"I didn't know the Crown Prince was here. I was rude just now," Song Yihuan said as she bowed to Ji Lingchuan in a proper manner.
At her address, Ji Lingchuan frowned imperceptibly.
"It's all right. I know you're concerned about your younger brother. It's understandable," he replied.
Song Yihuan was preoccupied with her younger brother. After greeting Ji Lingchuan, she turned around to examine Song Yixuan carefully to see if there were any other wounds on him. She completely ignored Ji Lingchuan.
Ji Lingchuan watched the slender and busy figure in front of him. He found that her eyes were only on her younger brother, and she ignored his presence once again.
Was he really that unnoticeable?
Not knowing what was on his mind, Ji Lingchuan cleared his throat and said to the girl with her back to him:
"It's normal for a man to have some scars. Spoiling him too much will do him no good. Only when he feels pain can he learn a lesson and be more careful in the future."
Spoiling? Song Yihuan sneered silently in her heart.
These high - born young masters had no idea what it meant to depend on each other or what it meant that life was unpredictable.
They could run, jump, play, climb trees and catch fish in the water at will, but for Song Yixuan, these were all luxuries that might even cost him his life.
She wanted to argue with Ji Lingchuan loudly, but she knew it was useless. The gap between their identities and family backgrounds was too large. He would never understand the deep - seated fear in their hearts.
Remembering the shrill screams of the maid that echoed in her ears that night, at this moment, Song Yihuan just wanted to stay away from Ji Lingchuan.
She lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Thank you for your teachings, Crown Prince. We'll remember this lesson."
Ji Lingchuan keenly detected her estrangement and resistance from her tone. His brows furrowed even tighter.
Was she afraid of him?
Why?
Picking up her younger brother, Song Yihuan didn't want to stay in the pavilion with Ji Lingchuan any longer. She nodded and said, "I'll take Xuan'er back to treat his wounds. Farewell, Crown Prince."
"Wait," Ji Lingchuan blurted out.
When Song Yihuan looked over, he didn't know what to say for a moment, so he said:
"You called me brother - in - law in the Guanyin Temple before, but now you call me Crown Prince. Are we really that estranged?"
Song Yihuan didn't expect that the Crown Prince of the Prince Ning, the solemn and cold General Weiyuan in the eyes of the world, would be so bothered by her address at this time.
Facing the man's slightly oppressive gaze, she had no choice but to say, "Brother - in - law."
Although he got the address he wanted, Ji Lingchuan still felt something was wrong. The discomfort in his chest increased instead of decreasing.
During this short delay, a muffled thunder roared in the sky. Cool raindrops fell on Song Yihuan's face. She looked up and saw that it was raining outside.
At first, there were just a few drops, but within a few breaths, the vast expanse of rain curtain connected the sky and the earth, completely blocking Song Yihuan's way back.
The pavilion was not big and was open on all sides. To avoid the raindrops blowing into the pavilion, she took two steps back with Song Yixuan in her arms, but her back bumped into a solid chest.
Song Yihuan was startled. She looked up and unexpectedly met Ji Lingchuan's deep phoenix eyes.
She instinctively wanted to escape from his side, but unexpectedly, he tightly grabbed her elbow and pulled her back in front of him.
Looking down at her with a bit more warmth in his eyes, he pressed her onto the round stool in the middle of the pavilion and said:
"The rain won't stop for a while. Sit here quietly."
Song Yihuan bit her lower lip and had no choice but to sit on the stone bench in the pavilion with her younger brother in her arms.
A shadow fell on her. She looked to her side. Ji Lingchuan stood on her right with his hands behind his back. His tall figure blocked most of her view, but she keenly noticed that a few raindrops were falling on his right shoulder.
He was using his body to shield them from the wind and rain.
His action diluted Song Yihuan's inner fear. A warm current flowed through her heart, making her subconsciously curl her fingers.
During the few times she had served him in bed, she had already noticed that although he was a man of few words and had the killing and majesty of a general, he was actually very good at taking care of others.
If she was tired, he would change to a more comfortable position for her and let her lie on him.
When they were in the same room, he never forced her to face him. Even if she was annoyed by him and bit him hard, he wouldn't blame her.
Suddenly coming back to her senses, Song Yihuan was annoyed at herself for thinking about these embarrassing things. She lowered her head and didn't dare to look at the man again.
She didn't notice that after she lowered her head, the man looked down at her.
The woman was sitting there very properly, and she even raised her hand to shield the raindrops from her younger brother in her arms, as if he were a rare treasure.
Ji Lingchuan couldn't help but think of what the maid beside Song Nanxin had said in Yixiang Pavilion.
Judging from Song Nanzhe's reaction just now, the situation of the siblings in the Marquis Mansion was indeed not good. Exclusion and bullying must be common.
But from his several contacts with her, she didn't seem to be as unruly as the maid said, using her appearance to flirt with others everywhere. Instead, she always drew a clear line with him, for fear that getting too close would cause some controversy.
Just now, if he hadn't grabbed her, she would have been scared to rush into the heavy rain with her younger brother in her arms.
Looking away from Song Yihuan, Ji Lingchuan didn't notice the faint ripples in his heart.
In Song Yihuan's arms, Song Yixuan opened his big, clear eyes and saw both his sister's and his brother - in - law's looks.
He didn't understand why the two of them were secretly looking at each other, but this feeling made him feel very safe. Leaning against his sister, Song Yixuan's eyelids became heavy, and soon he fell asleep.
In the pavilion, Song Yihuan and Ji Lingchuan maintained that posture for a long time without saying a word. There was nothing but the sound of rain around.
When Song Yihuan looked up again, she found that a part of Ji Lingchuan's right shoulder was already wet. She couldn't bear it, so she reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve. When the man looked over, she was so scared that she let go of her hand.
"Crown Prince, please sit down too. Your shoulder is soaked in the rain."
Ji Lingchuan originally wanted to say it was all right, but when he saw the concern in her eyes, he changed his mind and sat down beside her.
Because the stone benches in the pavilion were close together, they sat very close to each other. There was only a thin gap between their shoulders.
Because of this distance, Ji Lingchuan could smell the faint, refreshing fragrance of apricot blossoms from her body, which made his heart beat a little faster.
Just as he was in a daze, something appeared in front of him. Ji Lingchuan took a closer look. It was a handkerchief that Song Yihuan was handing to him.
"Crown Prince, wipe the water off your body."
The handkerchief was soft and smooth to the touch. Maybe it had been on her for a long time, and every silk thread was soaked in that fragrance. When it brushed against his cheek, it even made him feel dizzy.
It was the fragrance of the first - blooming apricot blossoms.