Chapter 21: Baffling

Chapter 21: Utterly Confused

Midsummer nights are always unbearably hot.

Chen Shuoan sat on a lounge chair in the courtyard, drinking just-chilled sour plum juice.

He could sleep in tomorrow, since he didn't have to go to the study hall.

This was a rare opportunity—he had to sneak home to grab the picture books stashed in his room. The ones he'd originally brought were almost finished, and if not for Zheng Yuanzhi's regular supply, he'd probably be bored to death.

Chen Shuoan raised his bowl and took a big swig, squinting from the chill. The wine-red sour plum juice overflowed, clinging to the corner of his mouth.

Yuan Rang came over radiating heat, striding up to him. His calloused fingers brushed across Chen Shuoan's rosy lips, then rubbed the wetness between his fingers again and again.

"Why are you spilling like a little kid?" Yuan Rang chuckled, pulling a clean handkerchief from his chest pocket and pressing it to Chen Shuoan's mouth, wiping gently.

Chen Shuoan caught the familiar scent of sandalwood on the cloth and felt something weird stir in his chest.

???

Isn't this kid a few years younger than him? Why does he act like he's my dad or something?

Yuan Rang bent down, one hand holding the back of Chen Shuoan's head while the other kept wiping at his mouth through the handkerchief, as if the sour plum juice were some precious paint that could never be fully wiped off.

Chen Shuoan glared at Yuan Rang, who was now half a head taller, staring at his cold, hard face. Annoyed, he shoved his mouth forward and rubbed it hard against the cloth. "Dude, are you done yet? Twins could've been born by now."

Yuan Rang quickly pulled his hand back, frowning at Chen Shuoan's now even redder lips. "Cut it out, you're about to rub your skin raw."

Chen Shuoan didn't give a damn—he wasn't some delicate little miss.

So he asked, "Done with your training? Then I'll have someone heat up some water for you."

Yuan Rang pushed him back down as he started to get up and shook his head. "Not yet. I was just practicing by myself in the courtyard..."

Before he could finish, he looked really embarrassed and fell silent.

Chen Shuoan got worried, afraid he'd pulled a muscle, and pressed on: "What's up? Why do you look so upset?"

Yuan Rang let his brows droop and inched closer, his big hand grabbing Chen Shuoan's waist. He crouched down, head hanging like he wanted to bury his whole face in Chen Shuoan's chest, then said in a low, gloomy voice, "I'm kinda scared."

Chen Shuoan reached out and patted Yuan Rang's shoulder, sighing to himself. After all, the kid was only fourteen—back when he was in middle school, he'd still held hands with friends to go to the bathroom.

"Don't be scared, I've got you. One ghost shows up, I'll slap it; two show up, I'll punch 'em both." Chen Shuoan declared this heroically, feeling like a total badass.

Yuan Rang smiled gratefully, and at the last moment, his true wolfish intentions finally showed. His voice, still cracking from adolescence, pressed close to Chen Shuoan's ear, whispering coaxingly, "I want to bunk with you tonight."

"That's definitely...?" Chen Shuoan jerked his head up, only to meet a pair of watery, pitiful eyes.

"Hm? You don't want to, Shuo'an?"

"...Of course it's no problem." With the Sixth Prince making that face, how could he, Chen Shuoan, possibly say no!

Damn, he really did look pathetic!

Chen Shuoan looked at Yuan Rang with a saintly look and said, "Let's go to your room then. Yours is bigger."

Yuan Rang, buried in his shoulder, breathed rapidly, trembling with excitement, swallowing hard. "Good, good."

Chen Shuoan was baffled, feeling like the kid was about to transform.

Could the Sixth Prince be hungry?

Gently released by Yuan Rang, he lay back down on the lounge chair and watched the Sixth Prince practice his sword.

Yuan Rang's posture was tall and graceful—everything he did was a pleasure to behold.

He held the sword in his left hand, not bothering with flashy flourishes; his every move carried sharp, killing intent. His footwork seemed unhurried, yet pressed forward with relentless pressure.

Chen Shuoan watched, entranced, thinking his prince was even more handsome than the Crown Prince.

Speaking of Crown Prince Yuan Qi, Chen Shuoan couldn't help recalling the original plot.

Yuan Qi had led his team out for seven or eight days now, heading straight for Jiangnan's Southern City. There, the male lead and female lead would meet for the first time, beginning a wonderful romance.

Southern City was the female lead's Wei family home.

As for why Su Qingwan was there, the original book explained that her grandmother had passed away peacefully, and Su Qingwan had gone with her mother to pay respects.

Coincidentally, Su Qingwan also reunited with the second male lead, He Shu, in Southern City.

That's right, He Shu was Su Qingwan's childhood friend.

Though He Shu was talented, handsome, and refined, fate always favored the newcomer over the childhood friend, and he ended up alone in the end.

He Shu had only appeared in a few chapters before readers everywhere were heartbroken: why couldn't the female lead have both? The three of them living happily together would beat everything else.

And Yuan Qi and Su Qingwan's first meeting was highly dramatic—their Crown Prince embodied the "domineering" in the book's title to the fullest.

Chen Shuoan laughed just thinking about it.

After Su Qingwan attended her grandmother's memorial, she was kindly invited by local noble ladies to the Emerald Lake for poetry and tea. As she chatted joyfully with her confidantes on the boat, her jealous cousin maliciously pushed her into the lake.

At that moment, she cried out to heaven and earth, but no one answered.

Just as she thought she was done for, her hero appeared.

Yes, it was the Crown Prince of the Great Rong Dynasty—dashing and brilliant.

He lightly tapped the lake's surface, skimming over the green water like a black swallow.

In an instant, he pulled Su Qingwan out.

Catching sight of the woman's graceful curves, the innocent young man blushed slightly, then draped his dark outer robe over Su Qingwan's shoulders—quite the gentleman.

But innocent as he was, when it came to being domineering, their Crown Prince didn't hold back at all.

"Woman, don't refuse me."

Chen Shuoan had nearly jumped out of bed reading that line, collapsing onto the mattress in uncontrollable laughter.

He'd been transmigrated into this book for so long now, and Yuan Qi seemed like a perfectly normal guy—why did his style turn so bizarre the moment he met the female lead?

Damn, he wished he could've been there!

Chen Shuoan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Yuan Rang, drawn by the sight of the boy doubled over in laughter, couldn't resist asking, "What, did I practice wrong?"

Chen Shuoan quickly waved his hand and explained, "I was thinking about the Crown Prince."

I can't even, this is killing me.

Yuan Rang, in the middle of lifting his sword, abruptly stopped. He stood there, looking perfectly calm on the outside, but his eyes were dark and brooding.

As if he'd finally had enough, he strode over to Chen Shuoan, gently set his sword aside by the lounge chair, wrapped his arms around Chen Shuoan's waist, and with a sudden surge of strength, hoisted him clean off the ground.

???

Chen Shuoan was totally confused, having no clue what had gotten into the guy, and immediately began struggling with all his might.

But before he knew it, he was swung into Yuan Rang's arms, with one hand locked around the back of his knee. Now he couldn't move even if he wanted to.

??????

"Go to sleep."