461: Slow and steady wins the race

Ling Qi inside the palace seemed to have heard the movement outside; her brush tip paused slightly above the jade slip.

Sensing something, Shang Wan Ning, who was under the veranda, finally raised her eyes.

Just then, the palace door was gently pulled open a crack from the inside, and warm yellow light flowed out, washing over the tips of Shang Wan Ning's shoes.

She looked up and met Ling Qi's elegant and handsome eyes.

The other party had clearly just stepped away from official duties; her gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, and her eyes behind the lenses held a trace of fatigue. Seeing it was her, her gaze suddenly brightened.

"How long has Your Majesty been standing under the veranda?" Ling Qi turned sideways to make room.

"It's chilly outside, come in!"

Shang Wan Ning steadied herself, stepped over the threshold, her casual robes sweeping across the bluestone floor. In the Jiaotai Palace, only a few eternal lamps were lit; the light was dim and soft, enveloping the figure behind the desk in a warm glow.

She walked to the side of the desk, casually picked up a cushion, placed it on the floor, and sat cross-legged. She rested her elbows on the edge of the desk, propped her chin on the back of her hands, and looked up at Ling Qi: "Not finished yet?"

"The last three scrolls." Ling Qi's brush did not stop, cinnabar ink tracing fluent annotations on the jade slip.

"The diversion summary of the Realm of Beasts reported by the Department of Reincarnation, the merit verification and filing from the Department of Judges, and the Phase II budget for the Annihilation Tower newly submitted by Dean He of the Research Institute."

As she spoke, the Secretary-General took a moment to glance up at Shang Wan Ning, her gaze sweeping over her slightly damp hair ends, loose collar, and the cool scent of plum blossoms mixed with the lingering note of ghost orchids on her.

She raised her hand to push up her gold-rimmed glasses: "Did Your Majesty have a good time?"

"It was okay." Shang Wan Ning tilted her head, "I posted a thread to drive some traffic to the Healing Zone. That girl Linore is quite honest, and her skills are good, so it's worth supporting."

Ling Qi gave an "en" and continued to lower her head to annotate.

The "rustling" sound of the brush tip across the jade slip echoed in the palace, rhythmic and steady.

Shang Wan Ning did not rush her, just watched her while propping her chin up.

The warm yellow light fell on Ling Qi's profile, outlining her slender contour. The chain of her gold-rimmed glasses hung by her neck, swaying slightly with her head-lowering movements, refracting a bit of fragmented spring light.

Focused and serious, her whole being exuded an "all strangers keep away" Older Sister Type aura.

[Want to eat!]

Shang Wan Ning savored the thought in her heart.

[An old man's fun is an old man's fun, then.]

She reached out, her fingertips touching the cup of tea on the desk that had already gone cold: "The tea is cold. Shall I get you a fresh cup?"

Ling Qi's brush tip paused.

She raised her eyes, looking at her through the lenses.

The Empress was sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking up, her eyes clear and limpid, without flirtation or desire, as casual as if asking "what's for dinner tonight."

Ling Qi was silent for two seconds, then said: "Okay."

Shang Wan Ning stood up and walked to the small stove in the corner of the palace.

Spiritual spring water was warming on the stove. She lifted the pot, rinsed the cup, took the tea, and poured the water; her movements were not very practiced, but they were steady and orderly.

When a new cup of tea was placed on the desk, it was still curling with steam.

Ling Qi put down her brush and picked up the teacup, taking a sip. The tea was at the perfect temperature; after the initial bitterness, there was a natural sweet aftertaste. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Why be so polite."

Shang Wan Ning sat back on the cushion, her elbows still propped on the edge of the desk, "You busy yourself, I'll just sit here for a while."

Ling Qi looked up, didn't say anything, and picked up her brush again.

Inside the palace, only the rustling of the brush remained, accompanied by the swirling steam of the tea.

Shang Wan Ning took out her phone and unlocked it; the screen was still on the Underworld Forum interface. That recommendation post had already surged to the top of today's hot list, with the number of replies breaking two million.

