A little after five, nearing six in the morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Song Ren finally rubbed his throbbing temples and lay down on the bed in the lounge next to his office.
Song Ren did not particularly enjoy returning to the Song Family home, but it was not as though he lacked places to stay.
It was simply that when work got busy, he only had a few hours of sleep each day. Rather than drag his exhausted body home, lie down for three or four hours, and then have to get up again, he might as well rest at the Imperial Palace.
He was alone in the study, and he was alone when he returned to where he lived. Either way, he was just sleeping, so it made no difference where he did it.
At eight thirty, after sleeping for barely over two hours, Song Ren woke up.
His body clamored for more rest. His eyelids hung heavily, and the dizziness brought on by lack of sleep persisted for a minute or two.
Song Ren lay flat for a while. His subconscious controlled his body into partial beast form, and vibrant floral patterns emerged across the surface of the skin beneath the blanket.
Tender green, slender stems wound around his wrists in loops, climbed to his fingertips, then stretched and spread toward the sunlight pouring in through the window.
Leaves sprouted along the stems that absorbed sunlight and the morning breeze, while tiny buds unfolded petals in every color.
More and more flowers bloomed, layer upon layer.
Leaves, stems, vines, and branches crept across the entire lounge, and Song Ren, lying on the bed, was nearly submerged beneath flower petals.
Clear sunlight cast flowing shadows through the room, like Monet's Garden draped in layer