Yunzhen couldn’t match.

Liu Xu wasn’t slow.

Uncomfortably, she said, "This grilled lamb is so fragrant, I need to eat more."

With that, she started eating.

She didn’t speak anymore.

A hint of amusement flickered in Ji Mingzhu’s eyes; these two were rather interesting.

Chatting idly and eating their meal.

This dinner lasted a full hour.

It wasn’t until the two little ones also got tired from playing that the gathering ended.

Ji Mingzhu had Jade personally escort Liu Xu back to her courtyard, while also admonishing the servants to make sure they didn’t neglect the distinguished guest.

She herself took the nanny and the two children back to the main courtyard.

Xie Yunzhen was busy with official duties.

But as long as he was in Yanzhou, no matter how late, he would come home.

By the time he got home, it was already late at night.

Ji Mingzhu had already taken the two children to bed.

To ensure the children slept well, no lights were lit in the room.

Only a faint candlelight gleamed from the outer room.

Xie Yunzhen entered the room, still damp, intending to look at the children before going to bed to hold Mingzhu.

He hadn’t expected the crib to be empty.

Xie Yunzhen was momentarily baffled, instinctively thinking that the children had climbed out of bed and hidden.

He bent down to look under the bed.

No one was there.

Then he opened the cabinet door...

Ji Mingzhu was awakened by the slight noise and asked irritably, "You’re rummaging around at night, are you stealing?"

Possibly from having drunk with his subordinates, Xie Yunzhen’s mind was still fuzzy.

"Zimu and Zishan are nowhere to be found."

The little ones hadn’t learned to walk yet, but they were agile and sometimes, with a turn of an adult’s head, they’d crawl into a hidden corner.

Xie Yunzhen checked under the table as well, and still no one.

Though the room was dark, Ji Mingzhu could still make out his actions.

She almost burst out laughing, "How much did you drink tonight?"

"Not much."

Ji Mingzhu didn’t believe him.

Since it was rare to see Xie Yunzhen make a fool of himself, she didn’t immediately reveal the children’s whereabouts.

But when she saw him about to head outside to look for the kids, fearing he’d embarrass himself, she quickly called him back.

"They’re on the bed."

Xie Yunzhen’s gaze shifted to the baby crib; a moment later, he realized Ji Mingzhu meant their bed.

Worried about crushing the children, Xie Yunzhen didn’t allow them on their bed.

Ji Mingzhu had gone along with him.

Who knew that breaking the rule today would lead to such a misunderstanding.

Xie Yunzhen was momentarily embarrassed and sat at the bedside, where the two little ones were fast asleep on the inside part of the bed.

He reached to move them back to their crib.

Ji Mingzhu stopped him, "Don’t wake them, go to sleep."

She moved in a bit, making room for him.

She turned towards the children, ready to close her eyes and sleep.

The man leaned over, breathing into her ear. Though he had bathed, faint traces of alcohol still reached Ji Mingzhu’s nose.

His palm pressed against Ji Mingzhu’s waist, warm and growing warmer.

And it was gradually moving upward.

"If we don’t stop now, we’ll wake them."

Ji Mingzhu: "..."

She grabbed his wandering hand, "You shouldn’t do it so often. Today, Jade asked me if I was pregnant again."

Recalling the day’s events, Ji Mingzhu still felt embarrassed.

She also thought their intimacy was too frequent, which wasn’t good for their health.

Xie Yunzhen had previously been poisoned and still had hidden injuries, so he should really take care of himself.

If he overindulges, his health might start to decline in a few years.

After a couple of breaths, Xie Yunzhen finally understood.

He spoke confidently, "You won’t get pregnant."

This life, he wouldn’t let Mingzhu undergo the pain of childbirth again.

Having Zimu and Zishan was enough for them.

"Nothing in life is absolute," Ji Mingzhu countered.

It was only then that Xie Yunzhen told her, "I’ve taken medicine, there won’t be a third child."

Ji Mingzhu was shocked.

She recalled his unusual behavior.

Previously, he was very careful in that regard, always pulling out at the last moment.

He only changed that habit after she said she wanted a child.

Recently, he hadn’t been cautious at all.

Ji Mingzhu panicked and propped herself up.

She asked Xie Yunzhen, "What kind of medicine did you take? Does it have any side effects?"