He only gave Ke Tinghe one last instruction: "We'll be keeping watch again tonight. Remember to have the yard cleaned up so the new accomplices don't notice anything amiss."
"Okay—I got it—" He slumped listlessly on the table, deliberately dragging out the last syllable, speaking in a sarcastic tone.
Chu Hongluan completely ignored him, turning instead to Liu Jinghong with a bright smile: "I wonder if Prince Liu would be so kind as to detour and escort me back to my residence?"
"It would be my great honor."
Finally, a smile appeared on Liu Jinghong's face for the first time today.
Koting sighed loudly, as if afraid no one would miss it: "Alas! In the end, it was all for naught!"
He was left to perform a one-man show. Chu Hongluan and Liu Jinghong had already left the house side by side. The courtyard was a scene of carnage and bloodshed. The air was damp, and a light rain had started to fall.
Chu Hongluan looked up. At this hour, the sky should have started to turn blue, but it was still pitch black. Lightning flashed in and out of the clouds, and she estimated that the rain would start to pour down soon.
"Rain is good! After General Ke collects their bodies, the downpour will wash away all traces of last night. With favorable timing, location, and popular support, we are sure to win this battle."
"With Miss Chu personally controlling the game, we will naturally be invincible."
Chu Hongluan chuckled, "You're quite good at sweet-talking people."
After saying that, without waiting for Liu Jinghong to reply, he plunged into the rain.
"Let's hurry! The rain is going to get heavier soon."
Liu Jinghong hurriedly caught up.
Leaving the General's Mansion, you enter the main street. Normally, by this time, vendors would already be setting up their stalls. But today, due to the bad weather, only a handful of shops are open, and about 70% of them sell umbrellas.
Liu Jinghong strode to a shop, deftly tossed the silver into the shopkeeper's arms, grabbed an umbrella, and prepared to leave.
"Wait! Young master! We haven't given you your change yet!"
Liu Jinghong didn't turn her head, and instinctively wanted to say "I'll reward you." But the words caught in her throat for a moment, and what came out was: "I'll be right back."
Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed back to Chu Hongluan's side, opened the umbrella, and stuffed it into her hands.
After making sure she wouldn't get wet in the rain anymore, Liu Jinghong walked back to the umbrella shop entrance and waited for the owner to give her change.
Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from above, completely blocking out the rain.
Before he knew it, Chu Hongluan had already walked to his side.
"With such a noble body as the young prince, how could he be exposed to the rain?"
Chu Hongluan said this half-jokingly, holding an umbrella in her hand, and then silently tilted her head towards him.
The two were so close that Liu Jinghong turned her face away somewhat awkwardly and said in a muffled voice, "Then I thank you for your pity, Miss."
Chu Hongluan was amused again.
Liu Jinghong casually stuffed the change the shopkeeper gave her into her purse. Then, naturally, she put one arm around her shoulder and took the umbrella from her hand with the other.
"I'll take care of it."
Chu Hongluan simply nodded, showing no aversion to his closeness.
Liu Jinghong unconsciously rubbed her fingers together, a sense of joy rising in her heart.
He felt he was capable again.
Along the way, the two of them, holding an oil-paper umbrella, strolled slowly toward the Minister's residence. Neither of them mentioned using their light-footed skills. Just like the most ordinary couple in the world, they snuggled intimately together and walked in the rain.
But they arrived at the Minister's residence very quickly.
At the side door, Chu Hongluan said goodbye to him.
"Then... I'll be going."
Liu Jinghong hummed in agreement and handed the umbrella to her again, saying, "Take the umbrella with you. Your courtyard should be some distance from here, so don't catch a cold."
Chu Hongluan couldn't refuse him, so she had no choice but to accept his kindness.
"See you tonight?"
See you tonight.
Chu Hongluan turned around, holding her umbrella, pushed open the door, and stepped across the threshold.
"etc!"
Liu Jinghong called out to her again.
Chu Hongluan turned around and blinked: "What's wrong?"
The boy stood in the rain, his hair covered in a layer of mist.
"Mo Yu is not someone you can entrust with anything."
Liu Jinghong said this out of the blue.
"This person is arrogant, stubborn, power-hungry, loves being fawned over, and values his reputation more than his life! If you follow him, you'll definitely suffer!"
"What's more, he knows you love him, yet he still maintains an ambiguous relationship with the Xu family's daughter, allowing public opinion to slander you without considering your feelings at all. How can you entrust your life to such a person!"
"he--"
"Wait," Chu Hongluan interrupted him, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
The boy fell silent.
Long, thick eyelashes drooped down, trembling slightly, covered with fine mist, like a layer of frost.
"Pick me."
His voice was so soft that it seemed to shatter in the wind.
The boy looked up and met her gaze, his eyes sparkling with a hint of stubbornness and a subtle vulnerability.
"Can't you choose me?"
He stepped forward and said, “In terms of status, appearance, martial arts, and family fortune, I am no less than Mo Yu! I have everything he has! I can do everything he can do! I can do what he can’t do!”
"I will not let you be humiliated by anyone! Nor will I force you to do anything you do not want to do! To me, you are the only flower blooming in this desolate land; the first sweet rain of early spring that parched land thirsts for; the last piece of pure land remaining in this decaying realm! You are invaluable!"
So... please choose me.
He stared at her intently, his eyes burning with passion, a desperate gamble, a resolute determination to never give up.
It even carried a hint of pleading.
"If I win the favor of the lady, I will never betray her for all eternity."
Chu Hongluan was stunned for a long time, feeling as if she was about to drown in those affectionate eyes. If it weren't for the pattering rain, her thunderous heartbeat would have made her respond first.
Finally, she reached out and pulled Liu Jinghong under the eaves, saying softly, "If you want to talk, then talk. Why are you getting soaked in the rain?"
"You haven't given me an answer yet," Liu Jinghong stubbornly reminded her.
Chu Hongluan sighed, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe the rain from his face. She said cryptically, "If I were you, I wouldn't offer my whole heart to someone else. Because doing so would be handing over the right to hurt myself without restraint... Only a fool would do that."
Liu Jinghong lowered her eyes, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, and her heart grew colder inch by inch.
Chu Hongluan rolled the handkerchief in her hand, gently stroked his cheek, and then climbed up to the back of his neck. Her tone suddenly changed: "Indeed foolish. But, I can't resist."
After saying that, she forcefully pressed his head down, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him deeply.
Liu Jinghong's pupils suddenly contracted, and an overwhelming joy surged through him. He immediately took the initiative, pried open her lips and teeth, and plunged in! With a strong arm, he grabbed her slender waist, pulling her close to him! So close that he could feel her body temperature even through her clothes.
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