Xiao Yeyang had polished off the cake in no time.
Daohua looked on admiringly, then asked, âDonât you feel queasy?â
Xiao Yeyang gave her an annoyed glance and belched, âWhat do you think?â
The cake was delicious, sure, but eating one or two jin in one sitting was bound to make anyone feel sick.
Daohua snorted, âItâs your fault for giving me such a big piece of cake. If you divided it among others, you wouldnât feel sick.â
Xiao Yeyang looked at her sideways, âThis piece of cake had my name on it. Are you saying you want to give me away to someone else?â
Daohua was speechless, âItâs just a cake, not about giving you away.â
After saying these words, Daohua paused for a moment.
Wait, that sounded a bit ambiguous⦠and oddly unsettling.
Before she could think further, Xiao Yeyang said, âEven the cake wonât do. Arenât you disgusted by the thought of someone else eating the cake with my name on it?â
Daohua laughed, âWhy would I feel disgusted?â
After all, it was he who was eating it, not her.
Xiao Yeyang glared at Daohua fiercely, too lazy to argue any more. Seeing a bit of cream lingering at the corner of her mouth, he reached out to wipe it off.
He had intended just to clean off the cream, but as his hand touched Daohuaâs soft, smooth cheek, he didnât want to pull it back anymore.
âSmack!â
Daohua slapped away Xiao Yeyangâs hand and looked around nervously to see if anyone had noticed. Seeing no one, she glared fiercely at Xiao Yeyang, âGood heavens, canât you keep your hands to yourself?â
âI⦠I was just trying to wipe off the cream at the corner of your mouth.â Xiao Yeyang showed her the cream stuck on his hand.
Upon seeing the cream, Daohua pressed her lips together, her tone softening somewhat, âEven so, you shouldnât just touch me. You should have told me so I could wipe it off myself.â
âIf others had seen what you just did, they wouldnât scold you; they would criticize me. Especially now that youâve got a childhood sweetheart for a cousin.â
Hearing the term âchildhood sweetheart,â Xiao Yeyang stood up abruptly, âWhat childhood sweetheart? Donât talk nonsense!â
Daohua, âAm I talking nonsense? Go and find out for yourself, see if thatâs what others are saying.â
Xiao Yeyang furrowed his brows and looked at Defu.
Defu, grudgingly, nodded his head.
Xiao Yeyangâs expression cooled instantly, âWhat exactly is going on?â
Daohua was surprised, âYouâre the person in question, and you donât know?â
Xiao Yeyang glanced at her and said nothing, merely staring at Defu.
Defu, ââ¦. Madam Jiang often tells the ladies at various banquets that you and Miss Jiang grew up together in the Empress Dowagerâs palace. Later, those who wanted to ingratiate themselves with the Jiang Family started the rumor about the childhood sweethearts.â
At this, Xiao Yeyang suddenly emanated a chilling aura.
Daohua couldnât help but shiver, glancing at the big sun in the sky and discreetly moving to the side.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Yeyang suddenly turned to Daohua, âDonât believe what those people say; theyâre all talking nonsense. How could my cousin Wan Ying and I ever be considered childhood sweethearts?â
âYes, I grew up in the Imperial Palace, but I lived with the Princes. Cousin Wan Ying often played in the Taihou Palace, and I only spoke with her when I went to pay respects.â
âIf thatâs all it takes to be childhood sweethearts, then Iâm also childhood sweethearts with the Princesses, and she with the Princes.â
Seeing Xiao Yeyang so agitated, Daohua quickly comforted him and pulled at his sleeve to sit down, âIf itâs not true, then itâs not. Why get so worked up?â
Xiao Yeyang frowned, âItâs you who misunderstood me.â
ââ¦â
Daohua fell silent for a moment, then smiled wryly, âMy mistake.â
Xiao Yeyang, âItâs obviously your mistake. If you want to talk about childhood sweethearts, you and I would be more likely candidates, not my cousin Wan Ying whoâs merely a slightly more familiar playmate.â
Daohua, ââ¦â
Defu felt like looking up at the sky again.
