Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

Upon hearing Si Lili's seemingly casual yet probing and concerned inquiry, Li Chengze did not answer immediately.

He watched quietly as Si Lili's snow-white, delicate hands gently twirled along the edge of the inkstone. His gaze followed her slender wrist upwards, across her long, graceful neck, and finally settled on her exquisitely beautiful face, which held a hint of trepidation.

The air in the study seemed to freeze at that moment.

When Si Lili was stared at by his direct and profound gaze, she felt her heart skip a beat, and her movements as she ground ink subconsciously slowed down.

She didn't know if she had asked something she shouldn't have. In this seemingly lazy and leisurely Second Prince's residence, she knew better than anyone how unfathomable the mind of this prince who always wore slippers and acted without any decorum truly was.

Just as Si Lili was secretly annoyed and about to apologize, Li Chengze suddenly chuckled.

"Trouble? What trouble could I possibly have?"

Li Chengze withdrew his gaze, reverting to his languid posture, leaning back so much that he practically sank into the large armchair. He casually toyed with a paperweight on the table, his tone as nonchalant as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.

"That old black dog Chen Pingping has a very keen nose. What else could he have wanted to come to my desolate residence so early this morning? It's nothing more than to test me."

Upon hearing this, Si Lili's hand, which was grinding ink, suddenly stopped, and a drop of pitch-black ink splashed onto the edge of the fine Duan inkstone.

"It was my fault for being so talkative."

Si Lili took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in her heart.

She didn't press further, nor did she ask about the outcome of Chen Pingping's probe, nor did she inquire about the relationship between "Luo Wang" and Li Chengze, which she was most curious about, or whether they were truly cooperating.

She simply lowered her eyes slightly, carefully wiped the spilled ink with a silk handkerchief, and then continued to grind the inkstone with a more steady and gentle rhythm.

"Shh...shh...shh..."

The comforting sound of grinding ink returned to the study.

"You are a smart woman, Lili," Li Chengze said softly, his gaze drifting to the seemingly peaceful courtyard outside the window. "Stay by my side with peace of mind, and from now on, no one will be able to threaten you."

Si Lili's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but wonder if Li Chengze had discovered something and was deliberately testing her.

Just then, a series of hurried but deliberately low footsteps came from outside the study.

"Your Highness."

A deep call came from outside the door.

"Come in."

The study door was pushed open a crack, and a servant dressed in plain gray clothes, looking like a handyman, strode in.

He lowered his head, kept his eyes straight ahead, walked straight to Li Chengze's desk, bowed respectfully, then took two steps forward, leaned close to Li Chengze's ear, and whispered a few words in a very low voice.

Seeing this, Si Lili wisely stopped what she was doing, took a small step back, and lowered her head, like a beautiful sculpture, seemingly oblivious to everything around her.

As the servant reported, Li Chengze's originally lazy gaze gradually sharpened, but soon that sharpness transformed into a playful smile.

"Oh? Auntie is in such a good mood today?"

Li Chengze chuckled and waved his hand, "I understand, you can go now."

"Yes!" The servant bowed and withdrew, closing the study door behind him.

Li Chengze stood up from the armchair and casually straightened the slightly wrinkled brocade robe he was wearing.

He wasn't wearing shoes, still looking like a barefoot immortal, as he stretched his limbs on the soft Persian carpet.

"Your Highness, where are we going?"

Seeing him stand up, Si Lili asked softly.

Looking at the ambiguous smile on Li Chengze's face, her intuition told her that something turbulent was about to happen in Kyoto.

Li Chengze walked up to Si Lili and looked down at her. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his profile and making his features appear exceptionally deep.

He suddenly reached out and gently placed his hand on Si Lili's smooth, black hair.

Si Lili stiffened slightly, but did not flinch, simply letting his hand gently stroke her hair.

"Go to the Princess's residence."

Li Chengze's voice was soft as his slender fingers ran through Si Lili's hair, feeling its silky texture. His smile, however, gradually turned cold. "Since Aunt is so interested, going to the trouble of bringing Wan'er into the manor and even 'accidentally' letting me overhear. As her nephew, wouldn't it be incredibly ungrateful of me not to pay my respects?"

Si Lili felt a chill run down her spine.

She immediately understood the key point.

The eldest princess didn't pick up Lin Wan'er earlier or later, but chose to do so right after Chen Pingping left the second prince's residence, making a big show of bringing Lin Wan'er into the mansion. This was clearly intentional; she was using Lin Wan'er as a bargaining chip to invite Li Chengze to come to her door.

