Zhang Jingyuan did not answer immediately.
He simply stared at Shen Xuan.
His dark eyes were unusually quiet, making it difficult for her to tell what was going through his mind.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"I’ll be going to the southern province tomorrow."
Shen Xuan blinked.
"The southern province?"
"Yes."
Zhang Jingyuan leaned back slightly, his expression calm.
"There is a matter there that requires my attention. I may be gone for some time."
Shen Xuan stared at him.
For some reason, the way he said it sounded strangely familiar.
Almost like...
"I’m going away for a while. Take care of yourself while I’m gone."
Her brows slowly knitted together.
Then the ridiculous thought appeared.
"This sounds exactly like a boyfriend telling his girlfriend that he won’t be around."
Shen Xuan immediately shook the thought away.
"No, no, no!"
"What nonsense am I thinking about?"
She mentally slapped herself.
"He’s the Crown Prince."
"I’m the youngest daughter of the Grand Chancellor."
"He’s going to the southern province for official business."
"That’s all."
Zhang Jingyuan quietly listened to her thoughts.
His lips twitched slightly.
He found it amusing that she could make such a simple conversation so complicated inside her head.
Shen Xuan, however, was still confused.
"But why are you telling me?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
"I’m not the horse he’ll ride to the southern province."
"Why is he telling me?"
She paused.
"Wait..."
"That was rude."
"Shen Xuan, you really need to control your thoughts."
Zhang Jingyuan’s expression remained calm, but there was a faint trace of displeasure in his eyes.
He had grown accustomed to her strange thoughts over the years.
He knew she did not mean most of the things she thought.
Still...
He didn’t particularly like hearing that she didn’t understand why he wanted to tell her.
His gaze softened.
"Because I wanted you to know."
Shen Xuan’s eyes widened slightly.
"Oh."
That simple answer left her with nothing to say.
The room became quiet.
Zhang Jingyuan studied her small expression.
Then, almost casually, he asked,
"Will you miss me?"
Shen Xuan froze.
"...Miss you?"
She repeated the words, clearly surprised.
Zhang Jingyuan nodded.
"Yes."
Shen Xuan stared at him.
She had not expected that question at all.
Her mind immediately became busy.
"Will I miss him?"
She thought about it seriously.
He did visit her almost every week.
Sometimes he brought strange things from distant places.
Sometimes he brought sweets.
Sometimes he brought books she had never seen before.
Sometimes he simply sat beneath the tree while she read.
And sometimes he would tell her stories about things he had seen while traveling or attending to matters of court.
He had become a familiar presence in her quiet life.
"Well..."
"I might miss him."
"After all, he always comes bearing gifts."
"And he does keep me company."
A small smile appeared on Zhang Jingyuan’s face.
It was subtle enough that Shen Xuan almost didn’t notice.
"Then you will miss me."
His tone was strangely satisfied.
Shen Xuan blinked.
"Perhaps."
She answered honestly.
Zhang Jingyuan’s smile deepened slightly.
Then he stood.
"I’ll be going."
Shen Xuan looked up at him.
"Have a safe journey, Big Brother Jing."
Zhang Jingyuan took one step toward her.
Then another.
Before Shen Xuan could understand what he was doing, he bent down.
His hand gently touched the top of her head.
Then he lowered his head and pressed a brief kiss against her forehead.
Shen Xuan’s entire body froze.
Her eyes widened.
For several heartbeats, she couldn’t move.
Zhang Jingyuan straightened.
"Wait for me."
His voice was soft.
"When I return, I’ll ask your father for your hand in marriage."
Shen Xuan’s mind went completely blank.
"..."
Before she could process what he had just said, Zhang Jingyuan turned around and walked away.
He did not wait for her answer.
He simply walked out of the room.
The door closed behind him.
Silence.
Shen Xuan remained sitting exactly where she was.
Her fingers slowly rose to her forehead.
She touched the place where his lips had just landed.
Her eyes were still wide.
Her mind finally caught up with reality.
"What..."
"What did he just say?"
"Ask my father for my hand in marriage?"
"Marriage?!"
Her thoughts exploded.
But Zhang Jingyuan was already gone.
Outside the courtyard, Zhang Jingyuan’s footsteps gradually slowed.
He walked through the corridor with his hands behind his back.
His expression remained calm.
Only the slight redness at the tips of his ears betrayed his composure.
After reaching the garden, he finally stopped.
He closed his eyes briefly.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
"I’m really such a coward."
He had planned to say much more.
He had wanted to explain why he was leaving.
He had wanted to ask whether she would think of him while he was away.
He had even considered telling her that he had been trying to speak to the Emperor about their future.
Instead...
He had simply kissed her forehead, declared that he would ask for her hand, and fled.
