Chapter 58: Argued?

Ji Xueli’s heart raced, the person in front of her was no longer the lightly aloof high-and-mighty figure from earlier. Now, he carried a hint of indulgence and coldness, and every place he touched seemed to burn faintly…

“Your lipstick smudged.” Duan Qingyu wiped her lips, almost as if he was cleaning them for her.

“Ah, you should’ve said so earlier.” Ji Xueli instinctively took a step back, not noticing the look in his eyes that seemed to want to devour her.

“Hey, Qingyu, come over here. Don’t delay Lili from changing.” Chengdu had gotten into a lively conversation with a female actress, only realizing a while later that Duan Qingyu hadn’t followed.

He quickly turned and shouted toward the people still with Ji Xueli.

“It’s fine. Duan Qingyu is waiting for me. You go ahead, we’ll catch up later,” Ji Xueli said. She wasn’t about to miss the chance to be alone with him.

“Okay.”

“You wait for me, I’ll change my clothes and we’ll go eat. Don’t run off.” Ji Xueli reminded Duan Qingyu.

“Mm.”

Ji Xueli quickly turned toward the dressing room. She had a feeling that Duan Qingyu was acting a little strange today. His thoughts were so hard to guess. If it weren’t for the fact that he was the target of her plan, she would’ve given up and run away already.

But forget it, no need to overthink. Things were going pretty well so far, and she had no reason to back out now. What if Duan Qingyu was slowly starting to like her?

She asked them to hurry with removing her hairpin. She couldn’t keep the Crown Prince waiting too long—his moods were unpredictable, and if he got upset, it would be troublesome.

Since it was a period costume, it took her almost half an hour to get ready.

She rushed to find Duan Qingyu, but when she arrived, she saw him talking with a woman.

Ji Xueli frowned and got closer, finally recognizing the woman’s face—it was Guan Ru, and she was laughing flirtatiously.

Duan Qingyu had his back to Ji Xueli, so she couldn’t see his expression.

Oh, so she was stealing her man while she wasn’t around, huh? Ji Xueli crossed her arms and walked over. “Duan Qingyu, I’m ready.”

Duan Qingyu heard her voice, reining in the impatience on his face, and turned around. “Let’s go.”

Ji Xueli nodded, then looked at Guan Ru as if just noticing her. “Oh, isn’t this Guan Ru? Aren’t you going to the dinner?”

Guan Ru’s smile froze. She hadn’t expected Duan Qingyu to be here waiting for Ji Xueli…

“I was just about to go, but when I saw His Highness, I came over to greet him.” Guan Ru smiled sweetly.

Ji Xueli deliberately hooked her arm around Duan Qingyu’s and smiled, “Well, the greeting’s done, so we’ll be off now.”

Duan Qingyu didn’t resist her gesture, having listened to this woman chatter on and on just now. He was getting a headache from it.

“You guys are going? Why don’t we go together?” Guan Ru noticed Ji Xueli’s actions and saw that Duan Qingyu didn’t pull away, so she gritted her teeth but didn’t give up.

“No need. We prefer some peace and quiet.” Ji Xueli smiled.

She was implying that Guan Ru was being noisy. Guan Ru’s eyes widened, her chest rising and falling with anger.

“His Highness certainly has endless admirers. I only changed clothes for a bit, and someone’s already here,” Ji Xueli huffed.

Duan Qingyu didn’t care. “Is that really what this is? She just came to ask for directions.”

“Would someone ask for directions with such a happy smile?” Ji Xueli shot back. As if he’s a stranger here, what does he know about directions?

“Anyway, this person has an issue with me. Stay away from her. No, don’t even interact with her,” Ji Xueli advised.

Earlier, Chengdu had even offered to help her deal with her, but he’d been so busy lately, she wasn’t sure where he had gone off to.

“Is she an artist under Ji Yanzhou?” Duan Qingyu asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

“Mm, you mentioned her before. She’s as annoying as her boss.” Ji Xueli’s eyes turned cold at the mention of Ji Yanzhou’s name.

Duan Qingyu, hearing the tone of her voice, glanced at her with interest. “What’s the deal? Did you two have a fight?”

“I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore,” Ji Xueli replied, leaving out the fact that it was because of him that the fight had happened.

Duan Qingyu lowered his gaze. Beneath his long lashes, his black eyes shimmered with a hidden excitement no one noticed.