As soon as those words were spoken, Fan Qinghe and the others wisely kept silent.

Now that they were up close, it was as if they were seeing Ji Wu for the first time. They began to closely observe the Third Prince’s expression.

Though Ji Wu wasn’t as old as Ji Changran, he was taller, with sharper and more striking features. Even when he gave a faint smile, those dark, cold eyes of his remained detached. His reclusive and eccentric demeanor made it easy for people to overlook his handsome appearance and instinctively keep their distance.

Under the umbrella, Ji Changran’s face twisted with a flash of grim hostility as his gaze slid past Ji Wu’s shoulder and landed on Shen Xuefeng’s head, just barely visible.

The matter of the umbrella was trivial—but the one asking for it was Ji Wu. Everyone knew just how much Ji Changran looked down on this younger brother of his.

“You really have changed, Third Brother,” Ji Changran said, folding up the umbrella with a sneer. “It seems Father’s order for you to receive the diplomatic delegation has tempered you. You’ve grown quite bold.”

Ji Wu nodded meekly, as if he were humbly listening. But what came out of his mouth was only one word: “The umbrella.”

Standing behind him, Shen Xuefeng broke out in a cold sweat.

Ji Changran’s heaving chest betrayed his mood, though he still forced himself to maintain decorum. He handed the umbrella back.

Ji Wu shook open the blue umbrella Shen Xuefeng had used as a reading companion’s shade and held it above Shen Xuefeng’s head. “Let’s go.”

The two of them gradually melted into the crowd of sightseers and disappeared from Ji Changran’s view.

Having not had much chance to talk in days, Shen Xuefeng had a bunch of questions bottled up. He tugged at Ji Wu, firing off one question after another—asking how he’d come, and who he came with. When he heard Ji Wu mention that foreign envoys were also out on a spring excursion today, he asked in surprise, “Your Highness left them just to come find me? Won’t that cause trouble?”

Ji Wu merely said, “Ignore them.”

Not far away, Chi Qing and Yin Lan, who were using two banana leaves to shield themselves, twitched their mouths at that line.

“What did I say? The Third Prince came purely to block off Young Master Shen—he doesn’t care about us at all,” Chi Qing growled through clenched teeth.

“Where are they going?” Yin Lan stared longingly at Shen Xuefeng’s profile. “Let’s go up too. I haven’t even managed to get a word in with Young Master Shen yet!”

“You go up there, you’ll just be asking to get beaten,” Chi Qing dragged the eager Yin Lan back. “We’ll just follow from a distance and see where Young Master Shen ends up taking His Highness.”

The two of them trailed along sneakily from behind. After a while, dark clouds suddenly swept across the once-blue sky, and a light rain began to fall.

Raindrops splashed onto the grass and river, raising a dreamy mist. The tourists began clustering in pavilions to take shelter, and the surrounding area gradually emptied out.

Chi Qing squinted forward and saw Shen Xuefeng and Ji Wu crossing a small bridge with an umbrella. They headed toward a restaurant on the other side of the river. He immediately grabbed Yin Lan. “Come on! We’re going too!”

Shen Xuefeng hadn’t expected the spring weather to change so quickly. Fortunately, they had brought an umbrella. Once they entered the restaurant, he glanced at Ji Wu, who was putting the umbrella away nearby, then quietly lifted the hem of his outer robe. He pulled a heavy, deep blue embroidered pouch from his waistband and discreetly said to the innkeeper, “I want the best private room here—with the best view.”

This riverside restaurant is quite famous in the imperial capital. It is said that at night, they even invite the courtesans from the Drunken Melody Pavilion to sing. Their voices drift along the night breeze by the willow-lined riverbank, creating a special kind of charm.

Because Shen Xuefeng was generous with his spending, the innkeeper opened the best “Heaven” suite on the top floor. As soon as they pushed open the door, the fresh scent of earth mixed with the breeze and rain filled the room. The jagged gauze screens near the partitions fluttered gently.

Shen Xuefeng pulled Ji Wu to sit side by side. From here, they could overlook the misty river scenery, and looking far into the distance, the mountain range was partly veiled by storm clouds.

When the dishes arrived, Shen Xuefeng said, “My sister told me this restaurant’s specialty is the Drunken Crab with Huadiao wine from the Jiangnan region. Your Highness must try it.”

