Chapter 51 Sweet Interlude
"Brother Aye! Put me down! This is disgraceful!"
【Ahhhhh~ Don’t I have any dignity? 】
Dongfang Yuning's exclamation was carried away by the whistling wind and instantly left behind. The scenery before her eyes fell rapidly, twisted, and stretched. The feeling of weightlessness made her instinctively hug the only source of warmth in front of her - Nangong Ye's neck.
[Ahhhhhhhh! Flying! Really flying! Qinggong! It's Qinggong! Oh my god!]
The initial shock was completely overwhelmed by the surging excitement. Her eyes widened, brighter than the finest black jade, and filled with pure, childlike novelty and ecstasy.
The Jiangnan Province autumn grain, the Ministry of Works budget, were all thrown out of the window at this moment. Only one thought remained in my mind, frantically scrolling through the screen:
[I can fly! I want to learn too! My dream of the martial arts world! My dream of learning martial arts~~~for the rest of my life!]
Nangong Ye felt the person in his arms stiffen for a moment, and then he immediately became hot with excitement, and the sense of joy that penetrated his chest. The grievances and jealousy that had accumulated due to being ignored were like a punctured skin bag, and most of them leaked out with a "puff", leaving only overflowing softness and pampering.
His powerful arms were firmly around her waist, his toes tapping the glazed tiles for leverage, and his body was like a nimble black hawk, soaring over the towering palace walls and heading towards the rarely visited Imperial Garden, Beiyuan, deep in the palace.
He lowered his head slightly, his chin almost touching her smooth forehead, his warm breath brushing her temples, his voice low and soft, with a tortuous grievance, like it was soaked in honey and coated in vinegar:
"Unbecoming? When has Ning'er ever had any regard for propriety? After leaving the court, she ran away faster than a frightened deer, not even bothering to glance at me... Those yellow and white things, those account books, are they really that beautiful? More attractive than me?"
The last sentence has a long tail, with cautious temptation and a strong sour taste.
Dongfang Yuning was still greedily looking at the pavilions and towers that flew by at his feet. Hearing this, he subconsciously retorted:
[Of course it looks good! That's my foundation! My confidence! Without it, how could I...?]
She paused for a moment, and finally took her eyes off the magnificent flying scenery, looking up at the handsome face so close to her.
He lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his expression... revealed a sense of being neglected and desolate, like a large dog guarding an empty food bowl.
[Uh... seems... a little... pitiful? ]
She was worried in her heart.
"But you can't blame me. Starting a business is hard... But... he looks... interesting in a way you don't usually see...?"
"cough,"
Dongfang Yuning cleared his throat, trying to calm his mind, which had been somewhat disturbed by the flight, and regain his calmness in his work.
"Brother Aye, business is important. The skin care workshop and the women's college are both booming, and there are so many things to do right now. How can we afford to slack off? Besides..."
"Besides what?"
Nangong Ye interrupted her and tightened his arms around her. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that he could even clearly feel her heartbeat, which was slightly accelerated due to excitement, beating against his chest like a drum.
He deliberately moved closer, his nose almost touching hers, and lowered his voice even lower, with a slightly annoying nasal tone.
"Besides, the Prime Minister's carefully trimmed beard is actually more appealing to Ning'er than my face. You stared at it for a long time after leaving court this morning..."
【!!! 】
Dongfang Yuning's heart beat violently, and a heat rushed to his cheeks.
[How did he find out?! I was only thinking about it... Did I lose control of my expression?!]
Her face flushed instantly, her eyes flickered, and she said with all her might:
"Brother Aye, stop... talking nonsense! I, I was just... observing the officials! Yes, observing the court's demeanor!"
The excuse she came up with seemed so far-fetched that even she herself felt it was a lie.
"Oh? Appearance..."
Nangong Ye dragged out his words, the smile in his eyes spreading like ripples, unable to hide it. Seeing her trying to be calm but blushing, his heart softened. Like flying? Fine, then let her like it even more.
He no longer dwelled on the beard issue. With a push of his feet, he suddenly rose high, and like an arrow shot from a bow, he flew towards the osmanthus forest in full bloom deep in the imperial garden. The rich, sweet fragrance instantly enveloped the two of them like a tide.
"ah!"
The sudden increase made Dongfang Yuning gasp, and her arms instinctively wrapped around him tighter, her whole body almost embedded in his arms.
[It's even higher! The sweet scent of osmanthus! It's amazing!]
Her heart was almost overflowing with joy.
Nangong Ye felt satisfied with this complete dependence, and landed steadily on the gnarled branches of a huge laurel tree in the forest. Here, the lush branches and leaves formed a natural and quiet hidden space. Only fragmented sunlight like golden powder filtered through the cracks, and the air was filled with golden dust and an intoxicating sweet fragrance.
