Coming down from the pavilion, Ji Yinshu glanced at Wei Yi among the crowd. Seeing him getting along so well with those young attendants, she felt at ease leaving.

But her foot had barely stepped out when Jingrong caught up with her.

Ji Yinshu didn’t stop, continuing to walk, and Jingrong didn’t make a fuss, just kept following.

They arrived at Bamboo Creek Garden!

Naturally, Ji Yinshu threw herself back into work, putting on gloves and picking up the skull to study.

Jingrong, on the other hand, was quite carefree. He directly moved a pear wood chair into the courtyard and sat basking in the sun.

By his hand was a plate of fresh melon seeds.

He began cracking them.

That scene truly blinded Ji Yinshu’s 24-karat golden eyes.

She fiddled with the work in her hands, occasionally squinting a few glances outside.

That fellow, basking in the sun, cracking melon seeds—truly living the comfortable life!

Why should she work herself to exhaustion?

She wasn’t doing this anymore!

No matter what, she wasn’t doing it!

But then, upon reconsideration, she dismissed the thought.

She still needed to have a professional spirit. Having said she’d do it, she couldn’t just throw in the towel.

So she could only grit her teeth and continue molding clay.

The sky gradually darkened. Outside, rustling sounds came through. Ji Yinshu twisted her neck and looked outside, her mind somewhat confused.

Moreover, she didn’t know when, but several red lanterns had been lit in the courtyard outside.

Very bright!

Since her work was more or less done anyway, she wiped her hands and went out.

Who knew that the quiet courtyard had completely transformed? Strings ran along the top, hanging lantern after lantern, like a lantern market’s clearance sale.

Ji Yinshu was completely bewildered. Was this still the same Bamboo Creek Garden she had entered earlier?

The maids in the courtyard had just finished their work and scattered like a swarm of bees, leaving only Jingrong standing under the tree, looking up at the miniature red lantern he had hung on the tree himself.

Ji Yinshu shifted her steps and walked over. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but then dismissed the thought.

She said: “Today isn’t even the Lantern Festival—why are you hanging so many lanterns?”

Jingrong didn’t respond!

He continued looking up at the lanterns, hands clasped behind his back, pondering very seriously.

Ji Yinshu sighed, lifted her hand, and reached toward that lantern. Her fingertip had just touched it when Jingrong instantly grasped it.

Their two hands remained suspended in mid-air.

For a long while—

Ji Yinshu’s heart tightened. She bent her elbow, wanting to pull her hand back, but who knew that Jingrong would follow her withdrawing motion, moving downward all the way.

Then, with force, he grasped again, firmly clasping her hand within his palm, preventing her from breaking free.

Unlike before, this time she didn’t scold him to “let go.”

In the air, an ambiguous feeling inexplicably rolled through.

Jingrong gazed at her affectionately and asked: “The answer this prince wanted initially—I want to hear it now.”

Hm?

She looked confused.

Jingrong said: “Why pretend to be confused with me? This prince asked you whether there wasn’t even a trace of me in your heart. You haven’t answered yet, but now you can speak.”

In the past, Ji Yinshu would have answered him without hesitation.

But this time—

Her heart was tangled in a thousand threads, that long thread continuously winding, winding her heart into a blur.

Probably it had something to do with the courtyard being decorated so romantically!

Seeing her hesitate for so long, a deep hope flashed through Jingrong’s eyes.

“From Jinjiang to the capital, you and I have experienced so many things together. What this prince’s intentions are, you’ve long since made clear. Even now, are you still unwilling to face your own feelings directly?”

“I…” Her words caught in her throat.

Jingrong directly pulled her into his embrace, performing a chest pin.

With deep affection and seriousness, he said: “I lied. I don’t want you to leave the capital. I don’t want you to take Wei Yi and leave. Even if this capital is full of treacherous undercurrents, I don’t want you to leave. If you really left, this prince’s heart would probably die too. Could you bear that?”

His eyes seemed ready to squeeze out a few tears.

Ji Yinshu’s eyes panicked. Her shoulders tensed as she looked properly at Jingrong before her.

Biting her crimson lips, at a loss.

It was precisely this sense of tension that reminded her of what Su Ziluo had said on the city tower.

“In your heart, someone has actually long since taken up residence.”

Perhaps before this, she didn’t dare confirm who that person was, but at this moment, the intense feeling surging from her chest told her clearly and truly.

That person was Jingrong!

That’s right, it was him!

And that intense feeling frightened her. She turned her gaze away and said: “You are a prince, and I am only a commoner. Between us, it’s impossible.”

“So from beginning to end, what you’ve been worrying about is this?”

“It’s not that, I just…” She became somewhat flustered, stammering out four words: “I don’t know.”

Don’t know?

Because of these four words, the corners of Jingrong’s lips gradually curled into a smile, his elation written all over his face.

His wrist exerted force again, pulling Ji Yinshu even closer into his embrace.

Raising his brow, somewhat excited, he said: “Then that means in your heart, you have this prince? Is that right?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Not denying it—that was good enough.

Jingrong’s heart was completely coated with layers of honey, unbearably sweet!

Taking advantage, he hooked his finger and lifted Ji Yinshu’s chin high, smiling wickedly: “Whether you know or don’t know, at least it proves you’re slowly falling in love with this prince.”

“No!”

“Still denying?”

“I… haven’t.”

She wanted to turn her head, but her chin was pinched tightly by Jingrong, and her waist was also clasped by his palm.

Jingrong even lowered his head further. Between their brows and eyes was roughly the distance of a fist.

Each other’s breathing swirled around their respective noses, warm and tingly.

Ji Yinshu bit her lip. Her fair face instantly flushed red.

Showing a somewhat shy flavor.

Seeing this, the smile at the corners of Jingrong’s lips overflowed wantonly.

“Such beautiful scenery on such a fine day—it truly must not be wasted.”

Hm?

Before Ji Yinshu could react to this statement, her cool lips were immediately covered by Jingrong’s lips.

The temperature on her lips also changed in that instant from cool to warm!

Her hands also clenched tightly at that moment.

Their lips and teeth lightly rubbed against each other as they moved. This kiss was much gentler than the previous few times.

The hand on Ji Yinshu’s waist also slowly relaxed, as if giving her a chance to escape, but—

She didn’t!

Instead, she became somewhat greedy.

Her originally clenched fists also gradually loosened, slightly lifting to grasp the corner of Jingrong’s robe.

Until this prolonged kiss took away her breath did Jingrong finally release her.

Their eyes met. Between lip and lip, like lotus roots, they remained slightly pressed together.

Jingrong raised his hand, caressing her palm-sized face, extremely gentle!

Ji Yinshu yielded to his behavior, only looking at him. Her eyes reddened, and after a long while, she asked him a question.

“Will you turn your back on me?”

A flash of determination crossed Jingrong’s eyes. His finger touched that shallow scar on her face.

“If one day all the people in the world turn their backs on you, this prince will certainly turn his back on the entire world for you.”