The market in the capital city was extremely bustling at the moment. Amid the bustling crowd, Qi Rong galloped on his horse, causing people to scurry out of the way.
People soon recognized the man on the horse. It was none other than Prince Xian, Qi Rong, the great hero of the recent disaster - relief effort!
And in his arms was a peerlessly beautiful woman. Taking a closer look, it turned out to be Princess Yongning?!
The crowd couldn't help but gasp in surprise:
Were the relationship between these two so intimate? How dare they ride on the same horse in broad daylight!
Feeling the wind whistling past her ears, Yun Xi felt rather constrained under everyone's gaze. So she pulled up her hat and buried her head in Qi Rong's embrace.
"Are you shy?"
Seeing her actions, Qi Rong lowered his head and smiled, resting his chin on her head and gently stroking it.
"Stop fooling around. There are so many people watching."
Yun Xi reached out her hand to push away Qi Rong's grinning face and mumbled.
This was the capital city, not some desolate mountain. Given their statuses, they would soon be recognized.
Gossip could spread like wildfire, and it would bring them endless troubles!
Especially since she was an unmarried young woman. Public opinion would surely be against her. Unlike Qi Rong, who was so thick - skinned that he could do whatever he wanted without any scruples!
"What are you afraid of? I'm even worried they can't see clearly!"
Qi Rong lifted his lips, his eyes showing a hint of cunning.
"I've said I'll elope with you. At least let them pass the message to the prime minister, right?"
Qi Rong's words were full of banter, making Yun Xi unable to tell whether he was serious or not for a moment. She pulled aside the brim of her hat and looked up at him:
"Are you trying to provoke my father?"
It made sense. He and her father had always been at odds. Every time they met, it was bound to be tense!
Qi Rong's action was childish and unnecessary, but it could indeed infuriate her father!
Just as Yun Xi was thinking like this, Qi Rong immediately denied it:
"Of course not. He's not worth all this trouble from me!"
"I've said I'll elope with you, and I'll surely keep my word! This is our last time visiting the capital. Think it over. Do you want to wander the world with me?"
Qi Rong reached out to lift her hat and looked directly into her face, looking completely serious without a trace of joking.
He had made up his mind that as long as Yun Xi nodded, he would immediately take her away and never return to the capital!
Qi Rong's eyes were as deep as a pool, as if he could see into Yun Xi's heart. For a moment, Yun Xi felt flustered.
Suddenly, she remembered what Qi Rong had said to her on the mountain at night.
She seriously considered that if she just left like this, would her life take a different path?
Would she regret it?
Just as Yun Xi was hesitating, Qi Rong's horse had stopped at the entrance of the Eighteenth Street. Qi Rong dismounted first and then carried her down.
"Come on. Fill your stomach first and then give me your answer!"
The enticing aroma wafted into Yun Xi's nose. She subconsciously licked her lips and decided to put the question aside for the time being.
Although life on the mountain was quiet and far away from the worldly troubles, the food was really scarce. Even though she knew the hunter and his wife had taken out their best food to entertain them, there were only a few kinds of dishes that were served over and over again.
Therefore, as soon as she came to the Eighteenth Street, her favorite place, the glutton in her stomach instantly woke up!
Yun Xi held a skewer of grilled meat in her left hand and a bun in her right, devouring them with a look of satisfaction on her face. Her heart and eyes were filled with nothing but food.
"Is it really that delicious?"
Qi Rong tied his horse to the stone pillar at the street entrance. He carried a big food bag in one hand and gently wiped the oil stain from Yun Xi's lips with the other.
He had accompanied Yun Xi all the way, and the food bag was filled with all her favorite foods.
Looking at her chubby cheeks and her greedy look, Qi Rong always wore a warm smile on his face. He thought she was extremely cute when she was true to her heart and didn't care about being ladylike!
"Of course it's delicious. If you don't believe it, try it yourself!"
Yun Xi swallowed the food and pouted at Qi Rong, her eyes falling on the food bag in his hand.
She didn't understand why he just watched her eat and didn't eat anything himself. Staring at her face wouldn't fill his stomach!
"Feed me! I want the one in your hand."
Qi Rong opened his mouth and leaned towards Yun Xi, looking at the skewer of meat she was eating.
Yun Xi looked at the fragrant skewer of meat in her hand, which was the last one, and then at Qi Rong. She felt really reluctant in her heart:
"I asked you if you wanted to eat before. Why do you want mine now!"
Qi Rong didn't care about this at all. He stretched out his long arm and trapped her between the wall and himself, looking at her playfully:
"So are you going to give it to me or not? Don't you forget who paid for all these."
Yun Xi was speechless for a moment and suddenly felt like she owed him something. She reluctantly handed over the skewer of meat in her hand:
"Eat it! It's as if you can enjoy the food more by snatching someone else's rations!"
Yun Xi squinted at him. Seeing that Qi Rong really ate all the grilled meat in her hand in one go without leaving a single piece for her, she immediately got angry and threw away the bamboo skewer.
No wonder many plays described men as heartless. Women shouldn't easily trust their promises.
This man had just boasted that he would elope with her and earn money to support her, but in a blink of an eye, he snatched the food from her hand and even used money to threaten her!
Fortunately, she had come to her senses in time and discovered his true nature. Otherwise, if she really wandered the world with him in the future, maybe he would be eating meat while she could only drink the soup!
Seeing Yun Xi getting angry, Qi Rong knew he had touched her bottom line. He couldn't help but laugh heartily and coaxed:
"It's just a skewer of meat. I'll buy out the whole stall for you later so that you can eat as much as you want!"
But Yun Xi seemed to have suffered a great humiliation. She stared at Qi Rong and said:
"Is it just about a skewer of meat?" It made her seem so stingy.
"A gentleman doesn't accept alms! I'll buy my own food if I want to eat. I don't want to look at anyone's face!"
Yun Xi folded her arms and turned around, speaking firmly, completely forgetting how happily she had been eating just now.
At this moment, just because of a skewer of meat, she completely fell out with Qi Rong. Her behavior as a foodie couldn't just be defined as stingy!
Qi Rong was stunned for a moment and then couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Hearing his laughter, Yun Xi's back stiffened. Her face flushed red and finally she became furious!
"Have you laughed enough? Stop laughing!"
She turned around and pounded Qi Rong's chest with both hands, thinking how hateful this man was. He just liked to make fun of her!
Qi Rong grabbed her fair little hands. There were almost tears in his eyes from laughing. He stared at her angry face and asked:
"So do you still want to elope with me?"
Hearing this, Yun Xi immediately got angry and said three "no"s in a row!
"Why?"
Now it was Qi Rong's turn to frown in confusion. But Yun Xi lifted her chin and snorted:
"I'll work hard to earn my own living. I'll never rely on others!"
"Besides, what's so good about eloping with you? It's not as important as the delicious food in front of me! I'm not that stupid to give up my lifelong pursuit for you!"
Hearing Yun Xi's words, Qi Rong was completely dumbfounded.
It meant that he, a real man, who was even willing to give up all his hatred for her.
Finally, he was still defeated by food?!
It was just a skewer of meat he had snatched from her. How could she be so angry and say such words?
Qi Rong never expected that although he always made fun of others on weekdays, he would be outwitted today!