Tang Si could only stare helplessly.

She pouted, thought for a moment, then leaned toward Ji Yunshu and asked quietly, “A’Ji, let me ask you—was that guy hurt by some woman before?”

Though she usually had a loud voice, even when she lowered it as much as possible, the tone didn’t go much lower. This question was just heard by Jingrong at the stern. With a sidelong glance, he answered her before Ji Yunshu could speak.

“He wasn’t just hurt by a woman—he was hurt by a man too.”

“Ah?” Tang Si immediately covered her mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. “Hurt by a man? By whom?”

“This prince.” He leisurely uttered two words, staring at the clear, clean lake surface before him, deliberately raising his voice to say, “Back in the day, this prince also had a scholar’s face. Young Master Mo pursued this prince for quite a while. This prince told him he was a tactless fellow and sent him away. So he spent every day soaking in wine jars, drinking to drown his sorrows. That’s how he developed this nasty habit of loving alcohol. If this prince hadn’t refused him, he would have died in wine sooner or later.”

Truly childhood friends!

When it came to mocking each other, they were absolutely ruthless.

The next moment—

A wine pot flew from the bow to the stern, but Jingrong caught it with one hand.

Muruo ground his teeth hatefully. “Nonsense.”

“Everything this prince said is the truth. Wasn’t it you, Young Master Mo, who kept chasing after this prince?”

Yes, yes, yes—whatever you say is right.

Muruo couldn’t refute it because what he said was indeed the absolute truth.

Since childhood, he had always chased after Jingrong. Wherever he went, he followed. Whatever he did, he copied. In short, they were inseparable—until one day, Jingrong really couldn’t take it anymore and scolded him. He was heartbroken. From that day on, he no longer clung to him every day but instead often soaked himself in wine jars, drinking until he was like mud.

The most memorable time was when Muruo got completely drunk, insisted on stripping naked and sleeping while hugging Jingrong. This infuriated Jingrong so much he punched him several times on the spot. So whenever he drank, Jingrong felt extremely disgusted, even hateful.

That their friendship had lasted until now could absolutely be called a revolutionary friendship.

The two stopped bickering and returned to calm.

Tang Si continued pressing Ji Yunshu for answers. “A’Ji, just tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

She pointed her chin at Muruo. “Has he ever liked anyone?”

Hmm… how should she put this?

Regarding Kong Yu, no one dared mention her in front of him.

“If you want to know, go ask him yourself.”

“He definitely won’t tell me.”

“If the person involved won’t tell you, I’m an outsider—I can’t say anything either.” Ji Yunshu shrugged.

Unable to get any information, Tang Si had to give up.

She continued playing in the water with her bare feet.

After the boat ride ended, they caught a few fish and built a fire by the lake, beginning to roast the fish.

Before they knew it, the sky gradually darkened.

Two fires burned by the lake, each roasting several fish, with Tang Si and Muruo sitting by one, Ji Yunshu and Jingrong by the other.

The aroma of fish filled the air!

Permeating the ink-black night, especially enticing.

In the shadows, Jingrong’s guards were already starving, their front pressed to their backs. Now smelling the fish aroma, they could endure it even less.

“So fragrant!” Someone licked his lips.

“Yes, if only we could have a bite.”

“I really envy Guard Lang.”

Hmm?

Someone was puzzled. “Why do you envy him? Guard Lang now spends every day in the courtyard raising the prince’s chickens—his whole body smells like chicken droppings.”

The person beside him looked at him with disdain. “That’s where you’re wrong. Think about it—at least he has food to eat. Look at us—following the prince running around outside every day, still having to starve. Comparatively, I’d rather go raise chickens for the prince.”

At this statement, everyone nodded in unison.

“That makes sense.”

But there was nothing they could do. They could only lick their lips, watching with longing eyes as Jingrong handed a freshly roasted fish to Ji Yunshu.

She took it and brought it to her nose to smell—the aroma was quite good.

“This was roasted using this prince’s secret recipe. Try it.”

After boating all day, she was already starving. She took a bite, thinking that even if it tasted bad, she’d force herself to eat it—after all, she was too hungry.

But unexpectedly, the taste was excellent!

“Mm, not bad.”

“This time when you say not bad, it’s really not bad?” Jingrong looked at her like a child.

“This is the most delicious roasted fish I’ve ever eaten.”

“So you’ve eaten other roasted fish?”

She nodded and said directly, “Ji Pei once took me to a riverside. It was just like this—he roasted a fish.”

Ji Pei!

It seemed that every time she mentioned Ji Pei, the corners of her mouth always brimmed with smiles.

Those few years had been the happiest period for her.

Jingrong looked at her expression when mentioning Ji Pei, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, even distressed. Gazing at the vigorous fire before him, after a long while, he finally said bitterly, “This prince just can’t compare to Ji Pei and Wei Yi in your heart. Every time you mention them, you always smile most happily.”

Hmm?

Jealous?

Ji Yunshu secretly glanced at him. The face that had just been beaming with pride over his well-roasted fish was now stretched long.

His chin was almost dropping to the ground!

“Why would you think that?”

“It’s not why would I think that—it’s simply the truth. Whether with Ji Pei or Wei Yi, your memories with them are always good and happy. But when you’re with this prince, the things you encounter are either court struggles or constant fighting and killing.”

He wasn’t jealous—he just felt somewhat helpless and melancholy.

Putting it this way, it was indeed true. Since Ji Yunshu met him, the things she experienced were either solving cases or those messy court affairs. She didn’t have the leisurely time she had with Ji Pei, nor the freedom and ease she had with Wei Yi.

But—

The corners of her lips curved upward slightly. “But the person by my side is you. And whether now or in the future, no one can replace you.”

His heart tingled. He had thought this woman was a block of wood who, aside from being eloquent about autopsies and solving cases, didn’t know how to say such things at all.

Who knew she could say it even more smoothly than him?

It instantly swept away the “haze” in his heart.

Jingrong looked at her with delight. “Really?”

“Of course.”

It was like suddenly pouring a mouthful of sugar water forcefully into Jingrong’s mouth—sweet from his mouth to his throat, from his throat to his heart. His entire body was sweetened.

Like a child, he grasped her cold hand.

Gazing at her affectionately.

It just so happened that Tang Si, sitting by the other fire, looked over. When she saw the two of them holding hands—

She was immediately dumbfounded.

In her heart, tens of thousands of alpacas stampeded past.

Holy crap!

Cut-sleeves!

She was so shocked that the wooden stick with a fish skewered on it fell from her hand to the ground.

She swallowed hard.