The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go
Chapter 155 - 153: Brother Lu Ying, I was so scared today

Chapter 155: Chapter 153: Brother Lu Ying, I was so scared today

"I’m not sure exactly who it is," Xue Mianmian said as she cradled her teacup. "Anyone will do. I just want to leave as soon as possible."

The two chatted for a while longer when suddenly the steward arrived, saying Xue Ling had woken up and demanded that Shen Yinning get the hell out immediately.

Shen Yinning wanted nothing more than to leave.

The problem was that Shen Xinglei was still keeping watch just outside the Xue Mansion’s gates like a predator. Leaving wasn’t an option.

Xue Ling stood drowsily under the veranda, his roguishly handsome face marred by an expression of pure irritation.

Grinding his sharp teeth, he glared resentfully at Shen Yinning.

His sweet Mianmian had always been so obedient and gentle. But ever since she reunited with Shen Yinning, she had become willful and difficult, even daring to attempt something as outrageous as running away! Clearly, Shen Yinning had been a bad influence!

His voice was hoarse with sleep deprivation and simmering anger. "Why are you still here? Are you waiting for me to throw you out myself?"

But Shen Yinning had a thick skin and utterly disregarded his fury.

With composed elegance, she curtseyed. "Might I trouble Young Master Xue to prepare a carriage to take me out through the side gate?"

Xue Mianmian pushed open the Warm Pavilion’s window and timidly peeked out, showing just half her little head. Her soft and tender voice pleaded, "Young Master, please just send Zhaozhao back, won’t you?"

Xue Ling ground his teeth violently, glaring at her with displeasure. "Have I been too soft on you?! Have you finished sorting the beans?!"

"Not yet..."

Xue Mianmian shrank her neck back and quickly retreated to continue sorting beans.

Shen Yinning had no patience to continue her verbal sparring with Xue Ling and said coolly, "My cousin is just outside your noble family’s gates. If you refuse to smuggle me out and he ends up hacking me to death, I doubt the Crown Prince would be pleased with how you handled things."

"Tsk, are you threatening me?"

"Not at all," Shen Yinning smiled faintly, her eyes shimmering. "Why harbor such enmity toward me, Young Master Xue? Shen Xinglei holds a grudge against your family, and just last night, he was causing trouble for Mianmian in the streets—clearly your common enemy. Wouldn’t it make sense for us to join forces against him and achieve mutual benefit?"

"Only the weak need partnerships."

Shen Yinning chuckled softly, her laugh crisp and pleasing. "Perhaps, but even a powerful lion belongs to a pride. If cooperation can save time and effort, why wouldn’t Young Master Xue take advantage of it?"

"You sound as if you already have a plan to deal with Shen Xinglei."

Shen Yinning smirked lightly. "Killing a man is easy, but what I want is for him to wish for death while being unable to escape life. I already have a plan to destroy him, but first, I’ll see him utterly disgraced, his reputation ruined, and his family shattered."

The young woman remained calm and detached.

Even in the face of chaos, she seemed utterly unbothered, as though the only thing that concerned her was the possibility of dirtying the hem of her skirt.

Xue Ling’s eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, and he pressed his tongue sharply against his left cheek.

Lu Ying had shown him kindness in the past; letting Shen Yinning die wasn’t an option.

His earlier words had been nothing more than a scare tactic.

Annoyed, he ordered the steward, "Fetch a carriage and send her out of the mansion."

Shen Yinning departed through the Xue family’s side gate.

Initially, she had planned to return directly to the Gao Family’s residence on Lotus Lane. However, considering Shen Xinglei might storm over there after failing to find her at the Xue Mansion, she quickly abandoned the idea.

After all, Shen Xinglei was no Lu Ying. With his volatile temperament, he might even smash the Gao household to pieces.

The Gao family, being entirely self-serving, certainly wouldn’t protect her.

The Hot Spring Villa on the outskirts wasn’t any safer either. Gao Zheng could easily discover the private estate belonged to her, and with only a few maids left to tend the grounds, there was no one to guarantee her safety.

The residence of her teacher was an option, but she didn’t want to impose on him.

With these considerations, the only place left was Shen Garden.

Having made up her mind, Shen Yinning instructed the coachman to head straight there.

