Chapter 128 Don’t you like me at all?

Zhong Min was extremely surprised and turned around suddenly, only to see that Xiao Mingzheng had stood behind him without him noticing when, while Xier and Zi Yan had disappeared long ago.

"Why are you here?" She stood up subconsciously, and her hands involuntarily increased the strength, holding the kitten in her arms tighter.

"Why can't I be here?" Xiao Mingzheng stepped forward and reached out to touch the kitten in Zhong Min's arms: "If there's nothing wrong, I'll come back naturally."

For a moment, the two of them were so close that Zhong Min could even feel Xiao Mingzheng's distinct breathing. She didn't like this feeling, especially when they were alone together. It always made her feel an inexplicable pressure. She subconsciously wanted to step back, but Xiao Mingzheng saw through her intentions in an instant.

"Don't retreat, you have no way to retreat." Xiao Mingzheng held her to prevent her from accidentally bumping into a chair and getting hurt.

Seeing this, Zhong Min had no choice but to move two steps to the side, which slightly increased the distance between them. "Who said I had no way to retreat? I'm sorry to trouble you, Your Highness."

"I just don't want to force you, otherwise, these so-called paths of yours will not work at all!" Although Xiao Mingzheng said this, he did not move any closer. Instead, he sat down on a chair beside him, but his eyes still did not move away from Zhong Min.

Hearing this, Zhong Min's entire body trembled slightly, and for a moment, she didn't even notice the kitten quietly escaping from her arms. Although she didn't want to admit it, Xiao Mingzheng's words were the absolute truth. No matter how capable she was, she couldn't possibly withstand Xiao Mingzheng's power on her own.

She suddenly felt very pathetic, just like the poor kitten in her arms just now. She had no real capital to control her own destiny. No matter how strong and resilient she was, it was just a powerless appearance. Her so-called pride was nothing but a joke that was not worth mentioning in the eyes of others.

Suddenly, her deepest, most cherished self-esteem felt like it had been deeply wounded. She had never felt so miserable and disappointed before. An overwhelming sense of defeat surged towards her from all sides like a tide, drowning her in an instant.

There was a dry and painful feeling in her eyes. Zhong Min turned around stubbornly, not wanting Xiao Mingzheng to see how desperate she was at the moment. Even if she really had no way out as Xiao Mingzheng said, she still had to maintain her last bit of persistence and pride.

"Zhong Min knows her own limitations, so there's no need for your reminders, Your Highness." She tried her best to control her emotions, but the heaving of her shoulders betrayed her inner grief and indignation. "Even if there's truly no other way out, as long as I've made my mind up, I'm willing to bear the consequences, even if it means getting hurt!"

Xiao Mingzheng hadn't expected his careless words to stir up such agitation in Zhong Min. Even though her back was to him, even though she tried to keep her voice calm, she couldn't conceal the deep despair and stubbornness within. He instantly regretted saying such hurtful words, hurting the pride and self-esteem that she cherished so deeply.

"Min'er, that's not what I meant." He stood up and reached out to pull her, but he stopped midway and retracted his hand. He couldn't help but sigh, and after a long while, he said, "Actually, I just hope you won't hide from me like this."

There was a rare hint of helplessness in his voice, and Xiao Mingzheng himself couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Normally, no matter how difficult it was, even the most impossible, he wouldn't hesitate. But whenever he faced Zhong Min, he'd always feel a sense of helplessness. Seeing her in this state, something he'd almost never seen before, an indescribable pain slowly spread through his heart.

"Min'er." He called softly and slowly walked in front of her. He didn't want to look at her cold back anymore. Looking into her eyes, he just hoped that time could go back to the past, back to the two unforgettable days he spent with her on the mountain.

"When we encountered danger before, we were just fine together, weren't we? Why could you trust and rely on me without hesitation during those two days on the mountain, but now you are so distant?" Xiao Mingzheng frowned slightly. The person in front of him was no longer so emotionally out of control, but still unwilling to look him in the eye.

He didn't want to provoke her anymore, so he continued in a low voice, "I know you have your persistence, but I also have my difficulties. Whenever I stop these days, I will remember what you said to me that day. Min'er, although I can't be with you forever like you said, I can promise that I will cherish you and will never let you down in this life. Even if I have to marry other women in the future, you will only be the one in my heart."

