"Lord Shen?"
Consort Xue was still speaking outside the door while, inside, Chu Xuanzhen held Shen Yangge and kissed him.
The kiss caught Shen Yangge completely off guard. Before he could even react, Chu Xuanzhen lifted his head, laid him back on the Consort's Chair, covered him with a thin quilt, and tucked in its corners. Only then did he meet his eyes.
"You..."
[-You can actually bring yourself to kiss me when I look like this?]
[-Still, even when I'm old, I'm a handsome old man, so you're not losing out. But... Chu Xuanzhen, you beast, aren't you afraid I'll drop dead from excitement?]
[-Whatever else you might say, this body of mine is that of a man in his seventies or eighties. Can't you take it easy?]
After finishing his silent complaints, Shen Yangge let out a faint groan, pretending to feel unwell. He was about to roll his old bones over onto his side in front of Chu Xuanzhen, only to be pressed mercilessly back down.
"Stay put and behave."
The corner of Shen Yangge's mouth twitched. He wondered whether Chu Xuanzhen's madness had flared up again. Why else would he have that look in his eyes-undisguised madness and barely restrained fury? Even with his voice lowered, the murderous intent in his tone was unmistakable.
Even though that murderous intent was not directed at him, Shen Yangge's heart still trembled. Slowly, he reached out and pulled the quilt higher over himself, then rested both hands on his abdomen in a pose of "eternal repose," signaling that he would behave.
A dark red glint flashed through Chu Xuanzhen's eyes. The veins on the backs of his hands stood out, as though he was struggling to suppress something.
He bent down and rested his chin in the hollow of