Chapter 56 explains that the girl couldn't wait to taste the man's...
The girl couldn't wait to try the chicken and tofu dish that the man had just served, and it truly tasted like dogwood.
What a coincidence!
She then tried the remaining dishes one by one and found that none of them were bland; they were all spicy, tangy, and flavorful.
Jiang Zhuoying frowned and glanced at Qi Fan again, noticing that his posture and expression remained relatively calm.
His lips were pressed into a straight line, his Adam's apple bobbed faster than usual, and the thin layer of sweat at his temples was becoming increasingly noticeable—all of which indicated that he was currently suppressing his emotions.
She knew that Qi Fan's allergy to dogwood should not be revealed.
Jiang Zhuoying quickly glanced at the table, and without thinking, reached out to grab a wine cup and poured herself several cups.
She quickly drank most of the wine in the cup, and when she was about to pour another cup, the cup had vanished into thin air.
Jiang Zhuoying: "?"
She subconsciously turned her head, and sure enough, the wine cup was on the table in front of Qi Fan.
The man glanced at her, his gaze sharp as a blade, carrying an undeniable warning.
Jiang Zhuoying quickly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. She was actually helping him!
He was clearly in so much pain, yet he still didn't leave his seat. Did he intend to keep going until the party ended?
Since he cannot leave his seat without permission, then she will be the one to give the reason.
Jiang Zhuoying's face flushed after drinking, but the small amount of alcohol she had just consumed was far from enough to make her drunk.
She waited patiently for a while, then touched her forehead with her other hand. It was a little hot, so it must have worked.
The man glanced sideways at the back of the girl's head, his eyes deep and unfathomable. The girl in his field of vision suddenly turned her head, catching him off guard and meeting the depths of his eyes.
He paused for a moment, then frowned.
"Not allowed"
Before he could finish his warning, the girl, her eyes glazed over with drunkenness, had already slumped sideways onto the table.
Jiang Zhuoying frowned, whimpering incessantly, her eyes somewhat glazed over, her forehead and ears, exposed outside her face mask, were already flushed.
Qi Fan's expression darkened slightly, and he instinctively stretched out his arm, his petite and soft body leaning over to him.
"You know it's painful?" His voice remained cold.
Jiang Zhuoying buried her head in his arms and nuzzled against his chest: "Second Prince Brother."
The man lowered his eyes, his expression complex and unpredictable.
"Second Prince, brother..."
"Second Prince, I feel unwell. Can you take me to rest?"
No one paid attention to Qi Fan's commotion, but when Jiang Zhuoying suddenly slumped down, making quite a noise, everyone around started looking over.
After seeing this, what else is there to be confused about?
He was drunk, and very drunk at that.
The third prince also looked over.
"Brother, what's wrong with sister-in-law?"
Jiang Zhuoying was worried that the Third Prince would stop her from leaving, so she pretended to struggle to stand up and even staggered to perform a proper bow.
"Your Highness, I have inadvertently drunk quite a bit of wine, and I am feeling dizzy and unwell. Would you mind leaving the table to rest for a while?"
Qi Yan gazed at the slender girl not far away. Even with a veil covering her face, her charming, watery peach blossom eyes sparkled his imagination...
He had also caught a fleeting glimpse of that beautiful face hidden beneath the veil.
His eyes darkened slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "Of course, I'll have someone take you to rest right away."
After saying that, he raised his hand, and the maid behind him immediately stepped forward.
Jiang Zhuoying frowned, and before she could say anything, she saw the maid walking towards her.
"Please come with me to rest, Your Excellency."
Jiang Zhuoying was naturally unhappy. She had gone to great lengths to get rid of Qi Fan, and she couldn't let it all go to waste like this.
"Brother, would you like to stay a little longer? Today is a rare opportunity; we brothers should have a long talk!"
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
Nonsense.
Before the man beside her could respond, she weakly supported her head, her knees buckled, and she collapsed into his arms.
"But I want you to stay with me, Second Master..."
The maid looked troubled and bowed, waiting for the Third Prince's instructions.
Today she was going all out, and luckily she was wearing a face mask, so no one would recognize her in the future.
"I'm dizzy... Would it be alright if my second prince stayed with me?"
Her face was flushed, and she tugged at Qi Fan's clothes.
She used all her strength, as if she had no bones, and insisted on clinging to him.
Qi Fan raised his hand and touched the temperature of her forehead with the back of his hand. It was red and hot, and her originally clear eyes had become hazy and dreamy.
He was naturally worried about his appearance.
He stood up, holding the soft, boneless body in his arms, and nodded slightly to Qi Yan, his eyes clear: "Third brother, you've seen it too, I'm really worried about her like this."
