235: Salty fish overcomes arrogance! Let's lean on the Empress's shoulder.

Su Chen's mind was racing frantically, calculating a way to escape; his brain was spinning faster than the stars.

Should he continue to play dead? Or kneel and beg for mercy? Or perhaps just act like a total rogue?

Just as he was locked in this internal struggle, Ji Hongxue moved.

The sound of light footsteps came from behind him.

Step.

Another step.

Neither hurried nor slow, every step felt like it was treading directly on his heartbeat.

The cold scent of Ambergris, carrying suppressed fury, drew closer and closer.

Ji Hongxue dismissed all the palace maids in the hall, who were already shivering with fear.

At this moment, in the vast Fengming Hall, only the two of them remained.

"Su Chen."

Her voice rang out, very calm—so calm it was terrifying.

Su Chen felt his scalp go numb.

He slowly turned around, squeezing out what he thought was his most innocent and bewildered expression.

Then, he witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Ji Hongxue approached him step by step.

Those phoenix eyes, burning with golden Dragon Qi, stared intently at him. Her gaze held shame, indignation, the towering rage of being offended, and a trace of... grievance that even she hadn't noticed.

She walked right up to Su Chen, until the distance between them was only a fist's width.

Su Chen was forced back step by step until his back hit the cold palace wall with a 'thud'.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

In the next second, Ji Hongxue extended both arms, bracing them against the wall on either side of his body.

A standard 'Kabedon,' full of aggression and pressure.

Su Chen was completely dumbfounded.

[Holy crap?! What kind of development is this?]

[Shouldn't she be drawing her sword to hack me? Or using her imperial pressure to crush me into dust? Why is she playing out a cliché trope from an idol drama?]

[This woman... what exactly does she want to do?]

Ji Hongxue had him pinned firmly between herself and the wall. Her cold, peerlessly beautiful face was so close that Su Chen could even smell the cool Ambergris on her breath.

"Are you very proud of yourself?"

She spoke, her voice kept very low, carrying an imperceptible tremor.

"Watching them get jealous and fight over you—do you feel a great sense of accomplishment?"

"Being fought over by the top women in the world... you enjoy this feeling, don't you?"

Her words were like small knives dipped in ice, each one stabbing straight into Su Chen's heart.

Su Chen could hear the thick jealousy and resentment in her words.

He understood now.

This woman was all bark and no bite!

She seemed to be questioning and raging, but in reality, she was masking her own inner insecurity! She was afraid! She was afraid he would actually be snatched away by those two crazy women, Liu Ruyan and Ye Linghan!

[So that's it! You tsundere woman! Your mouth talks about the country and the world, but your heart is still thinking about a man!]

[However... this situation is in my favor!]

[To deal with this kind of duplicitous tsundere, explaining is just making excuses, and arguing is just a sign of a guilty conscience. The only way is to not play by the rules and use my Salted Fish Method to completely dismantle her psychological defenses!]

A flash of inspiration struck Su Chen's mind, and he instantly had a plan.

Not only did he not explain, but the 'who am I, where am I' look of confusion on his face grew even heavier.

He looked at the close-at-hand Ji Hongxue with her complex gaze. Instead of showing any nervousness, he... let out an earth-shattering yawn.

"Ah—ha—"

The yawn was long and loud, complete with a thick nasal tone, full of the laziness and fatigue of someone who hadn't slept enough.

The imperial aura Ji Hongxue had been building up for a long time was blown to pieces by this single yawn.

She was stunned, her phoenix eyes filled with bewilderment.

She had expected Su Chen to make excuses, beg for mercy, or use sweet words to coax her, but she never imagined he would have this kind of reaction!

Does he not see that she's about to explode with anger?!

However, what happened next was even more unexpected.

After finishing his yawn, Su Chen acted as if he had no bones left in his body, leaning to the side as his head dropped.

"Thud."

A soft sound.

He actually... just like that, rested his head on Ji Hongxue's shoulder.

Ji Hongxue's body instantly froze.

She was as stiff as an ice sculpture.

A clean and refreshing scent unique to Su Chen, mixed with his lazy aura, aggressively invaded her nostrils.

The warm touch and heavy weight on her shoulder caused her mind to go blank for a moment.

She had lived for over twenty years, and as the Great Xia Empress, let alone having a man lean on her shoulder, no member of the opposite sex had ever dared to come within three feet of her!

This was the first time.

The towering rage accumulated in her chest and the imperial pressure capable of incinerating the heavens vanished into thin air at this moment, dispelled by this gentle lean.

"So sleepy..."

Su Chen's mouth mumbled unclearly, his voice thick with drowsiness.

"Whatever it is... let's talk tomorrow..."

"Borrowing your shoulder... to lean for a bit..."

After saying that, he actually closed his eyes. His breathing became steady and long, and he even rubbed his head against her shoulder to find a more comfortable position.

Ji Hongxue: "..."

She remained frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.

Looking down, she could see Su Chen's handsome sleeping face right before her eyes. His long eyelashes cast faint shadows under the light, and a trace of a satisfied smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

Where was there any sign of the panic he had shown when he was cornered earlier?

At this moment, Ji Hongxue's heart was in complete turmoil.

Anger, jealousy, grievance, shame... all sorts of emotions churned within her, but in the end, they all turned into an indescribable... softness.

She discovered that she... actually didn't want to push him away at all.

She even had the absurd thought of letting him keep leaning like this forever.

[I... what's wrong with me?]

[He... how does he dare...]

Ji Hongxue's cheeks uncontrollably flushed with a faint blush that quickly spread to the tips of her ears.

She remained in that Kabedon position, allowing that audacious man to lean on her, her gaze becoming incredibly complex.

Finally, she let out a soft sigh.

Forget it.

Let him... lean for a little longer.

Anyway, he is already my Divine Master Protecting the Nation.

He can't run away.

The night in the Great Xia Imperial City is still very long.