Chu Yunge had just wanted to withdraw her finger when she suddenly felt a wetness. She lifted her gaze and caught sight of Qingchen’s tongue flashing by as it retracted.
Chu Yunge slowly pulled back her hand and looked at the wetness on her finger. She tilted her head. “Master Qingchen, you this…”
Licking her finger was a bit too ambiguous.
Qingchen’s face flushed bright red. His entire person transformed from a white jade lotus to a red jade lotus, and even the lotus fragrance in the air grew much thicker.
He had never been so embarrassed and flustered before, especially with that strange picture book right beside them.
“This poor monk… this poor monk did not intentionally stick out his tongue.”
But once those words left his mouth, they sounded even stranger.
It was at this moment that Li Guangi appeared at the doorway.
Chu Yunge had permitted him to come to the study room at any time. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would come over. When he heard she was in the study room, his heart filled with joy, and he hurried over. On the way, however, he stopped upon seeing the flowers in the garden.
The flowers blooming in the gentle breeze were truly beautiful, and he wanted to bring this beauty before the Princess.
Though they belonged to the Princess Mansion to begin with, he still wanted to share this beauty with her.
He turned to pick some flowers. The Princess Mansion had plenty of rare and exotic blooms. He picked and chose carefully, wanting to select the most beautiful ones for her to see. The more she looked at them, the happier he would be.
He first selected a Love Flower and had someone fetch a ladder to personally clip it.
After clipping it, he spotted the magnolia flowers. The tree was full of pure white blossoms, with only faint pinkish-purple at the base—elegant and graceful, impossible to look away from.
Li Guangi clipped a few magnolias as well.
Looking at the Love Flower, he decided to deliver it to the bedchamber, imagining the Princess associating it with his little thoughts upon seeing it.
The magnolias were more suitable for the study room.
Li Guangi had spent some time selecting and picking the flowers. Afraid she might leave, he ended up almost running over later.
He took care not to crush the flowers cradled in his arms. As he neared the study room, a smile crept onto his face uncontrollably.
But the panting youth, upon reaching the study room door, heard those words.
Li Guangi was someone whose tongue Chu Yunge had thoroughly pampered before. At this moment, he thoroughly misunderstood.
He knew he was the one who frequented the study room, but it was not exclusively his. He also knew this day might come sooner or later, but he had not expected it so soon—or that the other party would be the unthinkable Master Qingchen.
Li Guangi lost his composure. The book in his hand dropped to the floor with a thud. Fine sweat beaded on his forehead, his face still held a smile, but his heart turned ice-cold.
Du Ruo: “…Your Highness, Young Master Li has arrived.”
Chu Yunge had already heard the noise. She tilted her body and saw Li Guangi at the door. Her eyes lit up.
The youth cradling flower branches—it was hard to say which shone brighter.
Chu Yunge wiped the saliva from Qingchen’s mouth onto his sleeve. “Are these flowers for me?”
Qingchen saw Chu Yunge’s action and heard Li Guangi’s name. His entire body stiffened.
Earlier, when he had gone over, Li Guangi had been in the chamber. He had personally witnessed the intimacy between Her Highness and Li Guangi. Now that Li Guangi had arrived, Qingchen inexplicably felt guilty, annoyed, and ashamed.
He did not dare turn back. He reflexively pulled his leg away from contact with Chu Yunge’s knee, only hoping Li Guangi would do the same.
At this moment, he truly did not want to face Li Guangi.
Li Guangi struggled inwardly. A voice told him to leave, pretend he had seen nothing and go.
But his feet did not move. He could not leave like that. He could not do it.
Moreover, Her Highness had seen his flowers.
“What are you spacing out for? Aren’t they for me?”
Li Guangi shook his head. He did not even notice Du Ruo picking up the book and handing it over as he stiffly walked inside.
“They’re so beautiful.” He had just bowed when he saw Chu Yunge speak and reach out, so he hurriedly offered the flowers forward.
But when he looked up, he realized Chu Yunge was looking at him.
In the next instant, however, Chu Yunge took the flowers.
Someone who brought flowers—beautiful flowers at that—and ran over to see you, clean and handsome to boot. Who could not be moved?
“I’m very surprised, and I really like them.” Chu Yunge looked at Li Guangi, gently stroked the petals, and smiled as she spoke.
