"Li Bingchen, I feel like you've been acting strange lately. Even the way you look at me is odd. Tell me, is there something you're hiding from me?"

As Yun Duo became more familiar with Li Bingchen, she became more and more casual in her attitude and tone of voice towards him, no longer treating him like a prince—of course, she never treated him like any kind of nobleman or prince either. In Yun Duo's heart, Li Bingchen was just an incredibly handsome child!

As for now, besides still considering Li Bingchen a 'pretty kid,' she has also genuinely treated him as a friend.

Because he was free of distractions and Yun Duo's question was asked casually, Li Bingchen felt that Yun Duo's gaze towards him was so pure that it made him feel somewhat ashamed.

Yun Duo considers him a friend, how could he harbor other thoughts... That's not right.

However, the thought that if he didn't find a way to make Yun Duo grow up and marry him, Yun Duo might very well marry his 'arch-nemesis' Li Binghao after she grew up.

Aside from having a more legitimate status, Li Binghao is inferior to him in every other way. How could he be worthy of Yun Duo?

Yunduo was his only friend. If she were truly willing to marry him and become his wife, they would never be separated for the rest of their lives... Thinking of this, Li Bingchen's heart inexplicably burned with passion.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, what are you spacing out for? Ugh, that look again... Hey, Li Bingchen, you're not really hiding something from me, are you?"

"Hey, tell me honestly, are you plotting something behind my back, trying to do something to betray me?"

Yun Duo's words were mostly in jest, but to the guilty Li Bingchen, it sounded as if Yun Duo knew all his secrets, and his face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

"No, no, no, I, I didn't, don't talk nonsense." Because he was so guilty, Li Bingchen stammered, and his eyes kept darting around, not daring to meet Yun Duo's gaze.

"I'm talking nonsense? If you really think I'm talking nonsense, then why are you so guilty?" Seeing Li Bingchen's inability to meet her gaze, Yun Duo's initial three-tenths doubt turned into full suspicion.

"I...I'm not guilty at all," Li Bingchen said insincerely. Finally, to make himself look more 'natural,' he forced himself to look at the clouds.

As a result... before he could even make eye contact with Yun Duo for more than three seconds, he subconsciously looked away again.

"Not guilty?" Yun Duo pouted and pointed at Li Bingchen's red face, saying, "Look at your face, it's as red as a ripe apple, and you're stuttering when you speak, and you don't even dare to look at me! What else could you be if not guilty?"

“I…” Li Bingchen was speechless.

Yun Duo didn't press Li Bingchen further; instead, she looked at him and asked, "Li Bingchen, aren't we best friends?"

“Of course!” Li Bingchen said without hesitation.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief because the clouds didn't "relentlessly pursue" him.

The next second, Yun Duo spoke up again: "Since we're friends, why are you hiding things from me?"

"I……"

Just as Li Bingchen was about to say that he didn't, Yun Duo continued, "Since that's the case, then I won't tell you anything from now on, and I won't ask you for help when I need it."