The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

"Second Prince! Little one—!"

Before the terrified words could even leave her throat, the person holding her in their arms raised their hand and swung away the red-hot, falling piece of wood.

The moment the scalding hot wood touched his skin, the back of his hand was immediately burned, and a shocking red mark appeared on his fair skin.

"Your Highness!"

She couldn't help but look up at him, momentarily dazed.

Did she really succeed?

She truly moved the utterly wicked Chu Chouchi in the story to the point that he now risks his life to rush into the fire for her sake.

Shen Zhizhi wanted to examine his injuries closely, but now that they were trapped in the fire, she had to suppress her worries.

Feeling the girl trembling slightly in his arms, Chu Chouchi hugged her even tighter and protected her as they struggled to run outside.

Chu Tu stood outside the door, his eyes glazed over, staring blankly at the palace that had been burned beyond recognition, as if he had lost his soul. A surge of emotions overwhelmed him.

Chief Feng stared at his prince's distraught appearance, unsure how to comfort him, and could only silently pray that Miss Shen and the Second Prince would be safe and sound.

Although neither the Third Prince nor the Second Prince had any interest in the position of Crown Prince, they were always at odds with each other for some reason.

As a subordinate, he naturally obeyed the Third Prince's orders, and in the long run, he assassinated the Second Prince.

The Third Prince had not drunk freely for a long time. In the past, he would only drink when he missed Consort Ping. But on the Third Prince's birthday, he could tell that the Third Prince was happy.

Even when he was completely drunk, he kept calling out the Second Prince's name, saying he wanted to have a showdown with him.

That was the Third Prince, whom he had never seen before.

Since the appearance of Miss Shen, the relationship between the two princes seems to have gradually eased. If the Third Prince can stand together with his brother, it would certainly be a wonderful thing.

"The Second Prince is out! The Second Prince!"

A gasp rang out from the bustling crowd, clearing away the Wind Leader's jumbled thoughts.

As everyone looked, two figures emerged from the flames, nestled together, and the house behind them, which had been burning fiercely, collapsed the moment they appeared.

Shen Zhizhi looked back at the house that had collapsed into ruins and sighed inwardly.

Oh no! Billions gone!

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Chu Chouchi released her and examined her carefully from head to toe. Seeing that there were no signs of burning from the flames, the panic in his eyes subsided slightly.

Shen Zhizhi lowered her eyes and stared at the large, shocking red mark on the back of his hand, and said softly, "Second Prince, shouldn't you have this injury examined by an imperial physician?"

"No problem."

He pursed his lips and subtly pulled his sleeves down a little.

Shen Zhizhi stared at his attempt to cover up his misunderstanding, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

This guy seems to like to show off.

Suddenly, a burning gaze fell upon her. Shen Zhizhi looked up and saw Chu Tu sitting on the jade steps, his dark eyes fixed on her like stars, unblinking.

Shen Zhizhi opened her mouth, as if to say something, but didn't say anything.

After a moment of silence, she took two steps at a time and walked towards Chu Tu. Under Chu Tu's bewildered gaze, she reached into her robes and took out the gold box.

Then, she slowly knelt down in front of him and gently parted her lips:

“Your Highness, you must never do such a thing again. Even if this is the only memento left by Consort Ping, she would rather you live well than have this. This thing is nothing but an external possession to her, far less important than Your Highness’s life.”

Chu Tu stared at the girl in front of him, his expression unreadable.

A gentle breeze blew by, lifting the girl's ink-black hair and making her figure even more graceful and ethereal, so much so that even the cold moon hanging high in the sky paled in comparison.

Such a beautiful view momentarily stunned him.

He vaguely remembered that when he was young, his mother would squat down and talk to him like this.

[Congratulations, host! Chu Tu's corruption value has decreased sharply, now recorded as -80.]

Ya Dan's good news finally dispelled Shen Zhizhi's gloomy mood that had lasted all night.

awesome!

She lost a full twenty yuan, and that told her that hard work would pay off.

Chu Tu lowered his eyes, holding the gold box in his hand. His eyes sparkled, and he moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated.

"Tsk, let's go!"

Shen Zhizhi wanted to say something more to reduce her corruption level, but Chu Chouchi grabbed her wrist from behind and dragged her outside.

Chu Tu lowered his gaze slightly, raising his eyes to stare at the two inseparable figures. His brows furrowed, and his expression was dazed and confused.

The girl's lingering voice still resonated, disturbing his peace of mind.

His fingers tightened around the gold box; he didn't know how long he had struggled internally, but after much hesitation, he finally moved his lips reluctantly:

"Of all the people in Nanliyue Star City, you are the most nosy."

After saying this, he seemed to use all his strength to hug the gold box tightly, his eyes vacant, as if he were thinking about something.

......

After leaving the Tuwang Mansion, Chu Chouchi didn't say a word, but grabbed her hand and walked forward, through the streets and alleys, straight back to the Chiwang Mansion.

Only when they entered his study did he release his grip, turning his gaze with displeasure. "Why were you at the Tu Prince's residence?"

Shen Zhizhi's guilty gaze darted around nervously.

Damn it, I should have made an excuse to sneak home earlier. Now look what happened, I've been dragged here to be interrogated again.

Shen Zhizhi was annoyed for a long time, but seeing that she couldn't escape it, she grinned and said:

"Oh, Your Highness, I just happened to be passing by."

"Oh? That Miss Shen is really quite coincidental. She happened to pass by the Tu Prince's Mansion in the middle of the night, happened to rush into the fire without regard for anything, and happened to be only after the things left by the Third Prince's mother. All these coincidences are really quite coincidental."

Thinking back to that extremely dangerous scene, he was almost suffocated with fear. What would he do if she had really perished in the fire?

If she doesn't give him a proper reason today, he has no chance of letting this matter rest.

"Hehehe, actually I just suddenly got hungry and wanted to go to the market to buy some things, but who knew that as I was walking..." Shen Zhizhi continued to grin, showing her big front teeth, and smiled very ingratiatingly.

Chu Chouchi glanced at her coldly, a chilling smile playing on his lips. "You just walked here and ended up at the Tu Prince's residence? You think I'm some kind of monkey?"

Sensing the danger in Chu Chouchi's words, Shen Zhizhi suddenly retracted her bared teeth.

No, this Chu Chouchi is not easy to fool either. What method did Shen Qinshou use to trick him into losing his life?

Is this the greatness of the female lead's halo?

[Host! Explain quickly! Otherwise, what if Chu Chouchi mistakenly thinks you like Chu Tu and your "darkening" level increases?]

Ya Dan was also panicking in her mind. Chu Chou Chi's blackening progress bar was faintly glowing red, which was a sign that it was about to rise.

Shen Zhizhi wanted nothing more than to give it the middle finger. [I'm trying to think of a solution, aren't I?!]

Shen Zhizhi's eyes darted around, and finally, just as Chu Chouchi was about to speak, an idea came to her mind.