Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 147 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (51)

Ji Shuqin told himself that the Crown Princess was a dignified and proper woman, and at that time his expression was somewhat probing.

Ji Shumin ignored him and listened to Lu Liruan.

It seems that Ji Shuqin told Lu Liruan about himself, but Lu Liruan answered cautiously, not revealing any information to him, and did not ask him about her.

Ji Shuqin felt that she didn't care about him.

Lu Liruan noticed his knowing look: "What's wrong?"

“He feels that you don’t care about me,” Ji Shumin said slowly.

"Am I not caring enough for you?" Lu Liruan took a breath, leaned back, crossed her arms, and questioned her very sincerely.

Ji Shumin was amused by her lively and reproachful expression: "Hmm...you care about me the most." His voice was low and soft, like a sigh, as he stroked a strand of Lu Liruan's hair and played with it carefully.

Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Why is the Crown Princess looking at me like that?" Ji Shumin held his hand in front of Lu Liruan's eyes, but Lu Liruan turned her head and looked at him from another direction.

"Let me see if you mean what you're saying!" Lu Liruan sneered.

"I am truly sincere. No one cares about me more than the Crown Princess. I am very grateful and appreciate it..."

Ji Shumin could convince anyone if he wanted to, and the gentle way he answered Lu Liruan now was a completely different person from when he was sharp-tongued.

"Your Highness, remember what you're saying now. When you lose your temper, I'll have to remind you," Lu Liruan said quietly.

"When have I ever lost my temper with you?" Ji Shumin said, but his voice lacked confidence. He turned his head to the other side and pretended to look at the scenery outside.

He's much better now, but occasionally, when he can't control his temper, he still seems quite neurotic.

Lu Liruan didn't want to argue with him.

Ji Shumin often said things like, "You and I are the closest people to each other..."

There will be no secrets between us…

Things like that.

Besides his paranoia and insecurity, Lu Liruan felt that this was also his way of subtly influencing her to accept it and remember it firmly in her heart.

Similarly, Lu Liruan would repeat her needs and demands on him over and over again.

It is not a one-way constraint, but a two-way change and contribution.

Lu Liruan and Ji Shumin are students who will never give anything away completely without compensation. They should dare to speak and act, and it is only natural for them to want what they need.

You need to know how to make choices, understand the situation, and have ambition.

You are in my heart, we are intimately connected, I understand and trust you, but I also have the same expectations of you. Only this kind of relationship is solid and equal.

Ji Shumin was not annoyed by Lu Liruan's requests; on the contrary, he enjoyed them immensely. He fulfilled the Crown Princess's requirements and expectations.

This would excite him greatly, and he would be even more eager to see what he would get in return from the Crown Princess.

“I remember,” he replied softly.

Lu Liruan curled the corners of her lips. Although His Highness the Crown Prince was sometimes crazy, he never cared about saving face.

For him, saving face was less important than taking advantage of others.

"I'm quite satisfied that you don't want that ugly thing of his." Ji Shumin's face was turned outwards as his voice drifted over.

Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow: You're just blatantly lying!

Ji Shumin seemed to have eyes in the back of his head: "I'll give you something even better."

Lu Liruan's eyes narrowed with laughter: "Alright, but I'll be waiting for Your Highness."

Don't want it for nothing.

As the carriage drove out of the mountains, that unique, ethereal, and refreshing scent gradually disappeared.

Upon entering the streets of the capital, the sounds of people gradually rose outside, and the cries of vendors and peddlers along the street reached my ears.

Lu Liruan ignored Ji Shumin, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside with curiosity, her eyes sparkling.

"Does the Crown Princess want to leave the palace?" Ji Shumin came up from behind, almost wrapping his arms around her, and looked outside in the direction of her gaze.

Lu Liruan nodded casually: "Yes, it's so lively. The palace is so lifeless."

Countless people outside yearn to enter that lifeless place, a place that represents glory and power.

Ji Shumin looked at Lu Liruan's fair profile. Her eyes blinked, clear and innocent like those of a child who knew nothing of the world.

"Can't you even have me by your side?"

"Huh?" Lu Liruan's gaze was drawn to a man carrying a shoulder pole on the side of the street. His pole was filled with all kinds of cakes, and although it looked wobbly, not a single one fell out.

Lu Liruan didn't think too much about Ji Shumin's words and just casually agreed, not noticing Ji Shumin's deep eyes lowered.

"Your Highness, may I go buy something?" As they walked down the familiar street, Lu Liruan turned to him and asked.

"What do you want to buy?"

"That shop's roasted chestnuts." Lu Liruan pointed to a shop with a long line of people. You could tell from the number of people in line that the stuff must be really good.

