Was I really not seeing things?
Ye Qianfan raised a hand and rubbed his eyes, only then realizing that he was currently in Ye Fu's form.
But just as Ye Qianfan reeled in shock, the woman suddenly turned her head toward him—a full hundred and eighty degrees, twisting it around like an owl!
A human spine couldn't possibly support a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn like that, especially one where the shoulders and neck stayed still and only the head moved!
Ye Qianfan was so frightened that he was about to dive back down, but fortunately, he remembered in time that he wasn't human right now.
So he stayed rooted to the spot, neither moving nor looking.
He pretended to be a stone.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The maid attending the old woman as she drank her tea suddenly asked.
The woman addressed as the Empress Dowager merely said calmly, "Nothing. Someone was looking my way just now. I thought another guest had come from afar and was about to invite them in for a seat, but it seems my eyes were playing tricks on me."
"Shall I turn your head back for you, Your Majesty, so you can continue watching the opera?"
"Mm."
The Empress Dowager gave a quiet murmur of assent.
Only then did the maid hurry behind the Empress Dowager, gently cup her head in both hands, and turn it back to its original position.
But that bizarre maneuver alone was enough to make anyone's heart tremble!
"Your Majesty, these pastries were just made in the imperial kitchens. They say it's a new Pine Nut and Jujube Cake." The maid placed a plate of red pastries on each of the little tea tables before the Empress Dowager and Shen Lang. "They would like you to taste them and offer your