Yes, I wanted to take advantage of you. So what?

After the loud call for help, Li Weizhou was the first to come over.

"Xu Su, let me help you."

As he spoke, he started bending down, reaching out to help Xu Su pull his shoe free.

Seeing this, Xu Su immediately raised a hand in refusal and said, "No ducking..."

"Need."

Huo Yuchen, who had arrived at some point, finished the refusal the moment Xu Su spoke, as naturally as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.

Li Weizhou looked up to see Huo Yuchen slip an arm around Xu Su's waist while regarding him with an indifferent expression.

"I'll handle it."

Those few words carried an overbearing authority that brooked no argument.

Li Weizhou straightened stiffly and slowly, his hand shifting awkwardly in midair. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.

Xu Su noticed his embarrassment but paid it no mind.

Turning to Huo Yuchen, who had him encircled in his arms, he asked, "Are you planning to pull my shoe out, or pull me out?"

At his words, Huo Yuchen lowered his eyes to him.

The moment their eyes met, Huo Yuchen's indifferent gaze instantly softened a little.

"What do you think?"

His cool, distant tone grew considerably gentler too.

The live comments instantly exploded.

[Oh my, oh my, I'm not even going to say it~]

[Who's grinning at their screen like a doting aunt? Me!!!!!!]

[Seriously, how does one stupid shoe turn into something this sickeningly sweet?]

[You're all my witnesses. I didn't choose to ship them. They're forcing my head down and making me ship them! I'm an innocent headless soldier!!!]

[Just clicked in. Genuine question: when Xu Su said "pull out," what exactly was he talking about...]

[You above me, your horny is showing.]

Xu Su did not think about Huo Yuchen's question.

Not because he could not be bothered, but because before he had the chance, Huo Yuchen's strong, muscular arms had already scooped him up sideways.

"Oh-"

The sudden feeling of weightlessness drew a soft gasp from him, and his mud-covered hands instinctively looped around Huo Yuchen's neck.

Noticing this, Huo Yuchen lowered his gaze slightly and teased, "Holding on so tightly. Are you afraid you'll fall, or..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but the sexual innuendo was unmistakable.

Anyone even slightly normal in his place would probably have blushed and felt their heart race.

But who was Xu Su?

Trying to tease him?

Ha.

They would only get teased right back!

"Yes, I wanted to take advantage of you. So what?"

Xu Su raised an eyebrow, his lips curling slightly. His teasing gaze paired with his frivolous tone made him look every bit the dissolute young master who visited brothels daily in ancient times.

Huo Yuchen said nothing.

After a fleeting, subtle shift in his expression, he strode steadily toward the bank.

"Click..."

The bridal carry was far too intimate, and their brief exchange far too explicit, so this little interlude promptly caused an uproar on the trending searches.

#The crown prince Bridal carry#

#Huo Yuchen and Xu Su Intimate embrace with full body contact#

#Xu Su Admits he wants to sleep with Huo Yuchen#

From a certain perspective, these trending topics had already veered into absurdity.

But that was fine. The internet loved them.

Once they reached the bank, Huo Yuchen gently set Xu Su down. "Stay seated. I'll do the picking."

Xu Su's muddy hand swiftly caught his arm. "That doesn't seem right. I only lost a shoe. It's not like I broke my leg."

Huo Yuchen gave him a sidelong glance. "You get all the points."

Xu Su let go at lightning speed. "Thank you for your hard work!"

Whether he worked or not did not matter. What mattered was who got the points.

If you could reap without sowing, never toil away-a supreme truth among beasts of burden!

In the middle of the lotus pond, Li Weizhou's dark gaze remained fixed on them.

Watching them joke with such easy familiarity and touch each other so naturally and intimately, he felt a jumble of emotions.

Perhaps that saying really was true: "What you've lost is always the best."

He had once ignored Xu Su's adoration and attempts to please him, his enthusiasm and smiles, countless times, until now, Xu Su no longer had eyes for him.

If he had accepted Xu Su's love back then, what would things look like now...

Li Weizhou asked himself that question silently.

The summer breeze brushed his cheeks, muggy and hot, carrying a loneliness that made it hard to breathe.

He took several deep breaths and heard that Lu Jing and Zhuang Luo had arrived after hurrying over in the old mule cart.

Shifting his gaze, he saw Zhuang Luo watching him with a hint of reproach in his eyes.

Their eyes met across the distance for a moment. In the end, Li Weizhou suppressed his displeasure and walked toward Zhuang Luo.

Honestly, if there had not been cameras around, he definitely would not have gone over.

By the time they shared the frame again, their camera-ready expressions were already in place.

"Luoluo, you're here. Thanks for making the trip."

Zhuang Luo returned a gentle smile. "It's fine. Just thinking that I'd get to see you as soon as I arrived made me happy."

Beside them, Lu Jing went, "...?"

Did I lose my memory?

Were those dogs fighting like their lives depended on it behind my house last night?

Lu Jing blinked and scratched his head like a doofus.

[Disgusting.]

[Those two have really mastered the art of grossing people out.]

[Which is more disgusting, American underwear or these two?]

After changing into waterproof waders under the staff's guidance, Lu Jing and Zhuang Luo cautiously headed toward the lotus pond.

The clay mud in the lotus pond was black and thick, dotted with shallow pools of filthy water of various sizes, with countless dried lotus stalks sticking out of it. One glance made it clear that this would not be easy work.

Zhuang Luo was already in a terrible mood. Seeing this was like being inexplicably dumped in the middle of nowhere, finally finding the way back after struggling for ages, only to discover that the entire route was covered in human shit. He was both irritated and disgusted.

Only after repeatedly suppressing his aversion did he barely manage to control his expression and take a difficult step forward.

Before he had taken more than a couple of steps, he casually caught sight of a familiar figure a short distance to his right suddenly moving-

Xu Su, who had been sitting as still as a meditating monk, suddenly jumped into the lotus pond and reached out to pluck a lotus leaf that still retained its moisture.

Then he hopped right back onto the bank with a patter, lay straight down, and covered his flower-pretty face with the lotus leaf-

As though he intended to have a good nap.

"?"

A question mark promptly popped up over Zhuang Luo's head.

He glanced sideways again at Huo Yuchen, who was hard at work.

Three seconds later, his seemingly very intelligent brain reached a conclusion:

Xu Su was slacking off instead of working!

Another three seconds later, his brain, which actually was not particularly bright, crapped out another idea:

If I can use this chance to let Huo Yuchen see how good I am... Yes! That's what I'll do!

Having confidently devised a perfect plan in his mind, ten minutes later, Zhuang Luo, who had been picking lotus roots toward the center of the pond, "naturally" picked his way right in front of Huo Yuchen.

-Who, of course, was working along the edge of the pond.