Chapter 20: courting death, she actually kissed the young master's chin!
"Sizzle!"
It felt as if a micro-current exploded from the contact point in the air, quickly spreading throughout the body.
Time seemed to stand still.
Su Xiaoyu's mind went blank for a moment, and she froze on the spot, forgetting even to breathe.
Only my heart was pounding wildly in my chest, so fast it felt like it was going to shatter my ribs.
Xiao Jingheng was also stunned!
The touch on her chin was very light, like a petal falling on her skin, with the softness unique to a young girl's lips, and a faint sweet fragrance of osmanthus cake lingering in the air.
His previously calm eyes suddenly welled up with emotion, his breathing paused involuntarily, and even the hand holding the pen stiffened slightly.
This was the first time he had been so close to a woman, close enough to smell the faint scent of soap in her hair, to see the fine downy hairs clinging to her eyelashes, and to feel the faint warmth emanating from her body.
This was a strange feeling I had never experienced before.
Well, I'm not against it.
There's even a vague reluctance to let go.
His gaze fell on Su Xiaoyu's flushed face, which was so close to his own. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open in shock, and he could clearly see his reflection in them.
Xiao Jingheng's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, his eyes as dark as unyielding ink.
"Young Master! This servant...this servant didn't mean it!"
Su Xiaoyu seemed incoherent, her cheeks were flushed red, and her eyes darted around, but she didn't dare to look at Xiao Jingheng.
[Su Xiaoyu is going to die! She was clinging to the young master's leg a few days ago, and today she actually kissed the young master's chin! This is no way to court death! o(╥﹏╥)o]
[But what if the prince thinks I'm deliberately seducing him? Oh no, I heard he's extremely self-disciplined and hates this kind of unruly behavior! Slaps on the hand? Kneeling as punishment? Not being allowed to eat? Will he just sell me off? Waaah... my roast chicken, my cherry pastries... all ruined!]
A series of thoughts echoed in Xiao Jingheng's ears.
The emotions that had been churning from that unexpected contact were strangely calmed down after hearing these jumbled thoughts.
Why is she so worried? Does she really think I'm so unreasonable and prone to punishing people?
He lowered his eyelids, his gaze falling on the character "fish".
"So careless and sloppy, what kind of behavior is this?"
His voice regained its usual coolness, even becoming more austere than usual.
"That's all for today's calligraphy practice. After dinner, come to the study and copy the first ten lines of the Thousand Character Classic five times."
Su Xiaoyu was in a state of great panic when she heard this and was stunned!
She was just copying a book! It wasn't a beating on the hands, a forced kneeling, or being deprived of food.
Is the young master... not going to punish her?
"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you. I will come after dinner!"
She readily agreed, her face instantly brightening from gloom to sunshine, her large eyes regaining the radiance of relief after surviving a disaster.
Seeing her carefree attitude, Xiao Jingheng felt a lump in his throat.
never mind!
She's just an immature girl, why bother arguing with her?
He waved his hand, signaling Su Xiaoyu to step back. Then he called Changfeng over.
"Your Highness, you wanted to see me?" Changfeng pushed open the door and came in.
Xiao Jingheng stood up, walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his back, and suddenly gave him an order:
"Tomorrow is the Shangsi Festival. There's nothing much going on at the manor. Go to Zuixianlou and book a private room on the second floor with a view of the street."
Changfeng was stunned for a moment, secretly surprised.
The young master has never liked to join in the hustle and bustle during festivals. In previous years, he would either handle official business in his study or go to a secluded villa outside the city during the Shangsi Festival. Why is he suddenly going to book a private room at Zuixianlou this year?
Although he was puzzled, he still respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness, I will make the arrangements immediately. But... does Your Highness wish to host a banquet for guests?"
Xiao Jingheng remained silent for a moment.
He couldn't very well say that he was thinking about how Su Xiaoyu had gone to Zuixianlou with Xiao Jingxuan the last time, and how she had been thinking about how delicious the Linglong shrimp there was.
I also recalled how she clung to my leg, crying and begging, her eyes still holding a hint of reluctance towards the pastries on the table.
