Chapter 261

Chapter 261: A Proposal and Courtship—Let Me Serve You

After finishing his call with Zhong Li He, Chong Ming stood outside and swept his gaze over the imperial palace, bright as day. In the gold dragon clan, the imperial palace had never had two cubs running around at the same time.

Zhong Li He was right. He was overthinking it. One dragon-form cub inside a belly could stretch its claws, tail, and head all at once. It was normal for it to nudge his hand that way.

His family had no history of twin eggs, so there couldn’t be two cubs.

Chong Ming pressed down his doubts and returned silently to the study. He sat down to handle state affairs. Only after midnight did he wash up and go to bed.

On the bed, Jiang Tea Tea hugged the blanket and slept with her arms wrapped around it. Her black hair spread across the pillow, and her loose pajamas rode up a little, revealing her waist and a hint of belly.

In the dim room, Chong Ming’s night vision wasn’t much different from daytime. His gaze landed on Jiang Tea Tea’s belly.

At eight months, her belly only bulged a little. At a glance, no one would suspect she had a cub inside.

Even if her clothes weren’t loose, that small bulge wouldn’t make anyone suspect a cub. If anything, they’d think she was too thin. Even if she gained twenty or thirty pounds, it would be fine.

Chong Ming reached out and tugged her pajama top down to cover her waist and belly. Then he gently laid his own blanket over her belly and finally lay down, still releasing psychic force soothing.

Wrapped in his psychic force soothing, the cubs in Jiang Tea Tea’s belly seemed to sense their father’s mental power, and each one grew restless again.

The moment Chong Ming got into bed, Jiang Tea Tea woke up. He stared at her, tugged her pajama top down, and covered her with the blanket—she noticed everything.

Thankfully, after he lay down, even though they shared a blanket, there was still a bit of distance between them. That was the only reason she didn’t open her eyes and instead kept pretending to sleep.

It turned out that once you woke up and fell asleep again, the second round of sleep was extra deep. She didn’t wake at all after that.

When Jiang Tea Tea woke for real, she was the only one left on the bed, but the bed and room still held the strong scent of Chong Ming’s lingering psychic force soothing.

She yawned and checked the time. 5:50 a.m. He only went to sleep after midnight, and now he was gone again. Dragons really were strong. He wasn’t afraid of dropping dead at all.

While complaining in her mind, she got out of bed, brushed her teeth, washed her face, tied her hair into a ponytail, and stepped out to change clothes—just as Chong Ming returned.

His golden long hair was tied up. He wore training combat fatigues and combat boots. There was sweat on his face, and his uniform was damp over more than half of it.

The flush from training and running made him look younger and more energetic. For a dragon who was one hundred and fifty years old, he didn’t look old at all.

With his hair down and those two golden dragon horns, when he was serious he only looked like he was in his thirties. With a high ponytail and no stern expression, he instantly looked like he was in his twenties—young as can be.

Of course, compared to her, an old tree demon, he looked young like a little sapling.

Jiang Tea Tea asked casually, “What time did you get up?”

Chong Ming replied, “4:50.”

Jiang Tea Tea clicked her tongue and asked again, “What time did you go to sleep?”

“1:38,” Chong Ming said.

Jiang Tea Tea lifted her brows. “Your nephew just reached adulthood. Take care of yourself.”

Chong Ming fell silent for a moment. “Relax. I won’t drop dead.”

Jiang Tea Tea spread her hands. “Whether you drop dead has nothing to do with me. Just don’t drop dead next to me.”

Chong Ming smiled. “Even dropping dead next to you would be an honor.”

Jiang Tea Tea made an exaggerated sound. “Oh wow, Your Highness. You can joke now. That’s not easy.”

Chong Ming’s smile didn’t fade. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Jiang Tea Tea said, “You’re welcome. I’m going to change. Do whatever you want.”

Chong Ming stopped her. “Wait.”

Jiang Tea Tea’s tone turned sharp. “What now?”

Chong Ming pointed toward the study. “On the desk there’s the new plan for the eight of you after the new term starts. Go take a look. If anything feels off, tell me.”

Jiang Tea Tea’s mouth twitched. “Can’t I rest for two days?”

There were only five days left in break, and she hadn’t had a single day off.

He really treated her like a work animal.

No—worse than a work animal. Work animals only worked during planting and harvest. The rest of the time they grazed lazily.

Chong Ming stood three steps away, his gaze dropping to sweep over her belly. “You can rest. How long do you want to rest?”

Eight months. If she delivered at ten months, that was two months away. If she delivered at fifteen months, that was seven months away.

She could take leave, sure—but it would be under his eyes.

Jiang Tea Tea didn’t believe he’d be that easygoing. “You’ll really give me leave?”

Chong Ming asked back, “Am I that untrustworthy?”

Jiang Tea Tea answered bluntly, “Yeah. I don’t really trust you.”

Chong Ming’s golden eyes darkened. “What have I done that makes you distrust me? You can tell me.”

Jiang Tea Tea was surprised and asked casually, “And you’ll change?”

Chong Ming answered seriously, “Of course.”

Jiang Tea Tea froze.

There was no need for that.

He was fine in every way, except their species weren’t the same.

She wouldn’t stay here forever. Once her contract with the fake heiress ended, she was going to find her way home.

If she couldn’t find it, she’d take his cubs and occupy a mountain, cultivate like Jin Lin. Even if she couldn’t ascend to immortality or godhood, once she reached a certain level, she could casually tear through space-time and go back.

Seeing her go silent, Chong Ming stepped closer. He bent down, his handsome face suddenly close. “Jiang Tea Tea, whatever makes you distrust me or unhappy, tell me. I’ll change.”

Faced with a sudden, stunning face up close, Jiang Tea Tea froze. “You don’t need to change for me. We’re not that close.”

Chong Ming pointed to his bed. “Sleeping in the same bed, and you’re telling me we’re not that close?”

Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? You won’t let me sleep? Like I want to sleep in your bed—”

Chong Ming interrupted gently, tone both direct and suggestive. “I mean it’s my honor that you sleep in my bed. If changing something about me helps you sleep better, then tell me. I’ll work hard to fix it—and serve you better.”

The fire that had been rising in Jiang Tea Tea got doused immediately.

Serve her?

She was a great demon who’d lived thousands of years. Did she need him serving her?

If it weren’t for her missing magic power and only having two-tenths of her strength left after helping Jin Lin, she could’ve torn him into pieces with one finger.

“Jiang Tea Tea.”

Seeing her expression shift and her mind blank out, Chong Ming took her hand and pressed it against his chest, throwing out a straight, shameless line of courtship. “I’ve never served anyone. Give me one chance—let me serve you?”