novelaction Chapter 23: Almost Exposed
Chapter 23: Almost Exposed
In other words, King Jinglie was playing her from the very beginning.
And she took it seriously.
Realizing this, Lin Rusi's anger flared up instantly.
She jumped to her feet, the movement so violent that the boat rocked.
She glared angrily at King Jinglie, her features contorted in anger; where was her former gentle demeanor?
"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
"My daughter was concerned for you, and you treat me like a fool? Does Your Highness think..."
Lin Rusi stopped mid-sentence, the words she was about to say stuck in her throat.
She pursed her lips, wishing she could slap herself twice.
She was so angry that she actually lost her temper in front of King Jinglie.
At this moment, King Jinglie was staring at her coldly, his eyes filled with a probing look.
Her heart jumped, filled with frustration and regret.
He almost revealed his true self in front of King Jinglie.
She needs to calm down.
Lin Rusi took a deep breath, and the anger in her eyes subsided somewhat.
"Your Highness, you shouldn't tease my daughter like that."
She frowned, reverting to her usual gentle and delicate appearance.
"My daughter thought she had really displeased the Prince, and she was terrified,"
As she spoke, she patted her chest, still shaken, and exhaled a long breath.
Seeing Lin Rusi continue acting, King Jinglie laughed instead of getting angry.
He looked away from the boatman and said, "It's getting late, let's go back."
"Thank you for accompanying Miss Lin on the lake excursion. I will personally escort you back to your residence."
On the way back in the sedan chair, Lin Rusi sat opposite Prince Jinglie, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
She was truly afraid of King Jinglie.
She could pretend very well in front of others, but King Jinglie always seemed to be able to see through her true nature easily.
And they manipulated it.
Lin Rusi disliked this feeling very much.
She looked at the pedestrians outside the sedan chair with a troubled expression, unaware that King Jinglie was scrutinizing her.
Upon arriving at the Lin residence, as soon as the sedan chair came to a stop, Lin Rusi eagerly stepped down from it.
Slow down.
King Jinglie jumped down from the sedan chair first and stretched out his hand.
Lin Rusi paused for a moment, then placed her hand in his palm.
His palms were just the right temperature and looked strong and powerful.
Holding his hand, I felt inexplicably safe.
Just as I stood still, a soft, sweet voice came from afar, "You're back?"
Lin Ruqin stood in front of the door, slightly out of breath, her eyes fixed on Jing Lie Wang, as if she wanted to stick them to him.
Lin Rusi was somewhat surprised, not expecting her to come out to greet her.
But why is she staring at King Jinglie the whole time?
Lin Ruqin lifted her skirt and walked over with small, quick steps.
Perhaps he was staring too intently at King Jinglie and didn't notice his footing, so he missed a step.
Her face turned deathly pale, and she stumbled forward.
King Jinglie watched Lin Ruqin, who was about to fall, without making a move. Lin Rusi, on the other hand, stepped forward with her heart pounding and caught her waist at the last moment.
After Lin Ruqin stood still, Lin Rusi exhaled a breath of stale air and asked with concern, "Sister, are you alright?"
Lin Ruqin frowned, hurriedly broke free from her grasp, and took a few steps back in a panic.
Lin Rusi's hand froze in mid-air, her expression blank.
She curled her hands up and awkwardly let her arms hang down at her sides.
"I'm fine."
Because she had just stepped into the air, Lin Ruqin's face was already pale, and now it was even more deathly white.
And he kept avoiding Lin Rusi, as if she were some kind of plague.
This action deeply hurt Lin Rusi's heart. She bit her lower lip, feeling guilty.
She bullied Lin Ruqin so badly in the past that Lin Ruqin is still afraid of her now.
Unfortunately, the past cannot be undone; all she can do is try to make the present better.
"Sister, I was just concerned about you."
Lin Rusi tentatively took a few steps closer to Lin Ruqin, trying her best to make her smile look kinder than usual.
"Be more careful when you walk in the future, and don't miss a step again."
She reached out to touch Lin Ruqin.
Before her hand even touched Lin Ruqin's sleeve, she pushed her arm back as if she had been electrocuted.
Although her movements were subtle, Lin Rusi still noticed them.
She smiled slightly, then withdrew her hand. "It's good that you're alright, sister."
Lin Ruqin kept her eyes down, looking frightened.
This caught the attention of King Jinglie.
His brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Although Lin Rusi is good at acting, she doesn't like to interact with him with her true self.
But he could tell that Lin Rusi was genuinely worried about Lin Ruqin.
Lin Ruqin showed no reaction to Lin Rusi's concern; instead, she appeared timid and cowardly.
Is there some kind of grudge between the two?
"Your Highness."
Lin Rusi's cool voice pulled King Jinglie back from his chaotic thoughts.
She gave a slight curtsy to Prince Jinglie, her expression aloof, and there was no trace of fear in her eyes or brows.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back, Your Highness. See you next time."
Are they kicking you out so quickly?
What King Jinglie found even more incomprehensible was Lin Rusi's behavior.
At the restaurant and on the boat, she acted like a timid and fearful young woman.
Now she's excessively aloof, a stark contrast to her earlier panicked and timid demeanor.
King Jinglie stared intently at Lin Rusi's eyes and brows, his sharp gaze seemingly trying to see through her true thoughts beneath her face.
Lin Rusi did not shy away from Jinglie Wang's scrutiny at all, and calmly met his gaze.
Their eyes met, Lin Rusi nodded slightly, then turned and walked towards the Lin residence, instructing the steward to close the door.
King Jinglie stood frozen in place, staring intently in the direction Lin Rusi had left, until the door closed.
Recalling Lin Rusi's two different faces towards him, King Jinglie couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, "Interesting."
The guard Wutong couldn't stand it any longer and drew his sword, ready to step forward. "This is outrageous! Our prince hasn't even left yet, and she's already ordering the door closed. Isn't that trying to drive the prince away?"
King Jinglie stopped him, saying, "It's alright."
"But Your Highness..."
Wutong couldn't understand why King Jinglie would still protect Lin Rusi, who was so ignorant of the rules!
"She doesn't even respect the prince yet, let alone become a princess. How will she tolerate him in the future?"
King Jinglie laughed nonchalantly, "Isn't this more interesting?"
He has never liked boring people and things; how could he find fun in that?
Lin Rusi is different.
King Jinglie once thought he had seen through Lin Rusi, but now it seems...
I underestimated her; that little girl was far more unpredictable than I had imagined.
Looking at the plaque of the Lin residence, Prince Jinglie said thoughtfully, "I guess the Jinglie Prince's residence will never be able to stay quiet again."