Xiao Mingzheng had never said such words to any woman in his life, and he had never thought that the day would come when he would say it. But now, he was so eager to tell her, so eager for her to know. His heart had long since accepted the fact that he had fallen deeply in love with the woman before him.

He didn't know when his heart had been moved. Maybe it was during those two days on the mountain, or the moment she blocked his sword, or the first time he saw her. But now, he didn't want to delve into that. He just wanted to grasp the present, to keep this person who made him unable to let go by his side, to accompany him through every day of the future.

But after hearing these words, Zhong Min was not as happy as Xiao Mingzheng had imagined. Perhaps, for Xiao Mingzheng, this concession was his greatest achievement. Being able to do this already showed how different he was towards Zhong Min.

However, for Zhong Min, such a promise was like alms, how could she possibly accept it?

She finally looked at him, but her expression was extremely mocking. After a moment, she finally laughed and said self-deprecatingly, "Your Highness is really too flattering to me. Your Highness's heart is bigger than the sky. How could he only care about a small person like me?"

She took a deep breath, ignoring the look on Xiao Mingzheng's face, and continued, "You'll never let me down in this life? Does Your Highness think that no matter how many women you have, as long as you give me all your love, you'll never let me down? Perhaps for you, being able to do this is the highest limit, but for me, sharing love with others, no matter how good or how much, is nothing more than an incomplete charity."

Hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng's brows were almost twisted into a rope. He never expected that Zhong Min would be so paranoid, but what he didn't expect was yet to come.

Zhong Min saw that everything had been said, so there was nothing to worry about. She looked at Xiao Mingzheng stubbornly and proudly, and her words rang out again: "I have never liked to compete with others. This is true for things, and even more so for people. If I really marry you, even if you are young like now, even if you still say that you have me in your heart, you will still have to compete with other women at this time, let alone when he is old and ugly? Therefore, I don't like it, and I don't want to share a husband with anyone. Not to mention that you are just a prince, even if you are the emperor, I still don't want to. Your Highness is a sensible person. You understand that a forced melon is not sweet. So, Your Highness, please don't say these things in the future. Since it is impossible for us to reach a consensus, please don't mention these things in the future. It will only cause trouble."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell into a terrible silence. Neither of them spoke again. The atmosphere was extremely tense, as if it was about to explode at any time.

Zhong Min suddenly had an illusion, always feeling that Xiao Mingzheng could bring an unprecedented storm at any time, but after a while, nothing as he imagined happened.

In the stare-to-stare exchange with him, she finally gave in, took a deep breath, and shifted her gaze elsewhere. At this moment, Xiao Mingzheng, who had been silent all this time, finally responded.

At this moment, Xiao Mingzheng was naturally shocked. He had never known Zhong Min to be so far-sighted, or so pessimistic. He also wondered what experiences had spawned such unique perspectives and perseverance. While everyone else was mesmerized by what they saw, this young woman possessed the clarity and melancholy of an old man who had experienced countless vicissitudes of life and seen through its myriad illusions.

Zhong Min's thoughts were truly bizarre. He clearly disagreed with that statement, but strangely, he couldn't find any reason to refute her. Perhaps he simply didn't know how to refute it, or perhaps even if he did, he didn't dare to refute it at this moment because he really didn't want to see the desperate and tragic look in her eyes again.

After struggling for a long time, he sighed deeply in his heart and finally decided to put aside this fruitless dispute for the time being. What he urgently wanted to know now was whether she had any feelings for him in her heart.

"Don't you like me at all?" He hesitated for a long time before finally asking. But as soon as he asked the question, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He was so proud, but he never expected that he would have such moments. He was like a naive teenager, afraid yet eager to hear the answer from the person in front of him. However, his heart really wanted to do this. He could not deceive himself, and he could not go against his heart.

Zhong Min was naturally surprised. She had originally thought that Xiao Mingzheng would be furious because of her tough and impolite words just now, but she didn't expect that not only did he not get angry, but he asked such a question so seriously.

For a moment, she was stunned, and with her head half lowered, she began to ask herself the same question in her heart.