Beauty can be a bane! Feeling the muscles beneath her hand, Shen Mingzhu gasped inwardly. Looking at Xie Lang's expression, she was even more dazed and didn't know how to react for a moment.
[Hiss! Shen Mingzhu, where are you touching!]
[I'm a man too!]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Before Shen Mingzhu could withdraw her hand, she heard Xie Lang let out a long "Hiss—", and finally said weakly, "For no reason, Your Highness, why are you suddenly pressing on me?"
"Be gentle."
Xie Lang pretended to be weak, but his hand firmly pressed down on Shen Mingzhu's hand on his chest. "Please show mercy, Your Highness."
Seeing Xie Lang acting like this, the hint of ambiguous sentiment in Shen Mingzhu's heart vanished instantly. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and struggled a few times to pull her hand back, but Xie Lang held it firmly on his chest.
"You might as well let go of my hand first."
Shen Mingzhu said meaningfully, "If others saw you acting like this, they would surely think you're trying to seduce me."
Who would casually grab someone's hand and press it on their own abs!
Hearing Shen Mingzhu's words, Xie Lang finally replaced the deliberately feigned weakness on his face with a teasing look. Looking at Shen Mingzhu, he said, "It doesn't matter what others think of me. But what does Your Highness think?"
Shen Mingzhu felt the warmth beneath her hand. Xie Lang led her hand downward. Beneath her hand were well - defined muscles, with a texture completely different from the softness of her own abdomen. Just the touch made Shen Mingzhu catch her breath, and a faint blush crept onto her ears.
Finally, his hand stopped on his abdomen. Shen Mingzhu was lying on Xie Lang, and naturally noticed that the breathing of the person in front of her was getting heavier. The muscles beneath her hand were tense, and there was also...
Xie Lang's eyes were fixed on Shen Mingzhu. When he saw the faint blush on the tips of her ears, he hooked his lips in satisfaction and said with a smile, "So does Your Highness think this is seduction?"
Shen Mingzhu instinctively wanted to avoid the burning gaze of the person in front of her, but at the last moment of turning her head, she didn't want to show her timidity. So she held back her movement, looked at Xie Lang, and threw the question back, "Isn't it?"
Xie Lang let out a low laugh and pulled Shen Mingzhu into his arms.
Shen Mingzhu had been trying to support herself with her other hand. Unexpectedly, Xie Lang's movement was so sudden, so her hand went limp and her head hit his chest.
"Since Your Highness thinks so, it would be a pity if I didn't do something."
As he said this, Xie Lang tilted his head slightly. His eyes were full of passion. Although his desire was suppressed to the extreme, he was still waiting for Shen Mingzhu's next move.
[I can't force her anyway.]
[Hurry up, Shen Mingzhu!]
Although the expression of the person in front of her was so serious, the voice in his heart was a bit funny, which made Shen Mingzhu let out a soft laugh.
Xie Lang was immediately a bit frustrated, but he was helpless with her. He could only glare at her fiercely.
He was about to withdraw his hand when he let out a long sigh in his heart. But the next moment, Shen Mingzhu caught his hand instead.
A soft laugh came from his ear. He was stunned. The next moment, the familiar softness came to his lips, and the face of the person in front of him suddenly enlarged.
Thump, thump, thump—
All Xie Lang could hear in his ear was his increasingly rapid heartbeat. The calmness he had just shown was scared away by Shen Mingzhu's kiss. His face suddenly turned hot, and his whole body went stiff.
Seeing his reaction, Shen Mingzhu let out another soft laugh. She bit his lips and then continued, "Concentrate."
The room was quiet. All that remained was the ambiguity of their lips and tongues intertwined and the sound of their clothes rubbing against each other. The surrounding air instantly heated up, making their faces flushed, as if they were slightly drunk.
When the kiss ended, Xie Lang was gasping for breath. He watched as Shen Mingzhu wiped her lips slowly, tidied up the front of her clothes a bit, and then said indifferently, "Go to sleep early."
Xie Lang: "..." How could she just flirt and then leave!
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the heaviness in his heart. But he saw Shen Mingzhu give him a deep look before getting up. So he said unwillingly, "So annoying!"
[Shen Mingzhu is so excessive.]
"Think I'm excessive?" Shen Mingzhu's voice rang in his ear right after he thought this. Xie Lang was instinctively startled and turned his head away, not daring to look at her.
"Then go to sleep early. Don't keep provoking me."
After hearing this, Xie Lang always felt a bit dazed. Subconsciously, he felt that something was not right, but he couldn't tell what it was.
It seemed as if the positions of Shen Mingzhu and himself had been reversed.
He was really helpless with Shen Mingzhu!
When Xie Lang came back to his senses, he gently pulled the quilt and then turned his head. Seeing Shen Mingzhu's peaceful sleeping face at this moment, he felt a bit helpless.
Forget it. I'll note this down first. She must be really tired today. She must be sleepy now.
Although he thought so, there was still a faint feeling of dissatisfaction in his heart. So he reached out his hand, wanting to pinch Shen Mingzhu's cheek. But he withdrew his hand at the moment when he was about to touch her and let out a long sigh in his heart.
...
When Shen Mingzhu got up in the morning, Xie Lang had already left. She didn't know what he had been busy with recently, so she simply ignored it and pretended not to see.
Chuntao was standing on one side, looking a bit hesitant. After seeing Shen Mingzhu finish her breakfast, she finally asked, "Your Highness, should we continue to make the bed for the consort?"
Normally, Chuntao wouldn't ask such a question. But the little maid who kept watch last night stammered when she came. She said that the consort and Your Highness had slept in the same bed. So Chuntao had been struggling all night. Now, with the dark circles under her eyes, she came to ask Shen Mingzhu again.
"Of course."
Shen Mingzhu looked up, took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth. Then she glanced at Chuntao faintly and continued, "What are you thinking about? Hurry up. The faster the better."
Seeing the faint annoyance on Shen Mingzhu's face, Chuntao vaguely guessed what had happened last night. So she quickly replied, "Of course. But... But even if the bed is made as quickly as possible, it will take at least half a month. If Your Highness doesn't want to wait, you can let the consort move to the next room."
"That room is just a bit smaller than this one. All the other furnishings are exactly the same. If Your Highness is worried, I'll ask someone to tidy it up later."
Shen Mingzhu nodded. But then the image of Xie Lang last night suddenly popped up in her mind. Finally, she said to Chuntao, "Okay, tidy it up first. We'll talk about it later."
"Yes."
After Chuntao finished speaking, she asked Shen Mingzhu again, "Your Highness, are you still going to the outskirts to pray this year?"
This was a habit that Shen Mingzhu had developed since the year the Crown Prince left. Summer was coming soon, and it was almost time.
Without hesitation, Shen Mingzhu said to Chuntao, "Naturally, I'm going. Remember to pack things a few days in advance. And... Also send an invitation to Sister Xi Yu."
When Shen Mingzhu mentioned Li Xiyu, she couldn't help but frown slightly, and a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes.
"By the way." After hearing Shen Mingzhu's words, Chuntao finally looked up uncertainly and said, "Should the consort go?"