Pampered Consort of the Fragrant Orchard

“What nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly like her!” Leng Er stamped his foot.

“Well, it’s just as well you don’t. At least it won’t put Ying Ge in an awkward position later,” Xia Yuan remarked.

“Awkward? What do you mean?” Leng Er sensed something was off.

“Nothing much! It's just that Mu Shan seemed quite attentive to Ying Ge along the way—like he might have feelings for her. If Young Master Luo Qi were to help him propose marriage, the young lady might not refuse. After all, if both parties are interested, and the young lady herself said it's time to find Ying Ge someone to rely on...” Xia Yuan shrugged. If you also have feelings for Ying Ge, wouldn't that put her in a difficult position?"

“She likes Mu Shan?” Leng Er felt the temperature around him drop instantly.

"There's nothing strange about liking Mu Shan. Though he comes from the martial arts world, he's very considerate toward Ying Ge. Look at how they acted like a married couple outside the city—they seemed like they'd been together for ages. Xia Yuan looked at Leng Er in confusion. “Didn't you say you didn't like her? Why are you so concerned about her and Mu Shan?”

“I...” Leng Er was momentarily speechless.

“By the way, where did Ying Ge go? The palace isn't fully tidied up yet,” Leng San said, feigning concern.

Seeing Leng San's nonchalant attitude, Xia Yuan silently gave him a mental thumbs-up. “She said she was going to wash her eyes—probably off to find Mu Shan. Oh, which palace did Young Master Luoqi and his entourage stay in? I think it was Xiangyang Palace. Maybe Young Master Luoqi knows about their feelings and will come propose to Miss Xiang in the next couple days.”

“Oh, really? Seeing me is an eyesore, but seeing Mu Shan is refreshing? Just you wait!” Leng Er didn't even bother to say goodbye before bolting out.

“Hahaha—”

Xia Yuan and the others burst into laughter at the sight of Leng Er rushing off.

“Um... Could Mu Shan actually have feelings for Ying Ge?” Leng San, still loyal at heart to his brother, asked after the laughter subsided.

If that were true, it would indeed be a bit troublesome.

"No way! We grew up training together with Mu Shan, Mu Shui, and my brother. We were always close as kids—it was only later that Young Master Luo Qi gave us to the young lady. Mu Shan has always treated Ying Ge like a little sister." Xia Yuan affirmed.

Having grown up together, Mu Shan and Mu Shui had been particularly attentive to Ying Ge and Xia Yuan on their way back.

“You knew? Then why did you say that?!” Leng San glared at Xia Yuan with an expression that screamed, You're too cunning.

“All's fair in love and war!” Xia Yuan replied coolly. “Do as you please. I'm off to prepare dinner for Mistress.”

With that, she left, leaving Leng Yi and Leng San staring at each other in silence.

“Should we go find Master?” Leng San asked.

“Go ahead if you want Master to beat you into a pig's head,” Leng San replied. “I'm off to see what's for dinner tonight.”

Master had surely been woken by the commotion—why bother going to wake them? Whoever disturbed them now would be the unlucky one. He wasn't that foolish.

“Huh? Then I'm coming too.” Leng San followed Xia Yuan and Leng Yi to the small kitchen.

Outside finally quieted down. Du Xiaoli exhaled, turning to look at the figure diagonally above her. Now was the time to settle accounts with him.

“What are you doing in my bed?”

The person looked at Du Xiaoli innocently, blinking. “I hadn't slept in ages either. Seeing the bed made me so sleepy I just crashed. Besides, one person sleeping in it is the same as two. What's the big deal?”

“What kind of nonsense is that!” Du Xiaoli glared at Han Mingyi, her teeth itching with frustration.

When Leng Er arrived, Du Xiaoli had been woken by his and Xia Yuan's voices. She never expected to open her eyes to find a pair of bright, alert eyes staring back at her, their owner gently saying, “Good evening.”

Startled, she heard movement outside. She shot him a look that screamed, I'll deal with you later, then lay still, listening.

If she made a sound and let them know they were sharing a bed, she'd rather sink into the ground!

Now that everyone had left, she finally had time to settle the score.

She tried to sit up, but seeing she was still wrapped only in a bath towel, she flopped back down. Fixing Han Mingyi with a glare, she prepared to bore holes into his face with her gaze.

Han Mingyi watched Du Xiaoli's expression and smiled faintly. One hand propped up his head while the other teased her silky hair, his mood decidedly light.

He had actually woken up quite a while ago, but seeing Du Xiaoli sleeping so soundly, he didn't want to disturb her. Instead, he quietly watched the person nestled in his arms—observing her smooth cheek, her curved lashes, her slightly pouting lips. Before he knew it, he'd been watching her for nearly an hour.

“Did you carry me up here?” Du Xiaoli recalled being in the bath, wrapped only in a towel without any clothes. She certainly hadn't climbed into bed herself. If it had been her, she would have at least put on some clothes before sleeping.

“What do you think?” Han Mingyi raised an eyebrow.

“Who let you in?” Du Xiaoli glared at him, her teeth itching with frustration.

"I'd finished my bath and stood outside for ages. Hearing no movement inside, I feared you'd slipped into the water and drowned. So I kindly came to check. Who knew I'd walk in to find you asleep in the tub? I kindly carried you to bed. You should be thanking me, not glaring at me like this.“ Han Mingyi said, ”The way you're acting, I might mistakenly think you want to repay me with your body."

“Repay you my ass!” Du Xiaoli hadn't expected Han Mingyi to have such a shameless side, and she couldn't help but curse. “You took advantage of me, and now you want me to repay you? I think you need a good lesson.”

“You want to teach me a lesson?” Han Mingyi asked with a smile. “How exactly do you plan to do that? I'm right here. Come on.”

With that, he rolled over and lay back down.

Du Xiaoli’s face darkened. Then she remembered his earlier comment about showering next door and inviting her to watch. Her eyes darted, her body shifted, and in an instant, she was perched on top of Han Mingyi. Seeing his stunned eyes, she smiled and said, “So this is what you like.”

She had noticed that Han Mingyi was all talk—the moment things got a bit risqué, he’d freeze up completely.

Han Mingyi was genuinely startled—no, stunned—by Du Xiaoli’s actions. Alright, when he’d gone to send off Han Mingxiang last time, he’d been surprised by her initiative in kissing him. But he’d assumed that was the extent of her boldness. He never imagined she could go this far!

What was infuriating was that her soft body pressed against his was actually causing a physical reaction!

“You...” Han Mingyi's voice grew hoarse, a clear sign his hormones were taking over.

Du Xiaoli sensed the change in his body and saw his flushed cheeks. She chuckled inwardly—he really was such a pure little man! But she wouldn't tell him that. Who knew what he might do if he found out what she was thinking?

MoonWhisperer, skyrise's Thoughts

tl note: hihi the raws seem to skip a chapter and i have scoured the internet but been unable to find the missing chapter... hopefully this one is still interpretable and enjoyable!!

Thanks for your continued support~ happy reading!

--If you want to support the team, please donate .

--

If there are any major inconsistencies between the old releases and our new ones, please point them out for us, thank you!

Join our for more announcements and release updates~ We won't bite~