He seemed not to understand her, resting his chin on her hair and whispering softly.

"Zhiwan, I'm sorry to you, I'm sorry to Yiming. Please give me a chance to take good care of you both and make up for the mistakes I made, okay?"

She wasn't moved by his tender words; instead, she felt disgusted.

It's not that she doesn't like him; what woman wouldn't like a man like him?

But she was clear-headed and rational.

She knew perfectly well that they were not compatible. Even if they were together, it wouldn't work out, and in the end, it would only hurt both of them. It might even drag their families down with them, just like last time.

She took a deep breath, and taking advantage of his momentary distraction, she broke free from his embrace, then took a few steps back, and once again solemnly warned him.

"Leng Chuchen, I'll tell you one more time: I will never love you, and there will be no future for us. You go back to your capital, and I'll stay in my Yong'an City. We'll leave each other alone. If you want women, you can choose any woman in this Celestial Empire. If you want children, countless women will bear them for you. But I'm not for you. Yiming is my life. Even if he's your child, I won't let you take him away unless I die..."

As she said this, a fierce and sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

Her eyes frightened him.

He knew that he had caused this woman too much harm, and that even the rest of his life might not be enough to make up for it.

He couldn't guarantee that he could successfully bring her back to Beijing.

He wasn't even sure if she would gain her mother's and grandmother's approval in a short time. What if they made things difficult for her like last time?

It seems he needs to find an opportunity to explain this to them first, and only after gaining their approval can he take them and their child back to the palace.

But the prerequisite is that she must go back with him willingly, not under his coercion.

Thinking of this, he sighed helplessly, looking at her with deep, unfathomable eyes.

“Zhiwan, believe it or not, I’m really not a promiscuous person. Before and after you, I haven’t touched any other woman. What happened three years ago wasn’t what you think. That night, I was poisoned, and I happened to run into you on the mountain, which is why I did that… I really didn’t mean to. We had agreed to meet at the teahouse three days later, but something came up and I couldn’t make it back… I know that my explanation is just an excuse to you, but it’s all true. I really had no choice. And for the past few years, I’ve been looking for you. I go to Phoenix City twice a year to see you. I never imagined that you were that woman…”

"I see."

Luo Zhiwan frowned slightly, then suddenly smiled with relief.

Was he poisoned?

People in ancient times always liked to use such despicable methods, but she didn't doubt much what he said.

She didn't want to pursue the truth; she just wanted to live in the moment. Besides, Yiming's arrival brought her a lot of joy, and that was enough.

"I never intended for you to take responsibility, nor did I want to have anything to do with you. You could also interpret it as you need me, but I ended up with Yiming. So, you don't owe me anything. We were just using each other."

this……

He couldn't agree with her logic.

He clearly bullied her, so how come it's become that they were using each other?

As he expected, after she found out that he was the one who bullied her back then, she should come up to him, beat him up, scold him, and even want to kill him with a knife.

But she was so calm, so calm that it frightened him.

“Zhiwan, I know I’m sorry. I’ve hurt you a lot. You can hate me, you can resent me, you can even hit me or scold me, but… can you please not be so cold to me? I really want to take good care of you and Yiming.”

"Take good care of me and Yiming? How are you going to take care of us? Ever since I met you, my whole family has almost been beheaded. And now you dare to say you'll take good care of me? I beg you, please don't harm my whole family. I'll be thanking my God and burning incense for that."

Her words made him feel guilty.

Their whole family went to jail, and although it wasn't his fault, it was definitely related to him.

"alright."

She suddenly looked up at him, revealing a sunny smile.

"Leng Chuchen, we've known each other for a while. If you feel sorry for me, then don't bring up the past anymore. Just treat it as a dream and let it go!"

"Zhiwan, I can't do it."

"Then I'll leave. If you keep bothering me like this, I'll leave, I'll go to the ends of the earth, to a place where you can't find me..."

"No, no, don't go. I've been looking for you for so long. If you leave again, where will I find you?"

"Then don't bring this up with me again, and don't tell anyone about our past relationship. Also, Yiming, he's my child, and he has nothing to do with you."

Her eyes held a sharp glint that left him speechless, yet also unable to refute or question her.

He knew in his heart that he had hurt her so much, and she couldn't possibly accept him so easily; he shouldn't force her.

"Alright, I won't bring this up again. Let's talk about our issues later!"

Seeing that he had finally stopped bothering her, she immediately clasped her hands in a fist salute.

"Then I really have to thank you."

Leng Chuchen raised an eyebrow and turned to leave.

Seeing them come out, Jiawang's mother hurriedly greeted them:

"Dinner's ready, come and eat!"

Zhiwan hurriedly interrupted.

"Mother, they have important business to attend to, so they won't be eating here."

Upon hearing this, Jiawang's mother quickly tried to persuade him to stay.

"No, these are vegetables that Liping bought. You should at least have a bite before you leave!"

Leng Chuchen hurriedly stepped forward.

"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer. Thank you, Aunt Luo, and thank you, Uncle Luo."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already sat down on the stone bench.

Seeing him sit down, Zhiwan frowned slightly, while Zhiruo picked up her rice bowl and got up to leave.

Jiawang and Yiming, sensing the situation, picked up their own bowls, grabbed a few bites of food haphazardly, and ran off.

Seeing this, Jiawang's mother waved her hand with a smile.

"Never mind them. Come on, Hu Ke, Li Ping, sit down and eat."

They both glanced at Leng Chuchen and quickly shook their heads.

"Thank you, Aunt Luo. We're not hungry, you guys eat first!"

Luo Tianhe knew that they were hesitant because of his status.

How can attendants sit at the same table as their masters to eat? Especially since their master is the crown prince.

He frowned slightly and murmured.

"Don't be shy when you're out and about. Please have a seat!"

Leng Chuchen frowned and nodded to the two of them, who then sat down timidly.

Seeing that everyone had sat down, Luo Tianhe picked up his wine glass and solemnly began to speak:

"Although we've known each other for a long time, this is the first time we've sat down to drink together, and I think it will be the last..."