That night, Lu Ying returned to Shen Garden to find Shen Yinning lounging on a soft couch by the window, flipping through a book.

Hearing footsteps echoing from the corridor, she put down the book and gazed toward her handheld mirror.

The mirror reflected a girl who wore no makeup. Her dark, silky hair flowed down to her waist, accentuating a delicate, radiant face.

She deliberately mussed her hair and was quite pleased with the image of vulnerable, stunning coldness she saw in the mirror.

Lu Ying was already pushing the door open.

Shen Yinning set the mirror facedown on the small Buddhist table, then ran barefoot toward him, throwing herself into his narrow waist with a pitiful expression of having been deeply wronged. "Brother Lu Ying, save me! My cousin wants to kill me! I was terrified today!"

Lu Ying led her back to the couch to sit.

He knew perfectly well that this little vixen was putting on another performance.

If she were truly frightened, would she dare provoke Shen Xinglei?

Pulling her into his arms, he said, "I’ve already heard about Shen Xinglei drawing a blade and storming the Xue Mansion. However, for the next while, he’ll have too many of his own issues to find time to trouble you."

Shen Yinning nestled obediently against his chest. "Too busy? Could it be... the Emperor has decreed a marriage between him and the Third Princess?"

Lu Ying made a noise of acknowledgment, gathering handfuls of her thick, soft hair into his palm.

Her luscious locks glowed with a deep indigo sheen under the light, resembling clouds that couldn’t fully fit in one hand.

He reached for a peachwood comb and began carefully brushing through her tresses.

Shen Yinning sat perched on his lap, allowing him to groom her hair.

Resting her slender, pale fingers on his chest, she traced languid circles as she spoke in a sweet, coy voice. "Indeed, after causing such a scandal, His Majesty had no choice but to decree their marriage. The Third Princess really lacks discernment—my cousin’s cruel and violent nature hardly makes him a suitable match."

Lu Ying smirked faintly. "You laid the trap for Lu Qianqian and manipulated her into this situation, yet now you criticize her lack of wit."

Shen Yinning choked on her words.

She raised her lashes and looked up at Lu Ying. She had thought he hadn’t noticed her secret machinations, but evidently, he had known all along.

Neither admitting nor denying it, her tone grew even more coquettish. "Doesn’t Brother Lu Ying feel sorry for the Third Princess?"

Lu Ying remained silent.

Though he had been brought up in Lu Qianqian’s mother’s palace, there was no sibling bond between them.

Perhaps there once had been, but it was long eroded by years of vicious scheming.

Lu Qianqian’s mother, Consort Liu, had risen from being a palace maid thanks to her beauty, which caught the Emperor’s eye and resulted in Lu Qianqian’s birth.

Unfortunately, neither mother nor daughter was particularly bright.

Consort Liu had been convinced she would conceive a male heir and rise to power as a prospective Empress. Consequently, she treated him poorly in his youth. His meals were worse than those of ordinary palace maids, and no one bothered to mend his clothes when they were torn.

Her obsession even led her to fear he might compete with her imaginary future son for the throne, so she deliberately assigned him menial tasks to cut into his study and training time.

Lu Qianqian herself was no better. Arrogant and willful, she treated him as if he didn’t exist. On the rare occasions they crossed paths, she would hold her neck high and walk past without so much as an obligatory greeting.

Things only began to change when he secured his claim as heir apparent.

As Consort Liu grew older and saw Imperial Noble Consort Zhang monopolizing favor, she gave up hope of bearing another child, turning instead to fawn over him. The meals and warmth he had been denied in the past came flooding in, and Lu Qianqian started calling him "Imperial Brother" in a tone dripping with false affection.

The nature of the royal family was cold and detached.

Seeing through the mother and daughter’s true colors long ago, he was unmoved and only maintained the appearance of familial harmony for show.

Thus, though he knew Shen Yinning had conspired against Lu Qianqian, he remained indifferent.

Shen Yinning twirled a strand of hair around her slender finger, tilting her head to smile charmingly. "Brother Lu Ying, I asked you a question—what were you thinking about just now?"

Lu Ying snapped back to the present, lazily pressing his hand over her lips. "I was just wondering how best to shut Shen Zhaozhao’s mouth."

The rough pad of his finger grazed her delicate lips before slipping into her mouth decisively.