Qi Yan stared at the beautiful face in his arms for a few moments, but the girl's entire face was buried in his chest, making it impossible to see even a glimpse of her.
The man's eyes darkened slightly, and he gave a slight smirk: "Of course, then Your Majesty should take good care of my concubine."
For some reason, the way he addresses people has changed.
Jiang Zhuoying was tightly held around the waist and staggered away from her seat in front of everyone.
This was a huge loss of face for her.
Without the face mask, she really couldn't have done this.
With a maid leading the way, Jiang Zhuoying endured the iron grip on her waist and finally stumbled out of Ningrui Pavilion.
Ah Liu and Eunuch Chu followed closely behind.
Jiang Zhuoying leaned against his strong, taut arm, glanced at A-Liu, and spoke in a soft voice.
"Your Highness, perhaps you should let Ah Liu help me up?"
She leaned against Qi Fan and could clearly feel his breathing becoming heavier and his chest heaving more and more.
She wasn't drunk at all, but he was holding her waist tightly, and she didn't know how much force he was using, as if he wanted to break her waist.
The man glanced at her, his eyes holding something unfathomable.
Jiang Zhuoying swallowed hard, not daring to mention it again, for fear that the other party would see through her disguise.
In an attempt to maintain her image as a drunkard, her legs suddenly gave way, and her entire body plummeted downwards.
"I'm too weak, Second Prince, I can't walk anymore."
The hand on her waist, already like an iron clamp, increased its force, causing Jiang Zhuoying to cry out in pain immediately.
With a light touch on her feet, she was lifted up in a horizontal embrace. However, the fierce force she had just felt on her waist left her furrowed brows looking furrowed for a long time.
Chu Yixin had been by Qi Fan's side since he was a child, so he could naturally detect any slight movement or abnormality in his master immediately.
Besides, the master and servant had already developed a tacit understanding that was unknown to others.
For example, right now, Chu Yixin only needs to glance at Qi Fan's expression and think for a moment to guess the general idea.
The third prince was not one to stay at home.
...
The maid led the group to an empty courtyard and then withdrew.
Ah Liu and Chu Yixin quickly looked around, but found nothing amiss.
Jiang Zhuoying pretended to be asleep the whole way, intending to get away with it this way.
But to her surprise, she was thrown directly onto the couch, which was only covered with a thin layer of soft cushions. She immediately winced in pain.
With a dull thud, Jiang Zhuoying could no longer pretend. She clutched her sore bottom, groaned, and slowly opened her eyes.
She strongly suspected that the man in front of her was taking the opportunity to retaliate against her, and that he had ample evidence to back it up.
My own waist and hips are proof!
"Waaah... Your Highness, why are you bullying me?"
Jiang Zhuoying spoke first, and no one responded to her for a long time, feeling wronged.
So she propped herself up and peeked outside, only to find the man sitting in a round-backed chair not far away, with his eyes closed.
"Your Highness?"
"Second Prince, brother?"
She tried calling out twice, but the man didn't move.
Could she have fainted?
Jiang Zhuoying's pupils dilated slightly, unsure of what to do. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't worried at all.
After hesitating for a moment, he tiptoed toward the person in the armchair.
Upon approaching, one would notice that the man's temples were damp with sweat, his thin lips were tightly pressed together, his brows were furrowed, and his breathing was heavy but not as rapid as before.
He had clearly closed his eyes, and his overall condition did not look good.
But just by sitting here, one can feel his imposing aura, which inspires awe.
"Your Highness?"
Jiang Zhuoying lowered her voice and called out softly again, and the man who had been sitting upright suddenly leaned back.
As he moved, his clothes were slightly disheveled and open, and Jiang Zhuoying immediately noticed the red rash on the front of his neck.
Not only did it not get better, it became even more serious than before.
Jiang Zhuoying's heart tightened. She turned around and poured a cup of hot water. When she brought the thin porcelain cup to the man's lips, she paused again.
Without hesitation, she withdrew her hand, took a small sip herself, and confirmed that there was no other strange taste in it, just ordinary water.
After confirming that everything was in order, the girl gently blew on the hot water for a while, turning it into lukewarm water that was still a little warm, before handing the cup back over.
"Second Prince? Drink some hot water, it will make you feel better."
She was a little flustered and couldn't wait to get Qi Fan to drink the water. As a young lady from the Duke's mansion, she had never served anyone before, and her movements were a bit clumsy.
The movement of tilting the cup was too fast, causing the water in the cup to run down the man's chin and Adam's apple, soaking into his clothes and slightly wetting his collar.
The girl frowned, then took out a handkerchief from her waist and wiped the excess water from the corner of his mouth.