After all this talk, wasnât his master just trying to lead up to that last point?
Daohua was stunned for a moment, then laughed awkwardly, âUs two⦠we canât really be linked to childhood sweethearts, can we?â
Xiao Yeyang wouldnât have it, âHow is it not? Arenât we getting along very well?â
Daohua chuckled and averted her gaze, âYou get along pretty well with Yuanyao and Jingwan too. Does that mean you are also childhood sweethearts with them?â She said, then suddenly stood up.
âTo me, all this childhood sweetheart business is nonsense, weâre just playmates.â
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, noticing her eyes wandering and her expression evasive, as if she felt somewhat embarrassed. The corners of his mouth immediately curled up, but he didnât press the topic any further.
âCome here, see what Iâve brought you.â
Seeing Xiao Yeyang changing the subject, Daohua let out a sigh of relief, readjusted her expression before turning back. As she did, she saw Xiao Yeyang taking a plate of lychees out from a food box filled with ice cubes.
âLychees!â
Daohuaâs gaze was immediately drawn in.
Seeing her eyes light up instantly, Xiao Yeyang smiled, took a lychee, peeled it, and then fed it directly to Daohuaâs mouth.
âEat!â
Seeing Daohua frozen, Xiao Yeyang had to urge once more.
âOh!â
Daohua blankly opened her mouth and took the lychee into her mouth in one go.
The lychee was rather large, and Daohuaâs mouth was small. With a lychee in her mouth, she looked like a greedy hamster, her cheeks all puffed up.
Xiao Yeyang laughed outright.
Daohua glanced at him and held a fan up to her face, âWhat are you laughing at?â
Xiao Yeyang didnât say much but asked, âIs it tasty?â
Daohua, âWhy donât you try one for yourself and see?â
Xiao Yeyang looked at the plate of lychees, âNever mind, Iâll save them for you. Theyâre a rarity, and this is the only plate I got. If we were in Beijing, I could get you some more, but here, once eaten, theyâre gone.â
Hearing this, Daohua felt extremely uncomfortable inside. She wasnât paying attention and choked.
âCough cough~â
Xiao Yeyang quickly got up to pat her back, âLook at you, how could you be so careless?â
Daohua coughed for a while before she recovered.
Xiao Yeyang, âAre you okay now? How did you end up choking all of a sudden?â
Seeing the concern in Xiao Yeyangâs eyes, Daohuaâs gaze was somewhat evasive, and her heart felt a bit chaotic, âXiao Yeyang, you donât have to be so nice to me in the future.â
Xiao Yeyang was initially taken aback, then seeing Daohuaâs flushed cheeks, he laughed again, âItâs just a plate of lychees, how does that count as nice?â He then peeled another lychee, âHere, have another one.â
Seeing the lychee near her mouth, Daohua turned her head away, âYou eat it.â
Xiao Yeyangâs eyes flickered, and he smiled, âThen you peel it for me.â
Daohua, âWhy should I?â
Xiao Yeyang, âI peeled for you, so you should reciprocate. Donât you know how this works?â
Daohua glared, âKeep dreaming, Iâm not peeling it for you.â
Xiao Yeyang âhmphed,â âFine, donât peel it then. Are you going to eat this one or not?â He stretched out his hand, holding up the peeled lychee.
Daohua turned her head away, âI wonât eat the one you peeled; I can do it myself.â
Xiao Yeyang looked at the lychee in his hand, âIf you wonât eat it, I will.â Saying this, he ate the lychee in his hand.
Upon seeing this, Daohua stamped her foot in frustration.
He had just offered that very lychee to her moments ago.
Xiao Yeyang, seeing Daohua staring at him, feigned innocence, âYou were the one who said no, so I ate it.â
Daohua, huffing, turned away, no longer wanting to look at him.
How had she never noticed before that this man could be so brazen?
Xiao Yeyang, seeing Daohua sitting motionless, pushed the agate plate with the lychees closer to her, âThese lychees need to be chilled to be good. Once they warm up, they wonât be as delicious.â