Li Xinyue put away the billiard cue and turned to look. Bathed in Chu Junyi's doting gaze, she beamed with elation and exuberance.
Behind her, the young masters and ladies from noble families on her team were equally overjoyed and thrilled.
This was because the winners would all receive a prize.
Although the prize was not significant, the sense of honor and the fighting spirit were enough to be engraved in one's memory for a lifetime, and even change one's life.
"I wonder who is better, the Crown Prince or the son - in - law?"
"Definitely the Crown Prince! If the Crown Prince were not the best in the world, how could he be the Crown Prince!"
"That's due to his bloodline advantage! Without this advantage, I don't think the Crown Prince would necessarily win, because the son - in - law is also very capable."
"Then they're equally good!"
The whole crowd fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Had fun?" Chu Junyi walked up to Li Xinyue. His eyes traced every contour of her face, then he gently flicked her on the head.
Li Xinyue tilted her head up, her eyes full of pride and triumph. She hooked the corner of her mouth and nodded vigorously.
Chu Junyi folded his hands behind his back and whispered in her ear, "Your Highness has to comfort your husband well tonight. I'm quite disappointed."
Li Xinyue's smile froze.
Chu Junyi let out a chuckle. Straightening up, he saw the Crown Prince about to wipe the sweat off Li Xinyue's forehead. His eyes tightened, and he snatched the silk handkerchief from the Crown Prince's hand. Then he picked up Li Xinyue and walked away.
This brother - in - law was overacting!
Didn't he know that certain things were the husband's job!
If he did them all, what was left for him, the husband!
The Crown Prince watched as someone hugged his little wife, as if eager to get a thousand miles away from him. Then he looked at his empty palm, feeling rather amused.
Was he jealous over this?
Could he be any more childish?
"..."
Li Xinyue turned around and looked at the Crown Prince in surprise, unable to understand his unusual behavior today.
Wasn't his younger sister Li Xinrong?
Didn't he care about Li Xinrong anymore?
"Yue'er, what are you looking at?"
Yue'er turned back and said, "I'm looking at the Crown Prince. He's...unusually gentle today!" It was as if he had been impersonated.
Come to think of it, in her memory, although the Crown Prince had never treated her harshly and had called her "Sixth Sister" affectionately, there had always been a certain distance between them.
Just like her attitude towards the Crown Prince, it was polite but distant.
Compared with the Crown Prince, she felt closer to Li Xinrong. Since they had quarreled since childhood, she was more familiar with Li Xinrong.
But the Crown Prince was a complete stranger to her.
As for the other royal siblings, needless to say, although they were blood relatives, their relationship was as distant as that of cousins.
"By the way, what did you talk about with the Crown Prince before the banquet?"
She was more concerned about whether Chu Junyi could get on the Crown Prince's good side.
At this moment, behind them, a new game had started on the cuju field.
The young masters and ladies who had not participated before were all inspired by the exciting game, and more and more people were eager to try.
So the new round of the game was on a larger scale and with greater momentum.
The team leaders were Murong Xiu and Young Marquis Xia respectively.
After a round of intense lottery - drawing, Yuan Xirou was on the same team as Murong Xiu.
Li Xinyue, sitting in the stands, paused in her conversation. She hooked the corner of her mouth meaningfully, then turned back to talk business with Chu Junyi.
The Crown Prince, because of Yuan Xirou, suddenly remembered Li Xinrong.
He almost forgot that this was a mixed - gender game. Since there could be women on the team, why not call Rong'er here to be on the same team as the young marquis? Maybe after the game, their married life would become harmonious.
So Li Xinrong was reluctantly dragged to the cuju field by the Crown Prince.
After she left, the Crown Prince sat in her seat. He leaned back on the beauty's backrest with his hands behind him. Looking up at the fidgety Murong Jia, a trace of gentle affection flashed through his eyes.
"Fourth Sister, how have you been?"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Murong Jia curtsied, her heart pounding.
Outside the cuju field, the young masters and ladies who had taken a break started to place bets on which team on the field would win.
While betting, someone came up to Li Xinyue and Chu Junyi.
Li Xinyue was taken aback. She looked at the eager crowd and then at Chu Junyi, whose expression was hard to read.
This was a life - threatening question. Betting on the young marquis or Murong Xiu was wrong, but not betting was also wrong.
Someone clearly wanted to see her make a choice.
If she didn't bet, it would be an evasion.
Wouldn't someone sulk?
"Why don't you bet?" Li Xinyue tilted her head and gave Chu Junyi a mischievous smile.
This was a great idea!
She didn't have to make a choice, and she could smoothly pass the "ball" to Chu Junyi.
No matter who Chu Junyi bet on, she would support him unconditionally.
Moreover, he would be satisfied with his own choice, so he couldn't blame her.
She was so smart!
Chu Junyi was slightly stunned. Looking at Li Xinyue, his eyes flickered with complex emotions.
Everyone looked at Chu Junyi eagerly, curious about which rival the son - in - law would bet on.
This was really a great show at the beginning of the year, even more interesting than the cuju game.
In an instant, everyone's attention was on the princess and the son - in - law.
Princess Li Xinyue looked as if she had accomplished her task and left without a trace.
Son - in - law Chu Junyi was not in a good mood.
"I forfeit!" He put down the fruit snacks in his hand, picked up Li Xinyue and walked away.
Everyone stared blankly at the son - in - law who seemed eager to put the princess in his pocket.
The banquet didn't end until after the dinner.
"Yue'er, did you have a good time today?" Under the night sky, Chu Junyi hugged the slightly drunk woman. His eyes traced every detail of her face, from her eyebrows to her nose bridge, her red lips, and finally to her beaming smile, cherishing every bit of it.
It was obvious that she was really happy today.
Maybe she no longer had any expectations for family affection, but she still yearned for sudden care, although not as desperately as before.
Chu Junyi's heart ached. When his eyes fell on the corner of her mouth again, he also hooked his own lips. Then he noticed that the hairpin on her bun was a bit crooked, so he reached out to straighten it. As he withdrew his hand, it was suddenly grasped.
"Chu Junyi."
"Yes."
Li Xinyue paused. The heartfelt words on the tip of her tongue finally didn't come out because of her pride. She just gave him a half - drunk and half - awake silly smile.
"Hehe!"
"You're drunk! I'll carry you into the carriage!"
"I'm not drunk! I just drank a bit too much, but I'm still far from being drunk. There's still..." She counted on her fingers carefully, but couldn't count clearly.
She herself didn't know how many more cups it would take to really get drunk, but she was sure that she wasn't drunk. She knew who he was.
However, this scene was so familiar that it reminded her of their first meeting. Just like now, she was dead drunk and mistook Chu Junyi for Murong Xiu.
She really wanted to do it again to see how he would react. Would he be the same as before, or would there be some new interesting things?
"I'm not drunk. I can still recognize you. You're... Xiu, Xiu... What's your full name?"
Chu Junyi's eyes darkened. He pinched her wrist with one hand, his eyes showing pain beneath the restraint. "Xiu what? Whose name do you want to call again?"