Many of the soldiers who came with him were as dumbfounded as Ji Wuyu himself. Only Ah Xiu was shocked and suddenly asked, "Why were you hiding in the transported supplies?!"

The answer to Ah Xiu was Ji Wuyu's hoarse command.

"Get down."

"But Your Highness—"

Long San, the bodyguard behind her, reacted the fastest. He grabbed Ah Xiu and dragged her away. The soldiers who had followed immediately ran away, not daring to linger for a moment.

Ji Wuyu stood still, clad in armor, sword in one hand, his dark eyes fixed on Ruan Qing'an. Several meters apart, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. The girl leaning against the window smiled without fading, her leaden eyes fixed on him.

037: [Why is he looking at you, my ancestor?]

Hearing 037's trembling voice, Ruan Qing'an merely chuckled. The next moment, Ji Wuyu, clad in armor, strode forward. He reached the carriage and stretched out his long arm—

A large, thick hand pressed down on the back of her head.

Before Ruan Qing'an could react, almost half of her body was pulled out of the carriage, and the back of her head was pressed down hard. Ji Wuyu raised his head and bit her lips, so fiercely that it seemed as if he wanted to devour her.

Ruan Qing'an was even short of breath, her breath filled with his burning desire and longing, until her face turned crimson.

Ji Wuyu then released his grip, took a half step back, but still pressed his hand against the back of her head. His dark eyes looked at Ruan Qing'an, and his fingertips caressed her bright red lips, applying pressure little by little.

His voice was slightly hoarse: "I've missed you so much this past year."

He longed for her so much, but it felt as if he couldn't smell her unique, cool fragrance mixed with the scent of herbs. His heart ached, even though he hadn't mentioned her at the border of the army for a whole year. But just because he mentioned her, he was filled with the bitterness of longing.

【Affection Level: 70】

The feelings that had been suppressed for a whole year surged up like a tide, and after seeing her again, he could no longer control himself.

Leaning against Ji Wuyu's chest, her pointed chin resting on his shoulder, Ruan Qing'an buried her face in the crook of his neck: "Yes, I know, Your Highness, so do I."

"I thought I was dreaming..."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an chuckled, his leaden-gray eyes narrowing.

...

After Ah Xiu was dragged away by Long San, she struggled for a while before she saw many soldiers gradually unloading supplies. Only then did Long San release her from behind.

Long San patted himself on the shoulder: "His Highness already said you can leave, so don't keep him here. Don't you understand what it means for military orders to be absolute?"

"Men and women should not touch each other."

Ah Xiu took several steps back, looking at Long San warily as if he were a scoundrel: "Don't touch me! Guards, there are people in the supply trucks! Aren't you worried about His Highness's safety?!"

Seeing Ah Xiu's expression, Long San couldn't help but sneer: "Who do you think that is?"

"Who else could it be?"

Ah Xiu felt a vague unease in her heart, and the next moment she heard Long San say: "That is Miss Ruan Qing'an, the legitimate daughter of the Yongle Marquis's family, who is engaged to His Highness."

After saying that, Long San glanced at Ah Xiu with almost contempt, turned and left. The soldiers around him hurriedly carried supplies or confiscated weapons, each busy with their own tasks, while Ah Xiu stood still.

She clenched her fists tightly and lowered her head, her face looking pale. Just then, Wang Cheng stepped forward and patted her shoulder: "Are you alright, Miss Xiu?"

"I...I'm fine..."

Ah Xiu forced a smile. Long San's eyes seemed to be looking at something lowly, as if she were a toad trying to eat swan meat. But Ah Xiu believed that she was no less than Ruan Qing'an.

At least, she's much better than a good-for-nothing girl who only has a privileged family background!

Seemingly sensing Ah Xiu's worries, Wang Cheng comforted her, "Miss Ah Xiu, don't think too much about it. After all, His Highness is engaged to Miss Ruan. Miss Ruan even came to the frontier this time, so His Highness should be in a good mood."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Miss Ruan will be temporarily assigned a separate tent. Miss Axiu, you should keep your distance."

