"Huh?" Xia Linyin was stunned for a moment, then regretted making a silly mistake. She had accidentally blurted out Cinderella's name without thinking. "I..."
Cinderella interrupted Charlene without any politeness, but then asked in an extremely respectful tone, "Are you investigating me?"
"Ah! No, it's not..." Xia Linyin retorted, but her voice lacked conviction. She nodded. "Okay, I did investigate you, that's because—"
Xia Linyin clutched her chest, gazing deeply into Cinderella's pale golden eyes, "I fell in love with you at first sight."
Xia Linyin confessed her feelings to Xiao Li without any pressure, "Ever since I caught a glimpse of you outside the carriage window last time, I have been unable to eat or sleep and have been thinking about you constantly since I returned to the palace."
Cinderella let out a clear, bell-like laugh, revealing her two adorable little tiger teeth, but she quickly suppressed her smile, giving Xia Linyin a cold, piercing smirk. "Your Highness, you've probably said that to many girls, haven't you?"
Seeing the blatant sarcasm in Cinderella's eyes, Xia Linyin felt like she had gotten off to a bad start. The two had only just met, and she was already being disliked by Xiao Li.
Instead of increasing Xiao Li's affection for her, it actually turned Xiao Li's affection for her into a negative number.
Su Yu had told her that although Xiao Li didn't recognize her when she first entered the spiritual world, she would instinctively feel a good impression of her. As this good impression deepened, Xiao Li would gradually awaken her memories.
The faster your feelings for her grow, the faster your memories will return.
Now, the way Xiao Li looked at her seemed to have already convinced her that she was a smooth-talking, womanizing man.
Xia Linyin felt a little heartbroken.
Cinderella straightened her face and continued, "But no matter what, this cannot be a reason for you to let your hounds commit violence."
"Those dogs must be hunting dogs kept in the palace. Such fierce animals. As a crown prince who cares for his people, Your Highness should keep the hunting dogs on leashes no matter where you go, even in the woods."
"You should know that when you came to hunt, this forest was not cordoned off."
Unexpectedly, the hounds lost their status so quickly. She hadn't thought that much about it when she made the plan. This hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress plan was indeed not very rigorous, but it was enough for Cinderella, who had her family property seized by her stepmother and was bullied by her stepsisters at will.
The focus wasn't on how the hero saves the damsel in distress, but on the act of saving the damsel in distress itself and what happened afterward. For a girl who had suffered abuse and bullying, the sudden appearance of the prince—handsome, gentle, and gentlemanly—was like a warm light piercing her dark life, pulling her out of her hopeless existence.
In such a situation, it's easy for Cinderella to fall in love with him very quickly.
But now, because of the unexpected fact that Cinderella is Xiao Li, the hero's rescue of the damsel in distress did not proceed as planned, and her plan was seen through at a glance.
"I'm sorry, I didn't manage my hunting dogs well," Xia Linyin apologized sincerely. "I should have had the guards keep them on a leash."
Cinderella, however, did not intend to let Xia Linyin off so easily. For some reason, whenever she saw the prince, she felt an urge to bully him, which was unlike her usual self.
Cinderella sneered again, "Isn't it because you deliberately let the hounds bite me? Otherwise, if your guards can't even control a few hounds and let them attack civilians at will, there's no need to keep them alive."
She moved closer to Xia Linyin, "Your Highness, do you think I'm easy to fool? Do you think that if you show me a little kindness, a charming smile, or a comforting word, I'll fall head over heels in love with you? Let me tell you, I don't need your kindness that's full of lies!"
Faced with such an aggressive Xiao Li, who was still a girl, Xia Linyin was at a loss. If it weren't for her good mental fortitude, she probably would have broken down long ago.
After all, she was now facing a beautiful and cute girl named Xiao Li with a soft and sweet voice and a charming figure.
"Cinderella, calm down. Think about it. As a prince, why would I spend so much time and energy devising a plan that seems full of flaws to you? Just to deceive you? What's the point of that for me?"
Upon hearing Charlene's question, Cinderella showed a thoughtful expression for the first time.
"Because I love you."
The solemn words struck like a hammer blow, hitting the girl's heart with a "thud." She opened her mouth in surprise, trying to see a hint of mockery or amusement on the prince's face, but there was none.
The prince's gaze was so earnest, so earnest, that she almost believed it was real.
But how could such a noble prince possibly be interested in her?
"I'm going home. Please don't follow me anymore, and please don't play jokes on me like that again!"
After angrily uttering a remark, Cinderella slung her bamboo basket over her shoulder and quickly disappeared from Xia Linyin's sight. Her running figure clearly conveyed the feeling of fleeing in panic.
After Cinderella left, Charlene sighed. She needed to process the fact that Xiao Li had become a girl.
The next day, having composed herself, Xia Linyin couldn't wait to change into commoner's clothes and leave the palace to find Cinderella.
A stunningly beautiful young girl was squatting by the river washing clothes, her light golden braids hanging down in front of her. Beside her was a wooden basin piled high with dirty clothes, sheets, and blankets.
The girl's slender hands were already red from washing, and her dress was soaked with large patches of river water, which clung coldly to her skin.
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