✿

was a trace of disappointment in his eyes as he stared at Zhilan. Seeing her clearly drawing a line between them makes him agitated. How could she changed her heart so fast? He wasn't that harsh on her feelings, Zhu Mingli clearly remembered that although he didn't repond to her feelings, he didn't reject it either. He received all of her gifts. In fact, all of her gifts are properly stored, most of them are even in his sleeping chamber.

The handkerchief that she expertly sewed and hasn't taken a glance at it when he received it, he kept it with him when he was in seventh province and along to the other place he was send to.

Sometimes he felt like he was overly obsessing with her, even inhaling the scent that she left on the handkerchief as he fantasize over her. Shame washed over his body every time he woke up in the morning and his beddings was in a mess after dreaming of her.

Despite obsessing and missing her so badly that he moaned her name in his sleep, the letters that he send to her during the time that he was away was left unresponded. He didn't know if it was because the messenger that he send to the capital was killed by his enemies or she's simply getting back at him by ignoring his obvious show of affection to her.

Thinking that it was the latter makes him feel indignant to her, he has already give in to her and yet she keeps trampling all over his feelings. Must Zhilan be this harsh to him? He was afraid of the thought that maybe, she already has someone else in her heart after kicking him out of it. Afraid that it was already too late for him to claim that position in her heart.

Yan Gen saw his eyes darkening and his whole body seems to be surrounded by a black aura. He gulped in nervousness. Not good, the male lead is about to kill him, but it was not his fault! It was the carriage driver ah, it wasn't intentional. Glancing at the carriage driver who's trembling all over the ground with his bloody forehead, he became concerned. This innocent and hard-working carriage driver is already dizzy from banging his forehead on the ground for a long time, only resting his forehead on the ground, not daring to breath a loud.

"Your highness..."

Cautiously probing his mood by calling out to him with Zhilan's natural gentle and sweet voice, Zhu Mingli promptly supress his rage, and a charming smile tugged up on his thin lips, dispersing the dark heavy mood around them. He ordered the carriage driver to get up and roll out of his sight as soon as possible, to which he quickly did in a lightning speed. Nobles changed their minds often to play around, thus he instantly fled from the scene.

Zhu Mingli was still keeping that smile when he started to shorten the distance between them, sending a shiver down his spine, that smile gives him a bad premonition. Before he could take a stepback again, Zhu Mingli was already standing right in front of him, towering over his figure and grabbing a hold of his slender white wrist.

Frustration and anger surge in his heart upon seeing her trying to get away from him. Is the sight of him so repulsive in her eyes that she has to turn her head away and run?

"Wei Zhilan... it's been a long time since we last saw each other, don't you think that we have so many things to catch up with?"

Zhu Mingli said in a low hoarse voice, dripping in sex appeal, his eyes are burning with longing and wrath at the same time. Yan Gen smiled, barely holding his composure, because of that, his usual graceful smile turned out to be a sneer. The hand that was holding on his wrist tightened, making him grimaced a little but Zhu Mingli didn't noticed it at all, his emotions are getting out of control.

"Your highness must be jesting. How could I have such friendship with his highness to comfortably sit and chat? This one is just a lowly subject. I wouldn't dare to put myself in line with his highness"

Hearing Yan Gen's response, he became even more enrage. Almost breaking his wrist, thankfully, he managed to noticed his beautiful face contorting in pain and let go in time. His previous charming smile was restored again, though his eyes seems to smolder him.

"You know that this prince have such authority and you dare refuse? It is up to me whether to let you sit and chat with me or not"

Give me a knife! I will criss cross his arrogant face. Sure enough, male leads would always suppress villains.

"A royalty is still a royalty and a subject is still a subject, likewise, we must follow the norms of the society. Proper etiquette must not be carelessly ignored out of whim"

Zhu Mingli became more irritated the more he refused and it was palpable on his face.

"Wei Zhilan, are you lecturing me?"

His tone became dangerous, threatening him to retreat.

"I wouldn't dare, your highness"

A chuckle came out of his lips, full of mockery. The gaze his directing at him carried a cold glint, as if he couldn't wait to tear him apart.

"You wouldn't dare? and yet you have the guts to refuse and lecture me? Your courage is big Lan-er"

Lan-er? Yan Gen scowled at his appellation. When was it that he started calling him that? Just now or before he was send somewhere else?

Zhu Mingli reached out a hand, grabbing his arm to prevent him from backing or running away.

"If this prince said that you have to accompany me then you can only comply"

Such a demanding man, really makes him want to beat the shit out of him. But Yan Gen couldn't do anything about it, this is the male lead we're talking about. How can he continuously go against him? That is simply asking for his own grave.

He turned around and started to walk while holding his hand. Forcefully dragging Yan Gen with him. Not a moment later, a delicate voice called out, enough for them to hear and halt in their steps.

"Your highness..."

It was Yan Gen who swiftly turn his head around to look, thinking that it must be a beauty who owned that kind of voice. He wasn't entirely wrong, nevertheless, it was another person he doesn't want to meet in his lifetime. The female lead, Li Mei.

She was looking at them with teary eyes, as if drops of tears will flow out of her crystal eyes at any moment, reflecting her grievances. Li Mei stood not far away from them, like a tender flower pitifully trembling in the wind. Yan Gen stared at her in shock, then back at Zhu Mingli who is also now looking at her with an emotionless face. He forgot her existence instantaneously when he saw Wei Zhilan.

Sure enough, the main characters and the villain cannot avoid meeting each other. Yan Gen howled in despair inside his mind.

Li Mei is just standing there, like an abandoned woman. Wearing a heartbroken expression, whose man was stolen by another vicious woman, which is Yan Gen, the so called villainess.

He feels so uncomfortable all over. The scene look like this, a couple was harmoniously walking in the street, a romantic air is floating around them and then a hateful woman who's trying to steal the man came out of nowhere and broke them apart.

Yan Gen truly wants to get out of the picture, so he forcefully take back his hand from a certain someone's hold. It was all for naught for Zhu Mingli's gripped on him tightened, not enough to hurt him, just using his right strength not to let him break away.

Left without choice, Yan Gen smiled awkwardly at Li Mei. "So it is the Young miss Li Mei. What a coincidence" He started to look at Zhu Mingli and her, back and forth, as if indicating an ambiguous meaning.

"Forgive me for interrupting your romantic walk with his highness. I shall now go on my way, enjoy your--"

"It's not what you think it is"

Zhu Mingli ruthlessly cut off his sentence while sending him a deathly glare. It's not what he think it is, then what is it? Could it be that he also coincidentally passed by her just now? Yan Gen snorted and raised a middle finger at him. He doesn't know the meaning of it in any case.

Anyone can tell that they've been walking alone together, enjoying the night and the scenery around them. What a lier. Would a woman called out to him wearing that kind of expression if it wasn't what he think 'it is'?