In her heart she knew clearly — after this, they might very rarely, if ever, meet again.

The Crown Prince would not come to the household to see her again, and she would likely have no more opportunity to go and find him.

After a long moment with the man at her side not speaking, Yan Yunning had no choice but to offer a reply. “Goodbye, Miss Ling. Take good care of yourself.”

“Mm. Second Young Miss Yan, you and Crown Prince-ge take good care as well.” Ling Mianning’s voice caught with a sob.

With that, she took Xiao Ying by the hand and left quickly.

“When can this prince go find Xiao Shi?”

Yan Yunning leaned against his shoulder and gave a little “huh?” of surprise. “Xuan Xixiu, why do you want to go find Xiao Shi? Have you taken a liking to her?”

“Forget it — Crown Prince, she would not look twice at you. Be good and don’t go looking for her anymore. Come find me instead.”

“Yan Yunning?” The man’s expression stiffened. “This prince will have Imperial Physician Wen come and examine your head.”

Behind them, Ye Chen nudged Ye’an’s arm and mouthed silently: “Go on then — go fetch Imperial Physician Wen.”

Was he not always so eager for any excuse?

How come he was not going this time??

Ye’an shot him a sideways look. Was something wrong with him???

He might as well have Imperial Physician Wen examine his own head too!!

“Go ahead and fetch him, then,” Yan Yunning said with a faint smile. “Why are you telling me instead of just going?”

“Because if this prince goes, you will make a fuss again.”

“Then just don’t go,” Yan Yunning said, picking a dried plum from the round table and feeding it to him.

Xuan Yanyu dropped his gaze, his eyes settling downward. He would feel unsettled if he did not go.

“Xuan Xixiu, you cannot just go after someone every time they accidentally bump into you. Xiao Shi is not…”

“Who dares bump into this prince? Accidental or not — it is unacceptable.”

“Spit it out,” Yan Yunning said, giving him a pat on the back. “Spit out the dried plum. I am going to feed it to the puppy.”

She talked and talked and he still would not listen!!

The man glanced at her, and in an instant his hand curved around the back of her head and his lips came down. Yan Yunning felt the sweet-sour taste of the plum in her mouth, and her desire to smack Xuan Yanyu reached its absolute peak.

“No need to feed the puppy anymore,” the man said with a low laugh.

“Xuan Yanyu!” Yan Yunning spat out the plum pit and pinched his face. “Are you asking to be hit?”

Did he have absolutely no awareness of the two pairs of eyes behind them??

The man looked at her with an aggrieved expression. “Was it not you who said you were going to feed the puppy?”

“I said I was going to feed the puppy, and you went and…” Yan Yunning, the realization catching up with her, grabbed him by the throat, smiled up at him with narrowed eyes, and said, “Xuan Yanyu, get lost!!”

“Raising your voice at this prince again?”

Yan Yunning curved her lips. “I did not hit you — I only raised my voice. You should count yourself fortunate.”

Xuan Yanyu’s warm palm settled on her waist and drew her in against him. “This prince already defers to you in everything, and you still raised your voice at this prince and told this prince to count himself fortunate.”

“Xuan Yanyu.” Yan Yunning tipped her head back to look at him. “From now on, let us not speak to each other — you say nothing to me, and I will not pay you any mind.”

The man leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then said a noncommittal “Oh.”

Yan Yunning took his hand and wiped her forehead with it.

Xuan Yanyu: “……?”

The moment she was done, Yan Yunning released his hand and moved to sit down on the wooden chair beside him.

The man raised an eyebrow. “Well, since you will not be paying this prince any mind regardless, this prince might as well go find Xiao Shi and settle the score right now.”

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together.

“Ye Chen, go — bring Xiao Shi here to Yuanjing Manor for this prince,” Xuan Yanyu said with a light smile.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Xiao Shi’s whereabouts had been kept under watch on His Highness’s orders these past few days — finding her would not be difficult.

“Wait.” Seeing that Ye Chen was genuinely about to go, Yan Yunning had no choice but to speak up.

