His blazing gaze locked onto Di Ronghua’s face almost instantly. “Ronghua.”
She shot him a glance. “What? Want me to go thank Miao Miao with you?”
Xiao Hanjin, “…”
His handsome face stiffened, his deep eyes gripping hers tightly as he rasped, “I thought… it was her.”
“She couldn’t be bothered with you.”
“Hm, only you’d bother with me.”
“Honestly, I’m starting to regret it.”
“…I’m going to kiss you.”
Di Ronghua’s eyes widened abruptly. “Xiao Hanjin, you’re so filthy right now—if you dare touch me, I’ll—mmph!”
Before she could finish, her lips were sealed.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Jiangjiang, squeezed between them in her arms, blinked, then quickly raised her hands to cover her eyes. “Shame-shame!”
Di Ronghua: …Damn it.
A breeze stirred around them, mingling with the scent of crabapple blossoms. Every sensation was soothing and comfortable, the atmosphere warm and intimate.
Well, except for… breathing!
When he finally let go, Di Ronghua glared at him fiercely. “Xiao Hanjin, you’re smelly and shameless!”
His stunning face hovered close, eyes deep, a low, husky chuckle escaping his throat. “Now you’re smelly too.”
She laughed in exasperation, but the next second, he took Jiangjiang from her arms. “I’ll hold her,” he said softly. “She’s not light anymore—don’t keep carrying her.”
As she let go, Di Ronghua huffed, displeased. “I’ve got the strength for this.”
“Of course, you’re the strongest, alright?”
“…”
Why did she feel patronized?
Jiangjiang dropped her hands from her eyes, her little mouth splitting into a wide, giggling grin. “Pretty Daddy stinks—no hugs from Daddy!”
Xiao Hanjin’s brow twitched. He’d barely glanced at her when Di Ronghua shot him a glare. “What? You planning to scare a kid now?”
He was caught between amusement and frustration. “Seems like since earlier, it’s been you two ganging up on me.”
Jiangjiang pouted innocently. “But Mama said a good man’s supposed to be bullied by women!”
Xiao Hanjin, “…”
Di Ronghua nodded emphatically in agreement. “Yep, Miao Miao’s got a point!”
Xiao Hanjin, “…”
He gave up arguing with them and carried Jiangjiang back to Longyin Palace.
At the entrance, he instructed Juye, “Take Jiangjiang to get cleaned up.”
“Yes, sir.”
—
After Juye left with Jiangjiang, the hall fell quiet, leaving just Di Ronghua and Xiao Hanjin. The air grew subtly charged.
Di Ronghua considered leaving but cleared her throat first. “Did you take the medicine?”
His gaze stayed fixed on her, a mix of heat, realization, and faint caution in his eyes. “Yes, I took it.”
“Does the wound still hurt?”
“Not anymore.”
She frowned, skeptical. “You always said it didn’t hurt when I asked before.”
Her mood soured again. “Xiao Hanjin, I’ve noticed you keep lying to me. Fine, you tricked me back then, but even now? If I hadn’t talked to Miao Miao, were you planning to hide the fact you threw the medicine away forever?”
Back then, the focus wasn’t on this, so she’d let it slide. But now that he was fine, it was time to settle the score!
