Chapter 58: What Are You Writing?

Chapter 58: What Are You Writing?

Just as she was happily feeding the horse, at that sudden call, Liu Yun's hand trembled, nearly dropping the mint leaves.

Following the sound, she saw the Crown Prince sitting upright on his dark horse, his expression as grim as Xuan Shuang's.

Oh no.

Her petty husband was angry yet again.

Without a moment's hesitation, Liu Yun tossed the remaining mint leaves to the ground, ignored Snow Spirit, and hurried over in quick, mincing steps.

"Husband, why are you here?"

Calling him that in front of so many people made Liu Yun blush, but remembering it was something they had agreed upon earlier, she gritted her teeth and said it.

That sweet, soft "husband" from the young woman not only eased Xiao Hang's foul mood but also made Ye Qingliu stare blankly in her direction.

A strange emotion brushed past his heart, stirring a longing he couldn't quite put a name to.

That word "husband" sounded so sweet coming from Liu Jiayunniang's lips, yet unfortunately it wasn't meant for him.

Ye Qingliu was becoming a stranger to himself; his gut told him this change was a bad sign.

Watching Ye Qingliu lost in thought nearby, Xiao Hang's eyes darkened, but the darkness lifted the moment he looked at his timid wife.

"I've come to fetch you."

Those four words were surprisingly gentle, with not a trace of anger, which caught Liu Yun off guard.

"Come up."

The next moment, she saw Xiao Hang lean down and extend his hand toward her.

The same two words sounded perfectly proper in daylight, but took on a whole different meaning at night.

Liu Yun silently scolded herself for her wandering thoughts, yet instinctively placed her hand in his palm.

The next moment, she was lifted off her feet and onto the horse.

Behind her was a warm, solid chest, with two arms braced around her to keep her from falling.

Being this intimate in public was too much, even for a married couple, and Liu Yun found it hard to bear.

But the Crown Prince's demeanor brooked no refusal; he just gave her a quick, sidelong glance, and Liu Yun fell silent.

She couldn't quite describe that look, but her instincts told her it was best to indulge him right now.

Let him do whatever he wanted.

Like a lazy cat, she curled into Xiao Hang's embrace, so close that if he lowered his head, he could kiss the pale, slender curve of her neck.

Suppressing the urge, Xiao Hang turned his gaze back to the languid Ye Qingliu and spoke in a flat tone.

"I recall the Young Marquis Ye is a few months older than me. At your age, even with a title to inherit, it won't do to have no official post. A man should strive to better himself, or a single misstep could leave you with nothing. Don't you think so, Yunniang?"

Everyone in Yanjing knew the Young Marquis Ye had lost his mother at a young age, his stepmother was cruel, and even his father favored her children. If not for his mother's prominent family—his uncle being commander of the imperial guards—he would have been stripped of his heir status long ago.

If any ordinary man had said that, Ye Qingliu would have taken offense and snapped back, making the speaker regret provoking him.

But since it was Crown Prince Xiao Hang speaking, Ye Qingliu had no choice but to swallow the insult.

Especially since those words reached Liu Jiayunniang's ears—for the first time, he felt humiliated and tasted the bitterness of shame.

Liu Yun showed no sign of contempt or disdain, just watching him quietly with a gentle, composed expression.

As if she saw nothing wrong with a man like him.

Ye Qingliu knew that even with friends riding alongside him in Yanjing and countless women swooning over him, he was well aware of what people said behind his back.

They called him a useless, good-for-nothing dandy who only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun.

He hadn't cared, because he had no grand ambitions and only wanted to drive his old man crazy.

For ten years, his father had called him worthless, scorned him, belittled him—so he'd prove him right.

Every time he saw the old man hopping mad but unable to strip him of his heir status, Ye Qingliu felt a thrill of satisfaction.

But today, at this very moment, he suddenly felt regret.

Especially after the Crown Prince smiled and asked the young woman in his arms, Ye Qingliu tensed up without realizing it.