Ji Wu showed no interest in such culinary pleasures. Clearly, there was something here far more captivating to him than drunken crab.

Throughout the meal, he ate slowly and deliberately, then fixed his gaze on Shen Xuefeng as he ate. The latter, with a poor tolerance for alcohol, had only eaten a few crabs when a faint flush rose on his cheeks—making him look irresistibly pinchable.

Ji Wu lightly tapped his fingers on the table, as if waiting for the right moment, then spoke slowly, drawing Shen Xuefeng in: “Do you like watching fish swim in the river?”

“Huh?” Shen Xuefeng was a little slow to respond, then softly said, “No, I just find it interesting. I haven’t seen it much before.”

“Then why did you refuse to agree to go with the Crown Prince?”

Seeing the young man’s face redden with the onset of intoxication and his conflicted expression, Ji Wu leaned in close and whispered encouragingly into his ear, “Be good. Say whatever’s on your mind.”

“I… I…” Shen Xuefeng whispered, “I have no desire to get close to the Crown Prince. Why should I travel with him?”

“Is that the only reason?” Ji Wu’s sharp gaze seemed to see right through him.

He easily reached out and encircled Shen Xuefeng’s neck, slowly tightening his grip. His eyes took on the look of a beast stalking its prey, lazy in tone but fraught with danger: “Xuefeng, don’t you remember? You even refused to be his companion reader, and it happened several times right in front of me. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“Do you know if you ever had any dealings with my glorious and upright Crown Prince, hmm?”

Shen Xuefeng’s neck was fair and delicate, while Ji Wu’s palm, rough and calloused from years of sword handling, needed only a little force to make the boy’s life wither like a fallen leaf.

Even if his consciousness was not fully clear, Shen Xuefeng could feel the murderous intent in Ji Wu’s body. He raised his head, his moist red lips slightly parted. Though he did not feel that his breath was being strangled by Ji Wu’s hand, he still spoke fearfully: “Your Highness, since he bullies you so much, why should I have anything to do with him?”

Hearing this, Ji Wu suddenly froze.

He had only intended to bluff a little and had used almost no force. Yet already the boy’s beautiful eyes were shimmering with tears.

So timid.

Ji Wu loosened his grip, his gaze falling on the faint marks around Shen Xuefeng’s neck, his brows furrowing.

Such a delicate body, easily leaving marks with just a little pressure…

His burning gaze fixed on the red marks. He reached out, intending to do something, but Shen Xuefeng quickly placed both hands on the cushion behind him and hurriedly distanced himself.

“…” Ji Wu’s expression instantly turned cold.

Shen Xuefeng didn’t know why Ji Wu was angrier now. His mind raced and he decided to tell half the truth to soothe him.

“I clearly chose Your Highness over the Crown Prince. A fine bird chooses a fine tree to perch on. The Third Prince is like a pearl covered in dust in my eyes. So isn’t it natural that I refuse the Crown Prince?”

Ji Wu seemed to find something amusing: “A fine bird chooses a fine tree? A pearl covered in dust?”

“Yes,” Shen Xuefeng lifted his chin, raindrops blown in from outside still dotting his pale face. “No matter what, I’m Your Highness’s companion reader now. When school started, it was the Crown Prince who punished you—that I remember clearly. Even if Your Highness doesn’t hold grudges, I will.”

In the previous life, behavior like Ji Changran’s would have earned you a formal warning and a written self-criticism; if it got serious enough, you’d be expelled.

Shen Xuefeng hated that kind of behavior the most in his previous life—there was no way he could have any good feelings toward Ji Changran.

Ji Wu nodded seriously along with his words: “So, you refused him for my sake?”

That interpretation didn’t seem entirely wrong. Shen Xuefeng then blurted out nonsense: “Besides, I think the Crown Prince is too moody and unstable. Someone with such emotional swings isn’t fit to be king. But Your Highness is different—I believe you could do better than him.”

That was a ridiculous thing to say, but he was afraid Ji Wu wouldn’t believe him, so he added quickly, “Really.”

“If Your Highness truly doesn’t like me, then I—I’ll,” fueled by alcohol and a boldness born of it, Shen Xuefeng said fiercely, “I’ll go be the Crown Prince’s companion reader!”

Ji Wu narrowed his eyes: “You dare?”