“What the—why is it Regent Prince Li Xiaocheng?? Am I going to get silenced?! And why isn’t he wearing any clothes? He’s totally leading people into crime here!!!”

Lin Yuxin’s courage fled the moment she recognized Li Xiaocheng.

After regaining her senses, she realized that he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

She immediately covered her eyes and exclaimed,

“Ah! Your Highness, why aren’t you wearing anything?”

“This prince should be the one asking you that. Why are you in my residence, following me all the way here to secretly watch me bathe?”

Li Xiaocheng sneered as he looked at the girl pretending to be innocent.

He knew she had guts—so now she was acting shy?

“Secretly watch? I was looking openly, okay? What a waste it would be not to admire such a great physique! With a body like that, even in the modern world, he’d be at a male model level! Those pecs, those abs… ugh, I’m drooling.”

Lin Yuxin quickly composed herself and forced a laugh.

“Your Highness, I… I came looking for you for a matter of importance. The servants said you were here, so I followed. But I didn’t see you and was just about to leave! Please don’t misunderstand, haha…”

Feigning innocence, she covered her eyes again and smacked her lips awkwardly.

[Ugh! What a waste! If someone this good-looking were to die, what a pity it would be!]

Li Xiaocheng took a few steps back, slowly stepping out of the hot spring.

He grabbed a robe, put it on, and looked down at Lin Yuxin coldly.

“What do you want?”

[Wait, isn’t the Regent Prince supposed to be cold and ruthless, with a bad temper and no mercy? He’s letting me go just like that? Could this be a trap?]

Lin Yuxin hesitated before finally lowering her hands.

She saw Li Xiaocheng standing by the pool, staring at her.

[But if I just bluntly tell him that he’ll get injured and poisoned while saving the emperor at the upcoming banquet, won’t he think I’m crazy and fearmongering? I need to come up with a subtle way to tell him!]

After much thought, she lifted her head and said,

“Your Highness, I came today to propose a deal.”

“You think you’re qualified to negotiate with me?” Li Xiaocheng asked dismissively.

“Your Highness, that depends on whether the information I have is valuable enough for you to negotiate with me.”

Lin Yuxin leaned against the pool wall, meeting his gaze with confidence.

“Fine. I’ll give you a chance. Speak.”

Li Xiaocheng wasn’t interested in wasting time.

Lin Yuxin suddenly felt the hot spring was too warm. And discussing serious matters while submerged in a pool, looking up at him like this, didn’t seem appropriate.

So she stepped out of the water and walked toward Li Xiaocheng. Stopping in front of him, she looked up and said,

“Your Highness, I have information that could save your life. In return, I hope that if my Lin family ever faces trouble, you’ll lend us a hand.”

[Why didn’t I notice before how tall he is? My neck is going to snap from looking up so much!]

“What information?”

A flicker of amusement flashed through Li Xiaocheng’s eyes, though his face remained expressionless.

“Your Highness, at the upcoming banquet, be cautious of people from Qi State—especially the women. As the saying goes, the more beautiful the woman, the deadlier the poison. If you’re not careful, you might end up losing half your life.”

Lin Yuxin gave him a once-over, speaking seriously, even with a hint of regret in her tone.

“You actually make a fair point.”

Li Xiaocheng’s gaze swept over her, his eyes darkening slightly.

Lin Yuxin followed his gaze downward and immediately realized—her soaked clothes were completely clinging to her body, revealing every curve!

Her face turned red.

She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and yelled,

“You pervert! Where are you looking?!”

[Damn! I forgot my clothes are wet! Did he just get an eyeful? But if I don’t feel embarrassed, then he’s the one who should be embarrassed. I can endure this.]

Lin Yuxin gritted her teeth.

This trip was a huge loss!

“Hah! You think this prince would be interested in a scrawny bean sprout like you?”

Li Xiaocheng smirked at her flustered reaction, finding it amusing.

“You…! Fine! I hope Your Highness finds a woman to your liking at the banquet! Farewell!”

Fuming, Lin Yuxin glared at him, threw down her parting words, and turned to leave.

[Li Xiaocheng, you bastard! You think I’m not good enough? Well, guess what? I don’t care about you either! I should’ve just let you die at the banquet! I’ll figure out another way to save my grandfather. If I ever save you, I’ll write my name backward!]

After cursing him out in her mind, she felt a little better.

But just as she was about to step out of the hot spring area, she felt a sudden force pull her back.

She stumbled backward into a warm embrace. Before she could react, something heavy draped over her shoulders.

Looking down, she saw that it was a cloak.

Confused, she looked up at Li Xiaocheng, who had already stepped back a couple of paces.

“What’s this about?”

“You can’t just walk out like that. Do you care about your reputation at all? Keep the cloak on. I’ll have Wang Yu escort you back.”

Li Xiaocheng spoke coldly, masking his own discomfort.

He was just thinking it wouldn’t be appropriate for a young lady to walk around drenched. That was all.

[What’s wrong with him? He was just insulting me a second ago, and now he’s lending me his cloak? Wasn’t he supposed to be ruthless and indifferent to women? Wait—did he just hold me just now?? He did, right???]

“Oh. Well, thanks, Your Highness. But my people are waiting outside the residence, so I’ll head back on my own.”

Lin Yuxin was baffled by Li Xiaocheng’s strange behavior, but regardless of his reasons, he had helped her. So, she thanked him properly.

Without looking back, she walked away.

After a few steps, she paused and, in a serious tone, said,

“Your Highness, what I told you tonight may have no proof, but I still hope you’ll keep it in mind. Be wary of Qi State’s women. If you don’t believe me, investigate in advance.”

With that, she disappeared into the night.

By now, the sky was completely dark.

Lin Yuxin glanced up, feeling guilty.

She had been at the Prince’s residence for almost two hours.

Would Xueying be worried and tell her mother?

Thinking of this, she quickened her pace. Soon, she reached the estate walls and, without hesitation, leaped over them.

Li Xiaocheng had followed her in the shadows the entire way. Watching her climb the wall, he chuckled softly. She really didn’t act like a noble lady at all.

“Your Highness,” Wang Yu suddenly appeared beside him.

“Check the list of Qi State envoys attending the banquet,” Li Xiaocheng ordered coldly.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Wang Yu left, Li Xiaocheng stood still, deep in thought, his eyes lingering on the wall Lin Yuxin had just climbed over.