CHAPTER 49: MOONLIGHT AND RESTLESS HEARTS

Xie Lianhua found her words laughable, but she still put on a shy and delicate expression. "I do love Prince Rong... but I would never want to force him."

When a hint of color finally returned to Xie Lianhua’s pale face, Rong Yuelin relaxed a little.

"Honestly, you’re so much better than that so called Fifth Prince. Why can’t my brother see it?" she sighed, realizing that her once-familiar brother was becoming more and more of a mystery to her.

...

"Prince Yue, please wait."

Just as Yue Mingxuan had walked about five hundred meters from the restaurant, Shang Qinghua’s attendant, Mo Yi, appeared and blocked his path.

Seeing him reminded Yue Mingxuan of how Shang Qinghua had acted in the restaurant. He pretend to not know him and even changing his tone which reignited his irritation.

"What is it? I’m busy," Yue Mingxuan said coolly.

Mo Yi, however, didn’t take offense. He still felt grateful to Yue Mingxuan, since Yue had once eased Shang Qinghua’s poison.

In his eyes, Yue Mingxuan was practically his master’s half life saver.

"Here’s the thing," Mo Yi explained politely. "My master had originally planned to share a meal with you today, but since you unexpectedly met in the restaurant, he didn’t want to disturb you. Before leaving, he asked me to bring you this, a freshly made hawthorn pudding. He thought you might need something to help with digestion."

As he spoke, Mo Yi handed Yue Mingxuan a food box.

"Who needs his fake kindness?" Yue Mingxuan grumbled, but the anger from being ignored earlier seemed to vanish completely the moment he saw the dessert.

His voice even grew lighter, betraying his faint delight.

He took the hawthorn pudding and Mo Yi stepped back a few paces before adding, "My master also asked me to give you a message, ’One bit more makes you fat, one bit less makes you thin. Eat too much, and you’ll harm your body.’"

Hearing that, Yue Mingxuan’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or throw the pudding at Shang Qinghua’s head.

When Yue Mingxuan heard Mo Yi’s words, he froze for a brief moment before realizing what was going on, that shameless man Shang Qinghua was mocking him for eating too much!

Unfortunately, Yue Mingxuan reacted too slowly; by the time he understood the hidden meaning, Mo Yi had already run off like the wind.

Yue Mingxuan stomped his foot angrily, muttering under his breath, but he didn’t throw away the hawthorn pudding in his hands.

"Shang Qinghua, you better not fall into my hands one day," he thought fiercely. "If you do, I’ll make sure you regret it."

Meanwhile, the man he was cursing was sitting in a carriage on the road outside the city.

The rhythmic sound of horse hooves echoed softly.

For some reason, his mind wandered to the image of Yue Mingxuan’s eyes narrowing contentedly after a meal.

The thought made him smile faintly.

Giving up a few signature dishes for him doesn’t seem like such a loss after all, he thought.

When Yue Mingxuan finally returned to his residence, Sui He hurried out to greet him.

She took the food box from his hands and started scolding him with worry, "Your Highness, you’re finally back! I’ve been worried sick since morning!"

Yue Mingxuan handed her a pouch and grinned. "A good cook can’t work without rice, right? I just went out to find us some rice."

Sui He opened the pouch and was stunned to see it full of silver notes and a pile of loose coins. She looked up in shock. "Your Highness, where did this money come from? Such a big amount, could it be that the people in Dongyue Kingdom finally learned how hard things have been for us?"

Listening to Sui He’s rambling, Yue Mingxuan couldn’t help but laugh.

A warm feeling spread in his chest.

Although life after crossing into this world had been full of hardships, heaven hadn’t been completely unkind to him.

At least he had the skills to survive and people who genuinely cared about him.

After throwing himself onto the bed, Yue Mingxuan smiled as he looked up at the silk canopy swaying gently above. "Sui He, I want to eat meat every day from now on. I can afford it now, right?"

Sui He clutched the silver notes and replied with a smile, "You could eat meat every day for years and still have plenty left. I don’t know how you got this fortune, but as long as you’re safe and happy, that’s enough for me."

"Sui He, I think I’ll rest for a bit," Yue Mingxuan murmured sleepily.

The drowsiness he had shaken off earlier returned and his eyelids began to droop.

As expected, eating too much makes you sleepy, he thought lazily before drifting off.

Seeing him asleep, Sui He quietly lowered the bed curtains and tiptoed out of the room.

Night had fallen deeply.

A thin crescent moon climbed slowly over the trees.

Shang Qinghua lay awake in his bed while tossing and turning restlessly.

"Damn it, what’s wrong with me?" he cursed under his breath.

It had already been an hour since he went to bed.

Although he was often a light sleeper, he had never been unable to fall asleep before.

Before he even realized it, his body had already acted on its own and he found himself standing outside the walls of Yue Mingxuan’s courtyard.

With a light movement, he jumped over the high wall easily; such a small barrier was nothing to someone like him.

The two guards at the gate were fast asleep, completely unaware of his arrival.

Looks like his days in beirong aren’t going well, Shang Qinghua thought, recalling how Yue Mingxuan had eaten nonstop at the restaurant earlier that day.

For some reason, a faint ache of pity stirred in his chest.

Inside Yue Mingxuan’s room, no lamps were lit.

Only pale moonlight slipped through the window and spilled over the bed.