He carefully placed her on a thick and stable horizontal branch, and stood beside her, holding the tree trunk firmly with one hand and the other hand still loosely around her waist, protecting her well.
"Do you still like it?"
He looked down at her, his voice so gentle that water could drip out of it, and his eyes were focused, as if she was the only one left in the world.
The blush on Dongfang Yuning's cheeks had not yet faded, and her eyes were lit up by excitement and this dreamy scene. Hearing this, she nodded vigorously, not concealing her joy:
"Mm! I love it! This scene is just like a painting! Brother Aye..."
As the emotion came to her mind, the name she had called him in childhood came out of her mouth. She paused slightly and her face became even hotter.
Nangong Ye's heart skipped a beat the moment she called out "Brother Aye", and then began to beat wildly like a drum!
He forced down the ecstasy and elation that threatened to overflow from his lips, his face remaining gentle, though the light in his eyes was startlingly bright. He raised his eyebrows, accurately capturing her strongest desire at the moment:
"Want to learn this art of moving?"
"think!"
Dongfang Yuning's eyes instantly brightened, and he nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his thirst for knowledge overflowing.
"Can I learn it? Is it difficult? How long does it take to build a solid foundation? How many years should I practice horse stance? Should I practice in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer? I'm not afraid of hardship!"
The career mindset is completely offline, and the heroic spirit of the underworld takes over.
Nangong Ye looked at her eager and ambitious appearance, and felt pity and amusement in his heart, but more of it was deep heartache.
He stretched out his hand, and with his lightly calloused fingertips he lightly brushed her cheek, which was slightly hot from excitement. His movements were careful and contained an unmistakable possessiveness and tenderness.
"The hardships of practicing martial arts are beyond the endurance of ordinary people."
His voice was low, with undeniable tenderness.
"In winter, the wind is biting cold, and in summer, the heat is unbearable. My muscles and bones ache at the slightest movement, and my clothes are soaked with sweat... I..."
He stared into her eyes and said word by word, as if promising:
"I can't bear to see you suffer this. If you want to fly, I will take you flying anytime!"
Can't bear to...
These three words were like feathers with tiny hooks, gently scratching Dongfang Yuning's heart, causing a strange numbness and warmth.
She looked into his deep eyes, revealing the undisguised tenderness and devotion, and her heartbeat suddenly became erratic. A strange, sweet warmth quietly surged over her, diluting the slight disappointment of being rejected from martial arts training.
"Then...will you keep your word?"
She unconsciously softened her voice, with a hint of naive dependence that she herself was not aware of.
"A promise is worth a thousand gold."
Nangong Ye's lips curled up, a smile reaching his eyes, revealing an intoxicating tenderness. Like a magic trick, he pulled out a delicate oil-paper package from his sleeve and opened it. Several crystal-clear lychee candies coated in fine white sugar frosting lay quietly inside, emitting an alluring sweet fragrance.
“!”
Dongfang Yuning's eyes lit up instantly, as if filled with stars. This was her favorite secret snack from the palace, and it was not available anywhere else.
Nangong Ye picked up a plump candy and brought it to her bright red lips, signaling with his eyes and speaking softly:
"Try it?"
[He even remembered to prepare this?!]
The villain in Dongfang Yuning's heart was extremely surprised, but his body leaned forward slightly with great honesty and opened his mouth obediently.
The slightly cool fingertips accidentally brushed against her tender lips. The rough touch with thin calluses made her tremble slightly, and a subtle electric current seemed to run through her.
The sweet and cool taste instantly melts on the tip of the tongue, and the rich lychee aroma fills the mouth and goes all the way to the heart.
Nangong Ye looked at her with his eyes narrowed in satisfaction, like a cat warmed by the sun and stroked by its fur. The last bit of grievance in his heart completely disappeared, leaving only the sweetness like honey that was about to overflow.
He leaned over slightly and gently rested his forehead against hers. Their breaths blended instantly, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the sweetness of lychee candy in the air intertwined and entangled, so ambiguous that one could almost pull out a sticky and lingering thread.
"Ning'er..."
He called out softly, his voice tinged with hoarseness and possessing a bewitching magnetism.
"After the court session, can you wait for me? Just for a moment..."
Like a big child asking for something he loved, he nuzzled her nose affectionately.
"Let me take a look at you and say a few words... Otherwise, here,"
He took her soft hand and pressed it against his firm and warm chest.
"It's like a piece of me has been ripped out. I feel empty and uncomfortable."