Zhang Jingyuan opened his eyes.
His expression became serious.
A few days earlier, his mother, the Empress, had mentioned that she wished to invite Shen Xuan into the palace.
The moment he heard it, he had refused.
His mother had been surprised.
The Crown Prince rarely refused her so firmly.
But Zhang Jingyuan knew Shen Xuan.
He knew how much she disliked complicated palace etiquette.
He knew how much she hated kneeling.
He knew how uncomfortable she became whenever she had to deal with too many formalities.
The imperial palace was not a place she would enjoy.
So he had firmly rejected the suggestion.
His mother had not pressed the matter.
But she had merely smiled knowingly.
Then, some time later, the Emperor himself had brought up another matter.
A marriage.
A betrothal between the Crown Prince and the youngest daughter of the Grand Chancellor.
Zhang Jingyuan had immediately objected.
He had spent hours speaking with his father.
Not because he did not want Shen Xuan.
Quite the opposite.
He wanted her too much.
He simply refused to allow their marriage to become something forced upon her.
He wanted her to choose him.
Even if it took years.
Even if he had to wait.
He would wait.
Zhang Jingyuan looked toward the courtyard he had just left.
His expression softened.
"Awu..."
"I won’t become the person you fear."
He remembered the strange things Shen Xuan often said in her thoughts.
The heroine.
The obsessive Crown Prince.
The destruction of the Shen family.
The imprisonment.
The future she seemed terrified of.
He still didn’t understand everything.
But he understood enough.
She was afraid of him.
Not the Zhang Jingyuan standing here today.
She was afraid of the person she believed he would become.
His fingers slowly tightened.
"I won’t become him."
"But..."
His gaze became determined.
"I won’t let you go either."
With that thought, Zhang Jingyuan continued toward the outer courtyard.
His personal guards were already waiting.
He climbed into the carriage without another word.
As the carriage began moving, he looked through the window one last time.
The Shen Residence slowly disappeared behind him.
Inside the dining room, Shen Xuan was still sitting motionless.
She stared at the closed door.
Her mind was completely empty.
Then—
"Young Miss?"
Nothing.
"Young Miss?"
Still nothing.
Xiao Mei and Xiao Cao exchanged a worried glance.
"Young Miss?"
Shen Xuan finally blinked.
She slowly turned her head.
"Where’s the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Mei hesitated.
She glanced at Xiao Cao.
Xiao Cao answered carefully.
"His Highness left a few moments ago."
"He left?"
"Yes."
Shen Xuan looked toward the door again.
She touched her forehead.
Her face gradually became more confused.
"Did I hear it wrongly?"
"Yes."
"I must have heard it wrongly."
"There is no way he said that."
She nodded firmly to herself.
"I probably misunderstood."
"Maybe he said something else."
"Perhaps he said he would ask Father for something else."
"A book?"
"A horse?"
"A piece of land?"
"Anything is more reasonable than marriage."
Her salted-fish principles immediately came to her rescue.
There was absolutely no reason to overthink it.
Overthinking was troublesome.
Trouble was tiring.
And Shen Xuan wanted neither.
She had worked very hard for fourteen years to maintain her peaceful life.
She refused to let one strange sentence ruin it.
She stood up.
"Forget it."
Xiao Mei blinked.
"Young Miss?"
"I’m hungry."
Xiao Mei was speechless for a moment.
Then she quietly followed her.
Just as Shen Xuan was about to leave the room—
"Second Aunt!"
A small figure came running toward her.
Shen Yichen rushed into her arms.
Shen Xuan instinctively caught him.
"Slow down."
The little boy wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You promised to play with me."
Shen Xuan smiled.
"Did I?"
"Yes!"
"Then I suppose I have no choice."
She gently pinched his cheek.
Shen Yichen laughed happily.
The unsettling feeling still remained somewhere deep within Shen Xuan’s heart.
It was faint.
Almost impossible to notice.
But it was there.
She looked toward the courtyard gate for a moment.
Then she shook her head.
"I’m thinking too much."
She turned her attention back to Shen Yichen.
"Come on. What do you want to play?"
"Hide and seek!"
Shen Xuan sighed.
"Again?"
"Yes!"
"Fine."
She carried him toward the garden.
Behind them, Xiao Mei and Xiao Cao exchanged a quiet glance.
Neither noticed the faint shadow that had remained on the roof of a distant pavilion.
Nor did Shen Xuan notice that, far beyond the walls of the Shen Residence, a carriage was heading towards the palace.
Inside it, the Crown Prince of Yin sat silently.
His fingers rested against the sleeve covering his hand.
And his thoughts remained on one person.
Awu.
A/N: Don’t forget to add to your library!