A New Partnership and Unexpected Brilliance

“Hey!”

Seeing Bai Chen continue to pinch her chin, and realizing that the pressure in his hand hadn’t lessened at all during his entire daze, Bai Qiao felt genuinely annoyed, unable to break free while he stared blankly. She waved her hand in front of Bai Chen’s face, pulling his thoughts back to reality.

“You… you think I’m dangerous?” Bai Qiao hesitated, but ultimately voiced Bai Chen’s unspoken thought.

Bai Chen paused, his beautiful phoenix eyes narrowing as he looked at Bai Qiao with a meaningful expression. He said nothing more, moving the hand from her chin to her smooth, fair face. His almost imperceptible caress made Bai Qiao shiver involuntarily. With a hint of disdain, she pried Bai Chen’s hand away. Though her strength was minimal, Bai Chen released her, gazing deeply at Bai Qiao before slowly uttering,

“From now on… you’ll work with me…”

“Huh?”

Clearly startled, Bai Qiao stammered incoherently, “You—you—you… what did you say? I—I—I… I don’t have internal energy! What do you mean, you want me to work with you?!”

She reached out, attempting to grasp the corner of Bai Chen’s clothes, but he had already walked several steps away. The moment the door closed, Bai Qiao truly felt her brain short-circuiting. What kind of development was this?! Just because she could see into his mind? Was he planning to keep her by his side to torment her? The thought of her own methods of tormenting others sent a chill down her spine.

****

The next morning, Bai Qiao was roused from a hazy slumber. There was no morning sunlight, only a grey, murky expanse, and even her room remained dim. She rubbed her bleary eyes, burrowing further into the soft pillow, letting out a sleepy groan that held a hint of seductive charm.

“You… should wake up! It’s time to work!”

The cold voice directly startled her awake from her daze. She sat up abruptly, looking at Bai Chen, who was seated by her bed, with a surprised expression. Instinctively, she pulled the covers higher, concealing herself up to her eyes, and spoke with a trace of timidity,

“You… what are you doing?”

“Heh~”

A smile touched the corner of Bai Chen’s eye. ‘My female self is actually this timid?’

“W-what?! You dare call me cowardly! Don’t you know! I’m a m-m-man… uh.”

“Hm?”

Bai Chen provocatively lifted Bai Qiao’s chin. ‘Tch! Why can’t I read Bai Qiao’s thoughts? How irritating…’

“Let’s go!”

“Huh?”

Pulled down inexplicably, Bai Qiao’s weary body was dragged many steps. Being abruptly woken up mid-stride was truly unpleasant. With a pout of annoyance, she protested,

“Don’t pull me! At least let me wash up!”

In the grand hall, Bai Chen’s arrival with Bai Qiao caused a stir among everyone present. Although King Bai had always been known for his romantic escapades, he had never before brought a woman to his workplace. Moreover, this young woman… with her delicate features and perfect figure… she was in no way inferior to any other woman.

“My lords? When you’ve recovered, let’s discuss the events of these past few days…”

“Ah? Ah…”

“Your Majesty… although this realm is well-divided, there are always invasions from outer kings. Recently, the movements of King Qing have not been favorable… we must consider this carefully…”

Everyone in the hall was engaged in a heated discussion about the matter, yet Bai Qiao sat silently to the side, not speaking a word.

“Ah, Miss Bai, do you have any insights?”

Finally, someone noticed the silent Bai Qiao sitting apart and spoke up, but received no response. Bai Chen couldn’t help but turn his head in confusion. As he did, Bai Qiao’s adorable sleeping posture was fully exposed before his eyes. He chuckled helplessly to himself, but unable to show anything in front of the crowd, he discreetly used his internal energy to wake Bai Qiao.

“Huh? What?”

A string of silvery drool still hung from the corner of her mouth, and she looked at the assembled officials with sleepy eyes, completely unaware of what was being said. Listening to them speak felt like attending a live history lesson—utterly boring. She had simply reverted to her usual classroom sleeping state. Bai Qiao had learned all these things when she was very young. It had to be said that although Bai Qiao disliked classes, she was indeed a very intelligent person.

Though she didn’t quite understand what everyone was discussing, it was likely related to military strategy. In that case…

‘Combining Sun Tzu’s Art of War with modern strategies should be enough to impress these people,’ she thought. She then rattled off various military tactics, a string of war strategies and policies concerning neighboring states pouring from her lips.

Everyone seated below was stunned by Bai Qiao’s pronouncements, and even Bai Chen wore an incredulous expression. The military advisor, with trembling hands, pulled out a small booklet and said with a shaky voice,

“You… please speak slower, I… I need to write this down. This is top-tier military strategy! I’ve never heard of anything like it…”

It seemed King Bai had found more than just a beautiful vase this time. All the initial contempt for Bai Qiao vanished, replaced by deep admiration.

“Hah~”

Stretching, Bai Qiao finally finished. Being entangled by those ministers for so long had truly left her parched and exhausted.

“Oh? My Qiao seems quite weary…”

Suddenly, the man’s body appeared behind her, embracing her tightly. He slowly blew a breath into her ear, his voice laced with provocation.

“My Qiao’s lips seem dry. Would this king like to assist?”