Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"Auntie's composure is truly admirable... I admire it to the extreme."

These words, like thorny vines, tightly coiled around Li Yunrui's heart.

She could even feel that Li Chengze's long, strong fingers were not just playing with a strand of her hair; his fingertips were intentionally or unintentionally sliding down her hair and lightly brushing against her long, fair nape.

A chill ran up my spine.

Li Yunrui suppressed the urge to turn around and slap him hard, but forced a very dignified, even somewhat loving, smile onto her lips.

"You silly child, you just know how to make fun of your aunt."

Her soft, alluring voice echoed in the room, without the slightest flaw.

She even subtly adjusted her posture, using the act of combing Lin Wan'er's hair to lean forward imperceptibly, trying to create the dangerously suffocating distance between herself and Li Chengze.

However, Li Chengze was like a piece of chewing gum that he couldn't shake off, or rather, like a lone wolf that had its eyes on its prey.

Li Yunrui leaned forward, and he also bent down slightly.

He held Lin Wan'er's hand, his thumb gently brushing against the delicate back of her hand, causing the girl to tremble shyly again. Meanwhile, his other hand, hidden in Lin Wan'er's blind spot, went even further, sliding down Li Yunrui's nape and brazenly onto her shoulder, gently pinching it through her luxurious red palace dress.

"Well……"

Caught off guard, Li Yunrui let out a very faint groan.

The sound was extremely soft, as soft as a cat's murmur as it stretches, but it seemed particularly abrupt in such a quiet room.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Lin Wan'er keenly noticed the unusualness. She looked up in confusion, trying to find her mother's reflection in the Western-style mirror in front of her.

"Don't move!"

"Don't move."

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

One was Li Yunrui, whose voice was slightly hurried, with a hint of barely perceptible panic; the other was Li Chengze.

Lin Wan'er was startled by the unanimous rebuke and obediently stopped looking up, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

At this moment, the scene in the mirror was both eerie and harmonious.

Lin Wan'er sat gracefully in the center, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom, her eyes filled with the tender emotions of a young girl. Li Yunrui stood behind her, his crimson palace attire making him appear noble and unapproachable. However, an unnatural blush tinged her exquisite face, and a turbulent undercurrent surged within her eyes. Li Chengze, on the other hand, turned slightly to the side, with most of his body hidden in Li Yunrui's shadow. Only his face, with a lazy smile, was clearly reflected in the mirror.

His gaze wasn't on Lin Wan'er in the mirror, but rather passed over Lin Wan'er's head and stared straight at Li Yunrui in the mirror.

"Wan'er, don't move," Li Chengze gently soothed Lin Wan'er's hand with his fingers, his voice tender and gentle. "Auntie is combing your hair. If you move around and hurt your hair, I'll be heartbroken."

Hearing this, Lin Wan'er felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. She no longer cared about the strange groan she had just heard, assuming that her mother was just tired from standing for so long.

She lowered her eyes shyly and whispered, "Hmm, Wan'er won't move."

Li Yunrui looked at Li Chengze's face in the mirror, a face full of provocation and mockery, and her chest heaved violently.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the twisted feeling in her heart caused by the dangerous stimulation. She placed the ivory comb in her hand on the dressing table.

"Okay, your hair is combed."

Li Yunrui's voice regained its usual coolness and nobility. She turned around and took out the gold hairpin that the Empress Dowager had bestowed upon her from the brocade box on the dressing table.

The hair ornament is inlaid with a ruby ​​as red as pigeon's blood, which emits a charming halo under the refraction of light.

"Wan'er, come here, let Mother put it on for you."

Li Yunrui held the hair ornament, preparing to insert it into Lin Wan'er's hair bun in order to break the current passive situation where she was completely suppressed by Li Chengze.

However, just as her hand was about to touch Lin Wan'er's hair bun, a large, well-defined hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist with great precision.

Li Yunrui's wrists were slender, and her skin was as smooth as jade. When Li Chengze's warm and strong hand held her tightly, the intimate touch made her body stiffen uncontrollably once again.

"How can you trouble your aunt to do such rough work herself?"