As they were talking, someone in the distance called out to Wang Cheng. Wang Cheng could only respond and quickly left, leaving only Ah Xiu behind. She had her head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"Why should I have to avoid her..."

As evening approached, Ah Xiu carefully avoided the surrounding soldiers and arrived at a newly erected tent, which she had heard about earlier that day while treating a wounded soldier.

This is where Nguyen Thanh An is currently staying!

Just then, footsteps sounded, and a soldier came up from behind: "Hey, Miss Xiu, what are you doing here?"

"ah?!"

Ah Xiu was startled. She immediately straightened up and, after a moment of tension, quickly raised the lunchbox in her hand and explained, "No, it's nothing. It's just that I saw an old friend of His Highness visiting today. She traveled thousands of miles to the border, and I wanted to entertain her on His Highness's behalf."

She made no mention of Ruan Qing'an's engagement to Ji Wuyu, acting as if she were the mistress of the house.

But the soldier hadn't thought about all those twists and turns; he just yawned listlessly and said, "Oh, but she's the legitimate daughter of the Yongle Marquis's family. Miss A-Xiu, be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself."

"OK."

Ah Xiu nodded, and only after seeing the soldiers leave did she openly walk into the house. As soon as she entered, she was greeted by a warm feeling. Charcoal burned in the exquisite utensils, making the entire tent cozy.

She had seen this kind of charcoal before; it was very rare. The army was short of supplies, and even Ji Wuyu rarely used it. She never expected that a whole bunch of it would appear here now.

Further up, Ah Xiu's line of sight was a soft couch covered with the finest fox fur blankets, and leaning against it was a slender and petite girl, and in front of her was the best food that could be found in the army!

Ah Xiu was completely stunned. How could Ruan Qing'an be treated so well? Was she here to exploit the army?!

On the soft couch, Ruan Qing'an was also observing Ah Xiu calmly, without showing any emotion.

037: [The female lead and her love rival meet, and their eyes are filled with hatred?]

"I think so."

Ruan Qing'an chuckled softly, her slender fingers pinching the edge of the silver spoon: "What is your name, young lady? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"My name is Ah Xiu, nice to meet you, Miss Ruan."

Ah Xiu stepped forward on her own and placed the lunchbox on the table: "I am very grateful to Miss Ruan for coming all this way to visit His Highness and for bringing supplies. His Highness is very happy, and I would like to do something for him as well."

"Although we are guests, please forgive us, Miss Ruan, that the army is short of supplies and many of the wounded are not getting enough to eat. They often mentioned this to me when I was treating them."

As Ah Xiu spoke, she tried her best to maintain her gentle and beautiful appearance. She was thinking about the army and His Highness, unlike this young lady who demanded so many supplies and enjoyment as soon as she arrived.

She needs to be confident.

She was the only woman Ji Wuyu allowed to follow behind him!

Despite this, when Ah Xiu's gaze swept over everything in the tent, a hint of jealousy still lingered in her eyes.

037: [Ugh, she's acting like the lady of the house.]

Ruan Qing'an propped his chin on one hand and looked at her with a half-smile: "Hmm... Miss A-Xiu, right? Do you know that the lunchbox in your hand is actually a resource sent by my Yongle Marquis's Mansion?"

"Forehead……"

Ah Xiu was taken aback. She looked down at the lunchbox on the table. When she used this lunchbox, she heard the soldiers mention that someone had supplied nearly half of the army's needed supplies. Could it be...?

Her expression darkened.

Ruan Qing'an tilted his head and continued, "By the way, these were all sent by His Highness. In that case, Miss A-Xiu, please return these things."

"Impossible! His Highness has always treated everyone equally!"

Ah Xiu immediately retorted that even when she came to the military camp, Ji Wuyu had told her that no one in the army could enjoy privileges because of their family background, and everyone had to fight on the front lines!

How could a prince like that possibly give someone special treatment!