Meng Ruyi was so engrossed in reading that she didn't notice Jingzhe had come over to take a peek. It wasn't until a flurry of comments flashed across the screen that she became aware of the steady breathing beside her.
[Hahaha, Jingzhe is really so cute. When she leaned over, she was just like a curious kitten.]
[Third Prince: (shivering) Kitten? This is a tiger! Help!]
[The comment above is so vivid. I'm dying of laughter.]
When she turned her head, she saw a pair of black-and-white eyes fixed intently on the book in her hand. When she turned, Jingzhe even failed to react immediately. Only after Meng Ruyi didn't turn the page for a long time did she look up and meet Meng Ruyi's gaze.
Jingzhe rarely showed emotions, but at this moment, she felt the awkwardness that others often talked about. Her fingers curled involuntarily, her eyes flickered slightly. She pursed her lips at Meng Ruyi and seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
"Do you want to read it?" Seeing her uneasiness, Meng Ruyi generously offered the storybook in her hand.
Unexpectedly, Jingzhe hesitated and didn't take the book. She asked Meng Ruyi, "But you haven't finished reading it yet."
"It's okay. I can read it later." Meng Ruyi explained, "This teahouse belongs to Brother Song, so we can take the storybooks back later. We just need to return them after we finish reading."
Hearing this, Jingzhe's eyes suddenly lit up. She stared at Meng Ruyi with wide eyes and asked, "Really?"
"Of course." Seeing her like a satisfied child, Meng Ruyi said to her, "Just take them back later."
"Can I take these too?"
Jingzhe swallowed hard. Her eyes were bright as she looked at Meng Ruyi and pointed to the stack of storybooks beside them. "These."
"Sure."
Meng Ruyi felt as if her heart had been gently poked, and her tone softened. "As long as you like them."
Jingzhe really resembled a child who knew nothing, exploring the world bit by bit with her own ideas. She seemed cold and unapproachable, but in fact, she always had a curious look in her eyes.
At this moment, Meng Ruyi suddenly understood the meaning of the term "cute contrast" that was repeatedly mentioned in the comments. Looking at Jingzhe with a slight smile on her lips and the coldness in her expression vanishing, Meng Ruyi couldn't help but sigh.
What kind of place was the Sword Pavilion exactly?
When the rain became a bit lighter, Meng Ruyi hesitated for a moment but still said, "Let's go back first."
Jingzhe reluctantly took her eyes off the storybook in her hand and handed it to Lianqiao, who was standing beside her and packing up the other books on the table.
Meng Ruyi watched her from the side and almost burst out laughing. The corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
On the way back, the rain had increased. Jingzhe was tall, so she naturally took the umbrella from Lianqiao and held it over Meng Ruyi.
Lianqiao didn't expect that the new person beside the young lady, who seemed dull on the surface, was actually so smooth. Could this person have been pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger from the very beginning, deliberately making them let down their guard?
Lianqiao and Baizhi exchanged a glance and couldn't help but regret that they had just handed the umbrella over when Jingzhe reached out.
When Meng Ruyi noticed the person beside her had changed, she instinctively looked up and saw Jingzhe looking at her calmly without saying a word.
Huh? Why was Jingzhe suddenly being so proactive?
After walking for a while, Meng Ruyi couldn't help but ask, "Why do you hold the umbrella for me?"
According to Jingzhe's usual behavior, she should have just silently guarded beside her and would never have thought of holding an umbrella for her.
This kind of thing that seemed like flattering actually appeared so natural in Jingzhe's expression and actions that even Lianqiao and Baizhi beside them gritted their teeth.
"Huh? Can't I?" Hearing this, Jingzhe's steps paused slightly. She turned to look at Meng Ruyi with a bit of confusion in her eyes. "You've been very kind to me, so I want to stay by your side all the time. That's why I try to please you."
Jingzhe looked at Meng Ruyi all the time while speaking. Her face was calm, her attitude was gentle, and there was a lively look on her face that had never appeared before.
It was as if Jingzhe had finally emerged from the coldness like a sword and was no longer confined to that persona.
It was like...
It was like the character in the book had finally stepped out and was no longer restricted by a few words on the page, but had a fresh and vivid breath of life.
Jingzhe, one of the male leads. Meng Ruyi repeated these words in her mind several times. A look of joy involuntarily appeared on her face as she said, "Well, actually, you don't need to please me. I'm already very happy that you're here to work."
There was still a bit of confusion in Jingzhe's eyes, but she didn't ask further. She just nodded at Meng Ruyi and said okay.
After talking to her, Meng Ruyi was in an unprecedentedly good mood. She felt as if she had accomplished a great thing.
Jingzhe, one of the male leads, was no longer confined to the original plot. And the other male lead, Gu Ling, had even escaped his tragic fate and gone to the border with his parents who were supposed to be dead.
So, was the plot not as powerful as she had imagined?
Thinking like this, Meng Ruyi felt light-hearted and instinctively quickened her steps towards home.
When they reached the door, Meng Ruyi was about to ask someone to open it when she heard a hesitant voice from behind.
"Miss Meng?"
When she turned around, she saw the Third Prince standing behind her, looking hesitant. When she turned, Jingzhe also stepped forward to stand in front of Meng Ruyi, causing Zheng Yuanqing to take a sudden step back.
Realizing his embarrassment, Zheng Yuanqing pursed his lips into a straight line and nodded slightly at Meng Ruyi.
"Your Highness the Third Prince?" Seeing him, Meng Ruyi first asked the servant to open the door and then continued, "Are you here to see Brother Song?"
"Yes." After saying that, Zheng Yuanqing greeted Jingzhe beside Meng Ruyi, "Greetings, Lord Jingzhe."
So scary!
There was no special expression on Zheng Yuanqing's face. He looked extremely serious, but in fact, he was screaming inside. He couldn't understand at all why Jingzhe was wearing women's clothes and following Meng Ruyi obediently.
What kind of hidden immortal was Meng Ruyi! When Jingzhe was with Song Huaizhi, her expression was not as respectful as when she was with Meng Ruyi. This was so terrifying!
Thinking like this, Zheng Yuanqing was even more cautious in his attitude towards Meng Ruyi. When walking side by side with her towards the study, his tone also became a bit more solemn.
When Meng Ruyi saw that his eyes always drifted towards Jingzhe when he was talking, she found it funny. There was also a bit of involuntary sympathy in her eyes when she looked at him.
Poor guy. He had to watch the person who tried to assassinate him wearing women's clothes.
Now, except for Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi, everyone else thought Jingzhe was a man. So even Lianqiao and Baizhi, who were usually calm, would sometimes show a bit of awkwardness in their eyes when they saw her.
After stealing glances at Jingzhe for I don't know how many times, Jingzhe finally spoke up. She looked at Zheng Yuanqing and asked, "Why do you keep looking at me?"