"Your Highness... the Princess's residence is probably in a state of... " Si Lili couldn't help but remind her, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"Nothing wrong?" Li Chengze withdrew his hand, smiled nonchalantly, and turned to walk towards the door. When he reached the door, Li Chengze stopped, turned back to look at Si Lili, and said, "The bird's nest is good. Leave it there and I'll drink it when I return."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and strode out.

Servants had already prepared shoes outside the door. Li Chengze casually slipped them on and, surrounded by a group of guards, boarded the carriage bound for the Princess's residence.

The carriage traveled smoothly through the wide streets of Kyoto.

About half an hour later, the carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the magnificent gate of the Princess's residence.

Li Chengze got off the carriage and, ignoring the guards' announcement at the gate, strode directly through the gate.

"Your Highness..."

The captain of the guards at the door was about to step forward to stop him, but was swept over by Li Chengze's cold and contemptuous gaze. He was so frightened that he swallowed the rest of his words and could only watch helplessly as this menacing figure swaggered in.

Li Chengze walked through the front yard with ease, along the covered walkway, and headed straight for the inner courtyard where Li Yunrui usually lived.

When the maids and servants along the way saw him, they all bowed their heads and bowed, not daring to breathe loudly.

Li Chengze ignored them, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings with lightning speed. He could sense that hidden within this seemingly glamorous mansion were many powerful and experienced individuals.

"It seems Auntie is really scared."

Li Chengze chuckled inwardly.

Soon, he arrived at an exquisite courtyard in the inner quarters.

The courtyard was filled with precious peonies. Although it was early winter, the peonies were still blooming beautifully and exuding a rich fragrance thanks to the warmth of the underfloor heating.

The door to the main room was half-open, and faint voices could be heard coming from inside.

"Wan'er, this golden hairpin was a gift from the Empress Dowager to me years ago. It will look very beautiful on you today."

This is Li Yunrui's voice, gentle and charming, conveying a warm feeling of maternal love and filial piety.

"Thank you, Mother, but this hairpin is too precious, and I'm afraid Wan'er can't bear the weight of it."

A clear and melodious voice, like a nightingale singing, rang out.

Upon hearing this voice, Li Chengze's lips involuntarily curled into a smile.

He didn't ask anyone to announce his arrival, but instead reached out and pushed open the carved wooden door.

"Squeak—"

The sound of the wooden door breaking the silence of the room.

The room was furnished with extreme luxury, with thick Persian velvet carpets on the floor and light gauze curtains hanging all around.

In the very center of the room stood a huge huanghuali wood dressing table, with an extremely smooth Western-style glass mirror embedded in it.

At this moment, Lin Wan'er was sitting upright in front of her dressing table.

Today she wore a moon-white long dress, which made her skin look as white as snow, and her lips were naturally red without any makeup.

Behind her, Li Yunrui was holding an ivory comb, gently combing her cascading hair.

Today, Li Yunrui wore a bright red palace dress. Her beauty was unparalleled, and her temperament was elegant. Sitting with the pure and refined Lin Wan'er, they were like a pair of twin lotus flowers, breathtakingly beautiful.

Hearing the door open, the mother and daughter turned around at the same time.

When Lin Wan'er saw that the person who came was Li Chengze, her clear, watery eyes instantly lit up, like the most dazzling star in the night sky.

"Second cousin!"

Lin Wan'er exclaimed in surprise and instinctively wanted to stand up and go to greet her.

Her eyes were filled with undisguised joy and affection, an expression that she would only show when facing the person she trusted and admired most.

However, when Li Yunrui, who was standing behind her, saw Li Chengze, a subtle glint flashed in the depths of her beautiful eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Chengze? What brings you here at this hour? You didn't even let anyone announce your arrival. Such poor manners! If your father finds out, he'll surely scold you again."

Li Chengze strode into the room, slammed the door shut behind him, and blocked all the maids following him outside.

"Auntie, you're too kind. I just heard that you brought Wan'er here, and I was worried about her, so I rushed over."

As Li Chengze spoke, he walked straight to the dressing table.

"Second cousin, what brings you here today? Is your confinement lifted?" Lin Wan'er looked up at Li Chengze with concern in her eyes.

"It's over. My father saw that I was feeling miserable being cooped up in the palace these past few days, so he took pity on me and let me out."

