Think it through before you speak.
Gu Jinghong paused for a moment.
Suddenly she turned her head and looked at Xiao Chengyan with her eyes crinkling.
"Yes, he once said he was willing to cook for me, and I thought that kind of man was very rare, so... eh?"
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Chengyan snatched the rabbit and dagger from Gu Jinghong's hands.
He deftly cleaned the rabbit, his voice cold and seemingly tinged with resentment: "It's just cooking, I can do that too."
Gu Jinghong: "...???"
Looking at Xiao Chengyan's slender, white fingers under the moonlight, she suddenly had an idea.
"Your Highness, my sworn brother is not only good at preparing ingredients, he is also particularly skilled at roasting rabbit meat. The roasted rabbit is so fragrant, so crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and so authentic. It is truly the best rabbit meat I have ever eaten in my life."
As she spoke, Gu Jinghong's stomach started rumbling again.
Xiao Chengyan glanced at Gu Jinghong's belly, then looked up at her playful expression: "Is that so? My cooking skills are also unparalleled in the army."
He really wanted to slap himself twice!
Even though he knew Gu Jinghong was setting a trap for him, he still fell into it and enjoyed it.
...
A bonfire has been set up by the pond.
A man and a woman sat by the campfire. The man held a branch in his slender hand, with a rabbit strung on the other end of the branch.
Before long, the aroma of rabbit filled the air, and Gu Jinghong's stomach grew increasingly uneasy.
Xiao Chengyan's lips curled into a smile as he twirled the wooden stick in his hand, his gaze carrying a profound meaning.
"The key to roasting this rabbit properly is to achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior."
He paused, then used a knife to gently make a small cut on the crispiest, golden-brown part of the rabbit's skin, revealing the tender, juicy meat inside. An even more intense aroma burst forth instantly.
"Look at the color of this flesh, pinkish-white, it's just right. If it's any older, it will lose its fresh, sweet, and tender texture."
Gu Jinghong's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the slit made by the tip of his knife, and his throat bobbed slightly.
Xiao Chengyan seemed not to notice her reaction and continued slowly and deliberately.
"The most wonderful thing about rabbit meat is its natural mildness. To make it more flavorful, spices are essential. The coarse salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and crushed dried ginger that are commonly kept in the army seem simple, but if you can time it right and sprinkle them evenly when the fat is almost melted, the heat will help to stimulate it..."
With a slight flick of his wrist, a small pinch of the mixed spices landed evenly on the sizzling, oily rabbit meat. With a soft "sizzle," a complex aroma of meat and spices exploded out, wafting straight into Gu Jinghong's nostrils.
Her brain reacted immediately, and her stomach, to her dismay, growled again.
He twitched his nostrils slightly, as if savoring the aroma, “...this aroma has layers. The spiciness removes the fishy smell and enhances the freshness, the numbing sensation of pepper makes the mouth water, and then there’s the caramelized aroma of the oil…tsk.”
As he spoke, he took the freshly roasted rabbit in his hand and carried it toward Gu Jinghong.
Gu Jinghong's eyes lit up, and she reached out to take it: "Is it done?"
Just as her hand was about to touch the wooden stick, Xiao Chengyan suddenly pulled his hand back.
He clicked his tongue lightly. "Oh, just a little bit more."
Gu Jinghong stared intently at the roasted rabbit: "...Eh?"
Xiao Chengyan subtly suppressed his laughter: "...What does Jinghong think of my cooking skills?"
Gu Jinghong's mind wandered: "Excellent... no, you'll only know after you've tasted it."
Xiao Chengyan looked up at her again, a smile curving his lips. He then used a knife to cut off the fattest piece of meat from the rabbit's hind leg and handed it to Gu Jinghong with the blade of the knife: "Try it?"
Gu Jinghong took a bite, and sure enough, the outer skin was crispy and the inside was tender and juicy. After chewing a couple of times, the salty, fragrant and slightly numbing flavor exploded on the tip of her tongue, mixed with the richness of the oil and the sweetness of the rabbit meat, domineeringly soothing her raging stomach.
