Chapter 38 Would you still kiss someone like that here?

Why?

"They...aren't bad people."

Li Chengyi smiled self-deprecatingly. He knew that if he were to confess his feelings to Lin Yanshu now, it would certainly not be accepted.

But he wanted her to think of him when facing such emotional problems, to know that there was someone who loved her, who would consider him, and who would be one of her potential husbands.

Li Chengyi's voice was hoarse as he nervously said:

"Because... I love you wholeheartedly."

"I don't want to see you being intimate with other men, I only want you to be intimate with me, is that so hard to understand?"

Lin Yanshu's eyes widened slightly, her face filled with shock. Her thoughts froze instantly, almost instinctively, as she had rejected men who had previously courted her:

"But I... don't like you, and I don't want to be your husband."

Li Chengyi had anticipated this answer, but hearing it with his own ears was a different story.

He silently lowered his eyes, trying to suppress the bitter emotions in his heart, but to no avail. A hint of red appeared at the corner of Li Chengyi's eyes, and tears obscured his vision.

Lin Yanshu realized what she had said. She looked at Li Chengyi anxiously, wondering if A Zhao would abandon her and drive her out of the capital because of her rejection.

Lin Yanshu felt uneasy. If it were just being driven away by Li Chengyi, she shouldn't be so nervous, but she didn't know how to handle herself.

She reached out and gently tugged at Li Chengyi's sleeve, calling out to him in a soft, sweet voice:

"Ah Zhao, don't be upset. I just don't like you, but I still want to continue being friends with you."

Li Chengyi looked up, tears clinging to his eyelashes, and glanced at Lin Yanshu, his brows furrowed.

"Am I really that unappealing to you? Don't you like me at all?"

Seeing Li Chengyi's heartbroken state, Lin Yanshu gasped and hurriedly reached out to wipe away Li Chengyi's tears.

The man awkwardly turned his face away, not letting Lin Yanshu touch his cheek. Even though he clearly didn't like him, he was still so kind to him, which always gave him hope, only to ultimately shatter it.

Li Chengyi's tears fell onto Lin Yanshu's hand. She really didn't know what to do. She tried to coax Li Chengyi into saying that she liked him, but she had just rejected him. This was definitely not going to work.

But she couldn't bear to watch Lee Seung-ik cry.

Men are so hard to coax, and a man who has cried is even harder to coax!

Good heavens!

She stood on tiptoe, firmly covering Lee Seung-ik's cheeks with both hands, looking at him with unwavering eyes:

"Don't cry, okay, Ah Zhao?"

Li Chengyi looked down at her and said stubbornly, "No."

"Then how can I comfort you so that you won't be sad?"

Lin Yanshu's tone was simple and innocent, as if this were just a trivial question.

Lee Seung-ik hated her, hated her for being so calm, and hated that he couldn't be her exception.

"Your dearest orphan."

This seemed to go beyond the scope of friendship, and Lin Yanshu was at a loss. She stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do.

Li Chengyi noticed her hesitation and sneered, "Yan Shu said we are friends, but when friends are sad, neither of us is willing to comfort them."

"Is it so hard to just kiss me? It's not like we haven't kissed each other before."

"Yan Shu just dislikes me."

The more Li Chengyi spoke, the more agitated he became, and tears welled up in his eyes from anger.

Lin Yanshu was tricked by him; a kiss on Li Chengyi stopped him crying. It didn't seem that difficult.

Lin Yanshu wasn't tall enough, so she struggled to stand on tiptoe, stared at the tears in Li Chengyi's eyes, and kissed him. The tears tasted salty, and Lin Yanshu swallowed them, returning to her original spot.

Li Chengyi stared at Lin Yanshu, his breath quickening. She actually... actually kissed him, and even... kissed away his tears.

Li Chengyi was almost driven mad by Lin Yanshu. He was completely blushing from head to toe, his chest heaving, but then, as if possessed, he pointed to his other side:

"And... here."

Helpless, Lin Yanshu cupped Li Chengyi's other cheek and kissed him, mimicking his gesture. She involuntarily stuck out her tongue and licked away her tears.

Li Chengyi's body trembled slightly, then tensed up, his eyes reddening. He looked at Lin Yanshu with lustful eyes and stammered, "..."

Would you still kiss someone like that?

Lin Yanshu blinked. They had already kissed, so why did Li Chengyi still have so many questions?

"If other close friends, like Xie Ciyan, asked you to coax them like this, would you do the same?"

Lin Yanshu pondered. Xie Ciyan was her friend, and if she made him cry, she definitely couldn't ignore it. But she had never kissed him before; it was Li Chengyi who said they had kissed before, which was why she agreed to comfort him like this.

Seeing Lin Yanshu still hesitating, Li Chengyi thought, "How could she hesitate?! How could she hesitate because of another man?!"

Li Chengyi gripped Lin Yanshu's shoulders, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"You can't coax any other man like this, except me."

He added, "Not even women!"

Lin Yanshu was afraid that Li Chengyi would cry again, so she reluctantly agreed. She didn't know how to kiss other people anyway.

Li Chengyi was finally relieved.

………………

For several days in a row, Mo Duosimei brought Mo Langzhuo over on her own initiative.

She had already heard about Lin Yanshu, the Crown Prince's savior among the common people, and she could tell that Li Chengyi liked her.

