Li Rong said nothing.

As she listened to these words, she felt a kind of speechless softness gently enveloping her.

Such gentleness was incomprehensible to her, yet made her feel extremely at ease. For a moment, she felt as if she were eighteen years old.

Only at the age of 18 do I have the qualifications to release my emotions without any reservation and still have someone to comfort and console me.

She lowered her head for a long time, and finally raised her head, a little embarrassedly saying: "I'm sorry to embarrass you."

"How could that be?" Pei Wenxuan laughed, "I am only happy to see His Highness's ferocious look."

When Li Rong heard this, she glared at him with red eyes: "You feel itchy if you don't get scolded for a day, right?"

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan clasped his hands in his sleeves, "You are the one who let me down today. Shouldn't you show some appreciation? Do you know how valuable the flowers you blew up today are?"

"No matter how expensive it is, it's still my money. You must have forgotten where your money comes from." Li Rong sneered, "You spend your money on such useless things all day long. I'm lucky enough not to cause you any trouble. How dare you ask me to pay you back?"

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan brushed his sleeves and said proudly, "You may have forgotten that I am the heir to my father's fortune."

After being scolded by Pei Wenxuan, Li Rong suddenly remembered that ever since the incident at the Pei family, Pei Wenxuan had taken all the money left by his father.

Li Rong raised her eyebrows and said, "Did I underestimate you?"

Pei Wenxuan nodded elegantly: "It's good that Your Highness knows."

Li Rong was speechless for a moment, waved her hands, and walked forward: "Forget it, I won't tell you, it's freezing."

As she spoke, Li Rong hurried towards the room. After she had taken only two steps, she felt Pei Wenxuan's warm cloak covering her. Li Rong glanced at him. Pei Wenxuan was wearing only a single shirt, walking in the corridor with a smile on his lips, and he didn't say a word.

Li Rong quickly looked away and lowered her head forward.

She didn't know why. She didn't feel anything while she was talking, but after she finished speaking, Pei Wenxuan interrupted her and she felt an indescribable embarrassment coming up, making her face hot.

Pei Wenxuan glanced at Li Rong out of the corner of his eye and saw the slight blush on her face. He suppressed the smile on his lips and did not add fuel to the fire at this time.

The two of them entered the room, and Pei Wenxuan escorted Li Rong into the house. When Li Rong thought about having to sleep face to face with Pei Wenxuan again at night, she felt even more nervous.

But she didn't want to push the person away when she had finally agreed to something, so she could only pretend that nothing had happened and turned her back to Pei Wenxuan to wash her hands.

Pei Wenxuan watched Li Rong deliberately busy herself with something else, but she didn't turn around to look at him. He didn't come in either. He clasped his hands in his sleeves, leaned against the door, and smiled at Li Rong's busy work. After a while, Li Rong heard no movement behind her. Finally, she turned around in surprise and saw the young man standing at the door. She couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you come in?"

"Didn't His Highness allow me to sleep in the study?"

Pei Wenxuan responded with confidence.

Li Rong was stunned. She didn't know why, but her nervousness suddenly subsided a lot. At the same time, she became worried about whether Pei Wenxuan was still angry. But as soon as this thought came to her mind, she stopped it, feeling that it was a bit awkward for her to care whether he was angry or not.

For a moment, her thoughts turned over and over, and Pei Wenxuan watched her eyes change. Finally, he heard Li Rong say, "Then what are you still doing standing at the door?"

After saying this, Li Rong seemed to feel that her words were too blunt, so she softened her tone and said, "Go to bed early, you still have to go to court tomorrow."

Pei Wenxuan laughed out loud when he heard her say this. He stood up, saluted towards Li Rong, and said respectfully, "I will follow your Highness's orders. I will take my leave now."

Li Rong responded stiffly, then watched Pei Wenxuan turn around and walk away leisurely.

She stood quietly in the room, a little confused about what Pei Wenxuan meant. They were talking fine just now, so why did he want to sleep in the study again?

As she was thinking, she heard footsteps outside, and then she saw Pei Wenxuan coming back. He came to the door and said with a smile, "I almost forgot something."