The meat someone grilled... bore a striking resemblance to that person themselves...
The only thing Gu Jinghong felt was that the prince, despite his tall and slender figure, ate with such... elegance?
Xiao Chengyan was unaware of what Gu Jinghong was thinking; he simply turned the rabbit back in front of Gu Jinghong.
Gu Jinghong suddenly put the dagger aside, took the wooden stick from Xiao Chengyan's hand, and started gnawing on the roasted rabbit.
Xiao Chengyan stared at her intently, and when he saw that she had a fairy-like face but a carefree and nonchalant way of eating, he was stunned for a moment, and then his smile deepened.
The next moment, he took out the wine flask, uncorked it, tilted his head back, and took a sip of wine.
A gentle night breeze blew as a man and a woman sat around a bonfire, one eating and the other drinking.
Although Gu Jinghong was a martial artist, she was still a girl, and she was full after quickly eating half a rabbit.
But it was only at this moment that she slowly raised her head and looked at Xiao Chengyan.
"Your Highness...you came out so late at night, and with all those seasonings with you...what are you here for?"
Xiao Chengyan's lips curled into a smile: "What do you think..."
Gu Jinghong looked down at the half-eaten rabbit in her hand, then at Xiao Chengyan... So, she ate his too?
She suddenly frowned and bit her lip, embarrassed. "It's alright, Your Highness. I'm quite good at hunting rabbits. I'll go hunt another one for you..."
"It's alright." Xiao Chengyan said, taking the wooden stick from Gu Jinghong's hand, and then slowly and methodically dissecting the remaining half of the rabbit, eating with the demeanor of a noble prince.
Gu Jinghong felt her ears getting hot and subconsciously looked away, staring at the leaping flames.
...What a strange person.
Gu Jinghong couldn't help but sigh inwardly—it has to be said that a man's appearance and temperament are really important.
Xiao Chengyan is that kind of person, so as long as he wants, he can easily get close to anyone he's interested in.
Seeing Gu Jinghong staring at the flames in a daze, Xiao Chengyan moved closer to her.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
Gu Jinghong snapped out of her reverie and forced a smile: "No, I was... savoring the taste of rabbit meat."
Xiao Chengyan was slightly taken aback, and handed a small piece of rabbit meat to Gu Jinghong.
Gu Jinghong said she wanted to savor the taste first, so it was hard to refuse. She opened her mouth and let Xiao Chengyan feed her the piece of rabbit meat.
Seeing that Gu Jinghong was chewing on rabbit meat but her mind was still wandering, Xiao Chengyan asked, "Is it delicious?"
Gu Jinghong replied, "It's delicious."
Xiao Chengyan then asked, "How do I compare to Xie Yan?"
Gu Jinghong replied, "Naturally, Your Highness is stronger."
Halfway through her sentence, Gu Jinghong suddenly felt something was amiss and subconsciously turned to look at Xiao Chengyan.
But Xiao Chengyan's gaze was fixed on her, as if trying to see through her eyes to understand what she was thinking.
Gu Jinghong immediately sensed the ambiguity in those words: "Your Highness..."
Xiao Chengyan, however, remained resolute: "Jinghong, Xie Yan is truly not a man worthy of entrusting one's life to. Trust me."
Gu Jinghong frowned: "...Huh?"
Xiao Chengyan continued, "Last time you said that you two were in a love-hate relationship. I think Xie Yan is a vicious and cunning person. He can still make a move against you, so he is definitely not someone you can entrust with anything."
Gu Jinghong and Gu Jinhong swallowed the rabbit meat in their mouths and casually remarked, "So, someone who looks like Princess Yongning is the person Your Highness can spend your life with?"
The moment these words were spoken, both of them were stunned.
Even if Xiao Chengyan were stupid, and even if he was confused by Gu Jinghong's "love-hate relationship," he couldn't possibly have failed to understand the meaning behind those words.
He paused for a moment, then calmly suppressed the little thrill in his heart: "You...are you jealous?"