“I take back what I just said.”

The man echoed her words from that day back at her in an unhurried tone. “Too late, Yan Yunning.”

“It is not too late.” Yan Yunning smiled ingratiatingly. “Xuan Xixiu, I was just joking with you — how could I ever possibly not pay you any mind?”

“Tsk.” Xuan Yanyu gave her one glance. “This prince said too late, and too late it is.”

Yan Yunning grinned and held up her fingers in a measured gesture. “Crown Prince, surely you can allow me to misspeak just one tiny little sentence?”

“You could manage to say you were not going to pay this prince any mind — and you call that ‘one tiny little misstatement’?” The man pointed at the teacup on the table.

Yan Yunning patiently picked up the teapot and poured, “Crown Prince, I promise — I will never say it again.”

“Are you being sincere?” Xuan Yanyu lazily leaned back, and Ye’an stepped forward to knead his shoulders with perceptive efficiency.

Ye Chen: “……?”

A step too slow again!

Could he go knead the Second Young Miss’s shoulders right now??

The tea Yan Yunning had just poured, she drained in one gulp herself. “I offer you a way out, and you push your luck further? Xuan Xixiu!!”

She pointed at the teapot on the round table. “Pour me a cup.”

“Your Highness, Second Young Miss, allow me.” Ye Chen moved ahead of Xuan Yanyu, lifted the teapot, and filled Yan Yunning’s cup to the brim.

Xuan Yanyu narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, the brightness in them clouding over with displeasure.

“Second Young Miss, would you like more?” Ye Chen asked cheerfully.

“Ye Chen, thank you — you are really so wonderful. Much better than certain people,” Yan Yunning said, wearing her most admiring expression.

“Second Young Miss, of course I have to be better than certain people,” Ye Chen said.

Otherwise, how would His Highness have chosen him from among so many palace guards to serve as his attendant?

“I know — I can see it clearly,” Yan Yunning said, picking up a honey cake from the table and handing it to him. “I truly envy whoever becomes your future wife. You would never push your luck with her, would you?”

Ye Chen took a bite of the cake. Push his luck?

Was the Second Young Miss not just talking about His Highness a moment ago??

He carefully looked up, meeting Xuan Yanyu’s overbearing gaze, and felt his temples throb. He swallowed the mouthful of cake in a hurry and promptly changed his tune. “Second Young Miss, everyone will envy you — our His Highness is so much better than certain people, by far.”

Ye’an looked at Ye Chen in bewilderment. Why was he always creating trouble for himself?

“How do you figure? I fail to see how Xuan Xixiu is better than certain people,” Yan Yunning said, letting her gaze drift sideways to the displeased man.

The latter turned his jade pendant over in his fingers and gave a low, faint hum.

“He is better in every way, Second Young Miss. If you cannot see it, your eyes just are not good enough,” Ye Chen said — then immediately felt Xuan Yanyu’s gaze grow even colder and rushed to correct himself. “No — what I mean is, Second Young Miss, to have set your eyes on our His Highness means your eyes are quite excellent indeed.”

Yan Yunning took a small sip of tea and decided to stop teasing him.

“Xuan Xixiu, the matter of Xiao Shi — let it go, all right?” Yan Yunning shifted her seat a little closer to Xuan Yanyu.

The man pursed his lips slightly — he appeared to still be angry over what had just happened.

“You are the best — the absolute best,” Yan Yunning said with a winning smile, then held out the teacup she had been drinking from — still more than half full — and placed it in his palm. “Did you not want water? Here, drink.”

“Not thirsty anymore.” The man returned the teacup to her hand.

She had handed a honey cake to someone else, praised another person, said he was not as good as others, and said she would not pay him any mind.

Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow. Was he genuinely angry?

Ye’an, reading the room, quietly withdrew from the side room. Ye Chen glanced at the faintly helpless Yan Yunning, then at Xuan Yanyu — whose eyes were still frigidly cold — and quickly went after Ye’an.

Better to go out and follow Ye’an — staying in here was probably not going to end well.