After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

Xie Xing: "..."

She sighed helplessly, turned to look at Luo Hanfeng, cupped his face in her hands, and asked, "Why did you do this?"

Luo Hanfeng raised his eyes, his misty eyes looking at Xie Xing.

In her line of sight, the girl's eyes were clear as she quietly looked at Luo Hanfeng. Her gaze was so tolerant, showing neither anger at what happened last night nor resentment or annoyance at his actions.

She just stared intently at him like that.

Luo Hanfeng couldn't even stay under such a gaze for three seconds.

He bit his lip and finally spoke, "We've depended on each other for life until now, I can't imagine you leaving me, Xie Xing."

“I know, I’ve always known, that you can live a better life without me. I’m the one who’s holding you back.”

"I don't want to let go; I cherish the happiness of being with you."

Xie Xing didn't understand.

She tilted her head and asked in confusion, "But I've never shown any intention of leaving you, so why do you assume I'm going to leave you?"

"Why use such an extreme method to keep me here?"

As Xie Xing spoke, he shook his hand and looked at Luo Hanfeng.

Luo Hanfeng's gaze fell on the bruises on Xie Xing's wrist, and a hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes.

He turned his head away, his gaze as if burned, and his voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "I'm uneasy."

"I don't have the ability to keep you here."

"Yesterday you said you liked Jun Lanjin. I know him. He's a prominent figure in the entire capital. He's of noble birth and has a beautiful appearance. He's the dream lover of every woman in the capital."

"And I am just an unfavored prince in the palace."

"I have nothing, except you."

"You are a treasure, a treasure that only I can discover. I'm so afraid, so afraid that someone else will find you. I don't have the ability to protect you, I don't have the ability to keep you."

"So..." Luo Hanfeng said, his lips almost bleeding from biting them, "So I can only despicably use this method to keep you here."

His eyes were red at the corners, and he looked up at Xie Xing pleadingly: "Don't leave me, okay? Sister."

"You're all I have."

Only Luo Hanfeng knew that a woman like Xie Xing, even if she was just a palace maid, would quickly attract attention if she were exposed to others.

She is so good.

She was unlike any other woman, whether in the palace or outside.

She is one of a kind.

She came for him, so she could only see him; he wouldn't allow her to see anyone else.

Children who do not receive love live in fear and insecurity from a young age.

Therefore, no matter what Xie Xing does, no matter how well Xie Xing does it, he is still terrified.

Having nothing made him feel insecure.

That led him to do something so extreme.

Xie Xing looked into Luo Hanfeng's eyes, and through those light brown eyes, he could almost see the deep unease and fear in his heart.

She got it.

All his unease stemmed from his own inherent nature.

Lacking a solid foundation and core essence, it seems that only by holding her tightly in one's hands and not giving her any chance to escape can she be prevented from leaving.

But that's wrong.

Xie Xing looked at Luo Hanfeng and asked softly, "Is this the state you hoped for, Luo Hanfeng?"

Luo Hanfeng was taken aback.

This was the first time Xie Xing had called him by his name.

"Do you want to live in constant anxiety your whole life? Even if you only confine me to this small space, even if I tell you I will not leave you."

Even if you can never eat my desserts again, never laugh and joke with me as before, and all you get is a soulless shell, are you still determined to accept it?

"No." Luo Hanfeng panicked, his eyes filled with terror as he grabbed Xie Xing's hand and said, "I don't want this."

Xie Xing smiled.

She leaned forward and gently kissed Luo Hanfeng's cheek, whispering, "So, go and fight for what you want."

So what if there's nothing at all?

"If you can win it, all of this will be yours, and no one will dare to insult or bully you or me."

"Since you're worried that I'll leave you when you have nothing, why don't you fight for everything for yourself? When you have the courage and the confidence to realize that I can no longer live without you, will you still be afraid?"

Soft lips gently pressed against Luo Hanfeng's cheek.

Unlike last night, it seemed as if her gentleness infused him with all his strength.

He turned his head and looked at Xie Xing.

Xie Xing winked at him playfully, then said, "Go ahead."

"You went crazy yesterday, so you can't slack off today. You haven't finished your homework yet."

Luo Hanfeng nodded subconsciously.

He got up in a daze, dressed, and was about to leave when Xie Xing spoke again, saying, "Where's the key? Open it for me."

Luo Hanfeng obediently unlocked Xie Xing's shackles.

It wasn't until everyone had gone outside that Luo Hanfeng realized something was wrong.

like--

What's wrong?

After this incident, Luo Hanfeng seemed to have unlocked his full potential.

He stopped emphasizing that he was penniless and useless, and instead began to put on a show in front of the Chu Emperor.

Children from poor families mature early, and children without anyone to look after them put in extra effort when it comes to their studies.

This resulted in Luo Hanfeng performing exceptionally well in front of all the princes.

However, he had no powerful backing, so in order to seek protection, Luo Hanfeng initially pledged allegiance to Consort Lin.

He followed the Sixth Prince to the frontier to suppress the rebellion.

When Luo Hanfeng returned a few years later, he had already undergone a complete transformation.

At that moment, the story began.

With the plot no longer unfolding as it was, Luo Hanfeng no longer coveted the throne.

When the Southern Kingdom invaded, the Xie family's darling was not only a fake heiress, but also a princess from the previous dynasty.

After being exposed, he attempted to rebel, but was personally suppressed by Luo Hanfeng.

On that day, when Xie Mingzhu was captured by the guards in a disheveled state, Luo Hanfeng sat atop his horse, looking down at Xie Mingzhu with a cold gaze.

Seeing Luo Hanfeng like this, Xie Mingzhu suddenly went mad.

She struggled and cried out, "No, this shouldn't be happening."

"Shouldn't you have helped me become empress?"

"Of all the waters in the world, you would only take a sip from my cup; would you even be willing to give up your kingdom for me?"

"It shouldn't be like this!"

Luo Hanfeng frowned, looking at Xie Mingzhu with disgust.

He could not forget Xie Mingzhu's condescending gaze at that time, and how her seemingly innocent words were full of malice.

“He’s insane,” he said coldly.

After the rebellion was quelled, the Chu emperor died, and the sixth prince succeeded him.

Luo Hanfeng obtained the title of prince and took Xie Xing to his fiefdom.

On the carriage—

Xie Xing asked, "I heard that Prince Jin was poisoned by his mother and has now died from the poison?"

She sighed a little.

What a pity, she only saw such a beautiful face once.

Upon hearing this, Luo Hanfeng's face darkened. He reached out and grabbed Xie Xing's waist, saying, "Are you still thinking about that prince?!"

"What kind of good person could he be?!"