"Mr. Tao? Mr. Tao!" Ryan called out several times.
Mr. Tao snapped out of his daze. "What's wrong?"
"Something must be wrong with you," Ryan asked, puzzled. "You've been lost in thought ever since you started."
"I apologize, it brought back some memories." Mr. Tao looked at Shi Xi. "Where is the Princess from?"
"Just call me Shi Xi. I'm not a princess yet." Shi Xi clarified again, "I'm from Fengcheng, China."
“Fengcheng,” Mr. Tao repeated, then asked, “May I ask what your mother’s name is?”
Shi Xi: ?
Ryan: ? ?
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Shi Xi became cautious.
"It's nothing, I just think you look alike to an old friend of mine," Mr. Tao said apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."
"I see..." Shi Xi thought for a moment, then gave her mother's name and her father's name as well. "My parents are very loving."
Mr. Tao smiled and said, "It seems I was wrong."
"It's alright, beautiful people all look somewhat alike," Shi Xi said magnanimously.
Mr. Tao finally returned to normal.
Shi Xi chatted with him for a while and found that he was indeed knowledgeable and had his own insights into current affairs.
Aside from the initial rudeness, he behaved like a normal person afterward.
Mr. Tao did not stay in the palace; he only stayed there for an hour before leaving.
"When we get married, Mr. Tao will walk you down the aisle," Ryan said longingly, his eyes shining brightly.
Shi Xi was stunned by his longing expression.
She's not stupid; she can clearly tell whether someone is good to her or not.
"Do you like Mr. Tao?" Shi Xi asked suspiciously.
"Of course I like it!" Ryan said without hesitation.
“I mean, uh, the kind of liking you have for him that you want to marry.” Shi Xi’s eyes were full of understanding. “I’m not feudal, and I won’t look down on you.”
Ryan was speechless: "...You're overthinking it. I just admire his knowledge."
Shi Xi: "Okay, I believe you."
"I'll take you back to your room." Ryan pushed Shi Xi in her wheelchair, and after a few steps, he suddenly asked, "You don't actually believe me, do you?"
Shi Xi: "Respect, blessings."
Ryan: ...
Back in her room, Shi Xi thought about the details of the day again.
I was just joking with Ryan.
But she could tell that Ryan didn't care about her.
Saying he liked her and wanted to marry her as his princess were just empty words.
The way Ryan looked at her wasn't as bright as the way he looked at Mr. Tao.
Shi Xi imagined a story in her mind that would last 100,000 words: a younger prince and a cold and aloof grand tutor who would fall in love and hate each other but could not be together due to societal constraints, and in the end could only marry a cannon fodder female supporting character.
She was, of course, the cannon fodder female supporting character.
After thinking it over, Shi Xi sighed.
What choice does she have?
She can't even get out of bed.
Waaah, legs, okay.
Once her leg heals, she'll escape this dilapidated palace as soon as possible!
*
Not many people knew about Shi Xi's time in the palace.
Even to the Shi family, Shi Xu only said that Shi Xi was unwell and had been sent abroad for treatment.
If anyone wanted to visit Shixi, Shixu would make up various excuses to delay.
Fortunately, Shi Xu was always steady and reliable, and his family trusted him completely and had no doubts about him.
Xie Yunzhou is also lying in the hospital.
The good news is that his internal organs weren't damaged; the bad news is that Xie Er has already been taken away by Xie Laobao.
The market battle between Xie Yunzhou and Xie Er ended with Xie Lao exerting strong pressure.
Xie Er survived, but all the money he invested in Fengcheng was lost.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
