Jing Yuan was a man known for his patience. A tactician with an unparalleled mind, a general who could command entire armies without breaking a sweat. But there was one battlefield where he stood absolutely no chance of winning you.

Case in point: tonight.

The grand strategist, the mighty Arbiter-General, the so-called “Dozing General” who could sleep through any amount of paperwork… was currently wide awake, blinking down at you as you straddled his lap, your fingers idly playing with the ends of his hair.

“You’re distracting me,” he murmured, voice rich with amusement.

“You were already distracted,” you countered, brushing your fingers through his soft silver locks, knowing full well how much he enjoyed the sensation. “What was it this time? Boring reports? Unruly subordinates?”

His arms wrapped loosely around your waist, his expression unreadable, yet the lazy affection in his touch spoke volumes. “Something much more dangerous,” he mused. “A rather troublesome individual who seems to have discovered my greatest weakness.”

“Oh?” You tilted your head, feigning innocence. “And who might that be?”

Jing Yuan sighed, a deep, theatrical exhale that made you laugh. “You, of course. The one person in this universe who can render me completely defenseless.”

It wasn’t a lie. No amount of enemy ambushes or political maneuvering had ever left him feeling as vulnerable as he did when you looked at him like this—like he wasn’t just a general, but a man. A man who, despite all his experience, still found himself hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you.