"Varied……"

Before she finished speaking, Pei Wenxuan came to her, bent down and kissed her lightly on the face, and said softly, "Your Highness, good night."

Then, without waiting for Li Rong to react, he stood up, turned around and walked out.

Li Rong stood there, expressionless. After a moment, she raised her hand, wiped her face, and muttered, "What a fuss."

After saying this, she finally relaxed, took off Pei Wenxuan's coat and hung it aside, then walked to the bed and sat down gently.

She had not been sitting by the bed for long when she heard Jinglan come in. She looked at Li Rong and said in a restrained tone, "Your Highness, I heard that the Prince Consort will sleep in the study today."

"Well," Li Rong said calmly, "give him an extra quilt."

"Your Highness," Jinglan said with difficulty, "husband and wife cannot hold grudges overnight..."

"We have no grudges, don't worry about it," Li Rong raised her eyelids and said calmly, "My husband and I are just having fun, don't bother us."

"Ah?" Jinglan exclaimed in surprise. Li Rong stood up and walked towards the clean room. She instructed Jinglan, "Send a bowl of ginger soup to the prince consort later to prevent him from catching a cold. Also, have someone find out how much the prince consort has spent on peonies recently, and take out the money from the warehouse and send it to him."

Jinglan listened to Li Rong's words silently, and the more she listened, the more shocked she became. She even had to return the money she spent. What kind of romance was this? This was clearly a separation.

But she also understood Li Rong's personality. If she said more at this moment, Li Rong was afraid that she would be annoyed and dislike her as well. So Jinglan could only hold back her words and said nothing, writing down all of Li Rong's instructions.

Pei Wenxuan walked towards the study room by himself. After entering the study room, he closed the door. Thinking of Li Rong's surprised expression at the end, he laughed out loud with joy.

He also lay down on the small couch. After a moment, he heard Tong Ye's voice coming from outside: "Master, bring the quilt over."

Pei Wenxuan hurriedly sat up and said loudly, "Come in."

Tong Ye held the quilt and pushed the door open to squeeze in. Pei Wenxuan stood up and watched Tong Ye spread the quilt. While spreading the quilt, Tong Ye couldn't help but say, "Sir, what are you angry about with His Highness? You took the initiative to move in to sleep here. I'm afraid His Highness will be mad at you to death."

"Alas, what do you know?" Pei Wenxuan said in disgust. "I'm calling it retreat in order to advance, inviting but also rejecting. This is a tactic."

"I don't understand your tactics."

Tong Ye made the bed and muttered, "I knew it. This small couch in the study is too hard. If you really want to sleep in a separate bed, why not find a guest room to sleep in? Sleeping in the study is just torturing yourself, isn't it?"

"Go, go, go," Pei Wenxuan waved his hand when he saw Tong Ye had almost made the bed, "Can the study and the guest room be the same? I sleep in the study to wait for His Highness to call me back. If I sleep in the guest room, do I still have a reason to go back?"

"Then why don't you just stay?"

Tong Ye asked confidently, leaving Pei Wenxuan speechless. After a moment, he came to his senses and hissed, "I was wondering why you are getting more and more courageous? Don't you want to do it anymore?"

"I'm worried about you," Tong Ye said earnestly, "Sir, love can't stand the test. Since you care about His Highness, you should be more direct. Don't be so shameless. A virtuous woman is afraid of a clinging man. You were originally close to the water and the moon was first, but now you move yourself to the study room. You are cold, hard and lonely. What's the point?"

"What do you want?" Pei Wenxuan raised his eyebrows. "Of course, I want to get the princess. Don't say anything." Pei Wenxuan came over and waved his hand. "Go down. I want to sleep."

When Tong Ye saw that Pei Wenxuan didn't listen to him, he sighed, turned around and left.

After Tong Ye left, Pei Wenxuan turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.

He lay flat at first, then turned over after a while, wondering what Li Rong was doing or thinking at the moment.

He realized that Li Rong must be very embarrassed after saying all this to him today, and it might take her a long time to accept him, so he stepped back and gave Li Rong some time.

