Chapter 50 Lin Yanshu inhaled the fragrance from Li Chengyi's bed.

Lin Yanshu naturally knew who Ji Yuan was referring to as his teacher's wife—the eldest princess.

Seeing that her request had been denied, Lin Yanshu decisively withdrew her hand, snorted coldly, and sneered sharply:

"Hmph, the princess actually took a liking to an old codger like you. Just wait to be dumped!"

Knowing he couldn't control Lin Yanshu, this unruly student, Ji Yuan turned around, opened the door, and shouted outside:

"Your Highness, the person has woken up."

Hearing Ji Yuan's words to the outside, Lin Yanshu quickly shrank back onto the couch, just as she feared. Li Chengyi entered the next second.

Lin Yanshu awkwardly hid herself under the covers, but it was no use.

Ji Yuan tactfully withdrew, and Li Chengyi sat down, reaching out to pull down the blanket. Lin Yanshu refused to let go, holding on tightly, so that nothing was exposed.

Li Chengyi was amused and annoyed by Lin Yanshu's actions. What was she doing now?

Li Chengyi had no choice but to let go. He looked at the bulging blanket and said in a clear voice:

"Well? Do you remember now?"

Lin Yanshu nodded, wrapped in a blanket. From Li Chengyi's perspective, it looked like a whole little dumpling awkwardly nodding at him. Li Chengyi couldn't help but laugh at Lin Yanshu's clumsy appearance.

"Don't want to come out?"

Lin Yanshu nodded. Li Chengyi didn't know what was wrong with Lin Yanshu, so he could only let her go.

"Then you should rest first, I'll come find you later."

Lin Yanshu only peeked out after hearing Li Chengyi leave; her face had been flushed from being in bed all along.

Hearing Li Chengyi's questioning voice, her mind became more and more confused. Her mind was filled with the absurd things she had done to Li Chengyi these past few days, and how she insisted on sharing a bed with him.

Lin Yanshu's heart pounded as she thought about it, her whole body feeling tingly and numb, as if she had been electrocuted. Frustrated, she clenched her fist and pounded it on the bed.

How could things have turned out this way? She felt as if she had been played for a fool.

Lin Yanshu was preoccupied with these matters all day, to the point that she kept avoiding Li Chengyi.

Li Chengyi naturally noticed Lin Yanshu's avoidance; even during meals, Lin Yanshu refused to eat with him.

Lin Yanshu also wanted to see Li Chengyi, but she didn't dare. She felt as if she had been split into two little people:

One little person wanted to see Lee Seung-ik, while the other little person was completely absorbed in the embarrassing things he had done and dared not see Lee Seung-ik.

Every night, she tossed and turned, not knowing what was wrong with her or if she had some hidden illness.

Li Chengyi hasn't been very calm these past few days. After Lin Yanshu regained her memories, she stopped clinging to him, which made him feel a little lost. After all, he was used to Lin Yanshu sticking close to him every day and calling his name softly.

But Lin Yanshu now avoids even ordinary meetings, and Li Chengyi feels as if something is changing, slowly slipping away. This caused him to lose focus during court proceedings.

His father called him several times before Li Chengyi came to his senses. After court, Li Chengyi rushed back to his residence, determined to control this situation and have absolute control over it.

Anyone could see that Li Chengyi was acting strangely. The emperor sent people to investigate Li Chengyi's recent situation, and the information they received was all related to Lin Yanshu.

It was Lin Yanshu again.

The emperor looked at the information gathered by his spies, which said that His Highness the Crown Prince and Lady Lin were inseparable, going in and out of the same place day and night.

The emperor was very tolerant of Li Chengyi's affairs with women. He felt that as the crown prince, it was not excessive for his son to have three wives and four concubines, but he should not be too fond of a woman and cause a scandal like his.

She was still a powerless woman, and would be of no benefit to Li Chengyi in the future.

The emperor was not afraid of Li Chengyi. He knew very well how much he could do to govern the country. Moreover, he did not have much ambition. He just wanted to enjoy himself on the throne and wait for Li Chengyi to bring peace to the country for him so that he could enjoy a good reputation after his death.

Therefore, the emperor felt it necessary to give this Lin woman a warning.

……………

Lin Yanshu was still idly playing in the mansion. She had asked Huo Zheng and learned that Li Cheng had gone to court and was staying in the palace for most of the day. That's why Lin Yanshu was so bold.

Li Chengyi rushed back, looking travel-worn. As soon as he arrived, he saw Lin Yanshu leisurely strolling around his courtyard before walking into his room.

When this person was around, I avoided him. Now I've gone to his territory again.

Li Chengyi remained silent, following Lin Yanshu at a distance. He watched from outside the door as Lin Yanshu slipped into his room, ran to his bed, lay down, and spread his limbs out, making a starfish shape.

Lin Yan had been sleeping in her own room for several days. She carefully felt the texture of Li Chengyi's bed. The bedding was soft, just like before, but it was slightly cool, unlike the previous heat.

She closed her eyes contentedly, turned to the side, grabbed the blankets, buried her head in them, and took a deep breath of Ah Zhao's scent.

It smells good.

It smells so good.

I love it.

…………

Lin Yanshu smiled contentedly.

Li Chengyi hid by the door and couldn't see clearly. He only saw Lin Yanshu lying on his couch, waving his arm, and then lying on his side.

He couldn't figure out what Lin Yanshu was up to, and stared at her suspiciously.

Lin Yanshu smelled the scent on Li Chengyi's bed and suddenly opened her eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered shyly as she realized what she was doing!

Like a flower thief.

