Jun Ning brought Jun Yu to the only place in the Cold Palace that looked somewhat decent and had a stone table suitable for sitting and chatting. He pulled Jun Yu down first, then poured him a cup of tea. "Ah Yu, take a sip of water first, we’ll talk slowly after you drink." Jun Yu looked visibly agitated and after taking a gulp of water, he choked himself with it, bending over and coughing for quite a while before recovering. Before he could wipe the water stains from the corners of his mouth, without putting down the cup, he hurriedly said to Jun Ning, "Boss, the Emperor wants you to be my companion. I just want to know your opinion, are you willing?" "Want me to be your companion?" Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽 Jun Ning laughed coldly. It’s apparent that Emperor Yongning has ulterior motives. Unable to find him anyway, he wants to make a move through Ah Yu. Ah Yu, being young, cannot see the truth that Emperor Yongning wants to capture him, but that doesn’t mean Jun Ning is oblivious. Without much thought, Jun Ning was about to refuse outright, but hesitated when he met Jun Yu’s gaze full of expectation. Not wanting to hurt Jun Yu, Jun Ning softly refused, "Ah Yu, I dislike a constrained life, so I can’t be your companion. You should look for someone else." Jun Yu stood up anxiously and quickly walked over to Jun Ning, grabbing his hand, "Boss, even if you become my companion, you can still do whatever you want. I won’t constrain you." Jun Ning understood that Jun Yu genuinely liked to play with him and truly wanted him as a companion. He appreciated this trust, but he could not agree. Taking on a mature demeanor, he patted Jun Yu’s head and said, "Ah Yu, even your life is arranged by others, how could you decide for those around you? If I truly became your companion, I’d also be subject to an imposed fate." Jun Yu was unwilling to give up and was still pondering how to persuade Jun Ning. After some thought, he said again, "Boss, even if being my companion is not very free and will be arranged by others. At least you can have a full belly and won’t have to laboriously grow vegetables to eat." "A full belly?" Hearing this, Jun Ning laughed, "Ah Yu, are you teasing me? Did you forget? Even you get punished with hunger by the Empress constantly." "Don’t drag me into this, good brothers bear suffering alone." Jun Ning shook his head like a rattle drum, completely refusing. "That’s not it," Jun Yu explained, "Mother only occasionally punishes me with hunger, not every day. And as long as I read well, she won’t punish me." "Whether it’s occasionally or regularly, I won’t go." The Empress clearly seems to be no good, punishing Jun Yu with hunger for not reading well? Ha, remember, Jun Yu is her son, and he’s only two and a half years old now. How could she bear it? If she’s now, what about when he grows up? It’s certain to escalate, becoming even more ruthless. So, even if it wasn’t because he didn’t want to be caught by Emperor Yongning that he refused to be Jun Yu’s companion, Jun Ning still wouldn’t agree. Otherwise, the only thing awaiting him would be a life of deep suffering. At this moment, Jun Ning planned quite well. However, plans often can’t keep up with changes, and eventually, he couldn’t escape being Jun Yu’s companion.