With her back to the person who came, Shen Yunxi carefully pulled the stem in front of her and then plucked a lotus seedpod.

Although almost all the lotus pods near the water's edge have been picked, there are still quite a few further in. Just be careful when picking them, otherwise they can easily fall into the water.

The sun was quite strong, and Shen Yunxi decided to finish picking the fruit as soon as possible and go back, otherwise she would easily get sunburned, and if she fainted, that would be a real problem.

Seeing that the lotus pods in the bamboo basket were almost full, Shen Yunxi felt that picking one more would be enough, so she reached out her hand.

Fortunately, even though this one was a bit far away, I still managed to pick it.

What are you doing?

A familiar voice rang out, and Shen Yunxi's heart pounded wildly. Then, for some reason, her foot slipped, her right foot flipped outward, and she plunged into the water.

Shen Yunxi was furious. She closed her eyes and waited for herself to fall into the water. In that instant, she gave the person who came over a good scolding.

She wouldn't have been so startled if the other person hadn't suddenly spoken.

However, the expected fall into the water did not happen. Shen Yunxi only felt a tightness around her waist, and then her body quickly spun around and crashed into a warm, broad, and very familiar chest.

When Shen Yunxi came to her senses, she looked at the person in front of her, still in shock, and subconsciously broke free from his embrace.

Junxuan's arms were now empty. He noticed that the delicate touch of his palms had disappeared, so he couldn't help but rub his hands together slightly before quickly hiding them behind his back, pretending that nothing had happened.

Shen Yunxi didn't notice Jun Xuan's reaction. She pursed her lips and spoke to Jun Xuan, "This subject greets Your Majesty. Just now... I thank Your Majesty for saving me."

That's what they said, but Shen Yunxi emphasized the phrase "Thank you for saving me, Your Majesty," clearly implying something else entirely.

Junxuan wasn't unaware of Shen Yunxi's thoughts. She had indeed startled him earlier. He didn't actually intend to frighten her; he just wanted to speak up and assert his presence.

After all, he had been standing there for quite a while, but Shen Yunxi hadn't noticed him, so he couldn't help but make a sound to remind her.

Who knew that Shen Yunxi was so timid that she almost fell into the water.

Ke Junxuan hadn't considered that Shen Yunxi was focused on picking lotus pods when he suddenly made a sound, so it was normal for her to be startled, since a lady from a prominent family like Shen Yunxi wouldn't usually be very bold.

Junxuan couldn't help but chuckle. "It was my fault just now, I frightened Miss Shen. I just wonder what Miss Shen is doing?"

"Your Majesty, can't you see? I'm picking lotus pods." Shen Yunxi pointed to the bamboo basket on the ground, her meaning clear: If you have eyes, just look for yourself, why ask such a question?

It wasn't that Junxuan couldn't see what Shen Yunxi was doing; he was just making conversation. Who knew this girl would be so disrespectful to him?

Helpless, Junxuan coughed lightly, then touched his nose as if to cover it up.

"Yes, I did see lotus pods, but I don't know what you're going to do with them," Junxuan quickly offered as an excuse.

Shen Yunxi was speechless. "Does Your Majesty think that I have nothing to do and have come here to pick lotus pods for fun? Lotus pods are usually used for eating, so it is obvious that I am going to use them to make food."

Perhaps because she was frightened by Junxuan, Shen Yunxi's heartbeat had not fully recovered, so she spoke without any courtesy.

Junxuan was surprised by Shen Yunxi's behavior; he noticed that Shen Yunxi's temper had worsened considerably.

However, this kind of Shen Yunxi is becoming more and more interesting.

"I see. I wonder if I have the honor of eating Miss Shen's cooking?" Jun Xuan smiled and spoke subconsciously. He didn't even realize what he had said, and then regretted it a little.

Sigh, he shouldn't have done that. He should have kept his distance from Shen Yunxi, since Shen Yunxi no longer had any feelings for him.

Since Junxuan had already said so much, Shen Yunxi certainly couldn't refuse him; after all, it wasn't a big deal.

"Your Majesty is too kind. It's just a bowl of lotus seed soup, nothing wrong with it. If Your Majesty doesn't mind, I'll have Xiao Anzi bring it to Your Majesty when it's ready," Shen Yunxi said calmly.

The anger she felt from being frightened combined with the anger that Jun Xuan was likely feeling because of a misunderstanding. Suddenly, Shen Yunxi didn't even want to pretend anymore. She didn't want to appear so weak in front of Jun Xuan, so she spoke very calmly, without any obsequiousness in her words.

Junxuan's smile faded considerably. He wasn't oblivious to Shen Yunxi's dislike for him, and he sighed inwardly.

Let alone others, sometimes even he himself couldn't understand his own thoughts. It seemed that he was always filled with a sense of resentment towards Shen Yunxi, but he didn't know where this resentment came from.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Miss Chen,” Junxuan replied.

Shen Yunxi nodded, "This humble woman is in a hurry to make lotus seed soup, so I will not disturb Your Majesty's elegant mood any longer. Farewell."

"Yes, I grant your permission." Junxuan nodded.

Upon receiving Junxuan's response, Shen Yunxi stepped forward, preparing to pick up the bamboo basket from the ground and leave.

However, after taking a step, she stopped, her expression becoming very complicated, her brows furrowing slightly.

Junxuan thought Shen Yunxi would turn around and leave, but unexpectedly, after taking a step, she stopped moving and stood there, frowning as if she had something difficult to say.

"What's wrong?" Junxuan asked softly.

Shen Yunxi was on the verge of tears. She dared not move at all. She hadn't noticed before, but after taking a step, she realized that her right foot was in excruciating pain.

She twisted her ankle!

It all comes down to Junxuan. If he hadn't scared her, she wouldn't have twisted her ankle.

She still didn't know how to get back, and the person in front of her was asking her with a puzzled look what was wrong. What could be wrong with her? She just couldn't walk!

Shen Yunxi was furious and could only look at Junxuan. "Thanks to Your Majesty, I accidentally twisted my ankle. Please help me find two palace maids to take me back. I would be very grateful."

Sure enough, nothing good ever comes from meeting this man. I must stay away from him from now on. I just hope he doesn't come near me.

Junxuan was startled and subconsciously looked at Shen Yunxi's foot. No wonder she stopped after taking one step; she had twisted her ankle. There was already a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, so it must be in pain.

"I see, but it's not necessary. It's too much trouble." Junxuan sighed.

Shen Yunxi didn't understand what Jun Xuan meant by that. What did he mean by "it doesn't have to be so complicated"?

What's the problem? Who's the problem?