The prince longs for me every night after mastering thought-reading
Chapter 164 - 163: Is it So Hard to Admit You Came to See Me?

Chapter 164: Chapter 163: Is it So Hard to Admit You Came to See Me?

Having not seen Xiao Jinyan for twenty-five days, Shen Chuwei never expected to encounter him on the road.

The East Palace was immense; what kind of luck must it be for them to bump into each other~

Shen Chuwei paused for a moment, then promptly curtsied, "Concubine pays her respects to Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed with peace and security."

This road led directly to Xiao Jinyan’s sleeping quarters. Shen Chuwei, who usually stayed behind closed doors, was now on this path, inevitably leading Xiao Jinyan to think she was there to see him.

His voice was indifferent, "What are you doing here?"

Once upon a time, because of a little rabbit, Xiao Jinyan had also been angry.

Shen Chuwei, tangled in her thoughts, didn’t dare to tell the truth for fear of making Xiao Jinyan even angrier.

"Your Highness, I’ve lost something and am looking for it," she replied.

Xiao Jinyan naturally didn’t believe her; she hadn’t even left the doors of the Xiyun Pavilion this month, how could she have possibly lost something?

"Is that so? What have you lost? Let me have someone help you look for it," he offered.

Shen Chuwei fidgeted with the small handkerchief in her hand, and in desperation, she blurted out an excuse, "It’s...I was strolling through the garden and accidentally lost my handkerchief."

Xiao Jinyan glanced at the lotus-pink handkerchief tightly held in her hand and snorted internally, chastising her for not being smoother with her lies.

Admitting that you came looking for me wouldn’t have been a problem.

He reminded her, "Isn’t the handkerchief in your hand?"

At his words, Shen Chuwei looked down at her hand and indeed, she was clutching a square handkerchief. She looked up at Xiao Jinyan and saw he was observing her, his gaze filled with profound meaning.

In her urgency just before, she hadn’t realized she had run out holding the handkerchief, and now she felt embarrassed.

She quickly corrected herself, "Concubine misspoke, it’s a pearl flower that’s gone missing."

Xiao Jinyan glanced at the pearl flower on her temple, complemented by two peach blossoms that matched her lotus-pink clothes.

"Is it the peach blossom pearl flower?"

Shen Chuwei’s daily grooming and dressing were all managed by Chun Xi; she herself had never paid much attention to it, let alone knew which pearl flower adorned her hair.

Unsure of what to say, she simply nodded in agreement.

Xiao Jinyan ordered, "Liu Xi, dispatch someone to help Lady Shen look for the pearl flower."

"Yes." Liu Xi obeyed the command, leading a group of junior eunuchs to search for the hairpin,

Watching Liu Xi lead people away, Shen Chuwei spoke up to stop him, "Your Highness, it’s merely an ordinary pearl flower, not worth such a fuss."

Liu Xi paused in his steps, lifting his eyes to Xiao Jinyan, waiting for further instructions.

"If it brought you out to search, it must be important to you." Xiao Jinyan instructed Liu Xi, "Continue searching."

With an acknowledgment, Liu Xi led the others to look for the pearl flower.

Shen Chuwei watched as Liu Xi and his entourage searched for the pearl flower she knew hadn’t fallen off; it was a waste of time.

Right now, there was no need for such overbearing CEO antics~

The weather today was exceptionally pleasant.

Xiao Jinyan’s gaze, as he looked over, was just as brilliant as the vibrant sunshine.

Shen Chuwei felt her cheeks growing warm, likely a result of her guilt. She dared not even lift her head to meet Xiao Jinyan’s eyes, her gaze fixed on his black boots embroidered with golden patterns.

She noticed Xiao Jinyan had big feet~

Xiao Jinyan waited a while, but seeing Shen Chuwei remained silent, he furrowed his brows, "Lady Shen."

Shen Chuwei hastily withdrew her gaze and replied respectfully, "Concubine is here, does Your Highness have any instructions?"

Xiao Jinyan frowned deeper, eyeing Shen Chuwei’s delicate, doll-like face, "I haven’t seen Lady Shen for days; you seem to be thriving."

