You bullied me

His arms wrapped around her tightly like iron hoops, with such force that he almost wanted to knead her into his bones and blood. It seemed that only in this way could the lingering fear from the terrifying experience just now be slightly calmed.

Gu Jinghong could clearly feel his violent heartbeat in his chest, pounding against her eardrums, blending with her own, indistinguishable from one another.

After a long while, he seemed to finally release some of the lingering fear he had been suppressing, and slowly moved away from her.

"Were you scared just now?" His rough hands caressed Gu Jinghong's cheeks, his eyes were deep and dark, his voice was low and hoarse, and his hot breath brushed against her ear.

Gu Jinghong's heart was pounding, and she looked up at him, saying, "With you here, I'm not afraid."

Xiao Chengyan saw his reflection clearly in her clear pupils, small yet seemingly filling her entire world. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to lean down when a cool fingertip pressed against his lips.

"Your Highness, the Nanzhao's armor-piercing crossbows are so powerful, can the army really do without you?"

Xiao Chengyan's eyes returned to their usual light for a moment, his nose slapping against hers, his breath hot: "Hmm... If the military camp falls into chaos if I leave for even a moment, then they won't need to collect their pay."

Then, he grabbed the troublesome finger and held it in his palm. "Besides, my Ah Hong has prepared so many traps: rattan armor, cowhide, rotating projectiles... are you afraid we can't handle that little thing?"

He drew closer again, their breaths mingling.

Gu Jinghong, however, was as slippery as a fish, suddenly shifting her focus: "Then, do they know how? Jinghong means that installation and use will require quite a bit of effort."

Xiao Chengyan's eyes instantly darkened, filled with lingering fear, relief, and an overwhelming desire that could no longer be suppressed.

He suddenly lowered his head, not giving Gu Jinghong a chance to continue dodging, and suddenly bumped into two soft spots.

Gu Jinghong was taken aback.

Today's experience also stirred her emotions.

In the future, she will be a former head of the Jianghu intelligence service who is being hunted down by the Qianyuan Pavilion, and he will be a prince caught in the struggles of the imperial court, with a difficult road ahead... Suddenly, she felt a sense of regret that she did not want to meet him again but had to part ways.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, responding awkwardly yet passionately.

Breathing mingled...

He whispered in her ear over and over again.

"Call me by my name."

"You are...mine."

"……hold me."

It had started raining outside the window at some point, and Gu Jinghong's sense of touch became unusually heightened. She could even feel the moisture drifting into the room, wetting their skin.

She was completely smitten, responding to him with even greater reluctance.

Breathing entangled.

The red candles burned brightly, and the dripping wax piled up in layers on the candlesticks.

Inside the tent, the light and shadow flickered, elongating and blurring the intertwined figures on the gauze curtains.

A slender white hand suddenly reached out and tightly grasped the swaying tassels of the curtain.

Gu Jinghong felt her internal energy mixed with her blood surging wildly through her body, like wildfire spreading, like molten lava surging, like the earth shaking, destroying her firmly held clarity and rationality from the inside out.

Tears welled up in her eyes without her noticing, and her voice was almost choked with sobs. Her broken sobs were choked back by his kisses.

He remained silent, only the vibrations in his chest grew more intense, his breath hot and scorching.

The space was cramped, and her strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

In her daze, a clap of thunder suddenly sounded outside the window. She let out a soft groan, frowned, and abruptly opened her eyes.

Xiao Chengyan paused for a moment, and asked a single word in a hoarse voice.

In the candlelight, her eyes were red-rimmed, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, clinging to her damp hair, making her appear even more charming.

That look instantly struck the softest spot in Xiao Chengyan's heart.

The delicate kisses turned tender and lingering, while raindrops mingled outside the window, making them seem as if they were drowning together in a sea of ​​fire...

...

The wind and rain didn't stop until dawn, lasting all night.

Xiao Chengyan held her sweaty body tightly in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Exhausted, Gu Jinghong curled up in his arms, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on his chest.

In the silence, Xiao Chengyan suddenly spoke, his voice languid afterward, but his eyes revealed an unprecedented seriousness: "Ahong, be my queen."

Gu Jinghong looked at him with seductive eyes: "Jinghong is an orphan, and has even lost her memories before the age of ten. How can she be a princess?"

She loved him, but she minded her own identity.

Xiao Chengyan lowered his eyes and gently pecked her forehead: "It's alright, I have my own way."

Gu Jinghong looked up and saw his beautiful jawline and handsome nose.

Does he have a way? What is he going to do? Create an identity for her?

She said softly, "Jinghong doesn't ask for anything..."

Xiao Chengyan had placed his finger on her lips without her noticing.

“No, you demand it.” His voice was deep and powerful, each word clearly reaching her ears and striking her heart.

"I want you to stand by my side rightfully, to share my honor and glory, and to weather the storms together. I want everyone in the palace to respect you, and your orders to be my will."

"I want you to take charge of the household affairs. You will control the royal treasury, the estates, and the accounts and keys of all the overt and covert forces. I want everyone to know that you are the only mistress of the Jin Royal Palace."

