Wen Shuyu was utterly captivated.
Snapping back to reality, she blinked her eyes, her tone brimming with innocent concern: “Brother Crown Prince, do you need me to help you bathe?”
“How can you bathe without anyone attending to you? This simply won’t do.”
“I’ve deeply reflected on what happened at the brothel last time—it was all my fault. I sincerely repent, and to make up for my mistake, I can serve you today as a maid and help you bathe.”
“I hope Brother Crown Prince will give me a chance to make amends.”
As she spoke, she moved forward, almost reaching the edge of the White Jade Pool, but Xiao Jingchen refused: “Wait outside. I don’t need your help. I’m done bathing and need to change.”
“How can that be?” Wen Shuyu’s eyes instantly dimmed at the words “done bathing,” but then she brightened again as she thought of something. “Then it would still be good if I helped you change.”
“I’ll fetch your clothes right away.”
She stepped forward to reach for the clothes on the rack, but whether it was due to haste or something else, she accidentally stepped on water splashed beside the White Jade Pool and slipped.
“Oh dear, I lost my balance!”
With a loud “thud,” water splashed everywhere as she fell into the pool.
Ripples spread across the pool, and mist filled the air. Wen Shuyu was already exceptionally beautiful, but now, the steam had turned her porcelain-like skin a faint pink. Her long, dark hair cascaded down, accentuating her already striking features.
Her brows arched like distant mountains, her lips were a vivid red, and her beautiful eyes shimmered with emotion. Her half-wet clothes outlined her graceful curves in the hazy mist, making her look like a celestial being who had fallen into the pool.
Yet, she remained completely unaware that she was exposing herself. She leaned closer, inch by inch, toward Xiao Jingchen: “Brother Crown Prince, I think I sprained my ankle. It hurts a little, so I need to lean on your shoulder.”
Xiao Jingchen’s fingertips twitched slightly, his gaze hidden beneath his eyelashes dark and unfathomable.
While Wen Shuyu was busy putting on an act, his eyes shifted from her ankle reflected in the water to her open collar, finally lingering on her glistening lips.
As she drew closer and closer, the two were about to touch.
Xiao Jingchen’s eyes darkened for another moment, and his palm beneath the water trembled slightly as he clenched it into a fist.
Just as Wen Shuyu reached out her hand—
A loud splash echoed as a large wave of water surged outward, blocking Wen Shuyu’s view.
By the time she regained her senses, Xiao Jingchen had already risen in the blink of an eye, using his spiritual power to pull over his inner robe and drape it over himself before retreating to the side chamber.
Wen Shuyu: “…”
She gritted her teeth, took several deep breaths, and told herself to stay calm, that it was okay, and that she would try again.
But to have her prey slip away at the last moment—it was heartbreaking.
This infuriating Xiao Jingchen—was he even capable? In such a scene, with such an atmosphere, he remained utterly unmoved.
Wen Shuyu let out a bitter laugh.
It didn’t matter. She still had her “first plan.”
It wasn’t until Xiao Jingchen ordered several palace maids to bring in a new set of clothes and help Wen Shuyu change into them that she walked into the side chamber with a forced smile and saw Xiao Jingchen again.
The chamber was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Xiao Jingchen sat before a low table in a moon-white robe, his slender fingers holding a teacup as he sipped tea.
Wen Shuyu walked over and saw him drinking cup after cup, completely different from his usual habit of taking small sips. She wondered curiously, was the tea this time really that good?
Just as Xiao Jingchen poured himself another cup, she swiftly snatched it away and drank it all in one go.
Even the spot where her lips touched the rim of the cup perfectly overlapped with Xiao Jingchen’s, almost indistinguishable from a kiss.
“Wen Shuyu.” Xiao Jingchen’s brows furrowed slightly as he slowly uttered these three words, seemingly displeased.
Wen Shuyu was startled by the icy coldness of the tea in her mouth. “Ugh! Why is this tea so cold! Are you drinking ice water? Since when did you develop such a preference?”
She quickly set down the teacup in her hand, refilled it, and pushed it back in front of Xiao Jingchen. “Here, you drink it, you drink it. I won’t snatch it anymore, alright? Don’t be angry.”
“Anyway, I don’t like drinking it. My teeth are almost frozen off.”
Xiao Jingchen didn’t drink the tea again. Instead, he lifted his gaze and calmly met her eyes. “I’ll say it one more time: stop fooling around, and stop provoking me. Otherwise…”
Before he could finish, Wen Shuyu mimicked his tone and continued:
“Otherwise, I won’t let you off again.”
“Wen Shuyu, you’ve overstepped again. Fooling around, Wen Shuyu. Wen Shuyu, go back and reflect on your actions. Wen Shuyu, stop following me. Wen Shuyu, you’re absurd. Do you have no shame, Wen Shuyu? Get out, Wen Shuyu. Wen Shuyu, stop talking, it’s ridiculous. Wen Shuyu, you’re truly going too far.”
“Can’t you change a few words? I’ve memorized them all. After three years, my ears are practically calloused from hearing them.”
Wen Shuyu scratched her ear, her tone tinged with disdain. “It’s like chanting a spell.”
Xiao Jingchen pressed his fingers to his temples, took a deep breath, and ignored her. He picked up another teacup, poured himself another cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one go.
Wen Shuyu asked, “Seriously, is this tea really that good?”
Xiao Jingchen spoke word by word: “To cool the temper.”
In his tone, Wen Shuyu inexplicably sensed a hint of gritted teeth.
Was he angry?
Her eyes curved into a smile, and her gaze filled with amusement. She reached out with both hands to straighten Xiao Jingchen’s head until they were face-to-face, so close that their eyes met.
“Ah, don’t be angry, Crown Prince Brother. Actually, I came today for a serious matter. I want you to teach me how to Draw Talismans.”
Xiao Jingchen extended a finger and lightly tapped her forehead.
With a gentle push, he created some distance between them. “Men and women should not be too intimate.”
But Wen Shuyu moved even closer, so close that it seemed as if they were about to kiss in the next moment…