He was afraid of hearing the same words, afraid that even someone as pure and gentle as Liu Yun might say something so cutting.

His breath grew shallow, and he could hear his own heart pounding.

Thump, thump, like a drum.

"Ambition is a good thing, but people are different. Some people prefer to live lazily; as long as circumstances allow, being a carefree idler is fine. Why make everyone the same?"

The young woman's crisp voice broke the heavy silence, like a clear spring washing over his heart, and Ye Qingliu's tense body slowly relaxed.

His eyes, which had always been flirtatious with every woman, were now clear and burning with intensity.

Forgetting decorum, forgetting propriety, even forgetting who the young woman before him was, he stared openly, his gaze thick as an impenetrable fog.

Already annoyed that Liu Yun hadn't sided with him, Xiao Hang's fury hit its peak at the sight of Ye Qingliu's reaction.

"Say that again?"

His smile vanished, and Xiao Hang's gaze cut like a knife, glaring at Ye Qingliu before speaking in a hard tone.

Clearly, the Crown Prince was angry again, but Liu Yun didn't think she had said anything wrong.

Everyone has their own temperament, preferences, and pursuits—just as she didn't aspire to be the perfect lady, unwilling to learn qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—things she didn't truly enjoy—just to become what the world called a renowned beauty.

Nor did she long to marry into some noble family, believing that whatever was comfortable for her was best.

She wanted to do what she loved and live however suited her best.

She held herself and others to the same standard.

The world doesn't require all leaves to be identical, and neither should people.

It wasn't to defend Ye Qingliu; it was just what she believed.

So, in response to the Crown Prince's question, Liu Yun stayed stubbornly silent, wordlessly making her stance clear.

Xiao Hang saw this too, and it made his blood boil with rage.

Unwilling to stay any longer and let that Ye fellow keep staring at his wife, Xiao Hang let out a sharp yell, turned his horse around, and rode off, leaving Ye Qingliu choking on his dust.

Snow Spirit watched its master leave, first lowered its head to munch on the fallen mint leaves, then lazily trotted after him.

The imperial guards also departed, leaving just one man and one horse behind.

Gazing at the figure that had disappeared into the distance, Ye Qingliu stared blankly for a long moment, until his horse nudged his arm, snapping him out of it.

Rubbing his horse's forehead, Ye Qingliu lowered his eyes and murmured to himself, "Why didn't I notice sooner?"

Too late. He'd missed his shot.

His eyes were shattered, glistening like sunlit ripples, with quiet undercurrents hidden beneath.

...

Riding back, still fuming, Xiao Hang brought Liu Yun to the tent, dumped her inside without a word, then walked off.

Liu Yun was totally baffled by the whole thing.

She had a hunch Xiao Hang was pissed.

Probably because of something she'd said earlier.

But Liu Yun didn't think she'd done anything wrong. Sure, she was easygoing and soft-spoken, but that didn't mean she'd cave on everything and toss aside her own beliefs.

It was around then that Liu Yun started getting a read on the Crown Prince's temper, knowing he wasn't the sort to take his anger out on her, which only made her bolder.

Watching him storm off with a scowl, Liu Yun felt a twinge of nerves at first, but then she just shrugged it off.

Nobody should be that quick to get angry all the time. The Crown Prince really needed to work on his temper.

So Liu Yun didn't go after him to smooth things over. She just rested a bit in the tent, then headed to the stables to check on Snow Spirit.

Luckily, the thorn hadn't gone in too deep; a little medicine and it'd heal up fast.

After seeing to Snow Spirit, Liu Yun remembered Zhen Zhen was meeting Fourth Young Master Zhang, so she rushed off to find her.

Little did Liu Yun know, the second she left the tent, the Crown Prince came running back to see her—and missed her.

When he heard the Crown Princess had gone to see Snow Spirit, Xiao Hang chased after her—and missed her again.

