"Prince, your behavior is quite childish." Xia Qingyan's cheeks flushed slightly.
Without saying a word, he started to cough.
Zhao Shuning couldn't bear to watch and went to pour a glass of water. She brought it over and fed it to him.
"Is the prince's body so delicate?"
Xia Qingyan gasped for a while and then said, "I did it on purpose."
Zhao Shuning put down the teacup.
She sat on the stool, keeping a certain distance from him.
"Prince, I thought I made myself clear enough last night," Xia Qingyan said.
"Miss Luo, I stood outside your room all night," he continued.
"And I thought about it all night."
Zhao Shuning didn't respond because she knew Xia Qingyan would keep talking.
"Miss Luo, there's no possibility between you and him."
"How do you know there's no possibility?"
"The sect master won't do such a thing."
Zhao Shuning poured herself a glass of water and drank it.
"Miss Luo, although I'm just a prince of the Hailing Kingdom, I will give you all my love. I'll spend a lot of time with you and never let you suffer any grievances."
When a man from the Hailing Kingdom falls in love with someone, he will spare no effort to please her.
"Prince, what can you do to make me like you? Is it like today, feigning illness and having someone call me to your room? In my opinion, this kind of behavior is as childish as a child throwing a tantrum because they can't get the food they like."
"But it works, doesn't it?" Xia Qingyan added at last.
"Moreover, I'm really sick."
Zhao Shuning sighed.
Although Xia Qingyan's cold wasn't caused by her, it was hard to say it had nothing to do with her. At least, he caught the cold in the Moon - Viewing Garden.
"I've asked your page boy to get the medicine for you. After it's boiled into a decoction, he will bring it to you. You should take it three times a day on time. You'll recover within five days."
"Are you leaving?"
"If I don't leave, what should I do here? I've done what I should do."
But Xia Qingyan propped himself up and sat on the bed.
"Miss Luo, you can't leave."
"If I want to leave, can you stop me?"
When Zhao Shuning lifted her skirt and was about to step out of the room, she heard an angry voice from behind.
"Miss Luo, if you leave, I definitely won't take a single sip of the medicine Lin brings later."
Zhao Shuning stopped in her tracks.
She felt a headache coming on.
The prince of the Hailing Kingdom was excellent in appearance, character, and spiritual power.
But why was he more annoying than Ji Qinglin when he was a child when throwing a tantrum?
"You're not a child. Drink it or not, it's up to you."
Zhao Shuning took another step forward.
"Miss Luo—"
"If I don't take the medicine, I won't get better. If I'm not well, Miss Luo will have to come to see me more often. I heard from Lin that the teacher sent you to take care of me. If my condition doesn't improve, I'll have more chances to see you in the future."
Zhao Shuning stopped.
Xia Qingyan continued, "You can go. Don't worry about me."
Zhao Shuning's hands clenched into fists.
It took her a while to calm down her anger.
Xia Qingyan must have done it on purpose. He deliberately chose this time when everyone had gone to listen to Elder Ling Ruo's lecture.
Was it because there was no one around that he could be so playful and act like a rascal?
She turned around.
Putting on a smile, Zhao Shuning went back into the room. With a "smile" on her face and grinding her teeth, she asked, "So, Prince, what will it take for you to take the medicine?"
"I want Miss Luo to feed me."
Zhao Shuning suddenly turned around.
"I'm leaving. No need to see me off."
Let her feed him the medicine? In her dreams!
"Wait, Miss Luo, wait a minute."
Seeing Zhao Shuning's expression, Xia Qingyan knew he had taken this joke too far. Courting a girl was a process. Asking her to feed him the medicine right away was such an intimate action. How could Miss Luo do it?
"Let me feed you? No way. You can just stay sick."
"No, no, Miss Luo. You just need to stay here until I finish taking the medicine, and then you can leave."
"I don't have to do anything, right?"
"Right. You don't have to do anything."
Zhao Shuning thought it was acceptable.
So she sat back on the stool.
During this time, Xia Qingyan kept talking to her, and she responded to him from time to time.
Finally, the page boy finished boiling the medicine and brought it in.
Zhao Shuning watched Xia Qingyan finish the medicine and let out a sigh of relief. Now she could leave, right?
But Xia Qingyan spoke again.
"Miss Luo—"
"What else?"
"The three - month family visit is coming. Are you going back?"
Zhao Shuning suddenly perked up.
Go back?
Back where?
The Ruoqiang Marquis Mansion?
Although she missed Ye Qingluan a little, it was just a passing thought.
"Miss Luo, don't you know this rule?"
"Tell me about it in detail."
Zhao Shuning had never cared about the affairs of the Changkong Academy before. She only vaguely remembered there was such a day, but she didn't remember a single word about what it was all about.
Seeing Zhao Shuning's interest, Xia Qingyan's complexion improved a lot.
He began to tell Zhao Shuning about the once - every - three - month family visit in the academy.
Generally, students in the Changkong Academy had three years to study there.
For new students, in case they couldn't adapt and missed home, a family visit was arranged once every three months. Only new students could enjoy this privilege.
At this time, the academy would give the new students a half - month vacation to go home and visit their parents, talk about what happened in the academy, and let their parents check what skills they had learned in the Changkong Academy.
Zhao Shuning nodded as she listened.
She agreed, "This rule is quite humane."
But Xia Qingyan lowered his head.
"This is for you. New students who go home will be picked up by their mothers. If their mothers can't come, the students will have to practice with Elder Zhou in the academy for these half - months."
"I see. That's good. My mother is so busy. She probably won't have time to come."
Looking at Zhao Shuning's relieved expression, Xia Qingyan was both sad and a bit puzzled.
"As far as I know, your mother has written a letter to Elder Zhou, saying that she will come to pick you up on time when the three - month period arrives."
"What?"
How come she didn't know anything about this letter?
"Miss Luo, you—"
"Prince, I just remembered I have something to do. You take your medicine obediently. I'll come to see you later."
As the last word faded away, Xia Qingyan stared blankly at the yard.
Luo Feiyan actually climbed over the wall and ran away without regard for etiquette?
The main gate of the yard was wide open.
Why didn't she go through the main gate?
Why did she have to climb over the wall?