Give yourself some time too.

He had never thought that Li Rong would say these to him, but when Li Rong said them, he saw clearly for the first time that the wound left to Li Rong in the previous life was such a deep one.

He thought that time had healed these wounds, but now he realized that wounds cannot be healed out of thin air. They were simply hidden in deeper corners, as if they had disappeared.

But it always exists, and it will play a role quietly in the countless choices in life.

Li Rong is afraid of feelings.

She has been proud all her life, but she has no confidence in herself when it comes to love. Because she knows she is bound to be a loser, she will decisively withdraw from every relationship at the beginning.

This is the deadlock between them. She cannot accept herself and he is too weak.

Therefore, in the previous life, even if there was no Qin Zhenzhen and no Su Rongqing, they would have ended up in this relationship due to other things.

He couldn't force her.

Pei Wenxuan thought quietly, Li Rong was like a cat who had just arrived in the world of love. She was afraid of everything. He could only let her explore and could not put everything in front of her at once.

She can come and go as she pleases. Only when she has enough decision-making power can she feel safe enough.

This is roughly the kind of waiting that Li Rong wants.

The distance between them should be decided by Li Rong, not him.

Li Rong's willingness to take the first step and decide this distance is already a good start.

Pei Wenxuan pursed his lips in the night and couldn't help laughing.

The two of them fell asleep thinking about what happened that night. When it was dawn, Li Rong vaguely heard someone calling her to get up. She subconsciously wanted to call Pei Wenxuan, but then she remembered that Pei Wenxuan had gone to sleep in the study.

She called out in a daze, and Jinglan came in with a light in her hand. The glaring light made Li Rong unable to adapt for a moment, and then she was called out of bed.

In the past, when Pei Wenxuan got up first, he would cover her eyes with a handkerchief, then go back to the window and use his shadow to block the light, while the sudden light blinded her eyes. Then he would take the clothes from under the quilt and help her put them on, making sure she would not be affected by the cold.

Now that he is not here, the servants cannot be so considerate even if they try their best.

But one detail reminded Li Rong of Pei Wenxuan's kindness. She sighed and turned around and asked, "Is the Prince Consort up?"

"The Prince Consort is already waiting in the restaurant," Jingmei said with a smile as she helped Li Rong get dressed, "Would Your Highness like to come over and have dinner with us?"

"Of course it will pass."

Li Rong replied, put on her clothes, and went to the restaurant.

Pei Wenxuan had already changed into his official uniform and was sitting down to read the intelligence that had just been sent back. When Li Rong entered the room, Pei Wenxuan looked up and said with a smile, "Good morning, Your Highness."

"Good morning." Li Rong smiled and looked at the intelligence that had just arrived. "Any special news today?"

"Nothing much," Pei Wenxuan put down the information in his hand and looked at Li Rong, "Did your highness sleep well last night?"

"Very good," Li Rong said, sitting next to Pei Wenxuan, "How about you?"

"Not bad." Pei Wenxuan said. Li Rong nodded and tried to find a topic to talk about. But before she could think of one, she heard Pei Wenxuan say, "Regarding yesterday's assassination, do you plan to report to the court today, or do you plan to wait and see?"

"Let's wait and see." Seeing Pei Wenxuan taking the initiative to bring up the serious matter, Li Rong responded, "Maybe if we don't report it, the mastermind will take the initiative to report him?"

"It's not impossible." Li Rong nodded and said slowly, "Let's wait and see."

Pei Wenxuan responded and started talking to Li Rong about other business. He did not mention a word about what happened last night, as if nothing had happened.

Li Rong followed Pei Wenxuan's words and talked about business, but she always felt a little uneasy in her heart.

She felt like she should say something, but she didn't know what.

After finishing the meal, the two went to court together. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan walked side by side on the corridor. Usually, Pei Wenxuan would always find some reasons or ways to pull her along, but today, Pei Wenxuan was very proper, as if he and her were just colleagues, without any flirtatiousness, and only talked about the matters in the court.