Li Chengze walked to Lin Wan'er's side with a smile. To Li Yunrui's utter astonishment, he actually reached out and grabbed Lin Wan'er's soft hand that was resting on her knee.

Lin Wan'er's small hands were warm and soft, carrying the unique body temperature of a young girl.

When Li Chengze held her hand like this in front of her mother, two blushes immediately appeared on her cheeks. She lowered her head shyly, but instead of pulling her hand away, she let him hold it tightly.

Li Yunrui ignored this, but what happened next left her mind blank.

Li Chengze held Lin Wan'er's small hand in one hand, but leaned his body slightly backward, getting closer to Li Yunrui who was standing behind Lin Wan'er.

The distance between the two instantly closed, and Li Chengze could even smell the extremely precious fragrance emanating from Li Yunrui, a blend of ambergris and some unknown floral scent.

Under Li Yunrui's incredulous gaze, Li Chengze slowly raised his other hand and, with utmost naturalness and audacity, lifted a strand of Li Yunrui's hair that was hanging down to her chest.

That strand of hair was jet black and shiny, smooth as silk, and gently wrapped around his fingertips.

The air in the room seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

Lin Wan'er was too shy to see this scene because she was looking down.

But Li Yunrui could truly feel the warmth from that hand, and Li Chengze's breath, which was so close to hers, carrying a hint of evil and provocation.

Li Yunrui's pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, a look of shock and even a hint of fear appeared on her usually unfazed, stunningly beautiful face.

Her hand, which was combing Lin Wan'er's hair, froze in mid-air, her knuckles turning slightly white from excessive force.

"you……"

Just as Li Yunrui was about to lash out, she saw Li Chengze turn his head slightly, his deep, abyss-like eyes staring straight at her, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Auntie's hair is so well-maintained, it's jet black and smooth, even Wan'er's hair is better than hers."

Li Chengze's voice was very soft. As he spoke, he gently stroked a strand of black hair with his fingertips, as if he were playing with an extremely precious work of art.

Li Yunrui's chest heaved violently as she stared intently at her nephew, who was standing right in front of her.

I never expected Li Chengze to treat me like this in front of Wan'er. Isn't he afraid that Wan'er will suddenly find out?

However, after the initial shock, a faint sense of madness began to stir within her. !

"Chengze, you!"

"Good aunt, Wan'er is waiting for you to comb her hair. Do you want Wan'er to find out?"

Li Chengze chuckled softly, the strand of black hair tightening around his fingertip. He leaned closer to Li Yunrui's ear and spoke slowly in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Li Yunrui's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, but then an indescribable sense of dread, like a fine electric current, quickly rose from her spine to the top of her head.

In this precarious and dangerous situation, she actually felt a secret, suffocating urge to act. .

"You silly child, you just know how to make fun of your aunt."

Li Yunrui's voice rang out, still as gentle and melodious as ever, her tone steady without a tremor, even carrying a hint of an elder's indulgence and pampering towards a younger generation.

With these flawless words, her hand, which had been frozen in mid-air, naturally fell down, and the ivory comb smoothly and steadily combed through Lin Wan'er's cascading black hair.

"Wan'er, listen to your second cousin's mouth, he's getting better and better at sweet-talking people. I wonder how he'll bully you in the future." Li Yunrui teased with a light laugh as he carefully tied Lin Wan'er's hair into a bun, as if the man behind her who was wantonly playing with her hair and whose breath was almost spraying on her neck didn't exist at all.

Lin Wan'er's already flushed cheeks turned even redder to her ears from her mother's teasing. She lowered her head shyly, letting Li Chengze's large, warm hands envelop her small hands, her voice filled with undisguised joy and coquettishness: "Mother is teasing Wan'er again... Second cousin would never bully me."

Her heart was filled with the joy of her beloved's arrival, and she was so immersed in this warm atmosphere that she was completely unaware of the thrilling and illogical undercurrents unfolding right above her, within arm's reach.

As Li Chengze listened to Lin Wan'er's innocent and naive response, the smile on his lips grew even more wicked.

He lowered his head slightly, his thin lips almost touching Li Yunrui's fair and sensitive earlobe, and whispered in a voice so soft that only the two of them could hear, "Auntie's self-control, your nephew truly... admires it to the extreme."

P.S.: The one who's awful is Li Chengze, it has absolutely nothing to do with me, the author!