The Emperor Doesn't Despise Me? Why Is He Still Using Force! - Chapter 2

Having heard Pei Yan’s inner thoughts, Xiao Jing’an withdrew his gaze, shifted it elsewhere, and gently caressed the jade pendant hanging at his waist.

“The young master has a small bug at the corner of his mouth.”

“What!” Pei Yan was so startled he almost jumped.

He hurriedly used his wide sleeve to wipe the corner of his mouth.

In all his life, he feared bugs the most.

Taking advantage of Pei Yan’s panic, when the latter was too distracted to pay attention to him, Xiao Jing’an cast his gaze back once more.

He stared at Pei Yan, his gaze growing increasingly deep, as if trying to probe something.

The person standing before him possessed a clear, handsome, and striking appearance; his porcelain-white skin was completely flawless, and his crow-wing-like, slender eyelashes curved gracefully at the outer corners of his eyes, making his rippling, water-apricot phoenix eyes appear exceptionally delicate.

His figure was slender, his attire and grooming proper, and a moon-white brocade robe lent him an additional air of gentle and refined detachment.

While lacking in imposing majesty, he more than made up for it in handsomeness and elegance.

The moment Pei Yan looked back, Xiao Jing’an had already lowered his eyelids.

“Thank you, young master.”

Pei Yan had already confirmed that there was no bug near his mouth.

Xiao Jing’an raised his eyes, his calloused fingertips moving back to the jade pendant at his waist, gently rubbing it.

“That bug flew onto your head.”

Pei Yan’s handsome face turned pale.

“Oh my god!”

How exasperating; why did this particular bug have to go out of its way to target him?

He raised his sleeve, intending to sweep the bug away indiscriminately, but then remembered that he still needed to maintain a neat and orderly appearance to go see his little dad.

If he just rummaged through his hair haphazardly like that, it would end up looking like a bird’s nest.

His dad detested people with sloppy grooming the most.

“Young master, would you be so kind as to help me get the bug off my head?”

Xiao Jing’an seemed not to have expected Pei Yan to ask for his help.

He looked momentarily stunned before saying, “Alright.”

With that, he stepped forward, reached out his slender fingers to pluck the non-existent bug from Pei Yan’s head, flicked it lightly, and let Pei Yan hear the sound of him tossing the bug away.

Immediately afterward, he took out a handkerchief and lowered his head to meticulously wipe his fingers.

At the same time, hidden high up in the lush branches of a nearby tree, his personal guard Sheng Dong curiously whispered to Sheng Nan beside him: “What on earth is Your Highness doing with all these unfathomable actions?”

Sheng Nan frowned, staring at his master in contemplation before answering: “My lord is probably just finding an excuse to spend time with the young master in white.”

Sheng Dong scratched the back of his head in bewilderment.

“Why would my lord go to such great lengths just to spend time with someone he has never met before?”

He pondered for a moment, his eyes lighting up as he added: “Oh, I guessed it! Could my lord be coveting the white-clad young master’s good looks?”

Sheng Nan shot him a sideways glance.

“My lord has always been ascetic and disciplined; how could he harbor such thoughts? Besides, didn’t you see that my lord only touched a single strand of his hair with his fingertips before wiping his hands over and over again in utter disgust!”

Down by the roadside, Pei Yan seemed to have noticed this exact thing.

He gazed at Xiao Jing’an, who had lowered his gaze and was already earnestly wiping his fingers for the umpteenth time.

[The tyrant is wiping his hands like that because he’s disgusted by me!]

[Hmph, if you’re disgusted by me, I’ll just stay far away from you. It’s best if we never see each other again.]

Just as Pei Yan was about to open his mouth to thank and bid farewell to Xiao Jing’an, the latter spoke up first.

“I have a rash allergy to bugs. If I don’t wipe my fingers clean after coming into contact with them, they will turn red, swell, itch, and ache.”

Xiao Jing’an lifted his eyelids, explaining in a detached tone.

Hidden in the tree, Sheng Dong squatted on a branch, his eyes blinking rapidly in utter confusion.

Sheng Nan stroked his chin: Why is my lord suddenly telling one lie after another today?

Pei Yan had always considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about Xiao Jing’an.

However, after hearing him claim that he developed rashes after contacting bugs, Pei Yan realized that his understanding was limited only to the middle-aged Xiao Jing’an.

