Chapter 15: A Slap and a Date

The man frowned slightly, his tall and upright figure radiating an air of proud arrogance.

Shu Ruohua completely ignored his expression and ran over excitedly. “It really is you!”

She rushed straight toward him.

The man was completely caught off guard by her enthusiasm. He instinctively stepped aside, successfully dodging Shu Ruohua’s plump body.

Shu Ruohua missed and stumbled, her expression sinking immediately.

The man said coldly, “If you wish to pay your respects, you may kneel directly. There’s no need to run over in person.”

“…”

Shu Ruohua wasn’t trying to pay respects—she had simply seen a familiar face and wanted to warmly greet him.

Forcing a smile onto her face, she gave a dry laugh. “Heh, you saw right through me!”

With that, she rolled her eyes and walked back to the round table as if she had forgotten the man’s existence entirely, and resumed eating her fries.

Qian Ning stood beside her, furiously signaling to Shu Ruohua with her eyes.

But making faces didn’t seem to work, so she began whispering softly, “Miss, Miss!”

She was trying to hint that Shu Ruohua should stop eating and focus on winning favor with the man in front of her.

That man was none other than Xiao Che.

When Shu Ruohua ran toward him just now, Qian Ning had actually felt pleased—her lady finally knew how to compete for affection.

However, although the Crown Prince’s earlier words had poured cold water on her enthusiasm, Shu Ruohua was still his concubine. Rising in favor depended on him, and ignoring him outright was not a wise move.

But no matter what Qian Ning did, Shu Ruohua completely tuned her out.

In the end, even Xiao Che couldn’t take it anymore. His cold eyes glanced at Qian Ning.

She immediately understood.

She quickly bowed to Xiao Che, then gave Shu Ruohua a glance full of disappointment before leaving the room.

…

Xiao Che stood with his hands behind his back for a long while, yet Shu Ruohua showed no intention of acknowledging him.

He was practically fuming. “You!!”

He was the Crown Prince of the Tianqi Kingdom. While he didn’t have three thousand concubines in the harem, he had at least thirty…

And yet—among all the women in the palace, who dared treat him like this? Who didn’t throw themselves at him the moment they saw him?

Even his very presence now radiated an angry chill.

He had only come to check on Shu Ruohua’s injuries, but clearly, that wasn’t necessary anymore. She looked more lively than he did!

Finally, with one last glare, he turned on his heel and left in anger.

…

“Hey, where are you going?” Shu Ruohua suddenly ran after him.

She complained inwardly: This guy’s mindset is too fragile. Just now he threw cold water on me, and now just because I ignored him for a while, he can’t take it?

Xiao Che was speechless.

He glanced at her in disdain and stepped around her, continuing on his way out.

Seeing the situation worsening, Shu Ruohua immediately softened her voice and, like a spoiled kitten, tugged at his sleeve and whined:
“Aw, come on, I was just teasing you earlier. Why are you really getting upset?”

She blinked her prettiest almond-shaped eyes and pulled Xiao Che back toward the house.

Xiao Che’s expression remained cold.

He had come with good intentions to visit her, only to be treated so coldly. He truly was angry.

But Shu Ruohua, despite being chubby, was incredibly talkative.

She chattered away, trying to cheer him up with jokes and funny stories.

Though Xiao Che kept a cold face the entire time, his anger had mostly subsided.

Shu Ruohua, being keenly perceptive, knew when to stop. In her mind, she was already plotting.

She picked up a fry and held it to Xiao Che’s mouth. “Try it—this one’s handmade by me, super delicious!”

Her face beamed with a smile, as if she weren’t lying at all—even though the fries were obviously made by Qian Ning.

Xiao Che looked slightly disgusted but also uncharacteristically nervous.

The disgust was real—he disliked strange foods, and he had never eaten fries before. They didn’t even look good.

But the nervousness…

Although he had many consorts, none had ever gotten so close to him—let alone fed him something by hand.

He stiffened his expression and looked at Shu Ruohua.

Somehow, his feelings toward her seemed to have shifted, just a little.

Still, rejection was inevitable. “I’m not eating that.”

Shu Ruohua refused to give up. “Aw, just try one! I made it myself. Give me some face, will you?”

Before he could protest again, she had already shoved the fry into his mouth.

Xiao Che held back a sigh and swallowed it solely because she had asked for face.

But honestly, he didn’t like the taste at all.

Shu Ruohua asked eagerly, “How is it? Isn’t it good?”

Xiao Che suppressed his urge to gag. “It’s… alright.”

Shu Ruohua immediately praised herself, “Of course! I made it, after all.”

“But if you dip it in ketchup, it’s even better!”

Xiao Che was speechless. He had a strong feeling that eating this one fry today might cost him dearly…

…

(End of Chapter)