“No wonder you said I wouldn’t like it.”
Their seats were very close to the front, almost directly facing the stench of sand and bull’s blood. Ji Nian was holding up fine, but the sister sitting next to her, who was also here for the first time, had been happily taking photos earlier—until she saw the spectacle unfold. Now, she was dry-heaving and crying in distress.
Ji Nian thought back to the scene she had just witnessed and tugged at the corner of her lips.
Lu Jinghuai quietly stayed by her side, holding her hand as they moved toward a less crowded area.
The bullfighting arena here was still adorned in sacred white and gold. From the outside, it was a grand, majestic structure with an air of sanctity—a stark contrast to the bloody spectacle inside, which struck Ji Nian as absurd.
“This doesn’t seem like a tradition of O Country, does it?”
Lu Jinghuai nodded. “No, it’s a tradition from X Country. Most people from O Country actually dislike it. Many of the spectators earlier were from X Country, including the owner behind this bullfighting arena.”
Come to think of it, Lu Jinghuai had always known about this place but had never attended a show until now.
“A cultural relic born from religious sacrifices, now flourishing under the guise of art,” he remarked coolly.
Clearly, Lu Jinghuai wasn’t a fan of this kind of performance either.
Considering the tickets had been a gift from Wei Junze—a playboy who traveled the world—how could he not know what kind of show this was?
Ji Nian chuckled. “Good thing it’s you with me today and not Wei Junze.”
“If it were him, I might’ve punched him.”
Hearing this, Lu Jinghuai gave her hand a playful shake. “Oh? Then I’m lucky.”
Ji Nian pulled her hand free to cup his face, grinning mischievously. “Yeah, who told you to be so pretty? I can’t bring myself to hit you.”
Hand in hand, they strolled along without calling for a ride, exploring the streets.
Ji Nian even discovered a few nice traditional craft shops and bought quite a few things.
Lu Jinghuai handled the payments.
Neither of them was short on money, so they didn’t fuss over such things. Ji Nian had noticed that he seemed happy to spend on her, so she indulged him.
The only point of contention was carrying the bags.
“It’s just two bags. I can manage. Wei Yang will be here soon—we can just hand them to him.”
Ji Nian didn’t see the need for Lu Jinghuai to carry everything. She was strong and didn’t feel tired at all, so she dodged his outstretched hand.
Lu Jinghuai lowered his gaze to her hands, now full with shopping bags. His temporary black hair made his pale, porcelain-like skin stand out even more, and his faintly pink lips seemed even more vivid. The way he looked at her was enough to make one’s heart flutter.
Ji Nian, struck by his beauty, felt momentarily dazed.
Then, with that face of his, he spoke slowly, “But I want to hold your hand.”
Ji Nian bit down hard on her lips to suppress the grin threatening to break out, wearing an expression that screamed, What am I going to do with you, you little menace? She shifted one of the bags to her other hand and waved the now-free one at him. “Here.”
Lu Jinghuai’s lips curled up as he finally got what he wanted, intertwining their fingers.
As clingy as ever.
System: [... What a besotted fool.]
Not far away, Wei Yang: “......”
He was numb.
From the first time he saw Ji Nian holding hands with that blond guy, he had gone through disbelief, fury, shock, bewilderment—and finally settled into numbness.
Every fiber of his being screamed to separate them, but he clenched his fists so hard his veins nearly burst. His temper hadn’t cooled down this entire trip.
The Lu family bodyguards on duty, seeing Wei Yang like this, didn’t dare approach him as casually as before.
But inwardly, they were cheering for their young master.
Nice one, Young Master! Who says good looks don’t matter?
Meanwhile, Ji Nian belatedly realized something.
Wait…
Wei Yang and the others have been following us in the shadows this whole time, haven’t they?
[Then that means…]
[Yep. They saw everything. Every last bit.]
Ji Nian closed her eyes briefly.
“What’s wrong?”
Lu Jinghuai, who had been picking out items for her, noticed her shift in mood and turned to look.
Ji Nian met those beautiful eyes—eyes that belonged to her—and forced a smile. “Nothing important. Don’t worry about it.”
[Lu Jinghuai, I will protect your smile.]
System: [... I’ve had enough of Ji Nian.]
Was this the power of someone who had never been in love before? What had she turned Ji Nian into?
Do you and King Zhou of Shang have a lot to talk about?
Alas, happy times were always fleeting.
No matter how lovey-dovey they were in private, the moment they faced their parents, they acted as if they hadn’t just been holding hands and whispering sweet nothings seconds ago.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Zhi had wanted to invite Ji Tingzhou to stay for dinner.
But Ji Tingzhou only needed one glance at the blond and red-haired guys in the room to lose his appetite.
“No need.”
He tilted his chin slightly, signaling Ji Nian to follow.
Lu Zhi, with his injured leg, didn’t see them off.
Shaking his head at how Ji Tingzhou’s temper seemed to worsen with age, he instructed his people to pack up the mountain of gifts he had prepared in advance for the Ji family father and daughter.
Ji Tingzhou was used to leaving Lu Zhi’s place loaded with presents, but this time, the quantity was downright staggering.
He assumed it was because the Ji family had helped out immensely this time—even finding the missing person had been thanks to Ji Nian’s sudden idea—so he didn’t dwell on it.
Princess Feia had returned in the morning and appeared before the press that very afternoon, calming the restless public.
The effect was remarkable. While Ji Nian and Lu Jinghuai were out on their date, they overheard many citizens discussing the matter, all relieved that Her Highness had miraculously survived.
“See you at school.”
Ji Nian waved at Lu Jinghuai, then threw him a wink when no one else was looking.
A flicker of amusement passed through Lu Jinghuai’s eyes as he nodded.
Outwardly, he seemed unfazed, but Ji Nian keenly detected the reluctance hidden in his gaze.
Though his parents were back, Lu Jinghuai would still be swamped with work. Today’s date had been squeezed out of his packed schedule, and it would likely be a while before he could return to China.
Ji Nian turned and began walking, stepping on Ji Tingzhou’s shadow as she absentmindedly mulled things over.
The wind lifted the hem of her skirt. She glanced down at her shoes and suddenly stopped.
“Dad, I think I left a bag behind. I’ll go get it.”
Ji Tingzhou turned to look at her and started to say, “Just have someone fetch it—”
Before he could finish, Ji Nian was already gone, her voice carried back by the wind: “No need! I’ll be quick!”
Ji Tingzhou sighed.
“When will this child ever learn to be more composed?”
As he turned back, he nearly bumped into Wei Yang, who seemed lost in thought.
“Watch where you’re going. Where’s your head at?”
Ji Tingzhou frowned at Wei Yang’s dazed expression—uncharacteristically distracted during work hours.
But what was even stranger was that after being scolded, Wei Yang gave him a pained, reproachful look and sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Ji Tingzhou: ?
Meanwhile, Ji Nian ran back.
Lu Jinghuai had already left, but for some reason, he suddenly felt something and turned to look toward the entrance.
Her gaze caught sight of a figure dashing toward her.
Her calm, lake-like eyes trembled slightly, as if a darting fish had disturbed the once-placid waters.
