Shen Mingzhu was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, she recalled the last time Xie Lang had told her that he didn't want to hear her say "thank you" to him. Looking up again, she saw Xie Lang staring at her expressionlessly, his eyes downcast and the corners of his mouth drooping little by little. He looked displeased, but still didn't let go of their clasped hands.
Looking at the childish yet approachable look on the man in front of her, Shen Mingzhu couldn't help but recall the reliable and aloof look on his face when he found her in the forest.
Really...
Seeing that Shen Mingzhu was still distracted, Xie Lang gritted his teeth, leaned closer to her and growled, "What? Are you going to be polite to me again?"
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu was stunned for a moment. She couldn't help but purse her lips and smile, "No."
"Then what do you mean?"
Xie Lang suddenly became talkative. As the two walked side by side, he turned his head and stared intently at Shen Mingzhu as he walked, as if he wanted to bore a hole in her face.
"It's just a habit," Shen Mingzhu said. Turning her head, she saw Xie Lang still staring at her, so she couldn't help laughing again. "I definitely won't say it next time."
"Okay."
[I don't believe Shen Mingzhu's "next time" at all. When she says this, she'll surely say the same thing next time when I catch her.]
What Xie Lang was thinking in his heart was completely different from what he said, but after thinking for a while, he still looked at the person in front of him and said, "If you still say that next time, I'll..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence. Shen Mingzhu heard the hesitation in Xie Lang's voice. She didn't turn her head but continued, "What will you do?"
Xie Lang was rarely at a loss for words.
[It seems I can't do much, right?]
[I'm so angry! I'm so angry! Why does Shen Mingzhu like to interrupt me so much today!]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
She stopped and looked at Xie Lang. "What? Do you want me to move out of your place?"
"That's out of the question!"
Xie Lang blurted out. The moment he finished speaking, he met Shen Mingzhu's smiling eyes, so he subconsciously avoided her gaze, realizing that he had been a bit too excited.
Chuntao was following behind them. Watching Shen Mingzhu and Xie Lang chatting idly, she actually felt as if she was seeing an old married couple bickering. For a moment, all the thoughts in her head were emptied, and she fell silent as she watched their backs.
It seems that Her Highness really likes the type like the son - in - law.
As they were talking, they had already arrived at the courtyard.
Shen Mingzhu sighed and sat down. Looking at Xie Lang, she said, "I'll take a nap first. You can have dinner by yourself."
Her mind was in a complete mess at the moment. She really needed to take a break before she could continue thinking and talking.
As she said that, Shen Mingzhu had already taken off her outer robe and was about to take a bath.
Seeing this, Xie Lang sighed and said, "Okay, then I'll take a break too."
Shen Mingzhu nodded.
When she came back, Xie Lang was actually already in bed, curled up in the innermost part, leaving a large space for Shen Mingzhu.
Looking at the big - sized Xie Lang curled up like this, Shen Mingzhu couldn't help chuckling softly. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Xie Lang's defenseless sleeping face. A strange feeling gradually welled up in her heart.
Shen Mingzhu always couldn't help recalling the soft yet contradictory look in Xie Lang's eyes that night in the forest, which was a bit different from his usual attitude, with a coldness she had never seen before.
It was like a drawn sword, with a sharp and cold blade, very much like the sword bestowed on her by the emperor.
Thinking about it, Shen Mingzhu lifted the quilt and wanted to get in. As a result, Xie Lang woke up instantly. The look in his eyes as he looked at Shen Mingzhu was incredibly cold, but the moment he saw who it was, he yawned and said sleepily, "Why did you take so long to wash? Go to sleep quickly."
As he said, he sat up slightly, lifted the quilt, and patted the bed to signal Shen Mingzhu to get in quickly.
Xie Lang yawned continuously. Seeing Shen Mingzhu climb into the quilt, he continued, "Go to sleep, go to sleep."
Then he fell asleep.
...
When she opened her eyes again, she didn't know what time it was.
Shen Mingzhu remembered that it was just dusk when she went to sleep. Now she could see the moonlight squeezing in through the gap in the window.
Coming back to her senses, Shen Mingzhu felt extremely hot. Xie Lang's burning chest was pressed against her back. His hand was on her waist, his chin was on her shoulder, and she could feel the airflow from his breathing in her ear.
What's going on! How did she wake up in Xie Lang's arms!
Subconsciously, Shen Mingzhu wanted to wriggle out of Xie Lang's arms, but the way he was holding her was so tight. Moreover, Shen Mingzhu didn't really want to wake him up. So after trying for a while, she gave up.
Should she try to slip out?
Shen Mingzhu drew back her legs and intended to slip out of Xie Lang's embrace. But as soon as she moved, he hugged her even tighter.
"Don't move."
Xie Lang's low voice came, hoarse with sleepiness. The burning breath made Shen Mingzhu's ears burn instantly. She felt as hot as if she was in a steamer.
Shen Mingzhu froze subconsciously. Hearing Xie Lang's voice, she stopped moving at once and subconsciously let out a low exclamation, "Xie Lang!"
"What?"
Xie Lang was too sleepy to open his eyes. Especially with Shen Mingzhu in his arms, he didn't want to move at all.
"What's up?"
Xie Lang asked in return. He tried to open his eyes and saw the moonlight, which made him a bit more awake. "It seems to be quite late."
"Get up and have something to eat?"
Shen Mingzhu could tell from his voice that the man in front of her was still half - asleep, but she still continued, "Aren't you hungry?"
Hearing this, Xie Lang became a bit more awake.
The person in front of him seemed to be trying to slip out, so her buttocks involuntarily moved back a bit and just bumped into...
"Shen Mingzhu!"
Shen Mingzhu froze. She just felt the heat behind her pressing against her, so she froze in place again and remained silent.
[Damn it! It was okay at first, but Shen Mingzhu is really...]
[I can't take it anymore! What should I do? Or...]
Hearing Xie Lang's gritted - teeth thoughts, Shen Mingzhu felt the breathing of the person behind her getting quicker. She became even more stiff and didn't know what to do for a moment.
"How could it be..."
Xie Lang was helpless. Looking at Shen Mingzhu's fair neck, he couldn't help recalling the fragments of that night.
In front of him was her soft body, curled up in his arms and trapped by him. One of his hands was even on her waist.
Shen Mingzhu felt the skin of Xie Lang behind her getting hotter and hotter. A bold thought gradually emerged in her heart.
Xie Lang tried his best to suppress his impulse at this moment. He silently recited some scriptures he had read somewhere in his heart for a while before he came to his senses. He said to Shen Mingzhu, "Get up quickly!"
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu was stunned. Then she moved forward a bit, turned over, and stared at him with burning eyes.
Xie Lang thought that Shen Mingzhu would surely get up in a panic and then turn around and wait for him. He didn't expect that the person in front of him would turn over. When their eyes met, his mind went blank for a moment.
"You..."
Before he could finish his words, his lips were blocked by Shen Mingzhu.