When Lu Liruan was at the Marquis of He'an's residence, she and her two sisters went out for a stroll and discovered this shop.

The freshly cooked chestnuts are sweet and tender, cooked to perfection, making them irresistible.

Later, they would often have their maids buy chestnuts, and everyone would sit together, chatting and laughing while eating chestnuts and drinking tea. Birds would stretch out their little legs and walk around, saying auspicious words and asking for fruit.

It was very lively and bustling, and Lu Liruan really enjoyed those days.

Ji Shumin stopped the carriage and had a palace maid buy some food. When he placed it in Lu Liruan's hands, it was still hot.

Lu Liruan picked out a piece, but was burned and gasped, pinching her earlobe.

Ji Shumin picked up the chestnut, broke it open along the crack, and easily peeled off the skin. He held it between his fingertips and brought it to Lu Liruan's lips.

Smelling the aroma of chestnuts, Lu Liruan opened her mouth and took one, her lips brushing against Ji Shumin's fingers. Before she could pull away, Ji Shumin quickly pinched her cheeks.

"Mmm, um?" Lu Liruan hummed indistinctly while biting into a chestnut kernel.

"There's a piece of skin that hasn't been peeled off completely." Ji Shumin gestured for her not to move, then leaned closer, his fingertips teasing Lu Liruan's lips and teeth, leaving Lu Liruan unsure whether to spit it out or swallow it.

"Woo..."

Ji Shumin only sat up straight and showed Lu Liruan the little bit of chestnut shell that he had taken off when Lu Liruan turned her head back.

Lu Liruan chewed on the sweet chestnut kernels, the touch of Ji Shumin still lingering on her lips.

It felt like it was intentional, yet it didn't seem intentional. Lu Liruan looked warily at the Crown Prince's calm and composed face.

Ji Shumin did it on purpose.

The outside world seemed to be far more attractive to Lu Liruan than she was to herself.

His Highness the Crown Prince inexplicably felt a tightness in his chest. When he was in a bad mood, he naturally wouldn't hold it in. He deliberately forced Lu Liruan to lower her head and lean her back against the carriage wall.

The Crown Princess trembled slightly, looking at herself with complete focus, which made Ji Shumin feel a little better...

The atmosphere inside the carriage was a bit strange. Lu Liruan tidied her hair, took a chestnut that had cooled down a bit, peeled one, and shoved it into Ji Shumin's mouth with a fierce motion, stopping him from saying anything more.

Lu Liruan was much more skilled and faster at peeling than Ji Shumin, stuffing one into Ji Shumin's mouth and putting the other into her own.

One by one...

Lu Liruan's movements slowed down only after the carriage passed a certain place.

It passed by the Marquis of He'an's residence.

Lu Liruan looked at the familiar road and could see the gate of the Marquis of He'an's mansion in the distance. Servants in charge of purchasing were walking out of the gate.

It was such a familiar place, but Lu Liruan could only watch as she passed by the intersection.

Suddenly, a strange and somewhat lost feeling welled up in Lu Liruan's heart. She didn't know when she would be able to go back next time.

Lowering the carriage curtain, Lu Liruan clasped her hands, which were stained with chestnut shells, lowered her head, and sighed softly.

"Want to go back?" Ji Shumin asked indifferently.

“It’s not that… it’s just that I feel like that home is getting further and further away from me. Before entering the palace, it seemed like normal to sleep in the same bed with my sisters and chatter until midnight.” Lu Liruan recalled.

"But if you think about it carefully, the next time you go back, it might be when your sister gets married. The old days are gone forever, and you can never go back."

Lu Liruan sighed earnestly, "Time flies, and before we knew it, things had changed so much that we can never go back to the way things were before."

The topic was a bit sad. Lu Liruan looked at Ji Shumin's legs and suddenly felt that her words seemed to fit Ji Shumin as well.

Just as I was about to change the subject, Ji Shumin spoke up: "Does the Crown Princess believe in fate?"

"Don't you believe it?"

"I believe that destiny is fate, and fate can also be created by human effort. If everything is fate, wouldn't everything be predetermined?"

Ji Shumin did not refute Lu Liruan, but instead expressed his own views.

That's really... a bit arrogant.

Lu Liruan often thought Ji Shumin was right, but upon closer reflection, she realized that the idea of ​​"man conquering nature" was essentially the same.

"Your Highness is right." Lu Liruan was a little tired. She had been busy all day and was feeling sleepy after eating.

Ji Shumin didn't speak again, but he had vaguely made a decision in his heart.

