Chapter 330 Li Bixi gets older

"What’s wrong?" Cheng Yunshuo asked.

Things have been so hectic lately, Li Bihan lowered her head. "I haven't had time for you or Lan Ying."

She was worried. She couldn't figure out what Lu Lingyun was probing about today. Perhaps she was starting to scheme against her children.

That wasn't an option.

She could temporarily give up the power to manage the household, but she must hold onto her children and her man.

She decided she wouldn’t handle these responsibilities anymore.

Cheng Yunshuo said upon hearing this, "It’s up to you. If you don’t feel like doing it, that’s fine. I’ll let Lingyun know tomorrow that we won’t need your help anymore."

"Thank you, my lord," Li Bihan smiled in response.

She got up to assist Cheng Yunshuo in removing his coat, told the servants to serve dinner, and had dinner with Cheng Yunshuo. After they finished eating, Xiaoju came up with a cup of tea.

Cheng Yunshuo looked at the familiar tea he drank every day, "Even with everything going on, you're still making me tea?"

"It's no trouble at all. As long as you enjoy it, my lord," Li Bihan laughed.

In the flickering candlelight, the exhaustion from her nightly rounds showed clearly. She was over thirty years old, and the lines on her face stood out even more in the dim light. Fine lines around her eyes became visible. She had puffy eyelids, her cheeks looked sunken, and deep creases formed at the corners of her mouth.

Cheng Yunshuo startled when he suddenly noticed how old Li Bihan looked.

It was only at this moment that he realized how much older she was than him. Men tend to show signs of aging later than women.

Especially in their twenties and thirties.

Cheng Yunshuo was still young, but Li Bihan had already grown old.

For a moment, he froze, clearly struggling to come to terms with how old she had become.

Because once she aged, her face no longer resembled the woman in his memory.

"Crown Prince, is something wrong?" Li Bihan saw Cheng Yunshuo holding the teacup for a long time without drinking, her eyebrows slightly raised, thinking whether he had noticed something.

When Cheng Yunshuo heard her voice, he snapped back to reality. He quickly turned away his eyes, not daring to look at the aging Li Bihan anymore, and finished the tea in one gulp.

Seeing that he had finished the tea, Li Bihan sighed in relief.

She got up and wanted to help Cheng Yunshuo change clothes, "Crown Prince, I've been busy recently and haven't taken good care of you. Tonight, I will make sure you're comfortable."

Li Bihan's eyes were alluring. She usually acted coy and was quite coquettish in front of Cheng Yunshuo. This was what she had learned in the palace.

A woman shouldn’t act too proper in bed; otherwise, it would only make the man indifferent.

She was very proactive in this aspect.

But her current appearance only made Cheng Yunshuo frown. When he saw the loose hand on his shoulder and the aged face of Li Bihan beside him, he suddenly stood up, "I'll go back to my own courtyard to rest."

"Crown Prince..."

Li Bihan hurriedly called out.

This time, Cheng Yunshuo didn't even wait for her to say more and walked straight out.

Li Bihan's eyebrows furrowed tightly at his attitude.

What was wrong with Cheng Yunshuo?

Why was he suddenly distancing himself from her?

"Has the young master taken up with someone new lately?" Li Bihan immediately asked the maid Xiaoju.

Xiaoju shook her head, "I haven't heard anything about that."

"If not, why did he leave so early tonight?" Li Bihan's frown deepened, the wrinkles on her forehead more pronounced.

Seeing her like this, Xiaoju spoke up, "Miss Li, why don't you rest a bit?"

"What do you mean?" Li Bihan gave her a cold look.

Xiaoju pointed to the bronze mirror, "You've been under a lot of stress lately, and you look really pale."

Only then did Li Bihan turn around. Looking into the bronze mirror, she felt a sinking feeling and instantly understood the cause.

She reached out to touch her aging face, "When did I get so old?"

Over the past few days, Li Bihan noticed that Cheng Yunshuo only stopped by her courtyard out of habit. On the first day, he still ate a meal, but for the next two days, he didn't even eat, just drank tea, spent some time with Lan Ying, and then made an excuse to return to his own quarters.

He barely looked at her face.

Noticing Cheng Yunshuo avoiding her gaze and catching occasional looks of disapproval, Li Bihan was certain.

It was because she had grown old, and Cheng Yunshuo no longer liked her.

She even heard that Cheng Yunshuo had spent the last few nights at Qiu Xiang Courtyard after leaving her place.

After giving birth, Qiu Ling could no longer serve him.

Cheng Yunshuo would rather go to Qiu Ling than stay with her, which was almost unbearable for her!

Cheng Yunshuo disliked her to such an extent that he preferred to spend the night with a woman unable to serve him rather than stay in her courtyard.

Her mood darkened as she thought about it.

She couldn't let this go on.

Cheng Lanying and Cheng Bingzhi were still children. She must keep Cheng Yunshuo close until they were older.

That night, Cheng Yunshuo came to her courtyard as usual.

When he was about to leave, Cheng Lanying immediately stopped him, "Father, where are you going again!"

"My work has been keeping me busy lately, I need to rest early," Cheng Yunshuo gently pinched her nose, "I'll come see you tomorrow."

"No!" Cheng Lanying immediately blocked his way, not allowing him to leave.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Father, you haven't stayed the night here for a long time. Stay tonight." Cheng Lanying coaxed him.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yunshuo instinctively wrinkled his brows.

Cheng Lanying continued coaxing, "Father, I want to hear a bedtime story from you tonight. Stay, please."

Cheng Yunshuo couldn't resist her whining, and finally said, "Alright."

Cheng Lanying successfully kept him there and shot her mother a look. She pulled Cheng Yunshuo into the room, "Daddy always spoils me the most."

That night, he stayed in Bishui Manor.

That night, after Cheng Yunshuo finished telling Cheng Lanying a story, Li Bihan came forward again to help him rest.

She was dressed up that evening, with thick powder covering the wrinkles on her face, making her look much younger.

Seeing her heavily made-up appearance, Cheng Yunshuo couldn't help but recall the day he saw Li Bihan looking older than her years.

She wasn't young anymore, and even with heavy makeup, she didn't resemble her younger self.

On the contrary, the thick layer of powder only made him feel her age even more.

He instantly furrowed his brow, "Why are you dressed up like this?"

"I'm here to help you rest, my Lord," Li Bihan smiled as she spoke.

For some reason, when Cheng Yunshuo saw her smile, he noticed the flaking powder around her mouth and eyes.

At that moment, he felt even more repulsed.

"It's late, don't bother anymore."

He went straight to bed without undressing, turned away from Li Bihan, and closed his eyes to rest.

Watching Cheng Yunshuo sleep fully clothed, Li Bihan's heart dropped. In the flickering candlelight, she clenched her fists tightly.

The next morning, Cheng Yunshuo left early for official duties.

Cheng Lanying boasted before her, "Mother, I’m the one who gets things done, aren’t I!"