The water in the cup had been drunk up. Jiang Zhuoying put it aside and asked softly, "Do you feel any better?"
After wiping the corners of his lips, Jiang Zhuoying then wiped the sweat from his forehead, the handkerchief moving down to the protrusion on his neck.
Her fingertips paused slightly as she stared intently at the Adam's apple that was still moving up and down.
This is something only men possess, something different from women, and she knows it.
But this was the first time she had observed something so closely.
The young girl's slender, fair fingertips, resting on a thin handkerchief, gently touched the prominent protrusion...
The next instant, her wrist was grabbed tightly.
"……hiss."
Jiang Zhuoying winced in pain, her brows furrowing. When she met those dark, narrow eyes again, she saw only clarity within them.
A sudden chill ran through her heart, and without thinking, the girl burst into tears.
But this happened so suddenly that she didn't have enough time to prepare her tears. Although she was shouting loudly, no tears came out for a long time.
She resorted to her old trick, feigning helplessness, which was her forte: "Let go of me, Second Prince brother is pinching me so hard..."
The force that was holding her wrist suddenly pulled her forward again, and Jiang Zhuoying stumbled and bumped into the man's chest.
"Waaah..."
Her forehead throbbed with pain from the impact, and the sweet, cool scent of sandalwood wafted towards her, mixed with the smell of alcohol on her body, making her feel dizzy for a moment.
Without any effort, her peach blossom eyes became misty and teary.
Before she could even complain or blame anyone, a cold voice rang out from above.
"What are you pretending for?"
A chill ran down Jiang Zhuoying's back. She leaned against the other person's arm, her voice muffled.
"Um... what are you saying, Second Prince?"
"Are you sober now?" The tone of this question was similar to before, cold and unapproachable.
Jiang Zhuoying breathed a slight sigh of relief. She mumbled, "No... I'm still dizzy."
Then she carefully moved her wrist again: "It hurts so much..."
Qi Fan lowered his eyes, a slight glint in them. He loosened his grip slightly and pulled the girl's slender wrist close to his eyes.
Her once slender, fair wrist now bears a bright red mark.
How could this be?
A rare hesitation flashed in the man's eyes; he had only given a light squeeze.
"Ouch...and my back hurts so much I can't stand up straight. The Second Prince just dropped me."
"How cruel you are! Is this how you intend to get revenge on me? Waaah..."
Qi Fan stiffened slightly; he knew exactly how much force he had used.
But looking at the snowy white skin on her wrist, she couldn't help but start to have doubts again.
This girl is too delicate; what he calls "having a plan" might not be something she can handle.
Thinking of this, his brow furrowed...
Jiang Zhuoying felt a lightness on her body as she was picked up again, thinking that she had passed the test.
Ke Ren was gently placed back on the couch, but the sash around her waist was tucked into a hand with distinct knuckles.
Looking at the man's actions, it was clear he was trying to untie her clothes.
Jiang Zhuoying's heart raced. She immediately lunged forward, trying to pull back her sash, her eyes filled with panic.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?"
The man gave her a stern look: "Didn't you say you couldn't stand up straight? Let me see your injuries."
The girl's heart pounded like a drum; she shook her head desperately, her eyes brimming with tears.
"No, no, let Ah Liu come, let Ah Liu come. Your Highness is already unwell, and men and women should not touch each other. Your Highness and this servant should be innocent."
Qi Fan's expression darkened slightly: "Innocence?"
He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Today I will sever all ties between us and see if you can find a new master."
Jiang Zhuoying paused for a moment, then quickly grasped the meaning of his words.
"No...no way!"
She tugged at her sash, desperately trying to back away.
"Waaah, I was wrong. I shouldn't have gone looking for Miss Jiang. I'll never go again."
"Actually, I didn't tell Miss Jiang anything about the Third Prince, nor did I go looking for a new master. Waaah, Second Prince, please listen to me..."
Her eyes were filled with fear, her nose was red, and a few tears were about to fall, bending her originally curled eyelashes.
Qi Fan slowly straightened up, his face as cold as ice.
Jiang Zhuoying was stunned for a moment, then saw that the person was already standing upright by the bed, staring at her with a cold expression.
Her heart was pounding, she was breathing heavily, and her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at the man who stood upright.
He no longer showed any sign of the discomfort he had just experienced.
Was what happened just now a fake? Or is what I'm seeing now a fake?
The girl's cherry lips trembled slightly. He was clearly standing in front of her, and it was that familiar face. Which one was the real him?
“Give me a detailed account, without omitting a single word.”
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Author's note: Between Qi Gou and Ying Bao, who is the better at pretending?
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