A shiver ran down her spine, and Yan Qingli subconsciously bit her lip, glancing angrily at Qiu Lanxi. She subtly tilted her head away from Qiu Lanxi, keeping her ear a little further away from her: "No."
As she spoke, she downed the rest of her tea in one gulp, then suddenly stood up from her chair and said, "I'm leaving."
"Your Highness..." Qiu Lanxi was startled by her sudden action and looked at her with a hint of resentment, "Why didn't you tell me? I almost fell."
Yan Qingli frowned as she looked at her, her ears flushed a light pink. Qiu Lanxi was a little dumbfounded. It wasn't the first time she had done something a little ambiguous, and she had never blushed before. Why was she suddenly embarrassed today?
Noticing Qiu Lanxi's gaze, Yan Qingli glared at her even more angrily. She pursed her lips and was about to stride away when she stopped and said to Qiu Lanxi, "What are you still standing there for? Come here."
Qiu Lanxi chuckled to herself, then extended her hand, feigning grievance: "Your Highness, my legs hurt, I can't walk anymore."
This is not just idle talk. The residence of the princess's husband was actually located diagonally opposite Yan Qingli's inner room, which made Qiu Lanxi's journey quite difficult. It also shows how much Yan Qingli disliked Wang Baiying when he moved in.
Yan Qingli, standing in front, said irritably, "What? Do you expect me to have someone carry you back in a sedan chair carried by eight men?"
Qiu Lanxi leaned forward and hugged her neck: "Good Your Highness, please have some pity on me. You know I'm still not well."
Yan Qingli glanced at her, unable to tell whether she was telling the truth or lying. After all, she was used to playing the victim, making it impossible to be sure.
"Get down." After thinking for a moment, Yan Qingli still felt that it was more likely that she was faking it, and her tone was slightly cold.
However, this did not frighten Qiu Lanxi; instead, she hugged him even tighter.
She looked thin, but in reality, she was perfect in both appearance and figure. Her chest pressed tightly against Yan Qingli's back, and since martial artists are naturally more perceptive, Yan Qingli immediately felt uncomfortable.
This felt even more real than in her dreams. She paused, then said coldly, "Let go now!"
Qiu Lanxi tiptoed to peek at her expression, just in case she really stepped on a landmine.
"Your Highness... Ah!"
Before she could even see what was happening, Yan Qingli reached out and flung her right in front of him. The 180-degree turn made Qiu Lanxi's eyes widen in shock, and tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.
Just before they landed, Yan Qingli picked her up and said in a calm voice, "...Let's go. Stay put and don't move your hands."
Qiu Lanxi blinked. Being the quick-witted person she was, she quickly pieced together the clues after a brief review, and thus, she seemed to have guessed why the other party was so moody today.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Qiu Lanxi: I once had a chance to leave, but instead of cherishing it, I lured her back.
Chapter 19
For Qiu Lanxi, guessing why Yan Qingli was so moody today was not difficult, because she had already given enough clues.
Qiu Lanxi just couldn't understand what she had done in her dream that would elicit such a strong reaction from the other party.
Did she ultimately decide she couldn't accept it and ran away? No, no, no, with Yan Qingli's strength, how could she possibly escape! So that possibility can be ruled out. What else could it be?
Qiu Lanxi tried hard to recall that when she fed the other person the sugar cake, the satisfied look on her face was not because of the taste of the food. If she thought it was delicious, her expression should have been one of satisfaction. But she hadn't deliberately given her any perks or tried to seduce her at the time, so what was there to be satisfied about?
She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment. In other words, she might have done something in the dream that made Yan Qingli feel that she was at a disadvantage, which is why Yan Qingli's expression changed instantly when she saw her trying to please her. Her emotions quickly calmed down.
This is really...
The thought that the other person's dream was most likely an erotic dream made Qiu Lanxi's expression turn strange.
What level of erotic dreams would make Yan Qingli feel like she'd been taken advantage of?
Qiu Lanxi blinked as she looked at Yan Qingli's tense jaw, then looked at her own slender hands, scattered all over the ground? Completely alone?
She was a little confused. "Princess, is there something wrong with your attributes?"
Qiu Lanxi had also received gay men who were forcibly brought in by their parents. She knew that most of the men seemed to be unable to perform sexual intercourse, and as for the women, they could only rely on their hands and mouths. Everyone had those, and if they were too short, they could use props. How could they still be unable to perform sexual intercourse?
She seemed to be deep in thought. Could it be that... not only is sexual orientation innate, but sexual position is also innate?