Lin Yanshu blushed with shame and indignation. She grabbed the bedding beneath her, sat up straight, and jumped off the couch. Lin Yanshu walked to the table and looked at the words Li Chengyi had written before leaving.

She reached out and touched the paper, feeling the powerful running script on it, which carried a strong scent of ink. Lin Yanshu stared intently at the poems on the silk scroll.

She could almost picture Li Chengyi sitting there, writing these lines of poetry stroke by stroke.

Lin Yanshu touched the words on it, thinking of Li Chengyi, and unconsciously curled the corners of her mouth, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Li Chengyi walked in with his hands behind his back, stood beside Lin Yanshu, and said:

"What are you doing?"

Lin Yanshu was abruptly pulled from her reverie, and hurriedly looked up at the person beside her.

Startled by Li Chengyi, she stumbled backward, nearly falling, but Li Chengyi quickly reached out and caught her around the waist. Lin Yanshu was held close to Li Chengyi's chest.

She looked up at Li Chengyi's face, her eyelashes trembling slightly with her breath. Lin Yanshu curled her fingertips that were pressed against Li Chengyi's arm.

She looked at Li Chengyi's face, swallowed hard, and hurriedly broke free from his embrace.

Lin Yanshu lowered her head, nervously biting her lower lip to calm her rapidly beating heart.

She dared not look at Li Chengyi.

From Li Chengyi's angle, all he could see was Lin Yanshu biting herself in distress, like a little rabbit frightened by itself.

Am I really that scary?

Little did she know, Lin Yanshu was recalling the thoughts that had just crossed her mind:

She wanted to kiss him.

She had been so close to Li Chengyi that she could see the slight curve of his raised eyebrows, and the concern in his eyes reached Lin Yanshu's eyes, making her daydream.

This is not good.

That's strange.

Lin Yanshu raised her hand and pounded her temples, trying to clear her mind. She shook her head blankly.

Li Chengyi was amused by Lin Yanshu's action.

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling with laughter, and reached out to pinch Lin Yanshu's cheek, asking:

What are you doing now?

Lin Yanshu's face was lifted up, and Li Chengyi's smiling face met her eyes, causing her pupils to tremble.

Lin Yanshu visibly blushed, her entire body, from head to toe, flushed red.

She awkwardly pulled her face away, avoiding looking at Li Chengyi, and rubbed the spot where he had just pinched her, stammering:

"No...no, I'm not thinking about anything."

From Li Chengyi's perspective, all he could see was a touch of pink on Lin Yanshu's neck.

He saw Lin Yanshu secretly moving away, so he approached and grabbed Lin Yanshu's forearm.

Lin Yanshu longed for Li Chengyi's touch, yet she was also afraid.

She didn't know what she was afraid of or what she longed for. She herself couldn't figure it out, let alone others.

Lin Yanshu took a deep breath, her attention focused entirely on Li Chengyi's burning palm holding hers.

Scalding hot and rough.

She uttered each word awkwardly:

"No, no, don't touch me."

Li Chengyi responded to her words, abruptly releasing his grip and staring intently at Lin Yanshu.

She wasn't like this before.

Lin Yanshu felt flustered under Li Chengyi's gaze. She looked up shyly and met his eyes, stammering as she tried to explain:

"I wasn't talking about you, you... you hurt me."

Li Chengyi looked over and saw that Lin Yanshu's face was indeed flushed. He really thought that he had pinched Lin Yanshu and made her red, so he felt relieved.

"Next time, just tell me directly that I'll be gentle."

Lin Yanshu gave a muffled "hmm" and tried to escape.

But Li Chengyi wouldn't let her leave; instead, he pressed her for answers.

"What brings Yan Shu here?"

Lin Yanshu had no idea why she had come here; she couldn't very well say she had come to pick flowers. She looked down, staring intently at her toes, and stammered:

"Just taking a casual stroll."

"I'm going back now."

With that, Lin Yanshu lifted her skirt and ran out in a flash, even though it was cold outside.

Looking at the empty room in front of him, Li Chengyi was so angry that he laughed out loud.

Is Lin Yanshu afraid of him?

Oh………

Lin Yanshu fled in shock, and only stopped when she was sure that Li Chengyi hadn't followed her, patting her chest in relief.

She felt that she must have been staying in the mansion for too long to be so easily startled.

Moreover, she was afraid that if she stayed in the manor any longer, Li Chengyi would come looking for her again. Now, she felt flustered whenever she saw Li Chengyi in person.

It felt strange, like being tickled.

And it wasn't just this strange feeling; she also felt the urge to touch Li Chengyi. She imagined pinching him, hugging him, just like before—a strange, inexplicable thought.

Lin Yanshu turned and walked out of the mansion.

Escaping is shameful, but it's useful.

Lin Yanshu wandered aimlessly through the bustling city. She hadn't been out for a while, and many novel things were flashing before her eyes.

With new things attracting Lin Yanshu's attention, her feelings for Li Chengyi faded considerably.

She played outside until dark, completely forgetting about Li Chengyi, and happily bought fun toys and delicious food.

As night fell and many vendors packed up and went home, Lin Yanshu found a restaurant, intending to try some Beijing specialties before heading back.

She sat in the private room, holding a small toy she had bought from outside in her left hand and snacks in her right, waiting for the food to be served.

Instead of the waiter who brought the dishes, a middle-aged man whom Lin Yanshu had seen before came.

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Author's Note: The paragraph comments are always open, so feel free to comment wherever you like [pleading emoji]. Thank you to reader Mu Shi for the nutrient solution!