Until the scent of blood spread and permeated the air, the man finally let go of her. His dark, smouldering eyes fixed on her without blinking, “Ronghua.” He watched as her hand suddenly rose, and he swiftly caught it, forcing it back down. His arms tightly wrapped around her, “I’ve missed you so much.”
Her pupils contracted once again.
“…Xiao Hanjin.”
Di Ronghua closed her eyes and let out a cold laugh, “If I remember correctly, didn’t I tell you not to come looking for me again?”
Xiao Hanjin’s body stiffened slightly.
His low, hoarse voice carried a stubborn tone, “I’ve already let her go.”
Let who go?
It took Di Ronghua a moment to process what he was saying.
She frowned, “What does that have to do with me?”
“In the past, it was my fault. You didn’t like her, and from now on, you won’t have to see her again.” His deep, dark eyes bore into her as he spoke in a low voice, “Ronghua, don’t stay here. Don’t marry Xiao Yixun, alright?”
“Fine.”
The two crisp, decisive words caused a visible look of astonishment to flash across the man’s eyes.
Di Ronghua stared at him expressionlessly, “I’ve already told you, as long as you open the city gates and let me leave, I won’t marry Xiao Yixun.”
“Impossible.”
His reply was even quicker and more decisive than hers.
Di Ronghua had likely anticipated his response, so she showed no sign of disappointment. She simply said indifferently, “Oh, well then, forget it. But Crown Prince, in three days, I will be your sister-in-law. Please show some propriety. It’s inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together in the middle of the night.”
Sister-in-law.
Xiao Hanjin’s thin lips pressed together tightly.
His mind uncontrollably flashed back to the scene earlier in the day when he had seen her with Xiao Yixun.
A mix of anger and jealousy burned within him, and he could no longer distinguish between the two.
Yet, he had never intended to come looking for her today. In the end, he had been drawn here as if by some ghostly force.
The man’s handsome face was clouded with gloom, “Ronghua, don’t tell me that in just half a month, you’ve fallen for him?”
Di Ronghua blinked, then gave him a faint, mocking smile, “The second prince is no less handsome than you, and his personality is far better than yours. If I could fall for you, isn’t it natural that I could fall for him too?”
Xiao Hanjin’s pupils contracted sharply.
A clear flame of anger flickered in his eyes as he spoke word by word, “I don’t believe it.”
Di Ronghua let out a low scoff, “Fine. After all, the Crown Prince is so high and mighty. It must be hard for you to accept that a woman who once loved you could fall for someone else. It’s normal for your possessiveness to kick in. Go ahead and cling to the idea that I’ll love you for a lifetime and keep deceiving yourself.”
“It’s not possessiveness.”
“…”
Could this man not grasp the main point?
She couldn’t hold back her irritation any longer and frowned, “Xiao Hanjin, why are you so annoying? You don’t love me, yet you restrict my freedom, and you won’t let me marry anyone else. Being your woman must be the worst luck in eighteen lifetimes.”
Her delicate, beautiful face was filled with impatience and disdain as she looked at him, “Did you suffer too much of a blow from Mu Qingshuang, and now you’re so twisted that you can’t stand to see any woman who once loved you marry someone else?”
Xiao Hanjin’s eyes darkened once more.
His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he repeated, “It’s not that.”
He looked down at her, his gaze unwavering, “Di Ronghua, I just… love you.”
The woman’s face gradually stiffened under his gaze.
He continued slowly and with difficulty, “In the past, I was at fault. You can be angry, you can throw tantrums, whatever you want. Just come back to me, alright?”
