Chapter 41

"Need a hand?"

Shi Changyuan watched Mushroom struggle in and out from beneath the bed, then reached over and lifted Lin Ling up in one swift motion, dusting him off without disgust.

"Why are you here?"

Lin Ling had not been prepared to see Shi Changyuan. The moment he appeared, his heart began pounding wildly. He looked at Shi Changyuan, his eyelashes trembling fiercely, his tone and posture both unnatural.

The two of them had already pierced the paper window between them, yet had not made things clear or formally confirmed their relationship.

Mushroom's thoughts were twisted into a complete mess.

Some storybooks said that the proper process was to propose first. If a man and woman became too intimate before getting formally engaged, people would point fingers and gossip behind their backs.

But other storybooks had them kissing right away, kissing with loud smacking sounds, and no one cared at all.

Lin Ling's gaze drifted uncertainly over Shi Changyuan's face as he blinked.

Which book should he follow?

There was still dust on Lin Ling's face. Shunde handed him a handkerchief, but the absentminded Mushroom merely wiped haphazardly at his face and failed to clean anything off.

Shi Changyuan had no idea what Lin Ling was thinking, but he remained remarkably composed. He took the handkerchief from Lin Ling and wiped the dust from Mushroom's forehead, temple, and chin.

When Shi Changyuan pressed the handkerchief to Lin Ling's forehead, Lin Ling instinctively leaned back, staring at him with wide, round eyes.

"Don't move."

Shi Changyuan expertly held Mushroom by the back of his neck and seriously cleaned Lin Ling up without explaining anything, earning a condemning look from Mushroom.

"Come on. It's time for dinner."

Shi Changyuan casually took Lin Ling's hand. Lin Ling instantly stiffened all over, while the backs of his ears slowly turned pink.

Watching Mushroom in front of him nearly forget how to walk without moving the same hand and foot together, Shi Changyuan pondered for a moment before kindly deciding to distract him. "The Imperial Kitchen made two extra plates of pastries for you today."

"Really? What kind of pastries?"

Shi Changyuan never missed when he baited Mushroom.

Only when all the dishes had been served did Lin Ling realize that the Imperial Kitchen had done far more than simply add two plates of pastries. He stared at the table full of nourishing delicacies, utterly dumbfounded.

"What is this?" Lin Ling immediately turned toward Shi Changyuan. "Did you arrange this? Be careful, or people will gossip about you at court tomorrow."

Shi Changyuan smiled. "No. They won't."

"When Mushroom was hibernating, I told the public that you were ill."

That illness had lasted an entire winter. When they went to the Dragon Vein a few days ago, Shi Changyuan had also announced that he had taken Lin Ling to seek medical treatment. The ministers had all expressed understanding and sent gifts of concern.

"The new things in Lin Ling's room were sent by them. If you like them, play with them. If you don't, have them sent to the storeroom."

"Hiss—" Lin Ling suddenly gasped.

"Did you bite your tongue?" Shi Changyuan immediately leaned over to check.

"No, no." Lin Ling shook his head.

He had only suddenly realized that Shi Changyuan, as the ruler of humankind, lacked nothing. What could he possibly use as a betrothal gift? He also wanted to tell Shi Changyuan in a mighty, imposing manner, "If you like it, take it and play with it. If you don't, throw it away!"

Lin Ling sank into thought, and the atmosphere in the room abruptly fell quiet. It was not exactly awkward, though. Shi Changyuan kept feeding Lin Ling, and Lin Ling ate very happily.

Amid such a strange atmosphere, Lin Ling quickly finished his meal and received a letter from Liu Xiangyu outside the palace.

"Whose letter is it?" Shi Changyuan asked casually as he watched the plump carrier pigeon fly onto the dining table.

"Miss Liu's." Lin Ling answered without hesitation or uncertainty as he opened the letter.

[Greetings upon opening this letter.]

[What, what, what? Am I seeing this right? Lin Ling, you're really going to date someone? Who is it? Does His Majesty know? Does His Majesty approve? My ship isn't going to sink, is it? (crossed out) Or are you dating His Majesty??? Will you make an official announcement? Will I have the honor of attending the wedding? Can I run to be the child's godmother?]

[...]

[...]

Lin Ling looked at the question marks filling the letter and instinctively tried to block them, but it was already too late. Shi Changyuan understood the gist at a glance.

"It's nothing." Shi Changyuan's tone returned to normal. "You can give her a reward."

From those questions and the sheer number of question marks, Lin Ling could tell that Liu Xiangyu was practically anxious enough to rise from her wheelchair.

Only in the second sheet of the letter did Liu Xiangyu finally emerge from her anxious excitement and earnestly explain the basic process of romance to a complete beginner, including but not limited to confessing one's feelings, going on dates, and then physical contact...

Lin Ling discreetly studied it word by word, sentence by sentence.

At the end of the letter, Liu Xiangyu told Lin Ling to boldly take the initiative and seize the upper hand in one stroke.

It was a big, round promise, but Lin Ling swallowed it without hesitation.

As usual, he accompanied Shi Changyuan while he reviewed memorials, but this time was different.

Normally, when he got sleepy, he would run to Shi Changyuan's bedchamber and naturally, familiarly lie down on Shi Changyuan's bed to sleep.

But today... Lin Ling spent an entire evening psyching himself up. When drowsiness was about to strike, he pretended to be casual and lay down in the same place where he had already slept countless times before.

He was about to carry out a bold plan!

Shi Changyuan could tell what Lin Ling was thinking just by looking at his expression, as though he were bravely marching toward his own execution. He smiled. Half an hour later, he extinguished the lamps and lay down on the bed as well.

He had never rested at this hour before. Before blowing out the lamps, he had seen the shock filling Lin Ling's eyes.

The moon was especially bright that night, its faint light allowing those in the darkness to barely make out their surroundings. Once the lamps in the bedchamber were extinguished, most of the palace servants outside withdrew, leaving only the night watch.