cold clothes

Leng Yi hid behind a pine tree, nervously biting her lower lip.

It was Zhao Yin... Zhao Yin, dressed in a dark crimson narrow-sleeved robe, walked towards Yanfu Palace, chatting and laughing with others.

It's not surprising that you would run into Zhao Yin in this kind of situation.

But... it's probably better not to meet...

Fortunately, she hid first.

"Whose daughter are you? What are you doing here all alone?"

"!" Leng Yi looked up in shock, and stood in front of her a handsome young man who looked at her with concern.

The young man was slightly taken aback when he saw Leng Yi's face. He had only seen a young lady standing forlornly under the pine tree and assumed she had gotten lost from her companions, so he went up to talk to her. He was then surprised to find that this young lady was not only beautiful, but also had a pair of blue eyes.

Has blue eyes? Yet doesn't look like a foreigner?

Before Leng Yi could answer the kind young man's question, she sensed a gaze directed at her. She stiffened and turned her head abruptly, meeting his gaze in the calm, dark eyes that seemed to fall at midnight.

When the kind young master struck up a conversation with Leng Yi, Zhao Yin happened to be passing by, thus attracting Zhao Yin's attention.

Leng Yi's brain seemed to have shut down at this moment. Just pretending to be nonchalant exhausted all her energy, making it difficult for her to think about anything else.

“I…I am…” Leng Yi stammered, unable to find the right words to respond. Her hands and feet gradually became weak and sore due to nervousness, and she even started to break out in a cold sweat.

This can't be done...it makes her seem too suspicious, and the kind young man's expression grew increasingly puzzled...

A thoughtful glint flashed in Zhao Yin's dark eyes. He calmly stepped forward and said to the young man in cold clothes, "I recognize this young lady. You got separated from Miss Yuqing, didn't you?"

Zhao Yin's gentle voice slowly entered her ears. Leng Yi stared at him blankly, then quickly lowered her head.

"……Yes."

"Since the Fifth Prince is acquainted with this young lady, I will not disturb you any longer." The kind young master cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Yin and then left.

Zhao Yin told his companion that he would take his seat later. His companion smiled knowingly, waved his fan, and walked away. Then Zhao Yin said softly to Leng Yi, "This prince will take you to a place first, and will inform Miss Yuqing to come find you later." After saying that, Zhao Yin walked towards the depths of the Imperial Garden.

Leng Yi subconsciously took a step after Zhao Yin, then immediately froze, her face turning wary and conflicted. Zhao Yin walked further and further away, seemingly not intending to wait for her, but she gritted her teeth and followed anyway.

She was unfamiliar with the palace and had no choice but to go with Zhao Yin, which isn't surprising, right? If Zhao Yin were to go berserk on her in a corner later, she had her sword with her!

"..."

The wind seemed colder in the depths of the garden; the spring chill was biting, and I couldn't help but shiver and shrink my shoulders.

After walking for a long time, there was no one around. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yin didn't speak to her and continued walking forward on his own. She thought that Zhao Yin would reveal his true colors when no one was around—after all, he had a long history of misconduct.

But Zhao Yin really treated her like a stranger. Thinking about it carefully, Zhao Yin had changed a lot in the months since she last saw him. He seemed to have grown taller, his shoulders had become broader, his waist had become thinner, and his temperament had become much calmer and gentler, like a deep pool without any ripples.

His gaze toward her was perfectly calm, as if it wasn't something that would cause him any ripples.

After months of no contact, it's not surprising that she might no longer mean anything to Zhao Yin.

That would be wonderful.

Zhao Yin led Leng Yi to an exquisite pavilion, where the cleaning maids immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Please settle this young lady here for the time being and take good care of her."

"Yes, Your Highness, Fifth Prince."

After giving instructions to the palace maids, Zhao Yin turned around.

Leng Yi met his gaze again, and her heart began to race. However, only Leng Yi was flustered; Zhao Yin remained calm in both his eyes and expression, his handsome face as smooth as a piece of cold jade.

Zhao Yin stared at Leng Yi silently for a while. Leng Yi thought he would say something, but he calmly looked away and brushed past her without saying a word.

"..."

As the wind rustled through the woods, Leng Yi caught a whiff of the herbal scent emanating from Zhao Yin as they brushed past each other.

A sharp pain shot through Leng Yi's heart, and she instinctively clutched her chest.

"Miss, are you feeling unwell? Please go inside and rest," the palace maid said.

"No..." Leng Yi immediately retorted that she was not feeling unwell, and at the same time, she couldn't help but focus her attention on her back, as if trying to catch something, but there was nothing there.

Zhao Yin didn't turn around. Ah... um.

Thankfully, Zhao Yin didn't seem to want to cause her any trouble; it was a close call.