When Pei Wenxuan didn't pull her, Li Rong felt an indescribable strange feeling in her heart. She seemed to have treated this as a habit. When Pei Wenxuan suddenly stopped doing it, she felt an indescribable... discomfort.

She didn't show it on her face, but quietly approached Pei Wenxuan and walked shoulder to shoulder with him.

Pei Wenxuan felt Li Rong approaching, her sleeves rubbing against his, and as the two of them walked, her hand accidentally touched the back of his hand. Just such a brief intersection made him feel a bit itchy. Pei Wenxuan couldn't help but look up at her, then pretended to know nothing and continued to talk about business in a serious manner.

He didn't hide, but he didn't take the initiative either. He just lowered his eyes and listened to Li Rong's talk about the court affairs, even though the corner of Li Rong's clothes brushed against him.

"According to what you said, if it was really Xie Lanqing who ordered Lu Feibai to help the Chen family to assassinate you, then given the current position of the Xie family, are they still willing to support the prince?"

As Pei Wenxuan spoke, the two of them approached the carriage. At this time, Pei Wenxuan finally extended his hand, and Li Rong took it and helped Li Rong get on the carriage.

Li Rong placed her hand on the back of his hand, and their skin finally overlapped in a large area. Pei Wenxuan looked calm, thinking that this was just a polite gesture.

Li Rong took advantage of the moment when the two of them were holding hands and gently stroked the back of Pei Wenxuan's hand with her fingertips. She felt that her gesture of goodwill should be obvious enough, but Pei Wenxuan remained unmoved.

The two got into the carriage, and Pei Wenxuan continued to analyze for Li Rong: "Moreover, considering Xie Lanqing's thoughts, he might take the initiative to impeach the Chen family at the morning court today. Your Highness, if you wait until another day to impeach him, won't it be too late?"

"Let's take a look first." Li Rong replied nonchalantly.

Anyway, Xie Lanqing is just a grasshopper after autumn, and she won't be able to jump for long. She is now focusing on one thing.

We had agreed on this last night, why did Pei Wenxuan go back on his word today?

What exactly did Pei Wenxuan mean? If he rejected her last night, he shouldn't have come back and kissed her again.

If he had agreed to her, why did he go to sleep in the study and be so indifferent to her in the morning?

Li Rong thought about it for a long time, and Pei Wenxuan's words went in one ear and out the other. Anyway, they were all questions she had thought about last night, and she didn't want to repeat them again.

She just listened to Pei Wenxuan talking and looked at him from time to time.

Pei Wenxuan got the look in her eyes and knew what was going on. If he gave in just an inch, Li Rong would really take the bait.

He remained calm and continued to talk nonsense about what happened above.

Li Rong thought about it all the way, and when she got off the carriage, Pei Wenxuan reached out to help her get off. Li Rong coughed lightly and decided to show her goodwill more obviously: "Pei Wenxuan, um, the couch in the study is very small, it's not easy for you to sleep on it, right?"

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan replied with a smile, "After sleeping on the high bed with soft pillows for a long time, the small couch also has a different flavor."

Seeing Pei Wenxuan still didn't accept the challenge, Li Rong couldn't help but smile and said softly, "It's so comfortable to sleep in. Why don't you sleep in the study for the rest of your life?"

"Your Highness, you are joking," Pei Wenxuan immediately said, "I will eventually go back. After all, I and Your Highness are together." Pei Wenxuan looked up at her, smiling, "There is a long way to go."

Li Rong didn't say anything. She stared at Pei Wenxuan's smiling face. She stared for a long time and finally came to her senses.

The peonies this time are indeed a bit expensive.

She finally understood that Pei Wenxuan was not going to part ways with her. He probably agreed to her words, but was still angry about the destruction of the mountain of peonies, so he decided to find a place to vent his anger and confront her.

Li Rong thought for a moment, tapped her palms with a small fan, and said sympathetically, "I understand what you mean."

Pei Wenxuan was a little confused. Li Rong raised her eyes and said seriously, "I will compensate you for Shaoyao's money, but you must not be so arrogant in the future."

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

I know every word, so why can't I understand when they are put together?