Shen Chuwei subconsciously touched her own face, and to tell the truth, she could pinch a chunk of soft flesh. She looked at Xiao Jinyan with confusion. "Your Highness, do you think your concubine has gained weight?"

Xiao Jinyan raised an eyebrow. "You stay indoors all day, never stepping beyond the second gate. Apart from eating and sleeping, how could you not gain weight?"

Shen Chuwei was even more puzzled. "How does Your Highness know that your concubine stays indoors all day, never stepping beyond the second gate, and does nothing but eat and sleep?"

The Xiyun Pavilion was far from the Crown Prince’s sleeping quarters, and moreover, Xiao Jinyan had not visited for a long time. He was still so well-informed about these matters.

Who was gossiping about her to Xiao Jinyan...

Hearing this, Xiao Jinyan paused and realized he had said too much. He coughed lightly. "Haven’t you always been like this?"

Uh!

That was true, she had indeed always been like this~

Shen Chuwei pinched her face, then her waist, and declared, "Your concubine is just bloated. These past few days, I’ve actually lost weight."

Xiao Jinyan hadn’t shared a bed with Shen Chuwei for some days, but he knew her figure had fine curves, and that in half a year, those curves had become even more pronounced.

As for weight, she felt very light in his arms.

"How do you think you’ve lost weight?"

"The other day, Chun Xi measured my waist and found it to be two centimeters smaller. Isn’t that losing weight?" Shen Chuwei was somewhat vexed. "The new sleeping pants Chun Xi made for me are already too big before I’ve even worn them."

Xiao Jinyan swept a glance over Shen Chuwei’s thickly dressed waistline, which was not discernible, but he could imagine that her already slender waist would become even more delicate if it slimmed down further.

"Why have you lost weight?"

"Your Highness, it must be because of poor sleep," she replied.

She normally slept very well, but these past few nights, she’d been continuously plagued by nightmares. A monster in her dreams chased her, its gaping maw ready to swallow her whole.

Xiao Jinyan asked again, "Why haven’t you been sleeping well?"

Shen Chuwei answered, "I’ve been having nightmares every night."

Xiao Jinyan said, "That sounds like night terrors. Haven’t you had the Imperial Doctor come to examine you?"

Shen Chuwei responded, "It’s probably because I read ’Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio’ a few days ago. There’s no need to see the Imperial Doctor."

Xiao Jinyan didn’t hear what he wanted to, and since he still had matters to attend to, he instructed Liu Xi to continue looking for Pearl Flower and left on his own.

Shen Chuwei watched Xiao Jinyan’s tall figure leaving and remembered the little rabbits. She squatted down to see if there were any rabbits hiding in the flower bushes.

The Empress happened to pass by and saw the scene unfold. She glanced at the Crown Prince, who walked away without a backward look, and then at Shen Chuwei squatting on the ground, thinking she was saddened.

"Qing Ying, do you think the Crown Prince and Lady Shen are having a tiff?" she asked.

"Your Majesty is unaware, the Crown Prince has not once visited Xiyun Pavilion since he returned from his trip," Qing Ying informed.

The Empress wondered aloud, "Wasn’t everything fine at the White Horse Temple? The Crown Prince even personally applied ointment for Lady Shen. How could things have changed so suddenly?"

Qing Ying reminded her, "Your Majesty, Lady Shen has been staying in Xiyun Pavilion the whole time and hasn’t moved to Hehuan Hall."

It had been several days, and the Empress had almost forgotten about this.

"Why hasn’t she moved? Did the Crown Prince not allow it?"

Qing Ying answered, "It’s Lady Shen herself who doesn’t wish to move, saying she prefers the ambiance of Xiyun Pavilion."

"Xiyun Pavilion is desolate and remote. How can its environment compare to Hehuan Hall? In the view of this palace, Lady Shen is probably afraid of angering the Crown Prince, that’s why she hasn’t moved."

The Empress pondered for a moment, then said, "Find someone to help her move. This palace refuses to believe that the Crown Prince would disregard my wishes."

Qing Ying hesitated for a few seconds. "Your Majesty, isn’t that a bit... inappropriate?"

The Empress was indignant. "What’s so inappropriate about it? I’m helping Lady Shen seize more opportunities to be near the Crown Prince. With more chances to serve him, the likelihood of offspring increases."