Li Chengze looked at Li Yunrui with a smile, and slowly pried open her fingers to snatch the priceless gold hairpin from her hand.

During the process of seizing the hairpin, his fingertips deliberately brushed lightly across Li Yunrui's palm.

Li Yunrui's pupils contracted sharply, but she made no other move, letting Li Chengze take the hairpin away.

"Wan'er, shall I put it on for you, cousin?"

Holding the hairpin, Li Chengze walked past Li Yunrui to the other side of Lin Wan'er.

"Thank you for your trouble, Second Cousin." Lin Wan'er nodded shyly.

Li Chengze bent down slightly and gently inserted the gold hairpin into Lin Wan'er's dark hair. The red gemstone and her fair skin complemented each other, making Lin Wan'er even more radiant and beautiful.

"It's really beautiful." Li Chengze exclaimed sincerely. Then, he raised his head and looked past Lin Wan'er again at Li Yunrui, who was standing to the side with a face so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

"What does Auntie think?"

Li Chengze asked with a smile, his carefree demeanor making it seem as if the lecherous man who had been secretly flirting with him and pressing him relentlessly was not him at all.

Li Yunrui took a deep breath, and his flawless smile returned to his face.

"Chengze's taste is naturally excellent. Wan'er does look more dignified than usual when she wears this hair ornament."

As she spoke, she walked to the soft couch beside her, sat down, picked up a cup of hot tea from the tea table, and gently fiddled with the lid, trying to conceal the turmoil in her heart.

"You two shouldn't just stand there, come and sit down. Chengze rarely comes all this way, so try some of the pre-Qingming Longjing tea that your aunt just brought as tribute."

Li Chengze readily agreed, took Lin Wan'er's hand, and walked to the other side of the soft couch to sit down.

He was still barefoot, his clean white feet straddling the expensive Persian carpet, appearing extremely casual and unrestrained.

The maids filed in, serving fresh tea and exquisite pastries, then quietly withdrew, closing the door behind them.

Once again, only the three of them remained in the room.

The atmosphere seemed harmonious on the surface, but undercurrents were turbulent beneath.

Li Yunrui took a sip of tea, his gaze lingering for a moment on the clasped hands of Li Chengze and Lin Wan'er, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

Li Chengze's audacity and wickedness were beyond her imagination. She used to think that Li Chengze resembled Emperor Qing, but now she saw a resemblance to herself in him.

"Chengze," Li Yunrui put down his teacup, his tone seemingly casual but every word brimming with wisdom, "I heard that you were confined to your residence by your father a few days ago, and were only released today. Were you bored to death in the manor these past few days?"

Li Chengze leaned lazily against the cushions, idly playing with a strand of Lin Wan'er's hair, and replied casually, "Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I'm enjoying my leisure time tending to flowers and raising fish at home. It's just that the weather in Kyoto seems rather unpleasant, always gloomy and dreary, which is quite unsettling."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Li Yunrui's eyes.

"Yes, the weather in Kyoto is indeed unpredictable. Just a few days ago it was sunny and bright, but now a sudden gust of wind has swept through."

Although Lin Wan'er was naive, she understood the underlying meaning in her mother's words. She looked at Li Chengze with some worry: "Second cousin, I heard that things have been quite turbulent outside lately. Now that you're out of confinement, you must take more guards with you when you go out, and please be careful."

He took Lin Wan'er's hand in his own, squeezed it gently, and comforted her softly, "Wan'er, don't worry, your cousin is very tough. Those demons and monsters can't hurt me in the slightest."

"Auntie, you'd better be careful lately, lest someone catch you doing something wrong."

Li Yunrui's eyes flickered when she heard this. She didn't know what Li Chengze and Chen Pingping had talked about, or if it was about her. However, Li Chengze's words made her secretly alarmed.

Just as Li Yunrui was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Lin Wan'er suddenly let out a soft cough.

"Cough cough... cough cough..."

Lin Wan'er clutched her chest, her face turning pale.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengze's expression immediately changed. He quickly put down his teacup, gently patted Lin Wan'er's back, and frowned, "Wan'er, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Li Yunrui immediately stood up, walked to Lin Wan'er's side, and said with concern, "Wan'er, did you catch a chill from the wind?"