He simply said, "It's not a banquet. I'll take Su Xiaoyu out for a walk tomorrow."
"Bring the Little Fish Girl?"
Changfeng was startled, thinking he had misheard.
The young master is actually bringing a maid to celebrate the festival? This is unprecedented!
Xiao Jingheng seemed oblivious to his shock and continued, "Remember to reserve a serving of Linglong Shrimp. Also, reserve a serving of each of the other signature dishes."
Changfeng clicked his tongue in amazement.
It's rare to see the Crown Prince so attentive to a girl. Has he finally come to his senses and is about to realize his feelings?
Changfeng responded and swiftly went to carry out his duties.
If Xiao Jingheng knew what Changfeng was thinking, he would definitely scoff at him.
His reason for making these arrangements was simply to balance work and rest.
The girl always seemed a little afraid of him, often thinking that he was going to punish her, and that he was serious and unapproachable.
Taking her out for a walk this time will help her relax, and perhaps... we can hear some useful thoughts more quickly.
After all, those gossip-like comments about the court and the crisis tend to emerge more easily when she is most relaxed.
...
Meanwhile, on her way back to the courtyard, Su Xiaoyu happened to 'bump into' someone.
Xiao Jingxuan.
"Little Fish! Su Xiaoyu!"
A deliberately lowered voice came from behind the artificial hill.
Su Xiaoyu was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw Xiao Jingxuan peeking out from behind the artificial hill and waving at her vigorously.
"Second Young Master? What are you doing here?"
As she approached, she saw that Xiao Jingxuan was dressed in a practical outfit, his hair was a little messy, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead.
His handsome face seemed a little nervous, a far cry from the carefree and playboy image he had when they first met.
Xiao Jingxuan glanced around to make sure no one was there before stepping out from behind the artificial hill.
He looked Su Xiaoyu up and down, his eyes filled with sympathy and guilt:
"Little Fish, I heard you were transferred to serve in my eldest brother's study. Are you... alright?"
"It's all my fault, I've dragged you into this."
His older brother was an ice-cold man, a ruthless and merciless figure, who would punish anyone without regard for family ties.
Putting everything else aside, he himself has been suffering terribly these past few days. Not only does he have to practice horse stance for two hours every day at the martial arts training ground, but he also has to be watched by Master Wu with a rattan cane. If he shakes it even slightly, he gets a slap on the calf, making him grimace in pain.
That's not all; his entire monthly allowance was embezzled by his heartless older brother, and he even had to borrow money from Lingxi to buy snacks.
If his own younger brother is treated like this, who knows what kind of torture Su Xiaoyu, this "accomplice," will suffer in his older brother's hands.
Xiao Jingxuan felt increasingly guilty as he thought about it. Looking at Xiaoyu's face, it seemed... quite rosy?
He automatically filled in the blanks in his mind, thinking that Su Xiaoyu was forcing a smile, which made him feel even worse.
“Little Fish, tell me honestly, how did your older brother punish you? Did he make you grind ink all day long, nitpick and find fault with everything, force you to memorize those tongue-twisting laws, or... cut back on your food?”
"You must have been wronged. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have done that day..."
"Second Young Master!" Su Xiaoyu quickly interrupted him when she saw that what he said was a bit outrageous: "The Young Master didn't punish me much, really."
If we're talking about punishment, wouldn't copying books count?
But she made such a big mistake, and the punishment of copying books was nothing to Su Xiaoyu.
Furthermore, the Crown Prince rewarded her with delicious food and personally taught her to write.
Therefore, she genuinely didn't feel wronged at all.
But when Xiao Jingxuan saw her forced smile and her attempt to comfort him, he felt even worse.
He felt that Xiaoyu was afraid to tell the truth because of her elder brother's intimidation, and might even have been threatened!
That guy, my brother, is a master at tormenting people in this subtle way!
Just that cold, icy gaze is enough to make your legs go weak for three days.
Not to mention the endless 'educational' methods. How could a little girl like Xiaoyu withstand them?
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