Who Told You to Kiss Me!

Without any state affairs to deal with, the two naturally left Mingde Hall.

Their Grand Wedding was ten days away.

It didn't really matter to either of them. It was just a public declaration of their relationship.

What excited Chu Ning even more was the change in Ye Qinglian's attitude.

Chu Ning cheerfully held Ye Qinglian's hand. Looking at her stiff, tense expression, he kept wanting to laugh.

"Qinglian, the Grand Wedding is coming up soon. Do you really have to be so tense? Can't you relax a little? We're going to be husband and wife, after all, right?"

At that, Ye Qinglian immediately sneered.

"We'll be husband and wife in name only. Your role is to look after the child once the Dragon Prince is born. I'll handle state affairs myself."

"And let go of me. Did I say you could hold my hand? How have you gotten so shameless?"

"You've got the wrong idea."

"What wrong idea? Isn't that the truth?"

"I've always been this shameless. Don't think I'm some paragon of virtue."

Ye Qinglian's face remained expressionless as she tried to pull her hand back, but Chu Ning held on tight.

He smiled.

"I'm just worried you'll slip and fall or something. I feel better with me holding your hand."

"Don't you have anything better to do? Have you been practicing your cultivation?"

A trace of sword intent gathered in Chu Ning's hand. He casually struck the tree in front of him.

The tree, as thick as a wrist, was cleaved in two.

"Practicing? I'm pretty quick at it. Otherwise, how would I have time to keep you company?"

Looking at the tree he had cut down, Ye Qinglian paused for a moment, then put on a stern face. "There's no end to cultivation. Diligence is the path to enlightenment. What does a little sword intent amount to?"

"Actually, I'm a hidden master with incredibly high cultivation. I don't need to practice at all."

"Even if your cultivation is impressive, you still need to study the Ye family's techniques thoroughly and improve. Understand?"

"Understood, understood. But you can't expect me to practice every single day. At least give me some motivation."

Ye Qinglian answered with a cold sneer.

"You cultivate for your own sake. If you need motivation for something like this, then you're beyond help!"

At that, Chu Ning smiled and helped Ye Qinglian sit down, taking great care.

"That's true for other people, but not me. You're my motivation to cultivate now."

"How are you feeling? Have you been uncomfortable at all lately?"

Ye Qinglian fell silent for a moment as she looked at the man who cared for her so much. For a while, she didn't know what to say.

She had once thought he only cared about her because he wanted to usurp the throne. But now, it seemed he genuinely cared.

Whether he cared about her or the child in her belly, though, was another matter. Perhaps it was simply because of the child!

After all, hadn't Chu Ning said himself that he had no real feelings for her, and that once she gave birth, he'd focus all his attention on the child?

There was no way to prove it in the near future. She couldn't just give birth now, either. Still, Chu Ning had been looking after her with remarkable attentiveness lately.

Ye Qinglian had never experienced this kind of affection before. Now, whether Chu Ning cared because of the child or because of her, she felt content, at least.

"Other than feeling a little sleepy, I'm fine."

"Do you throw up much?"

Ye Qinglian turned her face away and replied coolly, "I did at first, but I haven't since you started cooking for me."

Chu Ning nodded in understanding and reached out to rub her rounded belly.

Ye Qinglian glared at him, clearly displeased!

Who said you could touch me? Keep that dog paw to yourself, or I'll chop it off!

Chu Ning chuckled.

"The sooner we have the Grand Wedding, the better. Otherwise, it'll be hard to explain. If it weren't for how loose your Dragon Robe is, people might have noticed by now."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this state!"

Ye Qinglian grumbled, but still let Chu Ning keep touching her.

There were some changes she wasn't sure how to talk about.

Recently, her chest had been getting more and more swollen...

Her old belly band didn't fit at all anymore. Now she had to change to a larger one every few days...

She had heard of this sort of thing. It probably meant that once the child was born, she would have to nurse it herself...

But even so, it shouldn't be changing this quickly. Was it because she had been eating so well lately?

It was just too embarrassing to bring up, and there was no way she could tell Chu Ning.

Otherwise, he might say something like, "Let me take a look"!

Still, seeing how much Chu Ning cared about her now made Ye Qinglian's heart stir. She had gradually lowered her guard against him.

Whatever else could be said, he genuinely cared about her now. A gentleman should be judged by his actions, not his thoughts.

Just as she was thinking this, Chu Ning suddenly sat down beside her, their shoulders pressed close together.

Ye Qinglian hesitated for a moment but didn't move away. She simply stared at Chu Ning with an expressionless face.

He smiled, then spoke with a hint of emotion.

"To be honest, I never thought I'd have a child so soon. Becoming a father out of nowhere still feels like a dream sometimes."

Ye Qinglian pinched Chu Ning without the slightest hesitation.

"And how does it feel now?"

"So it's not a dream. I have to think about how to be a good father. There's a lot I don't know, so all I can do is help you deal with as much of the trouble as I can."

Chu Ning was still smiling.

"It's only natural that you're suspicious of me. Our relationship changed so suddenly, and becoming the child's father was sudden, too. But no matter what, I have this responsibility, which is why I've done all those things for you."

"You don't need to dwell on what I said today, or worry about anything. I'll do everything I can to make things happen, and I'll help you deal with any problems I can. You and the child in your belly are already the greatest reward I could ask for."

"How should I put it? I suppose it's something to look forward to."

Ye Qinglian narrowed her eyes slightly.

"So the only thing that's kept you going all this time is your responsibility as a father?"

Her words sounded casual, but there was a trap hidden in them.

"If it were only about responsibility, I wouldn't have gone this far."

Ye Qinglian asked, puzzled, "Then why?"

Chu Ning tightened his grip on Ye Qinglian's hand and replied earnestly, "Because I want to win Your Majesty's heart, of course! I've done so much for Your Majesty, and I'm the child's father. Even if Your Majesty has a heart of stone, surely you'll change eventually. And when Your Majesty finally does, it won't just be a sense of responsibility between us—we'll be in love with each other!"

Ye Qinglian froze, her face turning red. Then she gave a soft snort.

"You're just a mere mortal, yet you talk so big, as if you could solve every problem I have. You should take a good look at your own abilities..."

She couldn't stand hearing Chu Ning say things like that. Every time she did, her heart turned to chaos.

All she could do was hide her feelings behind words like those.

Chu Ning could tell what Ye Qinglian was thinking. She didn't truly look down on him; she was just too proud to admit how she felt.

Feeling the warmth of the woman beside him and catching the fragrance that lingered around her, Chu Ning slowly leaned closer.

"Qinglian, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Ye Qinglian composed herself, returning to her usual cool expression.

"What?"

She turned her head, and Chu Ning was already right in front of her.

There was no time to dodge. He kissed her just like that.

Ye Qinglian's mind went completely blank!

She felt the warm softness of his lips. It was nothing like the bite she had given Chu Ning that morning—it was gentler, and felt so much better...

Her nearly frozen mind slowly came back to life. Her eyes widened, and her face flushed red.

"W-who said you could kiss me!"

She shoved Chu Ning away and glared at him, her whole body trembling.

"How dare you take such liberties with me! You've got some nerve. You're not even the Emperor Consort yet!"

Chu Ning looked at Ye Qinglian curiously.

"Didn't you say I didn't need to ask and could just do it? How could I pass up such a good opportunity..."

"You!"

Her expression was furious and embarrassed. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole. Without another word, she punched Chu Ning hard!

"Even if I said that, you still can't!"

"No matter how good you are to me, you still can't! If you dare kiss me, I'll have you beheaded!"