The prince longs for me every night after mastering thought-reading
Chapter 216 - 215: They are actually coveting my instant noodles!

Chapter 216: Chapter 215: They are actually coveting my instant noodles!

Qin Xiao spoke as he lifted his arm and sniffed, but he didn’t detect the foul smell Chun Xi mentioned.

Chun Xi jumped when she heard Qin Xiao’s voice since she’d been avoiding him, yet he still managed to come closer.

She turned and saw Qin Xiao bent over, sniffing the scent on her, his silly appearance once again amused her.

She hummed in her heart, thinking he was really silly.

Chun Xi lifted her chin and said, "The smell on you is indeed foul."

Shen Chuwei watched Chun Xi and glanced at Qin Xiao. Chun Xi wouldn’t just pick on someone for no reason, and even if Qin Xiao really smelled of sweat, she wouldn’t say it out loud in public.

"Big Brother Qin, what’s going on?"

Qin Xiao sighed helplessly, "Alas, I didn’t do anything to him. He said I was being a hooligan. Brother Shen, we’ve been acquainted for some time now, do I seem like the kind of person to do such things?"

Shen Chuwei had interacted with Qin Xiao a few times and knew a bit about him. Besides, Qin Xiao was Xiao Jinyan’s personal guard; if his character was not good, Xiao Jinyan would not have favored him.

She nudged Chun Xi with her elbow and whispered, "Chun Xi, what happened?"

Chun Xi realized she couldn’t hide it any longer, so she leaned closer to Shen Chuwei and whispered, "My lord, he pinched my arm. If that’s not being a hooligan, what is?"

Chun Xi spoke, looking so aggrieved—no man had ever pinched her arm before, growing up as she did!

Shen Chuwei laughed out loud when she heard this.

Chun Xi complained coyly, "My lord, you’re laughing."

Shen Chuwei tried to hold back her laughter and said, "You’ve forgotten, you’re dressed as a man at the moment. In Qin Xiao’s eyes, you’re a boy; pinching your arm is not out of line and doesn’t count as being a hooligan."

As if a sleeper awakened, Chun Xi finally realized, "Oh right, I am dressed as a boy now. I had forgotten."

Her embarrassing behavior from the previous night came back to her, and just thinking about it made her feel mortified.

It was no wonder Chun Xi forgot she was wearing men’s clothing, given it was her first time and she hadn’t paid it much mind.

Shen Chuwei comforted, "Alright, Big Brother Qin isn’t petty. It’ll be fine once you explain."

"Oh," Chun Xi turned back and gave Qin Xiao a glance, still feeling incredibly awkward.

Qin Xiao could tell by Shen Chuwei’s expression that he trusted him. Indeed, those favored by His Highness were reliable people.

He looked at Chun Xi, "You see, even Brother Shen believes I’m not a hooligan. You should believe it too."

Chun Xi glanced at Qin Xiao and felt a bit embarrassed, "Well, Big Brother Qin, I falsely accused you last night. Please don’t take it to heart."

Qin Xiao saw Chun Xi’s cheeks flush with red and was momentarily stunned, "It’s fine now the misunderstanding is cleared. But you, why are you more bashful than a girl even though you’re a boy?"

Chun Xi felt too embarrassed to admit she was a girl and evaded, "I was raised among women from a young age, so of course, I’d be a little different."

"I see," Qin Xiao gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "From now on, just stick with us, and I assure you that in no more than two years, you will become very manly."

Chun Xi, feeling enormously awkward, quickly dodged Qin Xiao’s "claws" and backed away to Shen Chuwei’s side.

Qin Xiao didn’t say anything more when he saw Chun Xi so bashful.

As Shen Chuwei and Chun Xi were about to leave, Qin Xiao asked again, "I didn’t bathe last night. Did I really smell that bad?"

Chun Xi turned back to look at Qin Xiao and couldn’t help but laugh, "You’re so silly."

Having said that, Chun Xi pulled Shen Chuwei away with her.

Qin Xiao stood there for a while, perplexed, "What does her laughter mean? Do I smell or not?"

After muttering to himself, he sniffed again—no smell!

After a long journey, Shen Chuwei touched her stomach and felt hunger, craving something spicy despite having already eaten quite a few pastries earlier that morning.

She glanced sideways at Xiao Jinyan, who had been reading for a full hour and was still at it. So absorbed in his studies, who else should be Crown Prince if not him?

Xiao Jinyan paused a moment, his lips curving slightly upward.

Shen Chuwei whispered, "Your Highness, after reading for so long, how about we eat something and take a break?"

Xiao Jinyan put down his book and looked up at Shen Chuwei, a hint of a smile flickering in his eyes, "Alright."

"Your Highness, let’s eat instant noodles," Shen Chuwei said and set Xuetuan down, then pulled two cups of instant noodles from her cloth pouch—one spicy flavor and one mushroom chicken soup flavor.

She’d taken some instant noodles with her when she left the palace, placing them in her cloth pouch to avoid suspicion.

Xiao Jinyan looked at the two cups of noodles in her hands, having never seen such a thing in his life until today.

"Where did you get this from? Why have I never seen it before?" he inquired.

Shen Chuwei had long prepared an excuse, "Your Highness, although I may not be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, I excel in other things, especially when it comes to food. These are the simplest things I know how to make, but I can do much more."

Xiao Jinyan thought it over; indeed, with the existence of borrowing corpses to resurrect, what couldn’t be possible?

"I had no idea Ninth Brother was so deft and ingenious," he remarked.

Shen Chuwei neither confirmed nor denied.

The hot water was ready—it had been heated for making tea and was still hot.

Shen Chuwei, as if an expert, unpacked the instant noodles. In no time, both cups were ready, each with their seasonings mixed in.

Finally, after pouring the hot water and covering the cups, they just had to wait to eat.

It had been a while since she’d last had instant noodles, but the aroma alone already had her salivating.

The scent was appealing to Xiao Jinyan too, who generally paid little attention to food. Suddenly, he was curious about the taste of the instant noodles Shen Chuwei liked.

Shen Chuwei, having timed it perfectly, opened the cup of mushroom chicken soup flavor, stirred it with a fork, and then pushed it towards Xiao Jinyan, declaring cheerfully, "Your Highness, the instant noodles are ready to eat."

Then she handed the fork over to him.

"Hm," Xiao Jinyan took the fork and looked at the steaming noodles that seemed quite magical. The aroma was enticing.

He lifted a few strands to his lips, blew on them to cool off, and then took a bite. To his surprise, the taste was quite different from what he’d imagined, but it was delicious.

Meanwhile, Shen Chuwei had also started eating. The spicy flavor was her favorite; after sipping a few mouthfuls, she happily reached for her handkerchief to wipe her nose, then continued eating.

Xiao Jinyan noticed something off—her eating mannerisms. Etiquette was particularly important among the royals.

Without making it obvious, he dabbed his nose gently with a handkerchief, observing the different noodles in Shen Chuwei’s cup and asked with curiosity, "Why is your instant noodles different from mine?"

Shen Chuwei wiped her nose and replied, "Because Your Highness doesn’t eat spicy food, and I love it."

Xiao Jinyan paused for a moment. He had never mentioned to Shen Chuwei that he didn’t eat spicy food, yet she remembered and was considerate of it, which was commendable.

Her memory of it wasn’t about trying to please him—she simply knew and remembered his preference.

Xiao Jinyan looked down at his steaming instant noodles, the wheels in his mind turning as he realized something important.

"Ninth Brother, if there is a shortage of rations and they can’t be delivered timely, using instant noodles as a temporary replacement could address the urgent need."