She swiped through it casually, seeing the replies with the most likes.

"So what is Your Majesty doing right now? Is it possible she's peeping at us scrolling through posts? [Shivering]"

"The person above is overthinking. Her Majesty is busy with a thousand tasks, how would she have time to look at the forum? I guess she's with the Secretary-General... those who know, know [Dog head emoji]"

"I bet five jiao of incense offerings that Her Majesty is definitely keeping the Secretary-General company while she works overtime. She just slipped away to the Nether Sea Region to relax for a few hours, doesn't she have to make up for it now? [Seeing through everything]"

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow and turned off the screen.

Looking up, she met Ling Qi's gaze: "What is Your Majesty smiling at?"

"Nothing." Shang Wan Ning stuffed her phone back, "Just seeing a bunch of little ghost clerks in the forum guessing blindly; I find it quite interesting."

Ling Qi pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and lowered her head again, continuing to review the final part on hand.

The brush tip crossed the last line of text; she put down the brush and returned the jade slip to the processed documents pile: "Done."

Shang Wan Ning propped her chin: "Are you tired?"

"It's fine." Ling Qi took off her gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed her temples, "Half an hour earlier than usual."

"That's good."

Shang Wan Ning stood up and stretched, "I'm sleepy, let's sleep."

Ling Qi's movements paused, and she looked up at her.

There was nothing unusual on the Empress's face; her expression was natural. After speaking, she turned and walked towards the inner palace, her dark robes sweeping across the floor, looking somewhat casual.

After walking two steps, she turned back: "What are you still standing there for? Come over."

Ling Qi pursed her lips and stood up to follow.

The phoenix couch in the inner palace was wide and covered with soft bedding.

Shang Wan Ning kicked off her shoes and rolled to the inside, leaving space on the outside. Ling Qi took off her gold-rimmed glasses, removed her inner robe, blew out the candles, and lay down.

Darkness descended, and the two lay side by side with half an arm's distance between them.

The sound of the Wangchuan River outside the palace could be faintly heard, splash, splash.

After a long while, Shang Wan Ning turned over, facing Ling Qi: "AQi."

"En?"

"I was thinking about something today in the Nether Sea Region."

Ling Qi opened her eyes in the darkness: "What is it?"

"It's nothing much." Shang Wan Ning's voice was lazy, "Just feel that things are good this way. You annotate your files, I post my threads, and we come back to sleep together at night."

Ling Qi rolled her eyes ( ꐦ Ò ‸ Ó ).

Shang Wan Ning added: "In the past, I always wanted to speed, drive fast, it was exciting. Now I feel that 'old man's fun' is also quite good; it might be slower, but it's steady." She paused and asked softly, "What do you think?"

It was quiet in the darkness for a moment.

Ling Qi turned over, facing Shang Wan Ning. "Your Majesty. When you used to speed, you never asked your Subordinate how I felt."

Shang Wan Ning choked slightly.

"Well, I'm asking now, aren't I."

"So if your Subordinate says 'it's good,' Your Majesty will drive the 'old man's fun'?"

"..."

Shang Wan Ning rubbed the tip of her nose, "Probably."

Ling Qi chuckled in the darkness, very softly, but it floated clearly into Shang Wan Ning's ears.

"Then your Subordinate thinks it's quite good."

She said, "The 'old man's fun' is steady; it doesn't make one dizzy when 'doing' it."

Shang Wan Ning's fingertips clenched tightly, her Adam's apple bobbed up and down like a rolling pearl, her laughter seeming to carry a seductive magic.

"Oh?"

"Then from now on, I'll drive the 'old man's fun' more often, so AQi can thoroughly experience the taste of steadiness."

"After all, slow work produces fine results, doesn't it?"

She reached out, fumbling in the darkness, touched Ling Qi's hand, and held it firmly...

The palm was warm, the knuckles slender.

[Cuddles deleted.]