Back in the palace, Lu Liruan sat on the edge of the bed. It felt like so long ago that she had experienced this morning. The scenery in the mountains was still vivid in her mind, but it was completely different from the palace.

"Your Highness, please rest. I have some matters to attend to."

Lu Liruan thought that Ji Shumin would also need to rest, but to her surprise, he showed no signs of fatigue, changed into light clothes, and went straight to the study.

Lu Liruan slept very well, and when she woke up again, it was already dark outside.

The dinner consisted of a light soup. After the candles were lit, Lu Liruan watched as Xiao Xizi brought in a small basket and presented it to her.

Inside were chestnuts of moderate size, glossy and tempting to look at.

"Hmm?" Lu Liruan touched it; it was hot, clearly made in the palace kitchen.

Sitting on the other side, the Crown Prince, who had taken two bites and then put down his chopsticks with no appetite, tapped his knuckles on the table.

Lu Liruan found it somewhat amusing. This must have been prepared by Ji Shumin. He was usually very willful, and his eccentric personality was probably known because of this.

They strive for perfection to the point of being nitpicky, aiming for absolute excellence so that even a plate of chestnuts looks exactly the same size.

But I didn't actually want to eat chestnuts; rather, it was the memories that something represented that were worth savoring.

Just as Lu Liruan was trying to explain why she couldn't eat anymore, Ji Shumin had already dismissed everyone.

"I have already finished handling all the matters this afternoon."

So?

Lu Liruan was confused and didn't understand what he meant.

In the dim candlelight, the Crown Prince's expression appeared somewhat unnatural.

"Doesn't the Crown Princess enjoy eating chestnuts and chatting with others? What, does she not wish to join me?"

Lu Liruan was stunned.

He took his words to heart and rushed to the study in the afternoon to handle some business, just so that he could chat with him in the evening.

Lu Liruan blinked and smiled: "Alright, Your Highness is so well prepared, of course I'm willing!"

Ji Shumin sat in a wheelchair, while Lu Liruan sat on a newly laid, thick wool felt carpet, with two low wine cups on a small table in front of them.

One contained fragrant osmanthus wine, and the other contained orange wine.

The wine was made by Lu Liruan, and the orange wine by Ji Shumin.

Lu Liruan picked it out for him.

“Your Highness cannot drink alcohol. This orange wine is the same color as the osmanthus wine I drink, so it can be considered that we drank together, right?” Lu Liruan smiled and coaxed Ji Shumin to take a sip.

As the sweet taste went down his throat, Ji Shumin frowned, watching his Crown Princess, who seemed to be a little drunkard, bring the fine osmanthus wine to her nose, smell it with relish, and then drink it all in one gulp.

"What fragrant flower wine!" Lu Liruan was satisfied, and soon her fair and clear cheeks flushed pink.

"Drink less. Didn't you want to talk to me? I won't forgive you if you get drunk!" Ji Shumin sneered.

"I can hold my liquor really well!" Lu Liruan poured herself another glass. "Neither of my two younger sisters can outdrink me."

Lu Liruan told Ji Shumin some interesting stories about what happened at the Marquis of He'an's residence.

As she talked, Lu Liruan found herself getting a little dizzy. Although the osmanthus wine tasted sweet, it seemed to have a high alcohol content.

Lying on Ji Shumin's lap, Lu Liruan, emboldened by the alcohol, boldly gazed at Ji Shumin's handsome face.

"Your Highness, is there anything you've told others? Why don't you tell me? I'm very tight-lipped." As she spoke, Lu Liruan made a shushing gesture.

"Really? If it's not secure, I'll sew it up with needle and thread." Ji Shumin looked at her silly, squinting, and grinning face, and threatened in a low voice.

Lu Liruan acted as if she hadn't heard him, patting his leg: "You go first... Don't be so stingy, I've been talking for so long!"

Ji Shumin's face was half-lit and half-shadowed by the candlelight, his deep features shrouded in shadow, a smile that was neither quite a smile nor a frown.

"Then let me tell you how I got my name."

Lu Liruan looked up at him, and Ji Shumin tugged at her cheek.

Do you know my name?

Ji Shumin leaned down, his voice gentle and deep: "Call me by my name."

Lu Liruan opened her mouth, her consciousness slowly returning, but she still felt something was off.

"Say it." Ji Shumin tapped her lower lip with his finger. She didn't speak, so he kneaded it with a little force.

"Hmm..." Lu Liruan couldn't break free from his grasp and could only murmur.

“Ji... Ji Shumin”

"When she calls me 'Crown Princess,' it sounds better than when others teach her to say it."

If Lu Liruan were still fully conscious, she would realize who else could address His Highness the Crown Prince by his given name.