Beneath his palm, he could hear his steady, powerful, yet unusually rapid heartbeat. Boom! Boom! Boom! It could be clearly heard through the fabric, carrying a scorching warmth.
Dongfang Yuning felt as if the palm of his hand was burned, and subconsciously wanted to pull it back, but his warm big palm held it firmly.
[This heartbeat...why is it so fast...]
Her head was dizzy. The sweetness of sugar, the fragrance of osmanthus, the refreshing and pleasant scent of him, and the vigorous and hot vitality under her palm... mixed into a strange and strong feeling of dizziness that swept over all her senses.
Looking at his handsome face so close to me, his deep eyes clearly reflected my own small, somewhat bewildered reflection, filled with undisguised grievances and desires...
The words of rejection rolled around on the tip of his tongue before eventually disappearing.
"……Um."
A syllable, so light that it was almost blown away by the wind, escaped from her lips with a shy promise.
Nangong Ye's eyes suddenly burst into brilliant light, and thousands of stars lit up at the same time!
The immense ecstasy of regaining what had been lost overwhelmed him like a tide.
He could no longer hold back his tender feelings, so he lowered his head and placed a kiss as gentle as a feather brushing against her smooth and slightly cool forehead, filled with infinite cherishment.
"My Ning'er..."
He whispered with a sigh, feeling satisfied as if he owned the whole world.
Dongfang Yuning only felt the warmth on her forehead spread rapidly, burning her cheeks. Her head buzzed and completely turned into a paste soaked in syrup and floral fragrance. She could only look stupidly at his handsome face with a smile so close to her.
[Host! Host! State of emergency!]
System 118 issued a sharp alarm in the depths of consciousness, and the data stream flashed wildly.
[Target Nangong Ye's behavioral pattern has exceeded the threshold for abnormality! Host preference accuracy: Lychee Candy (consistent with historical records), flight preference (inferred based on this behavioral observation), interception location (87.3% probability based on the host's fixed behavioral pattern)...
However, capturing and responding to the host's momentary mental activity (such as the momentary attention paid to the Prime Minister's beard) presents a logical paradox! The error rate exceeds acceptable limits! Strongly requesting the initiation of a deep core scan!
Suspected high-level information interference or host consciousness leakage risk! Host! Please stay awake! Your physiological indicators are abnormal! This is extremely dangerous! It may involve...]
However, at this moment, Dongfang Yuning's soul seemed to still linger on the warm and numb touch on her forehead, immersed in the sea of stars that lit up for her in Nangong Ye's eyes.
The rapid, logically analyzed alarm of System 118 sounded to her like a thick, warm sugar shell, blurry and powerless, unable to penetrate her hazy state of mind wrapped in sweetness and throbbing.
Danger? Where was the danger? She only saw the joy in the man's heart and eyes, only felt the lingering, heart-pounding tenderness on her forehead, only remembered the grievance in his voice that softened her heart and the satisfaction of having gotten what she wanted.
Nangong Ye heard the sharp fluctuations of System 118, a flash of intense suspicion and computational overload, deep in her consciousness. The smile in his eyes deepened, with a hint of cunning and understanding that saw through everything.
It’s great to be able to hear it.
He stretched out his hand and gently tucked a strand of her hair that was blown by the wind behind her small ear. His fingertips seemed to linger on her delicate and sensitive earlobe for a moment, causing her to shudder slightly.
"It's windy and cold. Shall we go down?"
He asked in a low voice, his tone full of care and consideration.
Dongfang Yuning blushed, rubbed his arms lovingly, nodded gently, and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, as if that was the safest place in the world.
Nangong Ye tightened his arms contentedly, tapped the branch with his toes, and the two of them jumped down lightly again, like entwined mandarin ducks, and flew towards the quieter depths of the garden.
The sleeves of the black python robe and the crimson palace dress fluttered in the falling golden osmanthus rain.
System 118 looked at its host, who was completely mesmerized by the "beauty" and whose data analysis module was almost paralyzed.
Looking at the prince who was hugging the host, with a smug look on his face and exuding the aura of "planning master", the core processor became hot, and finally he could only silently and resignedly call up the virtual melon seed program in the background and started to chew on it.
[…Deep scan request…Rejected (Host's consciousness is too immersed, forcing a scan is risky). Note: The current scene's sweetness index is severely overflowing, significantly interfering with the host's rational judgment…Continuing observation…Keaking melon seeds data backup initiated.]
While chewing on the non-existent melon seeds, it diligently (and tirelessly) recorded the data of this secret date, which was so sweet that it was almost like pulling out physical sugar threads.
Deep in the osmanthus forest, only a few startled fallen golden petals and the rich, indissoluble, sweet fragrance linger for a long time.
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