Chapter Twenty-Three: The Second Piece of Gum
In the end, the three of them went to the hunting grounds together.
From afar, Li Bao'er could hear the boys' hearty laughter.
Zhang Chi, Xiao Han, and Li Qing rode in on horseback, their clothes fluttering, exuding youthful spirit.
Zhang Chi, dressed in indigo riding attire, was the first to rein in his horse and stop in front of her, his smile as bright as the rising sun: "Sister Bao'er, it's been a long time. Your outfit today probably outshines all the red leaves on the mountain."
Ye Yun rested her chin on her hand, secretly observing the two people not far away. "I agree. No one in the capital is prettier than Sister Bao'er. And Prince Jing and Sister Bao'er are actually quite a good match."
Xiao Han followed closely behind, his gentle eyes filled with concern: "I heard you weren't feeling well a few days ago, are you feeling much better now?"
Li Qing, being the most impulsive, immediately dismounted and grabbed Li Bao'er: "Sister Bao'er, come quick! We've just discovered a gathering place for wild deer!"
"I knew it was you as soon as I saw three figures from afar," Bao'er replied with a smile.
Li Yu's voice suddenly rang out: "When has my sister ever been unattractive?"
Before the words were even finished, the three of them met and suddenly froze.
It was only then that they noticed the figure behind Li Bao'er.
Why does this person look so much like Prince Jing, Mu Cenlin?
Zhang Chi's smile froze on his face, Xiao Han silently took half a step back, and even the most boisterous Li Qing instantly became as docile as a quail.
The three of them looked at Li Yu in disbelief, only to see Li Yu nod with her eyes closed.
The three of them hurriedly bowed, their voices growing weaker and weaker as they said, "Your Highness."
Li Bao'er couldn't help but laugh.
These usually fearless young men were now like rabbits seeing an eagle.
Li Bao'er tried to smooth things over, saying, "Don't be so reserved."
Actually, she didn't understand what Mu Cenlin wanted to do either.
He should hate himself, so why is he going to walk with her and Ayu today?
She glanced at him discreetly and saw that he had a calm expression and a distant gaze, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
On second thought, Li Bao'er suddenly understood something.
As the Prince of Jing, Mu Cen was isolated and helpless in the royal family, and was ostracized everywhere. Perhaps he just wanted to use her to escape those oppressive situations.
Thinking of this, a strange pity arose in her heart.
Li Bao'er suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Mu Cenlin's hand, looked up at him with her eyes sparkling with anticipation: "I've heard that His Highness Prince Jing's horsemanship and archery are unparalleled in Da Lin. Why don't you show us your skills later?"
Mu Cenlin looked down at her. The girl stood in his shadow, her fair cheeks softened by the sunlight, and her bright eyes held a hint of adoration and anticipation.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and after a moment of silence, he finally replied calmly, "Okay."
Li Bao'er immediately smiled radiantly.
Not far away, Zhang Chi quietly tugged at Li Yu's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Does Sister really not like the Third Prince?"
Li Qing also chimed in, her face full of gossip: "I thought this was Bao'er's new trick, but judging from this, it seems like she's genuinely interested in His Highness Prince Jing?"
Xiao Han stood alone to the side, his gaze fixed on the two figures pressed close together, his expression somber.
Standing together, they exuded an indescribable harmony, as if they were born to be this way.
Li Yu was initially skeptical of her sister's explanation, after all, everyone knew about her past infatuation with the Third Prince.
But seeing it with his own eyes now, he had to admit that his sister's attitude towards Prince Jing was indeed different.
He curled his lip, feigning arrogance, and said, "Who cares? Whoever my sister likes is her good fortune! Who in the capital is prettier than her? That idiot Mu Yuan doesn't know how to cherish her, serves him right!"
Zhang Chi's gaze shifted back and forth between Li Bao'er and Mu Cenlin, and he chuckled, "I do agree. Sister Bao'er is indeed the most beautiful woman in the capital. But then again, she and His Highness Prince Jing really do look very well-matched."
