Chapter 47 Your Highness, please don't hate me, okay?
A light drizzle fell, making the air moist and damp.
Shen Panyan secretly observed Lin Xiao all day but found nothing amiss.
It seems that after yesterday, he stopped thinking about it and prepared meals for her as usual. His cooking skills have also improved, and he makes all the dishes she likes.
Although the cook was fine, she still didn't want to eat the unpalatable medicinal food.
She couldn't tell whether she was sad or relieved. She sighed and felt that things were pretty good this way.
It was like a mistaken dream in the spring rain.
When the dream ends, the person also wakes up.
*
The cat that Lin Xiao gave him was lively and loved by all the palace maids and eunuchs in the West Garden. Before long, it became the tyrant of the West Garden, acting recklessly because of everyone's affection. If anyone made it unhappy, it would meow fiercely to scare them away.
Shen Panyan laughed as she watched, and named it Winter Snow.
Because she also met such a boy in the winter snow.
Lin Xiao looked at Dong Xue, who was playing with the others, and his face was tense. He stepped over, and the palace maids and eunuchs who were standing nearby scattered like birds and beasts when they saw him coming. They dared not be presumptuous in front of him.
Lin Xiao walked over, picked up Dongxue, and seemed to want to throw it far away.
The snowflakes wriggled wildly in his hands, breathing directly at him, looking fierce and menacing. Lin Xiao sneered and threw them into the bushes.
Winter Snow flipped over and vanished in an instant.
She didn't know why, but even though Lin Xiao had given her the cat, the two of them didn't get along at all. Shen Panyan was both amused and exasperated. "Lin Xiao, don't take it to heart."
Winter Snow suddenly appeared from somewhere nearby and meowed, as if in agreement.
Exactly, it's embarrassing to argue with a kitten!
Winter Snow gave him a disdainful look, then wagged her tail and walked away.
Lin Xiao remained where he was, his gaze fixed on Shen Panyan, his voice sounding aggrieved, "Your Highness, I gave it to you to make you happy, not to make others happy."
"It doesn't try to make you happy; instead, it plays with others..." As he said this, Lin Xiao regretted his choice of the raccoon dog.
I chose it because I thought its fur was beautiful and its tail was very special, and I thought His Highness would like it.
Shen Panyan was startled, her heart skipped a beat as if brushed by a soft willow branch. Clutching her embroidered handkerchief, she turned her head away and whispered, "I know, I'm actually very happy to have it. But cats are playful, how can they play with one person all the time? It's just a little cat, Linxiao, don't be angry with it."
Lin Xiao remained silent.
He turned and disappeared, looking unhappy.
Chen Panyan rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.
She can find ways to resolve conflicts between people, but what about conflicts between people and cats?
How can this be resolved?
*
Lin Xiao disappeared, and even when she called him, he did not appear.
Shen Panyan's heart skipped a beat.
Is he really upset and unhappy with her because of a cat?
That shouldn't be happening!
Chen Panyan rested her chin on her hand. In her memory, Lin Xiao didn't seem like such a stingy person. But she wasn't sure either; what if he was?
He was always a quiet person and never said anything when he was unhappy. Come to think of it, apart from the time they first met when they had a conflict over Qiu Shuang, he had always gone along with her and had never said anything about being unhappy or sad.
Could it be that he's really angry this time?
Shen Panyan began to fidget, but he wouldn't come out. Even if she went to his room to look for him, it would be useless; he wasn't there at all.
As the days passed, the imperial guards who were supposed to escort her back to the capital had arrived, and they were to set off for the capital the next day. But he still hadn't appeared, and Shen Panyan sighed inwardly.
He was probably really angry with her.
He should be angry with her too, after all, she not only made him betray his father, but also made him steal his father's information for her, putting him in a wrong position. He should be angry with a person like her.
Has he already left?
Shen Panyan thought a lot and sat by the window sighing. She wrote and drew with her brush, but when she stopped, she realized that she had drawn a boy in black.
He was extremely handsome, with striking features, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. The little mole on the tip of his nose was particularly lifelike.
It is obvious who it is.
She hadn't even said goodbye to him before he left.
As Shen Panyan looked at the painting, tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she hated herself, and he should have understood, which was why he left without a word.
Well, it's good that she's gone. I shouldn't have any contact with her again in the future, so that I can stay safe and sound.
As Shen Panyan bit her lip, intending to put the painting away, the large tree outside the window swayed, and a young man in black lightly leaped down from it.
"Your Highness."
The person she had just been thinking about suddenly appeared in front of her. Shen Panyan was stunned for a moment, then remembered something and quickly put away the scroll in her hand, her fingertips trembling with panic.
"You... how did you get here...?"
Did he see the painting she just painted? If he did, how should she explain it?
Shen Panyan was flustered and didn't know where to put her hand holding the painting.
Lin Xiao didn't see her painting at all. He stood in front of her, hesitated for a long time, and then spoke: "May I take you somewhere?"
He wasn't wearing a mask. He stood outside the window, his hands resting on the windowsill, his obsidian-like eyes gazing at her like the ripples of sunlight on a clear day, filled with expectation and caution. "Is it alright?"
Shen Panyan turned her face away, biting her lip, "I...I can."
She had never realized before that his gaze was so unbearable.
*
The place Lin Xiao took her to was one that Shen Panyan had never been before.
Not far away, on the hill behind the royal villa, a cascading waterfall plunges straight down, meandering into a stream.
A misty haze hung over the forest, and the damp air washed over her. Chen Panyan stood before the stream, watching the crystal-clear water and the fish swimming leisurely by. She felt a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.