After all, in his previous life, Xiao Jing’an had also plucked bugs off him—and he had done so proactively, without ever mentioning any allergy to bugs.

“Thank you, young master, for taking the risk of getting red, swollen, itchy, and painful to pluck the bug for me.”

To express his profound gratitude, Pei Yan cupped his hands and bowed deeply at the waist.

Naturally, the very next sentence would be his farewell.

Yet, someone seemed determined not to let him say goodbye.

“What is the young master’s name?”

Pei Yan could only politely reply: “Yan Qing.”

[Fine, I don’t want to have too many entanglements with you tyrant, so I’m certainly not going to tell you my real name is Pei Yan.]

While answering Xiao Jing’an, Pei Yan had already fabricated a fake identity for himself. After all, according to the usual script, once someone asks for your name, they immediately ask where you are gainfully employed.

However, his counterpart did not follow the standard script.

“My name is Xiao Jing’an, the reigning Eighth Prince.”

Pei Yan instantly felt a toothache, followed by a wide rounding of his bright, charming water-apricot phoenix eyes. He feigned shock, then quickly lowered his posture and cupped his hands in another bow.

“This humble commoner is blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. Greetings, Eighth Prince.”

[Why did you have to reveal your identity? Now look at this—you won’t leave, and I can’t take the initiative to walk away either. I’m going to be stuck entangling myself with you right here.]

[Hmph, Eighth Prince? More like Prince Bastard!]

A visible, violent twitch appeared at the corner of Xiao Jing’an’s temple.

He gave Pei Yan a deep look, his dark eyes seeming to suppress something heavy.

“Yan Qing need not be so constrained; just interact with me as you did a moment ago.”

Pei Yan said with polite courtesy: “Understood, this commoner obeys your command.”

A few simple words drew a stark, unmistakable line of social class between the two of them.

It was filled with thick barriers and guarded distance.

Making it impossible for anyone to get close, probe, or uncover secrets in a short span of time.

Xiao Jing’an raised his eyes to check the sky.

“I am heading to the hunting grounds on official business. Tomorrow, by the end of the Hour of Shen, let us continue our meeting at Hongsheng Teahouse.”

Pei Yan nodded with a trace of reverence: “This commoner obeys.”

[Who wants to continue meeting with you? Tomorrow I am definitely going to stand you up… Huh? He’s going to the hunting grounds!]

Pei Yan’s pupils shrank slightly, and then he lowered his gaze, carefully calculating the timeline.

Xiao Jing’an’s gaze flickered slightly as he silently observed every subtle change in the other’s facial expressions.

At that moment, the corners of Pei Yan’s lips twitched.

It looked as though he wanted to sigh, but managed to hold it back.

[The tyrant is going to face danger at the hunting grounds; the Third Prince is plotting to harm him and will secretly shoot an arrow at him.]

[Though he manages to dodge the fatal spot, his left wrist will be pierced through, severing his tendon. From that day on, his left hand will be crippled.]

Xiao Jing’an lowered his head, gazing at his own left wrist with an unfathomable expression.

Relieved that he wouldn’t have to keep entangling himself with the future monarch before him, Pei Yan felt a surge of great cheer.

With a smile curving his eyes and brows, he cupped his hands toward Xiao Jing’an and said, “This commoner respectfully sees off the Eighth Prince.”

Xiao Jing’an looked up at him, the corners of his lips curving upward in a faint, subtle smile: “Yan Qing, please go ahead.”

“Then this commoner will not be modest and take his leave.”

[Heh heh, Eighth Bastard, see you never!]

Pei Yan smiled with his eye corners slightly upturned, adding an even more bewitching and alluring charm to his look.

Xiao Jing’an silently stared as that tall, slender, and lean figure gradually faded from his field of vision. His gaze turned cold and gloomy, and his crisp, clear voice slowly sounded:

“Follow him, and investigate his background and identity thoroughly.”

Sheng Dong and Sheng Nan materialized before him, dropping to one knee on the ground and speaking in unison: “Subordinates obey.”

Sheng Nan pondered aloud: “If he does something detrimental to Your Highness, how should subordinates handle it?”

His lord had always been this meticulous only toward people destined for execution; this one should be no exception.

Sheng Dong also waited for his lord’s reply.