The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Chen Rui stood a few steps away from Liang Ruoxue with a shy smile on his face.

Since the flower-viewing banquet ended unhappily, Liang Ruoxue had indeed not seen Chen Rui for a long time, but she still remembered Chen Rui's unusual attitude towards Shen Hanyu, so she snorted coldly.

"What are you doing here?"

Hearing Liang Ruoxue's angry question, Chen Rui smiled and said, "Does the Second Miss want to play polo? I happen to be short one person, and I was thinking of inviting the Second Miss to join me."

Liang Ruoxue immediately frowned: "Don't you have anything else to say?"

She stared at Chen Rui, who looked bewildered and confused.

"I just wanted to invite the second young lady to play polo..."

Liang Ruoxue took a deep breath, recalling what Lin Lihua had said, and also remembering that Chen Rui's family background wasn't very good, so she sat back down.

"I'm not going, polo is too dirty," Liang Ruoxue said with a look of disgust.

Chen Rui was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't insist and simply left dejectedly.

After Chen Rui's interference, Liang Ruoxue didn't know where to find Liang Ruoyan. She was furious, but with so many noble ladies present, she couldn't lash out and could only suppress her anger.

Liang Ruoyan, who was being nagged by Liang Ruoxue, was standing outside the door, while Zhao Wuxia had a cold face.

"I'm sorry, His Highness does not wish to see you."

Zhao Wuxia secretly didn't want Li Jun to see Liang Ruoyan again, as he always felt that Liang Ruoyan had impure thoughts.

This time, he didn't act on his own initiative; he was indeed doing what Li Jun instructed.

After returning from the princess's residence, Li Jun refused to see Liang Ruoyan again. Knowing what Liang Ruoyan had done, everything he had done before vanished. Princess Yongning advised him to make a clean break, and he did just that.

Liang Ruoyan bit her lower lip tightly.

"Your Highness..."

Zhao Wuxia wouldn't lay a hand on Liang Ruoyan; she would only repeatedly tell her to leave the place.

Li Jun came here today hoping to relax, but unexpectedly, Liang Ruoyan blocked her way.

Zhao Wuxia originally thought that Liang Ruoyan would not come closer if she was still concerned about her reputation, but she did not expect her to be so unexpected.

Liang Ruoyan bowed gracefully: "It was my momentary lapse of judgment that disappointed Your Highness. After playing this piece today, I will leave."

As she spoke, she looked at Zhao Wuxia with teary eyes.

Zhao Wuxia pondered for a moment. There was no response from inside, which meant he hadn't refused. He nodded.

The maid brought over a stool and placed the guqin on the table.

No one dared to come near where Li Jun was. Liang Ruoyan didn't care about losing face anymore; getting Li Jun back was the most important thing.

Familiar music drifted into the room, carrying a mournful tone. Li Jun couldn't help but stand up.

He was extremely familiar with this piece of music.

Zhao Wuxia couldn't understand anything, and just hoped that Miss Liang would leave as soon as she finished playing.

Liang Ruoyan played the piano while tears streamed down her face. This was her last chance; she was gambling that this piece, "Phoenix Seeking its Mate," would make Li Jun come out to see her.

After returning from the princess's residence, Xu Ying helped her gather information, and within a few days she learned that Li Jun knew that she was the one who did the things at the princess's residence.

She was unwilling to give up, so Xu Ying came up with this idea for her, allowing her to give it one last try.

Liang Ruoyan had waited so long for the polo match, and she knew Li Jun would be there.

The door behind her suddenly opened, startling Zhao Wuxia. When she came to her senses, Li Jun had already walked up to Liang Ruoyan.

The music stopped abruptly. Liang Ruoyan lowered her head, a few tears falling onto the instrument, producing a dull sound.

Liang Ruoyan wiped away her tears and bowed, but Li Jun stopped her.

"Get up."

Liang Ruoyan looked up at Li Jun, then looked away with some fear.

"Are you scared now?"

Li Jun's attitude towards Liang Ruoyan has clearly softened considerably.

Zhao Wuxia played a piece of music and things turned out this way, it's really strange.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was confused."

Liang Ruoyan sincerely apologized.

Li Jun led her inside, leaving Zhao Wuxia to stand guard outside.

He eventually softened, his pitiful appearance mirroring the previous one, along with the song "Phoenix Seeking Its Mate," showing that he could never sever the feelings in his heart.

Liang Ruoyan stood opposite Li Jun. Li Jun gestured for her to sit down, and Liang Ruoyan then cautiously sat down in the chair, clearly much more timid than before.

Seeing her like this, Li Jun finally asked, "Why did you do that regarding the Princess's residence?"

Liang Ruoyan was overjoyed. Li Jun's question was like giving her a chance. Naturally, she dared not lie, but she still embellished her story a little.

“I…the princess doesn’t like me.” She lowered her head timidly. “Before His Highness came, the princess warned me to stay away from him. Later, she was kind to my cousin. I was afraid that the princess would make His Highness abandon me and marry my cousin. That’s why I did something foolish.”

Li Jun rubbed her temples. "Do you think my elder sister can control my affairs?"

Liang Ruoyan sobbed, "Princess Yongning and Your Highness are from the same mother, which is why I think this way. I'm really scared. If Your Highness marries someone else, I don't know what I'll do."

As she spoke, Liang Ruoyan started crying again.

Her crying wasn't disturbing; her voice was soft, like a kitten's whimper, only evoking sympathy.

Li Jun, of course, also handed over a clean handkerchief.

"Okay, stop crying," Li Jun gently comforted her.

With tears in her eyes, Liang Ruoyan gently tugged at Li Jun's sleeve, "Has Your Highness forgiven me?"

Li Jun's eyes revealed pity, so she nodded.

Liang Ruoyan finally smiled. She moved closer, but not too close, maintaining a just-right distance.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I am truly happy to know that Your Highness still cares about me."

Liang Ruoyan took a slightly bigger step, but Li Jun didn't find it offensive.

With his relationship with Liang Ruoyan 'reconciled', Li Jun felt a bit more relaxed. He saw Liang Ruoyan out, while Zhao Wuxia's eyebrows furrowed so deeply they could crush an insect.

After Liang Ruoyan had walked away, Zhao Wuxia asked, "Your Highness, didn't you say a while ago—"

“She has already explained it to me,” Li Jun interrupted him. “It was just an unintentional act prompted by my elder sister, nothing serious.”

Zhao Wuxia's lips moved slightly. It wasn't a big deal. Seeing that Li Jun was still in a daze, she ultimately didn't say the words "lust makes one lose their mind." Zhao Wuxia really didn't know if Li Jun still remembered that General Weiyuan's daughter had almost lost her life back then.

Zhao Wuxia sighed, feeling utterly bewildered. He had been the prince's companion since childhood, which was why they were so close. For Liang Ruoyan to win the prince's favor with just one song was truly... utterly absurd.

He would never dare to say these words. He had already offered his advice, but what happened next was beyond his control. Otherwise, Li Jun would definitely be angry.

Having regained Li Jun's favor, Liang Ruoyan returned to her smug demeanor and immediately went to Xu Ying to tell her the good news.

Xu Ying was very satisfied with Liang Ruoyan after hearing this.

"As expected of my daughter, you did a great job this time."

Liang Ruoyan smiled shyly. Next, Li Jun would have to tell her in person that he wanted to marry her, but this couldn't be rushed; it had to be done slowly.