"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Seeing that Gu Zhixing seemed to be getting up to leave, Shen Jintang called out to him.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhixing, who was about to get up, stopped abruptly, his body stiffening slightly.
He looked up and saw the man leaning lazily against the gilded brazier, his fingertips lightly twirling a string of coral beads. His smiling eyes were curved, as if they held the warm spring sun, and were even more radiant than the beads in his hand.
It really is her!
As dusk deepened, the scene resembled a light ink landscape painting.
Shen Jintang walked towards him with light steps, her toes shattering the last rays of the sunset.
As he watched Shen Jintang walk gracefully toward him, his heart began to race.
For some reason, the tips of his ears gradually turned crimson, spreading to his cheeks, making him feel somewhat flustered.
He still clearly remembered kissing her that day; her lips were soft and warm, and the sensation seemed to linger on his lips and teeth.
"Academy has so many classes that they last this long?"
Shen Jintang had already walked up to him, leaned forward slightly, and reached out to take the book from his hand.
Her jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, gently brushing against Gu Zhixing's burning ear tips.
Shen Jintang stared into his eyes and asked, "Are you deliberately avoiding me?"
Gu Zhixing turned his face away in a panic, but the blush seemed to spread uncontrollably from the tip of his ear all the way to his neck, like a flower petal that had been thoroughly warmed by the spring sun.
"Your Highness, are you even listening to me?"
Shen Jintang shook the book in her hand, and the pair of jade bracelets on her wrists clinked together, making a crisp sound, which startled Gu Zhixing and made the blush on his ears deepen.
In the past few days, he often recalled the day he held the bracelet on her wrist, pressed her against the table and kissed her gently, the bracelet even digging into his palm.
Shen Jintang gently placed the book on the table, lightly pressed her palm against the surface, and bent down slightly to get closer to Gu Zhixing. Her beautiful face was right in front of her, and her breath was filled with the fragrance of her body. The scents of sandalwood and styrax intertwined and wafted towards her.
Gu Zhixing suddenly leaned back.
Shen Jintang's fingertips lightly brushed against Gu Zhixing's fingers, seemingly teasing him intentionally or unintentionally: "Why are you hiding? Where has your courage gone, the courage you had to bite my lipstick before?"
Gu Zhixing stammered at her question, his mind a jumbled mess, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.
Shen Jintang chuckled softly, her laughter as clear and melodious as a silver bell.
As she swayed, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted through the air. Suddenly, she shoved the hand warmer into Gu Zhixing's arms. "Look at your hands, they're ice cold. Let me warm them for you."
Seeing Gu Zhixing's expression, Shen Jintang did not make any further moves. She simply stared into his eyes and asked, "Since you took my things, shouldn't you come home with me?"
"Back...back!"
Gu Zhixing nodded hurriedly, looking like a fawn being stared at by a wild beast, flustered and somewhat helpless.
The two walked outside together, and the surrounding air seemed to become thick and sticky, carrying a hint of ambiguous feelings that were hard to define.
Gu Zhixing was filled with a myriad of thoughts. He had imagined Shen Jintang's attitude towards him countless times, whether it was indifferent or distant, but he never expected it to be like this.
Could it be that Shen Jintang wasn't entirely without feelings for him?
As they walked, Shen Jintang tugged at Gu Zhixing's sleeve, heading towards the carriage.
Her cloak, embroidered with golden butterflies, fluttered gently in the wind, rustling softly as it swept across the fallen leaves.
Gu Zhixing's gaze unconsciously fell on the jade necklace around her neck, which swayed with her every step. His thoughts instantly drifted back to that day when he kissed her, and the necklace was swaying incessantly, just like it was now.
Just as Shen Jintang was about to board the carriage.
"careful!"
Gu Zhixing suddenly shouted, and just as Shen Jintang stepped onto the carriage footboard, three crossbow bolts pierced the carriage shaft with deadly accuracy, making a dull thud.
Outside, the horses neighed in fright and reared up on their hind legs.
The carriage curtain was cleaved into countless shreds by the assassin's blade, which flew through the air.
Gu Zhixing reacted quickly, grabbing Shen Jintang's waist and jumping out of the car.
"Blazing Fire!" Shen Jintang called out to the side.
Liu Huo drew his longsword, its light as bright as a rainbow, instantly sweeping away the rain of arrows.
"Close your eyes!"
Gu Zhixing gave a low shout and wrapped Shen Jintang completely in his cloak.
As he spun around, he took a knife blow to his left shoulder, and blood instantly stained his clothes.
"master!"
Chongyang threw a long sword at Gu Zhixing.
He held Shen Jintang tightly behind him and took the long sword from her.
Then, he precisely deflected a hidden arrow aimed straight at Shen Jintang's throat.
Blood splattered and landed on Shen Jintang's embroidered golden butterfly collar. The bright red color contrasted sharply with the golden butterfly, making it extremely glaring.
"call--"
In the distance, the bugle call of the patrol battalion suddenly rang out, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Upon hearing the horn, the assassins exchanged glances, a hint of resentment flashing in their eyes, yet they knew the situation was hopeless. They retreated as silently as they had come.
Gu Zhixing breathed a sigh of relief, clutching the sword wound on his shoulder, and leaned against the carriage.
Seeing the sword wound on Gu Zhixing's shoulder spreading dark red in the twilight, Shen Jintang gripped the torn hem of her silk skirt and pressed her fingertips steadily and gently against his wound: "Tell me if it hurts."
"It's alright."
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he saw that Shen Jintang's usually composed eyes were now filled with anxiety, as if she had returned to the time three days ago in the bedroom when he kissed her so hard that she lost her composure and her eyes had turned red in the same way.
Bloodstains spread along the plain white fabric, turning the gold-embroidered lotus scrolls crimson.
"What's going on?" Gu Zhixing asked.
He could tell that the assassins were well-prepared and had a clear target, namely Shen Jintang.
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