Su Lin, who'd been trailing behind the whole time, didn't dare look up at His Highness's face, scared he'd catch the brunt of the prince's frustration.

Crown Princess, where the heck are you?!

Meanwhile, Liu Yun found Zhen Zhen, and the moment she spotted her, Chen Wei bounded over, all excited, to talk about Fourth Young Master Zhang.

"Thanks so much, Shanshan. I think I'm really gonna get married this time—I genuinely like Fourth Young Master Zhang!"

"He's good-looking, has a great personality, and even blushes when he talks to me. He said he'd go home and tell his folks to come ask for my hand, ahhh~"

Liu Yun got shaken back and forth, genuinely thrilled for her.

"That's great that you found him. Fourth Young Master Zhang really is a solid guy."

The Eastern Palace's Eagle Guard had vetted him thoroughly, so he should be legit.

With Zhen Zhen marrying a guy like that, she could relax.

It was a cool, breezy autumn day, and with nothing else to do, Liu Yun and Zhen Zhen went out to fly kites, having a blast.

So much so that she totally forgot about her still-sulking hubby.

On the way back, Xiao Hang was weirdly quiet, not saying a word to her.

Grateful he'd found a good match for Zhen Zhen, Liu Yun tried to make cheerful small talk at first, but when he stayed stone-faced, eyeing her like she was beneath him, Liu Yun's temper flared, and she clammed up.

This awkward vibe lasted three days.

At first, Liu Yun secretly got a kick out of certain things.

Like, since he was so cold, he probably wouldn't bother her at night.

But Liu Yun was dead wrong.

Cold as he was during the day, at night he didn't hold back on his demands—in fact, because he was still sore at her, he deliberately dragged things out way longer, so even though it was still three rounds, Liu Yun suffered more because each one lasted way longer than usual.

She really couldn't take this man Xiao Hang anymore.

If they were in a cold war, why'd he have to switch it up at night?!

Three more days went by, and Xiao Hang was the first to break.

One long night, Liu Yun clung to his neck, sobbing her heart out, whimpering because she couldn't handle it anymore.

She really had no clue where this man had picked up such torturous moves, each one pushing her to the edge of life and death.

"Shanshan, Shanshan..."

He kept murmuring her pet name, his scorching breath continuously brushing against her ear, burning her heart until it raced with heat.

To keep from being thrown off by his movements, even though being close to him was dangerous, Liu Yun still struggled to wrap her arms around him, holding him tightly.

This greatly pleased Xiao Hang, driving him to claim her even more wildly.

It was also after that night that the cold war abruptly vanished, and Xiao Hang returned to his former self.

He would talk to her often, his tone gentle, smiling and teasing her.

Gone were those days of awkward coldness.

Liu Yun breathed a sigh of relief, and life returned to its sweet, sticky normalcy.

But she was truly celebrating a bit too early.

One morning, Liu Yun was alone in the bedchamber as usual, furiously writing away at her storybook.

Just one more chapter, and she could finish her new book.

She was in the middle of a passionate scene, deeply absorbed in her writing, so focused that she didn't pay much attention to the footsteps gradually approaching outside the hall.

Had Liu Yun spared a moment to listen, she would have recognized that it was the Crown Prince returning.

Xiao Hang never came back at this hour—that was a fact Liu Yun had always taken for granted.

So when the footsteps drew closer, Liu Yun simply assumed it was Jin He who had come.

After all, when she was writing her story scripts, no one else was allowed to enter and wait on her except Jin He.

Since it was one of her own who knew the situation, Liu Yun didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until the person stood behind her for quite a while, with a large, well-articulated hand braced against the desk's edge, that Liu Yun suddenly snapped back as if waking from a dream.

She turned her head and met Xiao Hang's almost too handsome side profile.

"What are you writing that's got you so absorbed?"

Author's note:

Hehe

Soon he'll discover that the male lead in Shan Bao's story is modeled after his rival in love—that guy's about to crack.