"Lin Xiao, where is this...?"
"A place that my subordinates discovered by chance."
Lin Xiao leaped onto a tree not far away, picked a handful of wild fruit, washed it in the clear stream, and handed it to Chen Panyan.
"Would Your Highness like to try this wild fruit?"
Shen Panyan curiously took it, took a bite, and found it soft and very sweet. "What kind of fruit is this? It's delicious."
Her almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents.
Lin Xiao smiled, "These are jujubes. Does Your Highness like them? If so, I can pick some more to take back later."
"However, mulberries cannot be kept for long; they will spoil and become inedible."
"I like it." Two small dimples appeared on Shen Panyan's lips. "Thank you, Lin Xiao."
"Your Highness, there's no need for you to be so polite with me."
While she was eating mulberries, Lin Xiao had already taken out the food box and cushions he had prepared, as well as a delicate little wooden table.
Seeing this, Shen Panyan finally understood. She smiled and said, "Lin Xiao, so you were going to take me on a spring outing!"
Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then whispered, "Mm."
After eating the mulberries, Shen Panyan's fingertips were stained with their color. She was a little annoyed that she had been so careless. When she came to the stream to wash them, a hand grabbed her wrist faster than she could.
"It's dangerous by the stream, let me help you."
As he spoke, he took her hand and dipped it into the stream, carefully washing it little by little.
His movements were very gentle, as if he was afraid of hurting her. As the stream flowed gently, his originally dirty fingertips became clean.
Lin Xiao squatted beside her, his expression focused and serious. The stream reflected their figures, which rippled gently in the water.
Shen Panyan suddenly felt a little out of place. She felt inexplicably hot and started making conversation, "Lin Xiao, why aren't you wearing a mask today?"
Lin Xiao: "Your Highness is Lin Xiao's master. In front of my master, in a place where no one is around, Lin Xiao no longer needs to hide my true self."
Shen Panyan's cheeks began to flush. "You... why do you keep calling me 'master'? I didn't mean to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Xiao suddenly stopped and looked up at her. Shen Panyan was stunned by his gaze and wanted to dodge, but he wouldn't let her. He held her wrist tightly, and she couldn't escape.
He hesitated, as if the question had been troubling him for a long time, and spoke with unusual caution and trepidation, "Your Highness...do you...not like me...?"
Shen Panyan was stunned and turned around. "Why would you say that?"
Lin Xiao lowered his voice, "Then why are you avoiding your subordinates? Why are you favoring that fox..."
Shen Panyan was stunned, then she was both amused and exasperated. "When did I avoid you? Weren't you the one avoiding me? You refused to come out for a while because you were unhappy because I was siding with Dongxue?"
Lin Xiao got up and left: "No."
Shen Panyan lifted her skirt and chased after her: "No? Then why are you hiding from me and refusing to see me?"
Lin Xiao walked to the wooden table that had been set up earlier, bent down to pick up the wine pot, turned to look at her, and handed it over, "Your Highness, I brought your favorite lotus wine today. The scenery here is excellent. Would Your Highness like to drink some wine and enjoy the view?"
Shen Panyan stopped abruptly, thinking of memories she should have forgotten, yet couldn't shake. She turned around, stammering, "No, I won't drink anymore. I'm not very good at drinking..."
Drinking alcohol can lead to trouble!
Lin Xiao did not insist. He put down the wine pot and came to her side.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, Shen Panyan was so shocked that she almost jumped up.
"Your Highness, you remember, that day at the Lotus Pond Pavilion..." His voice was calm, but it made Shen Panyan blush instantly.
She hurriedly reached out and covered his lips, "Don't say it!"
When she covered his lips, Lin Xiao stopped talking, but his eyes dimmed.
—His Highness does indeed dislike him.
Shen Panyan lowered her hand, about to speak, when Lin Xiao leaned close to her, pleading in a low voice, "Your Highness, please don't hate your subordinate, okay?"
“I don’t hate it…” Shen Panyan was stunned.
Lin Xiao pursed his lips. "If you don't dislike it, then why do you always side with that cat when you're facing it? Is your subordinate less important than a cat in your heart?"
As he spoke, his eyelashes drooped. "Your Highness, I know I was wrong. It's understandable that you're angry. I don't know how to make you stop being angry..."
In the end, he was completely bewildered.
Her Highness is a princess, and she has all sorts of gorgeous clothes and jewelry. Even if he saved up his monthly allowance for another hundred years, he might not be able to afford a single gemstone hairpin to make her happy.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry..."
"I won't try to please you like this again next time. Please don't hate Lin Xiao, okay?" He reached out, took her hand, and placed it on his cheek. Although he was taller than her, his eyes at this moment seemed more like looking up to her and trying to please her.
Shen Panyan opened her almond-shaped eyes, her eyelashes trembling, and opened her lips several times, but could not say what she wanted to say.
The boy was already exceptionally handsome, and when his features softened, they resembled a gentle spring stream flowing by. The small mole on his face was like a wildflower by the stream, naturally unrestrained, yet now it lay obediently in her palm, captivating her attention.
He...he...he...
What did he say?
It took Shen Panyan a long time to recover her senses.
"What...what were you saying just now? What do you mean by 'annoying'?"
Lin Xiao was taken aback, his gaze slowly falling on her face...
-----------------------
Author's Note: Big Bad Wolf: Breathing.
Little rabbit: It looks nice.
Big Bad Wolf: Open your eyes and look at her.
The little rabbit jumped up: He...he seduced me!
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