The man’s hand was broad and slender.

The young lady’s hand was delicate and soft.

The broad hand enveloped the delicate hand, distinct yet unusually harmonious.

As if holding each other was a matter of course.

Luo Sheng’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the man, her mind filled with only one thought: So it wasn’t a misunderstanding, and she wasn’t being presumptuous, was she?

Wei Han’s mind had no thoughts left at all.

That soft, ice-cold hand in his palm made him want to hold it for a long, long time.

This hand could create supreme delicacies and also shoot sharp arrows.

Making him admire it, making him delighted.

He added more force, tightly gripping that delicate jade hand as soft as boneless.

Luo Sheng completely snapped back to her senses and shouted: “Let go!”

Wei Han also came to his senses. Looking at the furious young lady, he said lowly: “Your hand is very cold.”

Luo Sheng looked at him coldly.

“My hand is warm.” The man explained dryly.

Luo Sheng sneered.

His mind worked fast enough.

“Whether my hand is cold or not, what does it have to do with the Prince?”

Seeing Wei Han stunned, Luo Sheng asked again: “Whether the Prince’s hand is warm or not, what does it have to do with me?”

This scoundrel wanted to muddle through—at least find a passable reason. Squeezing out these two sentences to brush her off, did he think she had truly been dazzled by a man’s appearance?

“There is no relationship.” Wei Han’s thin lips pressed together slightly. “I apologize.”

Luo Sheng’s face darkened: “Then why haven’t you let go!”

After saying so much, he was still holding her hand.

Wei Han lowered his eyes, stared at their clasped hands for a moment, and shook his head: “But I don’t want to let go right now.”

Luo Sheng was stunned.

She felt that what had been secretly exchanged today wasn’t the bracelet, but Prince Kaiyang.

Who was this thick-skinned scoundrel!

“Really not letting go?” Luo Sheng raised her eyebrows in anger.

The man replied confidently and righteously: “Not letting go.”

Luo Sheng kicked the man’s calf, forcefully pulled her hand free, turned around and left.

Wei Han instinctively wanted to chase after her but stopped after taking one step.

Even if he caught up, he couldn’t hold Miss Luo’s hand again, and he couldn’t explain what had just come over him.

Then… he might as well first finish cleaning the deer meat.

Wei Han crouched back down, picked up the sharp dagger, when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the bamboo basket by the stream.

The bamboo basket looked lonely because of its owner’s hasty departure. Inside, the bright red June persimmons had clear water droplets hanging on them, looking especially delightful.

Wei Han tightened his grip on the dagger, his mind in complete disarray.

Something might be wrong with him somewhere…

He put down the dagger. His hand reached toward the bamboo basket as if possessed, picked up a June persimmon, and ate it in bewilderment.

The June persimmon was sweet and sour, just like his current complex feelings.

Not far away behind a tree, Wei Qiang stared toward the clear stream, fists clenched tight.

At this distance, though he couldn’t hear what the two were saying, he had seen the scene just now clearly.

He didn’t care that Prince Kaiyang had held Miss Luo’s hand. What he cared about was Miss Luo’s reaction afterward.

She reminded him again of Luo’er.

That year, when he learned the marriage was arranged, he excitedly ran before her and grasped her hand.

After knowing each other for many years, it was the first time he had mustered such courage.

She lifted her foot and kicked him, pulled her hand back, turned and left.

There was still one small difference—Luo’er’s kick had used more force, directly kicking him to the ground.

Looking from afar at the man in crimson clothes eating June persimmons, Wei Qiang felt somewhat dazed.

Although the results after being kicked were somewhat different, the way Miss Luo had just acted really resembled Luo’er too much.

The way Luo’er shot arrows, the way Luo’er kicked him in anger, Luo’er…

Wei Qiang suddenly felt an urgent desire to see Luo Sheng.

Perhaps… heaven had taken pity and let him meet a woman who resembled Luo’er so much.

