A short night is hard to please! A stunningly handsome prince dotes on her exclusively.

Xin Moyan stared at the knife for a long time without saying a word, then snatched it away, angrily threw it on the ground, and looked up at the man in front of her. The more she looked at the silver mask, the more annoyed she became.

"Why did you lie to me?"

When have I ever lied to you?

She pointed at the mask on his face and said angrily, "You told me your surname is Xuanyuan, but you don't even dare to show your true face. So... all this time, the person I've seen has been the same person. You've been lying to me, haven't you?"

"Yan'er!"

Seeing that she was really angry, he reached out and took off the phoenix mask from his face. His eyebrows and eyes were clear and his profile was perfect. He was still as beautiful and handsome as ever. His expression was different from his usual cold and aloofness. Instead, his eyes were full of tenderness. He didn't know when or where, but his eyes were only on the charming, playful and cute Xin Moyan.

The moment he took off his mask, two figures overlapped in his mind at the same time. He unconsciously recalled all his previous interactions with these two people, and Xin Moyan felt like he had been completely fooled.

"Yuan Huaixuan, is it fun to play games with me like this?"

She was so angry that she threw off the covers and got out of bed, but the effects of the alcohol hadn't completely worn off, and she sat back down in a daze.

"Yan'er, be careful!" Yuan Huaixuan quickly grabbed her arm, but she forcefully shook him off.

"Don't touch me, you liar," Xin Moyan still didn't give him a kind look. "One minute you're Prince Xuan, the next you're Young Master Xuanyuan, don't you get tired of switching roles like that?"

After she calmed down a bit, he gently explained, "Yan'er, I am indeed not called Xuanyuan. I lied to you about that. But I have never referred to myself as Yuan Huaixuan or Yuan Qixuan Wang during my many years away from home."

"Stop! I don't care what you call yourself, but you've been putting on an act for me all this time. I even thought Young Master Xuanyuan was cold-hearted, but I never expected you to have planned this all along."

"Yan'er, I..."

Xin Moyan felt increasingly uneasy and interrupted his explanation. She frowned and carefully recalled the events: the first time she saw him was in the palace, on the day the engagement was called off; the second time was that night when they were strolling among the lanterns, and he, dressed in black, saved her; and then…

"Yuan Huaixuan, what exactly is your purpose?"

He knelt down in front of Xin Moyan, keeping his body at the same level as hers, and stared intently into her eyes, his gaze filled with tender affection.

"Yan'er, please let me explain..."

He struggled to find the words, but didn't know where to begin. Should he say that he fell in love at first sight on the day Yan'er entered the palace to annul her engagement? Or was it because he didn't want Yan'er to be seduced by that scoundrel after Hua Buyu became attached to Yan'er, and thus gradually fell for her? Or perhaps it was because he was attracted to Yan'er's clever, quirky, and genuinely lovely personality through his repeated 'accidental' acts of helping her?

"..." Xin Moyan was speechless, and waved her hand in front of him, "Why don't you explain?"

"cough!"

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and said to her earnestly, "Yan'er, I admit that it was wrong of me to lie to you before. I won't do it again in the future. Please forgive me, okay?"

After all that, he still hasn't revealed his purpose...

“Prince Xuan, we are not very familiar with each other, so there is no question of forgiveness. Now that I have seen your true face today, let’s go our separate ways from now on!”

"What did you say? You don't know me?"

"Is not it?"

The person felt a pang of heartache. After a moment's thought, they asked, "Then... counting this time, we've kissed three times. Aren't we close yet?"

"You..." Xin Moyan's face instantly burned like fire, the blush that had just faded quickly returned to his cheeks, and the pleasant fragrance that belonged to him seemed to still linger on the tip of his nose.

Seeing her turn her face away shyly, her thin lips slightly upturned, and her deep eyes overflowing with affection, he reached out and took her fair, soft hand in his, gently coaxing, "Yan'er, don't be angry anymore, okay?"

No matter how hard Xin Moyan tried, she couldn't pull her hand away. She glared at Yuan Huaixuan and threatened him fiercely, "Hmph! Not only did you lie to me, but you also did such a shameless thing to me. When my brother comes back, I will definitely let him teach you a lesson."

"Hehe~" Yan'er's angry look made him love her so much that he couldn't help but chuckle. He held her soft, warm hand tightly. The more time they spent together, the more interesting Yan'er became.

"Let go."

"If Yan'er is no longer angry, I will let go." He just stared straight into Xin Moyan's eyes, not wanting to miss any of her expressions.

After a long while, Xin Moyan gave in and sighed helplessly, "Your Highness, I'm not angry anymore, please let go."

"Ah."

As soon as he let go, Xin Moyan dared not look him in the eye again. She shifted her position to the side to create distance between them, quickly stood up, walked to the tea table in the distance, and pointed at him seriously, saying, "Prince Xuan, unless it's something important, we should avoid meeting in private from now on. I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, without waiting for his reply, Xin Moyan lifted her leg to leave the room, but immediately stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"This room...is this Yunxiang Pavilion? On the top floor?"

"Yes, this is where I live."

"Then...that day I," she suddenly remembered, she had fainted at Yunxiang Tower that day, and woke up in this room, with a vague voice in her mind, "was it you who carried me here that day?"

He didn't speak, he just nodded slightly.

"What about Bu Yu... Hmm? Where is Bu Yu?" She then remembered Hua Bu Yu; she hadn't seen her since.

"Hua Buyu took you to a brothel, damn it!"

"You...you...you're going to kill Buyu?"

Xin Moyan was immediately terrified and rushed to him, earnestly explaining, "I asked Buyu to take me there, please don't kill her, okay?"

"..."

He remained silent for a long time, staring blankly at her face.

Xin Moyan's unease grew stronger. Yuan Huaixuan's temper was unpredictable. What if he really did something to Buyu?

"Your Highness, Bu Yu is a good person. Please...please be merciful and let her go, okay?"

"She is not a good person."

"Buyu is really a good person. I assure you, as long as you release Buyu, the price is negotiable." She stared earnestly at the man in front of her. Her brother wasn't around, so she had to give in.

Why does Yan'er always say "how much is negotiable"?

He sighed inwardly and continued, "Yan'er, I told you from the beginning that I don't need money."

"Then what do you want?"

"Fine! Then I'll let her off the hook. Yan'er is still a bit tipsy, I'll take you there."

"No need, just tell me where it is, I'll go myself."

His face darkened, and he said coldly, "Don't try to bargain with me."

"……All right!"