But all of this cannot compare to the throbbing sensation I get every time I hold her hand or get close to her.

He was no young man, and although he had never experienced the joy of mutual love, how could he not know that he had truly fallen in love? When he realized it, he hesitated. After all, the initial agreement between the two of them, and Meng Qi's resolute attitude, made him realize that Meng Qi had been planning her future since the first day she married him, no, the day she knew she was going to marry him.

At that time, he had no idea that he would end up like this. He agreed to her request, and she successfully passed the examination. Initially, he was very satisfied with Meng Qi, a princess who could protect him in the palace and take care of him in the mansion. The two of them were like allies, each taking what they needed.

But everything changed. He longed more and more for the feeling she brought him, a feeling that no one else had ever given him and a feeling he had never wanted to try.

As someone who had experienced this, he knew Meng Qi's mindset had also changed, but the girl seemed to be struggling between her promise and her inner feelings. He didn't want to scare her. He now believed more in Lu Jinzhou's words about things working out naturally, and he longed for a mutual understanding.

But he couldn't let Meng Qi stand still. He needed to take the initiative to take a step forward. The step didn't have to be too big, just let Meng Qi see it and let her slowly see her own heart clearly.

He was not in a hurry. He enjoyed the feeling they had now, and he also wanted Meng Qi to feel the same way. As for the agreement the little girl mentioned, who knew what would happen in the future?

He had never known that kissing someone like that could be so wonderful. In the past, when he was with women, he almost never kissed them, especially on the lips. He would get straight to the point and just relax.

But last night, he enjoyed the beauty of their lips touching, and the beauty of his tongue dancing with her tongue later. He even felt that moment was more exciting and lingering than entering the alley.

Meng Qi didn't know that Song Chengze had thought so much in such a short time. She came back to her senses from what she had just said, pursed her lips gently, and her cheeks flushed again.

"Well, well, I was so excited talking to my second sister yesterday that I drank a few more glasses. Today, Yuandong said that you...brought me back home, but I really didn't know. I don't know if I said anything drunken or did anything else yesterday. If there was any disrespect or nonsense, Your Highness, please just treat it as my drunken rant."

Song Chengze watched Meng Qi shyly twirling her clothes as she spoke. He had never seen her do this before. Meng Qi had always been confident, generous, and well-prepared. But in front of him, she displayed a calmness that didn't suit her age.

The little daughter's demeanor made Song Chengze feel that this was how she should behave at her age.

"Oh? Just treat those words as drunken nonsense, but what about the deeds?"

Meng Qi felt her face, which had just been flushed, suddenly became hot. She raised her head and looked at Song Chengze, muttering something, but it seemed as if her words weighed a thousand pounds.

Suddenly, Meng Qi stood up abruptly, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something important."

Song Chengze initially thought that Meng Qi was deliberately making it up to ease his words, but when he listened to her talking about the possible relationship between Zhou Yiheng (Prince Shen) and the Crown Prince, which she and Meng Wan had analyzed, the smile on his face slowly faded and his brows slowly furrowed.

"You mean, Zhou Yiheng is the prince's man?"

Seeing Song Chengze return to his usual self, Meng Qi breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, my second sister and I have analyzed everything about Concubine Hui and Prince Zhou. If our guess is correct, this is the only conclusion that makes sense."

Meng Qi picked up the teapot on the table and poured tea for them. She held a cup in front of Song Chengze with both hands and asked, "Have you never doubted this?"

Song Chengze took the tea and took a sip, thinking about the possibility of this matter. He really never thought that Zhou Yiheng would be the prince's man. Neither Zhou Yiheng himself nor the prince had ever let him know.

He suddenly felt that the prince was really as Meng Qi said, not just unfathomable.

He was using himself and guarding himself. He knew it, but he had never thought that he would be so guarded. Now it seemed that except for things that the prince wanted him to know or things that he wanted him to do, he would not even let the wind blow.

Song Chengze stood up and walked to the window. Meng Qi looked at his back and felt happy. This was good. The more things the prince did to disappoint Song Chengze, the more determined Song Chengze would be and the faster he would make his decision.