She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining expressed his doubts.

He picked up a small, soft, white steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it forcefully as if in frustration, his cheeks puffing out, looking quite displeased. He asked suspiciously, "Do any of you even have the skill to make pastries?"

Shi An shook his head: "We subordinates are all rough men, how could we possibly prepare such exquisite food! It was because Master knew you liked desserts that he specially brought along the chef from the most popular restaurant in Yangzhou when he went to Jiangnan on business. He's here at the inn right now!"

Jiang Ruining couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. She shook her head and glanced at Xiao Che: "Was the chef really hired for me?"

Xiao Che glanced at her and took a bite of the crab roe soup dumpling.

The buns had a soft and fluffy skin, and the inside was fragrant and delicious. The taste was indeed excellent!

She really knows how to eat!

"Does my master look like the kind of person who would be so greedy?"

Jiang Ruining glared at her reproachfully, her smile tinged with joy, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her: "Can't you speak properly or what, like a knife scraping your throat?"

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow slightly: "That's just how I talk."

He subtly told her that he wasn't deliberately being sarcastic.

Jiang Ruining snorted at him again, neither accepting nor rejecting, and ate in silence.

It smells so good!

The fishy smell was removed so well, it's not fishy at all, delicious! So delicious!

Lotus flower pastry, water chestnut cake, jade shumai, layered oil cake, red auspicious pastry... so many varieties!

She even suspected that the chef had been working in the kitchen all night!

Xiao Che watched as she ate quickly and in an unrefined manner, but the way her eyes curved and her gaze was bright and clear while eating was... quite charmingly naive!

He reached out and wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth, then handed her some tea.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Jiang Ruining took a couple of sips of tea from his hand, then sipped the slightly dry red sesame pastry in her mouth: "In the Jiang family, I'm not even as good as those poor relatives who beg for money. The cook at home never gives me any of the good pastries!"

"Even the ordinary snacks in the daily rations are deliberately taken advantage of by the servants who take advantage of Madam Jiang's oppression of me. Sometimes when guests come to the house, Madam Jiang will pretend to let me have a bite or two when the best snacks are served."

"But am I the kind of person who would abandon my principles just for food? I can say I won't eat it and then I won't! So, you know what I mean! I've missed the taste of these snacks for so, so long!"

Xiao Che noticed this when he was recuperating at the Jiang family's house; the food in her courtyard was even inferior to the standard of some mid- to low-ranking officials' homes!

A subtle killing intent flashed deep within her phoenix eyes: "Look at you, you don't seem like the kind of person who would let servants bully you."

Jiang Ruining didn't consider the original owner's past actions shameful at all, and said confidently, "I made a scene! But what's the use? Madam Jiang would scold me in front of all the servants in the mansion for being foul-mouthed and fighting over food, and then order the head kitchen to stop making pastries."

"But she had her own small kitchen where she cooked every day and ate it every day, and even gave some to the servants, but she wouldn't give it to me. So I smashed up her small kitchen."

A foul mouth?

Those present frowned as they listened.

What kind of mother would insult her own daughter like that in front of the servants?

A crack had appeared in the cup Xiao Che was holding: "Good job smashing it."

Jiang Ruining shrugged and grinned, "I can't help it, I hold grudges. If someone annoys me, I'll get my revenge. If someone hurts me, I'll retaliate tenfold. If I can't get revenge right now, I'll wait for the right opportunity."

"As long as I live, I will definitely avenge myself."

Shi'an suddenly felt that his master was in some danger!

Xiao Che: "..."

As Gongsun Changming watched the interaction between Xiao Che and Jiang Ruining, he couldn't help but smile. The atmosphere between the two carried an unspoken ambiguity, much like a sweet and refreshing peach in summer.

"The two of you have such a good relationship."

Jiang Ruining shivered as if she had heard something chilling: "Anyone who's friends with him will bully me!"

Xiao Che raised his long, narrow phoenix eyes slightly: "Speak with your conscience."

Jiang Ruining clutched her chest, her small face raised: "I'm clutching it! You're just bullying me! You choked me, pointed a hairpin at me, threatened me, and even mocked me!"

Xiao Che chuckled: "Why don't you mention that you drugged me before we even knew each other? And twice?"

Jiang Ruining's arrogance subsided by half: "Then you can't speak rudely to girls!"

Xiao Che kindly reminded her, "Back then, you could only be called a criminal suspect." He added, "Didn't I see you pulling off a series of attacks behind my back?"

Jiang Ruining's expression went blank: "..."

Gongsun Changming has not yet regained his memory, but he has heard rumors of the Regent's ruthlessness and cruelty over the past few months. He is someone who cannot be offended.

Who would have thought he would argue with the woman and even tolerate her drugging him twice?

If it's not liking, then what is it?

He lowered his eyes and chuckled softly: "So you two are a pair of bickering lovers, you became friends after a fight."

Xiao Che pondered those four words with a hint of amusement, and gave a faint smile.

Jiang Ruining's heart skipped a beat, and her face felt a little hot. Why did she feel inexplicably guilty even though she hadn't done anything wrong?

As if trying to hide her guilt, she hurriedly denied it: "Don't talk nonsense! What 'enemies' or 'enemies'? I'm not worthy of that. Eat! Stop talking nonsense and eat!"

Gongsun Changming smiled and nodded: "Okay, let's eat."

Breakfast is finished.

Xiao Che: "I've already sent a carrier pigeon to the capital, traveling by water. Your family will be able to come and pick you up first thing tomorrow morning."

Gongsun Changming nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness and Miss Jiang."

Thinking that they wouldn't feel comfortable talking to him, an unfamiliar stranger, they said goodbye and went to the next room.

He's waiting for his family to come and pick him up.

After three months of drifting like a duckweed with nowhere to come from and nowhere to return, he was finally able to go home.

Jiang Ruining leaned back in her armchair, patting her belly contentedly.

The ice jar beside them was quietly radiating coolness.

"So pleasant!"

Xiao Che held a teacup, the white jade cup making his slender, fair hands appear exceptionally noble: "When do you plan to set off back to the capital?"

Jiang Ruining picked up a candied fruit and chewed it slowly: "The earliest you can leave is the day after tomorrow. If you have something to do, you can leave now."

Shi An immediately waved his hand and said, "No rush! I've taken care of all the important matters. I have nothing else to do, and the scenery here is quite nice. I can stay for a few more days."

Jiang Ruining nodded.

With him there, his bodyguards would also be there; with more people around, she would be safer.

Xiao Che had a misjudgment in his mind, so he simply asked her, "Is there anything else you want to pick up?"