I Would Really Like It

After confirming that nothing would scatter halfway, she finally turned around.

As she passed by Gu Chengyin, she swiftly shot him a glance.

It was as quick as a petal carried by the wind, gone before its color could be discerned.

But Gu Chengyin understood. In Shangguan Yunying's eyes, there was joy and playful reproach.

There was embarrassment that he had said such a thing in front of Her Highness, and a coquettish hint of "I’ll deal with you later."

Clearly, Shangguan Yunying was very pleased with his words and attitude.

So much so that she even temporarily forgot about Lin Qingyan.

Then Shangguan Yunying hugged the memorials and walked toward the hall with composed steps.

Her crimson female official robes cut a sharp arc in the sunlight, her back straight.

Her stride was steady, each step falling in the rhythm befitting a chief female official.

Soon, only Gu Chengyin and Luo Zhao remained in the hall.

Luo Zhao did not move.

She still held that posture, her gaze fixed on the wood grain of the desk, as if staring at something unseen.

Her breathing had returned to an even pace, and her expression had regained its calm.

But Gu Chengyin knew her mind was probably in turmoil.

After all, the cards were basically on the table between them now.

Luo Zhao knew what he wanted and what he had done.

But she could do nothing about it and had no evidence, so she could only stew in silent frustration.

Gu Chengyin watched this predicament—Her Highness clearly furious inside yet stubbornly refusing to show it.

A mischievous idea suddenly popped into his head.

He knew he shouldn’t add fuel to the fire at this moment.

Luo Zhao had barely managed to suppress her emotions. If he provoked her further, she might just explode.

But this stubborn, defiant little look of hers was just too hard to resist.

Gu Chengyin strode to the desk and leaned down.

His movements were slow, as if approaching a cat ready to bristle at any moment.

No, not a cat—a little tiger.

If a cat bristles, it might scratch you; if a little tiger bristles, it bites.

Gu Chengyin placed his hands on the desk, leaning forward, closing the distance between them to less than two feet.

The sunlight streamed from behind him, casting his shadow over Luozhao's desk like a slowly toppling mountain.

Luo Zha was startled by Gu Chengyin suddenly appearing before her.

Her body instinctively leaned back, but the chair blocked her retreat.

Her fingers tightened on the desk for a moment, her pupils contracting, but she quickly regained her composure.

The mask of cold pride and aloofness wobbled on her face for a moment before being firmly put back in place.

Gu Chengyin looked into Luo Zhao’s eyes and spoke with a smile.

"Your Highness, you guessed correctly after all."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, his tone even carrying a hint of lightness, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But the words he spoke made Luo Zhao’s pupils contract sharply.

"I really did want to completely control Aunt."

Luo Zhao’s eyes widened.

"Just some unexpected things happened along the way."

Gu Chengyin added, the curve of his lips deepening further.

The great hall fell silent.

So silent one could hear the faint wail of the wind passing through the corridors outside the window.

One could hear Luo Zhao’s heartbeat pounding hard in her chest, once, again, and again.

She stared directly at Gu Chengyin’s face.

This face was so close that she could see the curve of his eyelashes.

Thick and slightly curled, tilting upward at the corners.

His pupils were a deep black, now catching the sunlight outside the hall—flickering, dark currents swirling beneath the surface.

His expression was a smile, but it was not the kind of smile she was used to seeing from him.

Not the faint, distant, slightly careless smile he often wore.

It was a smile of someone who knew he couldn’t be caught—confident, triumphant, like a cat teasing a mouse.

Luo Zhao’s throat tightened, but she did not retreat.

She took a deep breath, pushed her back against the chair again, placed her hands folded on the desk, and lifted her chin.

That mask of cold pride and aloofness was firmly back in place, not a single crack showing.

"You finally admit it."

Her voice was as calm as if she were stating a fact she had long known.

Gu Chengyin watched her stubborn pretense, and the delight in his eyes deepened.

"Yes, I admit it."

He drew out his words slightly, as if deliberately prolonging some torment.

His body leaned forward just a little more, so close that Luo Zhao could feel the warmth of his breath.

"But Your Highness, even if I admit it, what can you do about it?"

These words were spoken with a disdainful air, more devastating than any harsh threat.

Because they weren’t a threat—they were a statement of fact.

So what if you know?

You have no evidence.

No one will believe you.

So you can’t do anything to me.

Luo Zhao’s fingers curled abruptly in her sleeve, her nails digging into her palm hard enough to leave a faint white mark.

She knew Gu Chengyin was telling the truth. There was indeed nothing she could do about him.

Even if she went to Lin Qingyan and told him, he wouldn’t believe her.

So she could do nothing but watch Gu Chengyin toy with her.

Just as Luo Zhao felt she was about to crumble under the weight of this suffocating frustration—

A hand landed on the top of her head.

Gu Chengyin's hand.

The pressure was very light, like a fallen leaf drifting onto the crown of her head, carrying a faint, almost intangible warmth.

His fingers threaded through her loose hair, rubbing it slowly.

The gesture was natural and casual, as though he had done it countless times before.

As for Luo Zhao, she felt his arrogance was simply outrageous.

He had just admitted he wanted to hypnotize Lin Qingyan.

He had just said in that flippant tone, "So what can you do about it?"

And then he reached out to pat her head.

It was as if he were saying, Even if I tell you, even if you know, you still can’t escape my grasp.

"So, you see."

Gu Chengyin’s voice drifted down from above her head, carrying a faint trace of amusement:

"It’s best to obediently remain my crown princess, Her Highness."

"At least in that case..."

Gu Chengyin withdrew his hand, straightened up, and looked down at her from on high.

"...I will like you very much."

Luo Zhao was utterly dazed.

She sat in the chair, still holding the pose from after having her head patted.

Her hair had been ruffled somewhat loose, with a few stray strands slipping down from the edges, clinging to her cheeks.

Her phoenix eyes were filled with disbelief, her pupils slightly dilated, her lips parted a little.

She looked like a porcelain doll that had suddenly been given a soul but hadn’t yet learned how to control its expression.

Even when her head was being patted, she hadn’t dodged.

It wasn’t that she didn’t have time to dodge; Luo Zhao simply forgot.

She forgot that she should have pulled away, forgot that she should have slapped his hand away, forgot that she should have said, "How dare you!"

She just sat there blankly, letting Gu Chengyin’s hand rest on her head, letting his fingers run through her hair.

Letting his voice drift down from above, word by word, clearly burrowing into her ears.

"It’s best to obediently remain my crown princess, Her Highness."

"At least in that case, I will like you very much."