"Why are you staring at me?" Yan Qingli frowned deeply.
Qiu Lanxi blinked innocently and said admiringly, "Your Highness, is this lightness skill? It's amazing."
After picking up Qiu Lanxi, Yan Qingli seemed to want to get away from her as soon as possible, so he didn't walk. In a few leaps, he was far away from his original destination.
Yan Qingli hummed in agreement. She didn't think there was anything good about being highly skilled in martial arts. She had never seen the legendary ability to injure people with flying flowers and plucked leaves. On the contrary, the famous masters in the martial arts world didn't even need an army of a hundred men. They could kill a few dozen people by surrounding them. Only ignorant children would yearn for those highly skilled heroes.
Qiu Lanxi exclaimed "Wow!" before asking, "Then, Your Highness, can you take me to the rooftop? I want to watch the moon with Your Highness."
Yan Qingli glanced down at her, and when her gaze fell on her face, she couldn't help but recall how the girl had bitten her when she pushed him away, her lips as red as if they were dripping blood.
She shifted her gaze, feeling a bit annoyed, and as she looked at the woman's clothes, some inappropriate images involuntarily popped into her mind.
Finally, Yan Qingli stared blankly ahead. She knew that Yan Qingli must have come up with some other tricks to cause trouble, but she still managed to leap and land on the glazed tile roof.
The little fox may not have sharp claws, but she is quite cunning. Yan Qingli sometimes falls into her traps without even realizing it, and Yan Qingli seems to enjoy this feeling. Even though she knows it's not a good thing, she still wants to see what she's up to.
Qiu Lanxi leaned against her on the rooftop, looked up at the night sky, and exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, look!"
Yan Qingli didn't want to have too much physical contact with her today. Although she understood this, the images in her mind were beyond her control, so she said, "Don't pull me."
Qiu Lanxi curled her lips slightly, obediently moved to the side, hugged her knees, and looked up at the sky.
Yan Qingli relaxed her brows slightly and casually looked up. She rarely paid attention to such scenery. Wang Baiying used to often organize poetry gatherings with her classmates, and each poem was more beautiful than the last. But she was obviously not a romantic and had no interest in such things.
Looking at it now, it does seem to have some aesthetic appeal.
After watching in silence for a while, the night sky reminded her of the scene when she leaned against the chaise lounge and glimpsed the starlight. Yan Qingli calmly withdrew her gaze, feeling quite disapproving of her own behavior, which was truly pathetic!
Her lips twitched, and not wanting the effects to gradually fade, she moved her body over as if facing a challenge head-on.
Qiu Lanxi felt a tremendous force coming from her side. She was only sitting on the edge, and the impact made her body lean forward, causing her to cry out in surprise.
Yan Qingli: "…………"
She quickly reached out and pulled the person back, causing roof tiles to slide down, startling the guards under the eaves who cried out in alarm, "Guards! There's an assassin!"
"Shut up!" Yan Qingli snapped, somewhat annoyed, wishing she could shut the person who had spoken.
This was the inner courtyard, so the guards couldn't possibly fail to recognize Yan Qingli's voice. They couldn't help but wonder why His Highness had become a thief again. This wasn't the palace, and there was nothing for her to see. However, he wisely refrained from trying to find out more and instead went over to send away the people who had been attracted by his shouts.
Seeing that the commotion on the ground was gradually subsiding, Yan Qingli finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her lips were still tightly pursed, and she looked extremely upset.
But Qiu Lanxi had no sense of propriety whatsoever. She lifted her delicate foot and said, "Your Highness, my shoe has fallen off."
Yan Qingli frowned and subconsciously looked over. She was wearing silk stockings, so she couldn't see anything, except that her toes under the stockings were twitching mischievously. Even so, this made her frown even more.
In the dream, she grabbed her ankle to prevent her from leaving, which made her so angry that she kicked herself. In the end, she deliberately tormented her, calling her "Your Highness" repeatedly and asking her to give her any requests, but she had no sense of propriety at all, perfectly demonstrating what it means to be sweet-talking but treacherous.
Yan Qingli looked away in a flustered manner. The more she told herself not to think about it, the more she thought about it. The dream that was already a little blurry was almost completely remembered. Her gaze drifted around the roof. After a moment, she picked up the embroidered shoe stuck in the rubble, held her ankle and placed it on her lap.
She pursed her lips, dressed her as quickly as possible, and then immediately sprang to her feet.