Li Guangi gazed at Chu Yunge’s smile, unsure how to describe the feeling in his heart at that moment.
But this scene etched itself firmly in his eyes.
The flowers were beautiful, but Her Highness’s smile was even more so. The dappled light and shadows through the window lattice were beautiful too. Everything was perfect.
Many, many years later, he still remembered this smile, still remembered how his heart had nearly leaped from his chest back then.
That heart-pounding moment took concrete form in his heart. Even with Qingchen sitting beside her, he ignored it in that instant.
Du Ruo, who had become very perceptive, took the flowers from Chu Yunge’s hand to arrange them properly. Only then did Li Guangi snap back to reality.
Du Ruo came from a fine background; her taste was impeccable. The magnolias matched the vase perfectly and were most suitable for the study room.
She looked at them and could not help but feel delighted from the bottom of her heart. She praised them sincerely, and no trace remained of her hostility toward Li Guangi from days before.
“Young Master Li has excellent taste. They match perfectly with Her Highness’s outfit today.”
Li Guangi was just about to smile when he saw Qingchen. He hurriedly looked away, only to suddenly notice the book on the desk that Chu Yunge had been flipping through earlier.
With just one glance, he looked toward Qingchen, fury in his eyes. So Master Qingchen was that kind of person. What sort of master was this, looking at such picture books in Her Highness’s study room and sticking out his tongue for that sort of thing?
Qingchen: “…”
He had not been the one looking at that book.
Chu Yunge saw Li Guangi’s chain of reactions and held back a laugh as she tugged his sleeve. Though she only pulled lightly, Li Guangi obediently came over.
She slid her hand down the sleeve to grasp his and pinched it.
All of Li Guangi’s little thoughts were written on his face. It was clearly a misunderstanding out of jealousy—or rather, not entirely a misunderstanding, since she had indeed teased Qingchen.
Li Guangi had not expected Chu Yunge to suddenly pull his hand right in front of Qingchen. He froze completely.
When he realized his fingers were being pinched, his heart thumped hard. It felt like his heart itself had been pinched—sweet yet sour.
His originally stiff and annoyed eyes instantly turned shy. He hurriedly grabbed Chu Yunge’s mischievous hand.
The awkwardness on his face lingered, but it had shifted from stiff awkwardness to sweet awkwardness.
Right in front of Master Qingchen, and the Princess was still pulling his hand like this…
This was so improper…
Chu Yunge’s actions were not subtle at all. Qingchen did not want to see, but he caught it all in his peripheral vision.
Compared to what he had seen that day, it was merely hand-holding. Yet Qingchen felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
He wanted several times to stand and flee, but he could not leave. The detoxification effect from that brief contact earlier was not obvious. If he withdrew now, that indescribable torment would sweep over him again.
He could not leave. The poison had to be alleviated, or it would spiral further out of control—beyond any hope of recovery.
This Wish Fulfillment Poison was truly insidious. Otherwise, he would not feel so uncomfortable around Li Guangi, would not think it fortunate that the hand Her Highness pulled was not the one he had licked earlier…
No, that had just been an accident.
Just as his encounter with Her Highness had been an accident. Now, they were merely bound together by this accidental Wish Fulfillment Poison.
Qingchen’s face grew ashen. For the first time, he endured such agony.
But the worse agony was still to come.
Chu Yunge soon released Li Guangi’s hand. But before Qingchen could relax, Chu Yunge suddenly said to Li Guangi, “Lower your head.”
Though Li Guangi found it strange, he obediently bent down.
“A bit lower.”
Upon hearing this, Li Guangi flicked up his robe hem and simply dropped to one knee on the ground, looking up at Chu Yunge seated in the chair.
Curiosity filled his eyes. Clearly, he had no idea why, yet he cooperated fully.
Li Guangi’s action stunned Chu Yunge for a moment. If not looked at closely, it almost seemed like he was kneeling on one knee.
This pose was incredibly handsome. At this moment, Li Guangi was both perfectly obedient and dashing.
Chu Yunge looked at the compliant Li Guangi, who seemed almost like he was proposing. She leaned down, nearly cupping his face for a kiss.
Li Guangi watched Chu Yunge draw near and cup his face. His heart instantly raced into chaos.
Her Highness had him lower his head because she wanted to kiss him…
Before he could react, he had already reflexively closed his eyes.