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

"Heh." Jun Lanjin chuckled and pulled the person aside.

He slowly sat up, reaching out to straighten his somewhat disheveled clothes. Blood stained his lips, making them appear even more beautiful and alluring.

Xie Xing glanced at it, her little face flushed, and she didn't dare to look again.

She lowered her head, pressing her hand against the wound on her lip, a pang of regret in her heart: "Those lips looked so kissable, it's a shame I didn't react in time."

"...So you really are just after the villain's good looks." The system was speechless.

Xie Xing chuckled to himself.

Jun Lanjin: "..."

His lips twitched slightly.

Soon, they arrived at the General's Mansion.

Xie Xing was about to get off the carriage. She walked to the curtain and hesitated before glancing at Jun Lanjin: "Um... Your Highness, is your mouth alright?"

There was a small, noticeably red and swollen patch on her lips.

Jun Lanjin pressed his lips together and glanced at her sideways: "If Fifth Miss has the mind to worry about me, she should think about how to explain things to the people in the General's Mansion when she gets back."

Xie Xing stared at him for a while, then lowered his head and rummaged in his sleeve. After a while, he found a small, woven bouquet.

She handed over the small bouquet, saying in a cheerful tone, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

"I hope Your Highness will be happy in the future."

Jun Lanjin paused, then lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the woven bouquet in Xie Xing's hand. He didn't immediately take it, but instead smiled and said:

"Thank you for going to so much trouble, Miss Xie. It makes me wonder if you've fallen for me?"

Xie Xing blinked and said, "Isn't it perfectly normal to like the prince?"

"How many women in the capital are in love with the prince?"

This straightforward statement made Jun Lanjin fall silent for a moment.

Seeing his silence, Xie Xing moved closer with the bouquet, squatted down in front of Jun Lanjin, and looked up at him:

"It's just a little trinket that can please Your Highness. Would Your Highness accept it?"

Jun Lanjin pursed his lips, his gaze falling on the flower woven with floral rope in Xie Xing's hand, just like the bouquet Xie Xing had woven in the wild last time.

The clusters of flowers were indeed vibrant and beautiful, but unfortunately, they were all show and no substance, which was not what Junlan Jin wanted.

Jun Lanjin raised her hand, took the flower rope from Xie Xing's hand, and chuckled, "Thank you for your trouble, Fifth Miss."

"However, I do not like things that young women like."

Xie Xing's eyes curved into a smile: "It's alright, Your Highness. If Your Highness doesn't like it, you can throw it away. Xie Xing just wanted to please Your Highness."

Jun Lanjin paused for a moment, his long eyelashes trembled slightly, and then he smiled and said, "Instead of sending these things to please me, Fifth Miss, you should do something more practical."

He leaned lazily against the soft couch, his slender fingertips touching the bouquet Xie Xing had given him, his voice nonchalant, his dark eyes unfathomable.

Xie Xing exclaimed, but did not answer Jun Lanjin. She lifted the carriage curtain and said hurriedly, "Your Highness, I should go back to the manor. My grandmother is still waiting for me there."

After saying that, she jumped off the carriage and hurriedly ran inside.

Jun Lanjin: "..."

He laughed angrily.

He glanced at the bouquet he had woven in his hand, then tossed it casually into the carriage without much interest: "To the palace."

The carriage headed straight for the palace.

On the way to the palace, Jun Lanjin stared at the small bouquet of flowers on the ground for a while, then silently picked it up.

……

[Ding! The villain's favorability has increased by 5%, currently at 15%.]

Upon returning home, the system's voice rang out.

Hearing the system announcement, Xie Xing's smile grew even brighter.

[Host, keep up the good work!] The system's encouraging voice rang in its ears. It cried, biting its handkerchief, "Host, you've grown up. You can do missions on your own now."

Xie Xing smugly hummed, "If I don't grow up soon, I'll die!"

She was also poisoned by two different kinds of poison.

Xie Xing felt a little melancholy. How could she get into the Divine Doctor Valley through Jun Lanjin's connections?

We need to at least increase Jun Lanjin's favorability towards us.

The system suggested: "Why don't you help him with something practical, host?"

Xie Xing shook his head: "We can't do that."

Her face was serious: "Human greed is limitless. At first, I might be able to help him within my capabilities, but later his demands will become increasingly larger."

"Our relationship is one of exploitation."

Such relationships are the least lasting.

Xie Xing would never compromise himself for the sake of others.

You can increase your favorability rating through other means; just wait for the right opportunity.

"Who taught you this?" the system asked curiously.

Xie Xing's smile faded slightly, and she lowered her eyes, her voice revealing little emotion: "It was my dad who said it."

She really wanted to go home.

The system paused for a moment, then said: [Host, you will definitely be able to go back.]

"Xing'er?"

When Xie Xing was about to go to the old lady's courtyard, he encountered Xie Yuhe, Xie Mingzhu, and Yao Qiongwan in the garden.

Xie Xing glanced at Yao Qiongwan curiously.

Having only caught a fleeting glimpse of the person outside Yunyan Pavilion without getting a good look, Xie Xing blinked and asked, "And who is this?"

Xie Yuhe smiled and said, "Xing'er, this is Qiong Wan, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family."

Xie Xing then obediently greeted Yao Qiongwan, "Hello, Miss Yao."

Yao Qiongwan glanced at Xie Xing curiously.

She had known Xie Yuhe since childhood. Although she had recently learned of Xie Xing's name and had seen him from afar, she had never spoken to him in person.

Now that you look at her, you can see that the girl is beautiful and has a pair of clear, bright eyes that make you feel good just by looking at her.

“I’m two years older than my sister. If you don’t mind, you can call me Sister Yao, just like Mingzhu does.”

"Sister Yao," Xie Xing said, changing his address accordingly.

Yao Qiongwan's eyes curved into a smile.

Xie Xing glanced at Yao Qiongwan, then turned to Xie Yuhe and asked, "I heard from Third Brother that Eldest Brother went to present the betrothal gifts this morning. What about you and Sister Yao?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yuhe's smile faded.

His betrothal gifts failed to materialize, and Qiongwan was only able to come to the Xie residence with him thanks to Mingzhu's influence.

Xie Mingzhu and Yao Qiongwan had a so-so relationship. When they were young, Xie Mingzhu hated Yao Qiongwan because she always tried to steal her brother's affection. The two had a lot of conflicts.

Most of the time, Yao Qiongwan didn't hold a grudge against Xie Mingzhu and treated her like a younger sister.

One question successfully stumped the two of them.

A gentle smile appeared in Yao Qiongwan's beautiful eyes as she turned her head to wipe her eyes. She smiled and said softly, "Mingzhu and I haven't seen each other for a long time, so I've come to visit her."

"Why don't you come with the two of us, Fifth Miss?"

Xie Mingzhu didn't speak. She looked at Xie Xing, her gaze lingering on Xie Xing's lips.

Xie Xing shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Sister Yao. I'm going to my grandmother's place later."

Yao Qiongwan was somewhat disappointed.

"Little sister, what happened to your mouth? Is it injured?" Xie Mingzhu suddenly asked.

As soon as she spoke, the other two people's eyes also fell on Xie Xing's lips.

Her soft, pink lips were slightly swollen, looking as if they had been bitten.