But how could a woman of humble origins possibly become the Crown Princess? It would be better for her to be her sister-in-law. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about Mo Langzhuo being bullied in Dayong.

Mo Duosi Mei approached Lin Yanshu with a smile: "Miss Lin, the royal hunt is in a few days. Would you like to join my brother and me?"

"My brother is amazing, he can even roast a leg of lamb for you."

Lin Yanshu was a little tempted by what she said, but she wanted to ask Li Chengyi.

That evening, Li Chengyi was reviewing his subordinates' memorials in his study when Lin Yanshu stood at the door, peering in from the doorway.

Let's explore.

Two times,

Three times.

…………

Li Chengyi put down his pen, gripped the paper on the table with his fingertips, looked up and said, "Come in if you want."

Lin Yanshu skipped and hopped inside, getting straight to the point:

"Ah Zhao, I want to go hunting."

Li Chengyi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who told you that?"

"Mo Duosi Mei".

“I’ll go with them, no need to trouble you! The princess said that Morangzhuo’s roasted lamb leg is delicious.”

Following them is no trouble. Following him is trouble?

An unnamed fire surged in Li Chengyi's chest. He really wanted to... lock this idiot up, just for him alone, so that no one else could see her and she could only rely on him.

This wicked thought startled Li Chengyi. How could he have such an idea? Yet, he secretly calculated the feasibility of this idea.

Seeing that Li Chengyi ignored her, Lin Yanshu reached her arm across the table, grabbed Li Chengyi's wrist, and said coquettishly:

"Please, Ah Zhao?"

Li Chengyi looked at her: "If I can't answer well, how does Yanshu plan to ask me?"

Lin Yanshu's smile vanished, her cheeks puffing out in anger.

Ah Zhao bullied her.

She also said that he loved her, but he wouldn't agree to anything she asked. It's true that you can't judge a man by what he says, you have to look at what he does.

Lin Yanshu stomped her feet angrily, about to leave. Seeing Lin Yanshu about to leave, Li Chengyi quickly got up, blocked the doorway, and put his arm around her.

Lin Yanshu looked angrily at the broad shoulder blocking his way, took a step back, and turned his head away. Was he now barring him from even going anywhere?

Lin Yanshu looked up at Li Chengyi with her watery eyes, and Li Chengyi looked down and chuckled softly.

So cute.

"Go away, I want to get out."

"No."

The man spoke in a light tone, with a hint of teasing.

Lin Yanshu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her brows furrowed: "You're bullying me. I hate A-Zhao!"

"You said you liked me, but I wanted to go hunting, and you disagreed. I even had to beg you."

The girl's voice trembled with tears as she spoke, her lips pursed in anger, and tears streamed down her face. She hated him so much!

Li Chengyi originally intended to tease Lin Yanshu and see her throw a tantrum at him, but he didn't expect to make her cry.

He panicked for a moment and reached out to wipe away the tears on Lin Yanshu's face. Lin Yanshu took a step back in disgust, not letting him touch her.

The little girl cried and hiccuped, her face flushed as she sobbed.

"I was wrong, please don't cry anymore, okay? Yanshu."

Lin Yanshu was still crying.

"I'll take you there. You can be with whomever you want; I won't stop you."

Lin Yanshu was still crying.

"You don't even look good when you cry."

Lin Yanshu cried even harder.

"If you cry again... I'll kiss you!"

Lin Yanshu's face was covered in tears. Startled, she opened her eyes, sniffling and trying to hold back her sobs.

Li Chengyi raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her face with his fingertips. The man's hands were rough, and they scratched Lin Yanshu a little. She wrinkled her nose.

"I truly know I was wrong. Yan Shu, who do you want to go hunting with? I'll arrange it for you."

Lin Yanshu finally managed to stop crying.

On the day of the hunt, Lin Yanshu happily went with Mo Duosi Mei. Li Chengyi was still a little worried, so he sent Huo Zheng to keep an eye on Lin Yanshu to prevent any trouble from happening.

The royal hunt was attended by all the powerful and wealthy. Lin Yanshu watched from a corner as these people engaged in lively discussions, while the emperor sat on a high platform. Her master served beside the eldest princess.

Ji Yuan thoroughly enjoyed serving the princess, but Lin Yanshu couldn't bear to watch. She looked around and bumped right into Ji Wenxuan in the crowd.

Ever since Lin Yanshu saved her at that banquet, Ji Wenxuan had been trying to find him. However, due to the chaos at the banquet, she was confined by her family and had to reflect on her actions. Today, she finally had the chance to see Lin Yanshu, and she was determined not to let this opportunity slip by.

Lin Yanshu withdrew his gaze and listened to the person on the stage read out the rules of the hunt:

"The Yijiang delegation happens to be present during this hunt, so everyone should not hold back! The one who catches the most prey will be richly rewarded by me!"

The emperor looked at everyone with a smile. The sea was calm and the river was peaceful, and the future was bright. How could he not be happy? Moreover, his son had arranged the delegation perfectly.

Hearing from his subordinates that Li Chengyi and the princess were getting along very well, the emperor assumed that Li Chengyi would be willing to form a marriage alliance. Thinking of this, the emperor's smile deepened.

Li Chengyi wasn't thinking about that. He secretly glanced at Lin Yanshu, who was grinning foolishly, and then he himself started to chuckle a little.

The next second, he saw Lin Yanshu tug at Mo Langzhuo, say something, and then smile brightly.