Xiao Xun sneered, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes seemingly able to see through people's hearts. "Heh, Xi'er, do you think I can't see through your little schemes? Stay obediently by my side and don't do anything you shouldn't do."
Otherwise, I wouldn't mind imprisoning you, confining you to a place only I can see."
As he spoke, Xiao Xun moved closer to Ye Linxi, his warm breath spraying onto her fair and slender neck. His free hand casually brushed the hair from her forehead, creating an ambiguous yet dangerous atmosphere.
Ye Linxi was startled and forced to retreat step by step, her face showing her panic.
Fearing her plan would fail, she steeled herself, reached out and gently shook Xiao Xun's sleeve, a faint blush creeping onto her delicate cheeks. "Xi'er understands."
Xiao Xun smiled, his thin lips slowly approaching Ye Linxi's blushing earlobe, his voice carrying a hint of seduction, "Xi'er, come to my room tonight..."
*
Song Zhiyu stared at the departing figures of the two, lost in thought, unaware that Zhou Xingzhi had walked up to her.
"Everyone has gone far away."
A warm, smiling voice rang in her ears, pulling Song Zhiyu back from her wandering thoughts.
"Your Highness." Song Zhiyu came back to her senses and walked side by side with Zhou Xingzhi on the covered walkway.
Song Zhiyu handed the white porcelain bottle to Zhou Xingzhi, saying, "Thank you for speaking up for me today, Your Highness. This is an antidote pill that can cure all poisons. Consider it my gift to Your Highness."
"There's no need for thanks between us." Zhou Xingzhi's smiling eyes dimmed considerably, and the knuckles of his fingers holding the porcelain bottle turned slightly white.
Song Zhiyu chuckled, her smiling eyes captivating Zhou Xingzhi. "A gift of thanks is still necessary, Your Highness. But why antidote pills? That's naturally because I'm worried about Your Highness."
Zhou Xingzhi suddenly stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding in his throat. "You...are you worried about me?"
His once clear voice had become somewhat hoarse and strained, whether from excitement or something else.
“Yes, I’ve noticed that Your Highness hasn’t looked well lately. I suspect that the toxins that were previously hidden in your body have damaged your health. Although the toxins have been completely cleared, you still can’t slack off on taking care of your body.” Song Zhiyu nodded, agreeing readily.
She thought they might be able to give it a try.
She had seen all the kindness Zhou Xingzhi had shown her. Her previous rejections were simply because she feared becoming too deeply entangled in love and forgetting her hatred.
But now she has come to terms with it; she is not entirely without feelings for Zhou Xingzhi.
If that's the case, she might as well give it a try.
Zhou Xingzhi only heard the first two words of that long passage. His originally dim eyes flickered slightly, filled with indescribable joy and excitement. His tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his deep eyes were filled with starlight, his joy evident on his face.
He stared intently at Song Zhiyu's beautiful face, a slight smile playing on his lips. His calloused fingertips rubbed the porcelain vase in his hand, and the usually composed Crown Prince seemed somewhat flustered at this moment.
"Yu'er, is this your answer to me?" Zhou Xingzhi grasped Song Zhiyu's hand, enveloping it in his palm. His cool knuckles carefully touched the soft back of her hand, their fingers intertwined, cherishing and treasuring her.
When Zhou Xingzhi arrived, he was thinking that the three-day period had passed, and he was determined to get a satisfactory answer today.
He even fantasized obsessively about holding her tightly in his arms, doing everything he had ever dreamed of, making Yu'er's beautiful red lips glisten with tears, her smooth skin covered with his marks, and her eyes seeing only him.
But now, all the expectations are no match for a single sentence from Song Zhiyu.
Song Zhiyu smiled, her beautiful and lively eyes drawing closer, her long, slightly curled eyelashes trembling, disrupting Zhou Xingzhi's thoughts. "Then, Your Highness, are you satisfied with this answer?"
“Naturally… satisfied.” Zhou Xingzhi was momentarily lost in thought, a dangerous glint of desire flashing in his eyes. His reddened eyes slanted upwards, and before Song Zhiyu could back away, he grabbed her slender waist with his large hand and pulled her into his embrace.
“You…” Song Zhiyu’s forehead gently bumped against Zhou Xingzhi’s broad, hard chest. Before she could even blush, she felt as if her waist was being played with by the man, and her eyes widened suddenly.
Zhou Xingzhi's lips curled slightly as he slowly leaned down, his thin lips gently touching her slender and graceful neck. His voice was tender and alluring, his deep and husky as if he were holding back something. Veins bulged on his forehead, captivating her heart. "My... darling."
*
On the carriage back to the Marquis's residence.
Song Zhiyu rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the tea on the table. She tapped the table lightly with her other hand, and a hint of shyness rose in her eyes as if she were thinking of something.
"Miss, you've been so absent-minded since you returned from the lake tour banquet. Did His Highness the Crown Prince say something?" Lu Bai looked at Song Zhiyu with a puzzled expression, only to find that her young mistress's face seemed even redder.
Song Zhiyu paused, feeling her cheeks burning again. She reached up to touch her neck, smiled, and changed the subject, her words carrying a hint of trying to cover up the truth. "It's nothing. I was just wondering why the Empress Dowager is protecting Shen Jinshu so much, without even investigating the truth of the matter."
These words immediately drew Lu Bai's attention away.
"This servant doesn't know either, but the Empress Dowager's actions are truly strange." Lu Bai's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Song Zhiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she was really afraid that Lu Bai would continue to ask questions.
*
"Whoa!"
Before long, the carriage came to a steady stop at the gate of the Marquis of Chengen's residence. Song Zhiyu got out of the carriage and went straight to her courtyard.
They had only gone halfway when they bumped into Shen Jinshu coming from the opposite direction.
She was followed by a large group of maids and servants, each carrying several bundles. Shen Jinshu, dressed in plain white, stood at the front, her hair adorned only with a single, rather fine jade hairpin.
Song Zhiyu glanced at them casually and, seeing their large bags and bundles, knew that Shen Jinshu was going to the Buddhist temple for confinement.
Enemies meet on a narrow road.
Song Zhiyu had no desire to kick someone when they were down and wanted to leave as soon as she passed Shen Jinshu.
"You must be quite pleased with how I've fallen to this state, Second Sister. To be honest, I, as your older sister, haven't even had a chance to congratulate you on winning the Lake Tour Banquet yet," Shen Jinshu said softly, her gentle voice seemingly carrying a thorn.
Upon hearing this, Song Zhiyu nodded seriously, infuriatingly adding, "I am indeed very proud, after all, if it weren't for my older sister digging her own grave, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."
"It really is you." Shen Jinshu turned her head to look at Song Zhiyu, her tone firm, her eyes filled with an expression that only the two of them could understand.
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