“No…” Gu Jinghong’s mind raced. “I was thinking of Miss Mu. Your Highness should not regard Miss Mu as a substitute for Princess Yongning. No woman would want to be a substitute for the one she loves.”
Xiao Chengyan tilted his head and looked at Gu Jinghong.
“Gu Jinghong, I will only say this once. The ‘substitute’ you are worried about does not exist. Mu Chuchu was originally an orphan girl I rescued on the battlefield. After she recovered, she had nowhere to go, so she stayed at the Southwest Headquarters. When you meet her, you will know that the so-called ‘substitute’ is nonsense. As for Yongning, she is the daughter of the Prince of Qi. I have known her since childhood, and we are just childhood friends.”
As he spoke, Xiao Chengyan reached out and ruffled Gu Jinghong's hair: "...Don't think about nonsense all the time."
"Just childhood friendship"—these words actually suited Gu Jinghong very well.
Princess Yongning had long since passed away, and Gu Jinghong was not one to be jealous easily. Now that Xiao Chengyan had personally confirmed it, Gu Jinghong believed him to be mostly true, because in her judgment, Xiao Chengyan was not the type to lie.
But as a senior official, she was used to looking at things in context, and finally, she slapped Xiao Chengyan's hand away with a "smack," her tone carrying a hint of interrogation.
"Is that so? Then why did the prince often call out 'A-Ning' in his delirium when he was in poor health? Their childhood friendship is quite deep."
Xiao Chengyan rubbed his palm, savoring the sensation of her hair touching his hand, while scoffing at Gu Jinghong's words: "...How can it compare to you and Xie Yan? He was seriously injured, and you took care of him meticulously. That's true affection."
Gu Jinghong rolled her eyes indignantly: "Yeah, we grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Not only do I have to take care of him, but I'm also good at talking in my sleep at night."
Xiao Chengyan's phoenix eyes suddenly turned deep and dark. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Brother, wait for me! Brother, am I pretty? Brother..."
As Gu Jinghong spoke, he couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Before she could even react, a shadow swept past, and he had already braced himself on the ground with both hands, trapping Gu Jinghong within his arms, within arm's reach.
Their eyes met.
Viewed from the side, this pose is quite ambiguous.
Gu Jinghong's beautiful eyes widened in surprise and wariness: "Your Highness, what... what are you going to do?"
Xiao Chengyan's eyes were dark and gloomy.
"Gu Jinghong! Between me and Xie Yan, who will you choose?... Think it over before you speak!"
If it were any other woman, she would have been intimidated by Xiao Chengyan's imposing presence long ago.
But Gu Jinghong was not one to be easily frightened.
She continued with ease, "Then, between Princess Yongning, Mu Chuchu, and me, who would you choose? You should think it over before you speak!"
Xiao Chengyan stared intently at Gu Jinghong, his expression cautious, his eyes dark: "You..."
"Thump-thump—thump-thump—" The world fell silent, and Gu Jinghong could only hear his own heartbeat getting faster and faster.
The next instant, the darkness in Xiao Chengyan's eyes vanished, and he lowered his head to seal her lips with his.
Gu Jinghong's eyes narrowed slightly, her long eyelashes trembled, and she subconsciously reached out to push him away.
But he held her tightly in his arms, not letting her move an inch.
The shock and initial resistance lasted only a moment before Gu Jinghong was drawn into it.
His thin lips, dry and slightly intoxicated, made Gu Jinghong's cheeks flush even redder and her heart beat faster.
Xiao Chengyan seemed to sense her lack of rejection, and with unusual gentleness, he pried open her slightly parted lips, which were parted in surprise.
It started with tentative exploration, and the two were enveloped by each other's breath, and the kiss gradually became more passionate.
Xiao Chengyan earnestly led Gu Jinghong along, but Gu Jinghong responded haphazardly—"What Qianyuan Pavilion, Zhuangmu Pavilion Assistant... all of that can go to hell. At this moment, she is just his Ahong."
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