Seeing her silent demeanor, Qiu Lanxi reached out and tugged at her hem, deliberately asking, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you today?"
"If it's not something important, why don't you tell me? I'd like to share Your Highness's burdens."
"Your Highness, I noticed a copy of 'Zhou Gong's Interpretation of Dreams' on your desk. Did you dream of something bad?"
"Your Highness..."
Yan Qingli suddenly turned her head and stared at her annoying mouth, knowing that she was laughing at her: "Aren't you usually the most understanding? Why are you so tactless today?"
Qiu Lanxi blinked, as if incredulous: "I care about Your Highness, and Your Highness actually yells at me?"
She bit her lower lip, her watery eyes veiled with mist, as if they were about to burst into rain.
Yan Qingli watched her act strangely with a cold eye. After a while, once she calmed down, she squatted down in front of her.
Their eyes met.
Yan Qingli handed over the handkerchief, her eyes filled with apology: "It's my fault, Qingqing, please don't cry."
Qiu Lanxi pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and secretly glanced at her. She knew that Yan Qingli couldn't possibly not see through this little trick. The way she was coaxing her now was as easy as ever. But if she was really so easy, how could she do this so quickly?
In the past, she would only speak up after she had enjoyed the performance to the fullest.
Chapter 20
Yan Qingli didn't miss the look in her eyes as she secretly observed her, seemingly surprised that she was alright in such a short time.
Unable to suppress a smile, Yan Qingli placed her hand on the top of her head, her tone seemingly casual yet gentle: "Qingqing is the closest woman to me in this life, how could I bear to let you cry?"
Qiu Lanxi's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she immediately put on a touched expression, but her heart remained unmoved.
Look at that, that's what an ambitious person is like. Even when their mind is still in turmoil, they've already subconsciously started setting things up.
In this world, there are always some people who can exaggerate three parts of affection into ten, or even show ten parts when there is no affection at all. She herself is such a person, so she is even less likely to believe Yan Qingli's words.
Moreover, some people can completely forget even the most sincere vows made in the moment. It's better to interpret these words with the utmost malice than to believe them, so that no matter what happens, no one will be tempted to act on them again.
Seeing that she stopped crying, Yan Qingli couldn't help but glance at her. Although she knew that the tears were not genuine, she felt no joy at the fact that her guess had come true.
But that little bit of interest in me couldn't help but resurface. The other person's eyes were red at the corners and her nose was pink and moist, which really made me have some embarrassing thoughts.
Yan Qingli's gaze swept over her face, and when it passed over her fair neck, some unpleasant images still popped into her mind. She sighed and thought that she didn't know how many days it would take to get rid of them, but she calmly said to her, "It's windy at night, let's go back to the house first."
Qiu Lanxi responded, not realizing she actually wanted to stay a little longer, since she had already caused even more trouble today.
So Yan Qingli carried her down and took her into the house.
Yan Qingli had Chun Su bring in a bowl of hot soup. Qiu Lanxi frowned at the smell, but still obediently drank it down.
Seeing that she obediently finished drinking, Yan Qingli's expression relaxed a bit. She was dressed lightly, and the night wind was strong, which she had already thought of, but she did not refuse her suggestion.
Fortunately, he was still somewhat affected, and he didn't even ask anyone to prepare a cloak.
After thinking for a moment, Yan Qingli said in a calm tone, "There is a hot spring in the princess's residence. Why don't you go there for a bath today?"
Qiu Lanxi looked at her in surprise, somewhat confused, but still nodded obediently.
The Book of Nourishing Life states that hot springs are a natural remedy and the fundamental medicine of heaven and earth.
There aren't many hot springs in the capital, but given Yan Qingli's status, the princess's residence had its own hot spring water for bathing. However, in the past, she was the only one who had enjoyed it, and even her closest friends had never shared it with her.
Qiu Lanxi was unaware of the intricacies of the situation. In her eyes, Yan Qingli was a privileged class, or rather, a privileged class with an unusual status. Therefore, it was not surprising that Yan Qingli had anything hidden in her residence.
As Yan Qingli walked towards the hot spring, the surging mist immediately engulfed her. The maid placed all the clothes on the rack and then left. In this situation, Qiu Lanxi did not intend to seduce her, lest the other party be aroused and start a romantic encounter in the water, and then she would be the one who couldn't resist.
But at this moment, Yan Qingli seemed to have lost all her embarrassment, her feet rooted to the spot, which made Qiu Lanxi shudder. Had she come to her senses so quickly? Was her self-regulation ability a little too strong?