As for Yu Niang, he had always been clear she wasn’t his Luo’er.

She was just a connection to Luo’er that he was unwilling to sever.

She was Luo’er’s maid, Zhaohua.

It had been a long time since he had thought of this name.

Zhaohua, Shu Feng, and Jiang Xue—in his memory, each name was covered in blood.

Making him afraid to look directly at them.

Now he wasn’t afraid anymore. He had found “Luo’er.”

Wei Qiang didn’t know how long he had stood behind the tree. It wasn’t until that crimson figure left that he suddenly came to his senses, noticing his face was ice-cold.

Luo Sheng returned to the makeshift stove by the tent, greatly puzzling Sheng Sanlang.

“Cousin, why did you come back alone?”

Luo Sheng’s face had already regained its calm: “Prince Kaiyang said he could handle the cleaning alone, so I came back.”

“Ah.” Sheng Sanlang glanced around and asked alertly: “Where’s your basket?”

Didn’t cousin go to the stream to wash June persimmons? Why was the basket also gone?

Luo Sheng paused briefly, then explained without changing expression: “Prince Kaiyang said he would wash them.”

With that scoundrel causing such a scene, how could she still remember the June persimmons?

Sheng Sanlang’s face changed dramatically: “Oh no, what if Prince Kaiyang eats the June persimmons?”

Cousin had said that braised deer meat in jar absolutely required June persimmons for seasoning. For this, she had gone through considerable trouble to get this basket of June persimmons.

If Prince Kaiyang ate them, what would they do about the braised deer meat in jar?

The more Sheng Sanlang thought about it, the more panicked he became.

Luo Sheng said indifferently: “He won’t. Cousin, rest assured.”

After what had just happened between her and that man, it was hard to imagine that as the other party involved, he would still have the mood to eat June persimmons.

“Cousin trusts Prince Kaiyang that much?”

Luo Sheng’s expression turned slightly cold: “It’s not trust, it’s just that Prince Kaiyang doesn’t really like eating June persimmons.”

Trust that person?

From when he discovered she had shot that arrow and she remained safe and sound until now, perhaps there was some trust.

“That’s good then.” Sheng Sanlang breathed a sigh of relief.

Footsteps sounded.

Sheng Sanlang thought it was Wei Han and quickly turned to look, only to see Wei Qiang walking over with palace attendants and guards following behind.

“Greetings to Your Highness.”

Wei Qiang walked all the way, ignoring all the greetings, his gaze fixed steadily on Luo Sheng.

He watched as she bent her knees slightly, her back straight, showing no sign of being at a disadvantage despite paying respects to someone of more noble status.

Neither servile nor overbearing—this phrase didn’t quite suit her.

Because only when one was conscious of one’s own lowliness would there be “neither servile nor overbearing.”

But for the young lady before him, it seemed they were equals, or even—

Wei Qiang’s expression was inscrutable. He increasingly felt the young lady before him resembled that person.

“Miss Luo need not be so formal.” Wei Qiang spoke, his voice slightly deep.

Luo Sheng straightened up expressionlessly.

At this moment, she had no mood to deal with this person.

“Did Your Highness rush back after hearing Court Lady Yu was injured?”

“Uh, yes.”

“What unfortunate timing then. Court Lady Yu has left. Since Your Highness is concerned about Court Lady Yu, I won’t keep you for a meal.” At this point, Luo Sheng bowed slightly. “Respectfully seeing off Your Highness.”

Even after Wei Qiang had walked more than ten zhang away, his mind was still in a daze.

Had he said two sentences only to be dismissed by Miss Luo?

“Your Highness?” Seeing Wei Qiang stop, Dou Ren called out.

“Return to the traveling palace!”

After Wei Qiang left, Wei Han returned carrying the cleaned deer meat and holding the bamboo basket.

“The Prince has already finished cleaning it. That was quite fast.” Sheng Sanlang smiled, showing a mouthful of white teeth, and silently counted the June persimmons in the bamboo basket.