Lin Wan'er shook her head and said weakly, "No...it's nothing, I just suddenly felt a tightness in my chest."

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Li Yunrui's eyes.

This is a golden opportunity!

An opportunity to send Lin Wan'er away so that she and Li Chengze can confront each other alone!

She needs to get to the bottom of things.

"How can this be? Your health is precious; we mustn't be careless." Li Yunrui turned to look at the door and called out, "Someone come here!"

Two maids immediately pushed open the door and came in.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Go and prepare medicine for His Highness, and help him to the side hall to rest?" Li Yunrui asked coldly.

"It is Your Highness."

After giving his instructions, Li Yunrui turned to Lin Wan'er, his tone becoming incredibly gentle, "Wan'er, rest for a while on that small couch over there. Your mother and your second cousin still have some things to discuss."

Lin Wan'er glanced at Li Chengze with some reluctance, but her physical discomfort prevented her from refusing her mother's arrangement. She could only obediently nod, "Yes, Mother."

Li Chengze did not stop it.

He knew what Li Yunrui wanted to do.

He gently squeezed Lin Wan'er's hand and gave her a reassuring look: "Go on, get some rest. Your cousin will come to see you in a little while."

With the help of her maid, Lin Wan'er slowly walked out of the room.

As the door creaked shut, completely shutting out the outside noise, the warm and loving facade of the room was instantly shattered.

The composure and gentleness on Li Yunrui's face melted away like snow falling from the receding tide, her beautiful face contorted slightly with extreme anger and hidden fear.

She whirled around, staring intently at Li Chengze, who was slumped unceremoniously on the soft couch, her low voice laced with a chilling, clenched-teeth malice:

"Li Chengze, are you out of your mind?! Do you even know what you were doing? If Wan'er finds out even the slightest thing, you and I..."

"What did you find?" Li Chengze ignored her anger. He picked up the freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and slowly took a sip. Then, he raised his eyelids, looking at Li Yunrui, who was on the verge of exploding, with a half-smile. "Wan'er is so naive. Her heart and eyes are only for me, her good cousin. How could she possibly imagine that her noble and unapproachable mother is like this behind the scenes?"

"Shut up!" Li Yunrui's chest heaved violently. She forced herself to take a deep breath, walked up to Li Chengze, and stared down at him with sharp, piercing eyes. "Don't try to fool me with this nonsense! What exactly did you mean by what you just said? What did you say to that old cripple Chen Pingping?!"

Faced with Li Yunrui's aggressive questioning, Li Chengze gently put down his teacup, the porcelain clinking against the mahogany table with a crisp sound.

The smile on his lips gradually faded, and his eyes became deep and cold. He casually straightened his wide sleeves, his tone indifferent:

"It's nothing. I just accidentally mentioned it. The one million taels of silver shortfall in the Imperial Treasury."

boom!

These words struck Li Yunrui like a bolt from the blue. Her face, which had been flushed with anger, instantly lost all color, turning as pale as paper.

She stared at Li Chengze in disbelief, her long nails digging deep into her palms, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "You...you actually told the Forensic Institute about this?! Li Chengze, do you want to ruin me?! Don't forget, we're in the same boat!"

But remembering how Li Chengze had forced her to falsify accounts a few days ago, she gradually calmed down.

"What are you trying to do by telling Chen Pingping about this?"

Li Chengze did not answer. He stood up, his bare feet stepping on the soft Persian carpet, and approached Li Yunrui step by step.

Looking at Li Yunrui's delicate face, which was pale with panic, a glint flashed in his eyes.

He ignored Li Yunrui's attempt to back away, reached out and grabbed her slender waist, pulling her sharply towards him.

"You're being insolent..." Li Yunrui was about to struggle, but Li Chengze held her tightly.

Li Chengze leaned slightly closer to Li Yunrui's ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive neck, and whispered:

"As for what just happened..."

He paused, a lingering smile playing on his lips, his voice low and seductive: "Just now...didn't Auntie enjoy it quite a bit too?"

Enjoy reading "Joy of Life: I, the Second Prince? Summoning Yuan Tiangang!"