"I want you to be worshipped by all the officials and their wives in the future, wearing a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, a model of maternal virtue. Our children will be the most honored legitimate sons and daughters of the royal family, inheriting my glory, and no one will be able to question their birth."

His fingertips gently caressed her cheek, his tone resolute: "So, Ah Hong, you must beg, and you deserve all of this. Fame and fortune are like dust to me, but I must give you the privilege of having all of this openly and honestly. Just nod, and leave the rest to me."

His tone was so calm, serious, and unquestionable that Gu Jinghong smiled and nodded.

It was at this moment that Xiao Chengyan suddenly noticed a red butterfly mark above Gu Jinghong's right collarbone. It was different from the original mark, but it was definitely—A Ning's mark!

Having been a vegetarian for over twenty years, Xiao Chengyan suddenly discovered the taste of meat and became so engrossed that he didn't even notice the mark above Gu Jinghong's collarbone!

It turns out that Gu Jinghong is the Gu Ning he has been searching for all these years!

A sudden surge of indescribable, extremely tender feeling welled up inside him, and he wished he could merge Gu Jinghong completely with himself!

The situation has become even more complicated! On one hand, he had been searching for Gu Ning for many years, seeking her in every way he could, but to his surprise, Gu Ning was right in his arms.

On the other hand, Gu Ning's identity is much more difficult to deal with than Gu Jinghong's. It cannot be concealed by the background of a noble lady from a prominent family. If we really want to protect her...

Xiao Chengyan's deep eyes suddenly took on a hint of ruthlessness.

Gu Jinghong seemed to sense a shift in his aura and softly called out, "Your Highness..."

Xiao Chengyan snapped out of his daze and looked at Gu Jinghong.

His gaze shifted from piercing and sharp to warm and gentle, before turning back into a deep and somber expression a moment later.

That familiar feeling from last night washed over Gu Jinghong again, and she frowned slightly: "No..."

He asked, "What?"

Gu Jinghong blushed and said, "It hurts..."

With just one word, he smiled helplessly, kissed her forehead, and then pulled Gu Jinghong even tighter into his arms.

Gu Jinghong nestled comfortably in Xiao Chengyan's arms and asked, "What happened between Your Highness and Prince Ning?"

Xiao Chengyan looked down at the person in his arms: "Didn't you already know?"

Gu Jinghong said, "I only know half of it, and I'm just guessing. Yesterday, Xie Yan and I entered the Prince's Mansion early in the morning, and by sheer coincidence, we ran into Hawk in a corridor. He was in the open, and we were in the dark, plus Xie Yan's martial arts skills are quite good..."

Xiao Chengyan spoke up to remind him, "You can ignore anything that's not important; I can understand it."

Gu Jinghong chuckled, rolled her eyes at Xiao Chengyan, and snorted, "Stingy..."

Xiao Chengyan looked at her meaningfully and pointed to the tip of her nose: "...Does Ah Hong not know whether I am young or not? Don't talk nonsense."

Gu Jinghong touched the finger that Xiao Chengyan was pointing at her nose with, and Xiao Chengyan's finger naturally hooked with Gu Jinghong's finger again.

She continued, "We subdued Hawk, dragged him to a corner where no one could see him, and interrogated him about the plague in the southwest back then. Xie Yan... cough cough... knew some things, so Hawk couldn't lie. After that, we gave him medicine and let him carry out his mission... waiting for Zhao Qian to fall for it, then we planned to expose him in front of everyone."

Xiao Chengyan shook his head, seemingly disagreeing: "It's too risky. Xie Yan is indeed not a reliable person. There are only two of you, plus one pill. Zhao Qian has been in the Southwest for many years, and his influence is deeply entrenched. You're so bold as to control just one hawk? Are you courting death?"

Gu Jinghong smiled smugly, like a kitten that had successfully stolen some fish: "No, we knew the prince would be coming today."

After she finished speaking, her soft hand suddenly reached out and covered the firm muscles on his chest.

Xiao Chengyan grabbed her mischievous hand: "How did you know?"

Gu Jinghong: "When we were in the Drunken Flower Shade, we heard them plotting to kill you."

Drunken Flower Shade!!!

Xiao Chengyan suddenly frowned: "You... how could you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Chengyan's thin lips were completely sealed by two soft, fragrant lips.

His eyes widened suddenly, all the unspoken questions and worries were silenced by the unexpected kiss, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Seeing that he was behaving himself, Gu Jinghong moved away a little and looked at him, slightly out of breath.

"How could you..."

Gu Jinghong sealed it again.

Her proactive attitude led her to encounter him, who had just tasted the sweetness of love. Xiao Chengyan felt a surge of passion and flipped over to pin Gu Jinghong beneath him.

Just as he was about to make a move, he heard Gu Jinghong say in a pitiful voice, "It hurts..."

Xiao Chengyan shook his head helplessly—she knew perfectly well that he would stop because of her innocuous words, yet she didn't even consider how hard he was trying to hold back, and still went on to seduce him like this.

In the end, Xiao Chengyan buried his head in the crook of Gu Jinghong's neck, as if he was suppressing something.

After a long silence, he chuckled helplessly, "You just keep bullying me..."