Upon hearing this, Li Yu immediately became displeased. She frowned and snorted coldly, "What nonsense are you talking about? No one in this world is worthy of my sister!"
He glared at Zhang Chi, his tone full of protectiveness, as if he would get angry if anyone dared to say another word.
"Hurry up! If you don't leave now, you'll be getting your riding and archery lessons from Mu Cenlin!" He grabbed Zhang Chi and Li Qing's sleeves, making a move to pull them away.
The three of them were shoving and pushing each other as they prepared to slip away, but Zhang Chi caught a glimpse of Xiao Han standing to the side.
The boy's expression was calm, but a hint of loneliness was hidden in his eyes.
Zhang Chi sighed inwardly, and couldn't help but think of what had happened a few days ago.
That night, upon learning that Li Bao'er was about to marry Prince Jing, Xiao Han got drunk for the first time ever.
He, who was usually the most composed, murmured in his drunken stupor, "If only I had known..." He didn't finish his sentence before slumping onto the table and falling silent.
Xiao Han was three years older than them, and he was meticulous and never showed his emotions.
Zhang Chi kept his feelings for Li Bao'er very hidden. If it weren't for that drunken outburst, he would never have even noticed.
But now, looking at Xiao Han's silent back, Zhang Chi suddenly felt that some worries were perhaps destined to be unsolvable from the very beginning.
A voice suddenly broke in, "Bao'er, we meet again."
Everyone turned around, and then their brows furrowed in unison.
How could it be him?!
Li Bao'er was speechless. In the past, when she tried her best to get close to Mu Yuan, he avoided her like the plague. Now, she wished she could stay as far away from him as possible, but he took the initiative to stick to her.
"Third Prince." Li Bao'er gave a slight curtsy, her tone distant and polite, not even bothering to linger her gaze on him for a second longer.
Today, Mu Yuan was dressed in a plain white brocade robe, his hair tied up with a jade crown, and a gentle smile on his lips. Anyone who saw him would praise him as a "refined gentleman".
"My mother misunderstood something just now. She didn't mean to target you," Mu Yuan said sincerely, looking at her with gentle eyes, as if there had never been any misunderstanding between them.
He was dressed in white today, and with his signature smile, who wouldn't say he was as gentle and refined as jade?
But Li Bao'er really wanted to stay far away from him, especially as the sudden pain in her fingers grew stronger.
The irritability in her heart constantly reminded her that Mu Cenlin was unhappy.
Li Bao'er twitched the corners of her mouth, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "It's alright, I'm used to it. Your Highness doesn't need to explain. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave." With that, she turned to leave, her steps quickening slightly.
"Wait!" Mu Yuan stepped forward to stop her, his smile still gentle.
"Are we going hunting? For this autumn hunt, Father has asked each family to form a team to go together. How about... we form a team?"
The worst thing about traveling to ancient times is that you can't mess with these royal family members, or you could be committing a capital offense at any time.
Li Bao'er has always cherished her life, but now what threatens her life is Mu Cenlin, who turned around and left!
What's beheading compared to the destruction of the world?
001 promptly reported: [Host, the Great Demon King's corruption value is 95! Why does this value only increase and never decrease?!]
[And every time Mu Yuan appears, his corruption level skyrockets!]
Li Bao'er understood that, just as no one would like to see someone they hate arm in arm with their mortal enemy, although Mu Cenlin despised her to death, she was still the future Princess Consort of Jing.
Mu Yuan is always hanging around in front of her, no wonder Mu Cenlin hates her too!
As it turned out, that kid actually huddled together with Zhang Chi and Li Qing, looking excited with a "Wow, there's some juicy gossip to be had!" expression on his face, almost ready to take out some sunflower seeds and start cracking them open!
Even the usually composed Xiao Han stood expressionless to the side, showing no intention of helping.
These heartless people! They can't be relied on at all when it matters!
She's furious! Li Bao'er is furious!
In desperation, she shouted at the disappearing purple figure without regard for anything else:
"Mu Cenlin! You stop right there! You dare to abandon me?!"
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