"Ah! Where are you taking me?"
Even on her second experience of flying, Yun Xi still broke out in a cold sweat from fear.
She clung tightly to Qi Rong's shoulder, her eyes tightly shut, too scared to look down.
However, what felt strange to her was that although she had been inexplicably abducted by Qi Rong, she wasn't that scared.
Heaven! Was there something wrong with her?
Or had she been bullied by Qi Rong so often that she had just gotten used to it?
As Yun Xi's mind was wandering, Qi Rong focused on his steps.
At that moment, he didn't know what had come over him either.
Whenever he saw Yun Xi chatting and laughing with Qi Yu, a fierce fire would ignite in his chest.
That restlessness burned him, and he instinctively abducted Yun Xi.
"Hey, say something!"
Yun Xi didn't dare to open her eyes and had no idea where she was. She angrily pounded Qi Rong's shoulder.
She thought that if Yu Zhu found out she was missing, she would be extremely worried. But this guy was just not an easy person to talk to!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have so openly abducted her.
If this got out, her reputation would be ruined!
Thinking of this, Yun Xi immediately felt deflated. Did she still have a reputation?
First, there was Mrs. Jiang and Jiang Qing, and now there was this Qi Rong who only knew how to cause trouble. She would never be able to get married in this lifetime!
Not knowing what Yun Xi was thinking, Qi Rong still had a gloomy face.
Seeing her quietly lying on his shoulder now, neither struggling nor shouting, his mood inexplicably eased a lot.
It was as if the restlessness before had just been an illusion.
"I'm taking you somewhere."
After flying for a long time, Qi Rong finally landed. But his big palm still tightly grasped Yun Xi's delicate wrist, preventing her from pulling away.
Not liking to be so intimate with Qi Rong, Yun Xi awkwardly shook her hand a few times. Qi Rong's eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, staring at her actions, which made her gradually give up.
Before they knew it, the two had left the girls' academy and the Imperial College and came to a secluded lakeshore.
The clear lake water reflected the blue sky. The reeds by the lake were all withered and yellow, swaying in the wind. A lonely boat was quietly standing by the shore, as if waiting for someone's arrival.
Because she hadn't eaten those pastries before and had been forcefully abducted, Yun Xi had been full of resentment towards Qi Rong.
However, seeing the broad scenery in front of her, she couldn't help but feel refreshed.
In her heart, Qi Rong had always been like a wild beast. Killing was his nature.
It was really hard to imagine that he would also like this calm and peaceful scenery.
"Get on."
Qi Rong held her hand and stepped over a patch of withered weeds. To prevent the mud by the lake from soiling her shoes and socks, Qi Rong directly picked her up by the waist amidst Yun Xi's exclamation and placed her on the small boat that could only accommodate two people.
After Yun Xi sat still, she suddenly felt the boat shake. She tightly grabbed both sides with her hands and watched the boat slowly move towards the center of the lake.
"What are you doing?"
Yun Xi sat upright, looking at the rippling lake in fear. She was very afraid that the boat would capsize accidentally.
Watching her trembling appearance, Qi Rong teased:
"Didn't you seem so imposing before? Why are you so timid now?"
Yun Xi was at a loss for words. Thinking of how she had slapped and stuffed someone into a smelly boot in the forest, she suddenly felt a headache.
She didn't know how that person was now. If that person came to find her later, they would definitely want to take revenge!
It would have been okay if Qi Rong hadn't mentioned it. Once he did, Yun Xi was full of anger:
"It's all because of you! Why do you always like to cause trouble for no reason?"
Even she, this unlucky person, was always implicated and did one stupid thing after another!
Qi Rong was simply her natural nemesis, stirring up her expected peaceful life into a complete mess!
Facing Yun Xi's complaints, Qi Rong didn't refute. He looked up at the blue sky, and a row of wild geese flew over his head.
"This world is a place of the survival of the fittest, where the strong prevail and the weak perish. It's not that if you want to avoid trouble, you can live a peaceful life. Just like these migrating wild geese and the fish swimming against the current, only by conforming to the natural rules can you fight for a glimmer of hope for yourself!"
Ten years had made him experience too much impermanence.
Although he was alive, he had always been at the mercy of others. One wrong move, and he might be doomed!
Only by always being vigilant, sharpening his claws, and tempering an unyielding backbone could he support himself to walk through the thorny road ahead calmly!
Listening to Qi Rong's words, Yun Xi thought of the hardships and disasters he had experienced over the years and couldn't help but fall silent.
'You are not the fish. How do you know the happiness of the fish?' So, she wasn't Qi Rong, and it was naturally very difficult for her to understand his hardships.
Maybe everything he did had his own reasons, but!
Please, could he not implicate her?
Looking at the lakeshore that was getting farther and farther away from her, Yun Xi weakly asked:
"I want to know when we can go back?"
Thinking of something, she quickly added:
"Of course! I don't mind if you want to stay here. I can go back by myself."
Although it might take some time or encounter some troubles.
Seeing how eager she was to leave, a trace of displeasure welled up in Qi Rong's eyes:
"You don't like it here?"
Although the scenery here was ordinary, it was the only place in the capital that could make him feel calm.
He had never shared this most hidden corner of his heart with anyone. He didn't expect to be so openly disliked by her!
Feeling the sudden change in the surrounding air, Yun Xi immediately felt a sense of alarm in her heart.
"No, no, no. This place is great. It's simply a paradise isolated from the world! But it's not good for us to be like this..."
He had so openly abducted her from the academy, which would surely attract people's criticism. Even if this guy didn't care, she did!
She was a woman. People wouldn't care if she was forced or not. One mouthful of spittle from each person could drown her!
The truth that public opinion can be a powerful force was something that even Yu Zhu could speak about clearly.
As a prince, he couldn't be unaware of this, right?
"In what way is it bad?"
Qi Rong slightly raised his thin lips and slowly leaned towards Yun Xi.
Watching the extremely handsome face in front of her gradually enlarge and get closer, Yun Xi held her breath and leaned back desperately.
"The boat is going to capsize. Don't come closer! If you move around again, I'll jump into the lake!"
Whether it was out of fear or embarrassment, Yun Xi's face was red as she kept shouting.
In her heart, she cursed Qi Rong thousands of times:
He was just asking on purpose! Would he die if he didn't tease her?
How could there be such a mean person in the world?!
Seeing Yun Xi avoid him like a snake or a scorpion, Qi Rong frowned tightly, realizing that this woman in front of him could always easily arouse his anger.
His long fingers tightly grasped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Weren't you throwing yourself into someone's arms before? How come you know the difference between men and women now?"
The two were looking into each other's eyes, their breaths mingling. They were so close that it seemed as if they would kiss her lips the next moment.