Chapter 240 - The Sudden Attack
Chapter 240 The Sudden Attack
Seeing the faint smile on Lin Mengya’s delicate face, Long Tianyu swallowed the idea which he wanted to say.
“Was his princess wife going to give him a surprise?”
“So isn’t it just a program that you have to conduct? Oh yes, there’s something else I want to discuss with you, Your Highness.”
She was wearing a sweet smile and her eyes were beaming with such brilliance that it made Long Tianyu’s heart quiver. He wondered what this lass was up to once again. What antics would she be pulling on some unlucky person?
Subconsciously, a relaxed smile broke out on Long Tianyu’s face. Even he was not aware of the loving tenderness in his own expression.
“What is it about?”
It seemed that he had not turned down any of Lin Mengya’s requests lately. While her thoughts and ideas were like fireworks that were hard to grasp, no one was able to see through her intentions, until the moment it burned brightly.
“I’d like to know what will be the decoration theme for the day, as I will be drawing something according to the same theme. Please help me source the best workmen who can get everything ready in time. We will become an overnight celebrity during the banquet.”
On that day, all the elders and relatives would be present in the palace. If she was able to produce an outstanding work of art, Long Tianyu would receive further recognition. She really enjoyed seeing the dejected look on the Crown Prince, but she had to strictly ensure that no one disrupted what she was going to do in the coming few days.
Lin Mengya was so immersed in her thoughts that she was totally unaware that the belt on her cloak had come loose, when she hurried in with quick steps.
Glancing at Lin Mengya, Long Tianyu was concerned that she would catch a cold, because unlike the Liuxin Courtyard, which was warm like spring or summer, it was rather cold here. He instinctively reached out his hand to fasten the belt of her cloak.
He nimbly made a knot on the belt with his slender fingers, thereby closing the gap between the two of them. Lin Mengya, who snapped back to reality all of a sudden, looked into Long Tianyu’s face, which was only inches away for hers. Immediately, her pretty face blushed deeply from embarrassment.
“Watch out, lest you catch a cold.”
The coals used in Lin Mengya’s room were silvery coals handpicked by Long Tianyu. They did not emit any unpleasant odor when burning. Instead, there was a sweet-smelling aroma when the coals burned.
Although Long Tianyu did not verbalize his concern for her, he had always taken careful note of her every need. He was aware that she did not like people to keep a close watch over her, so he had commanded his guards to stay hidden and protect her in secret. Even he did not inquire much about her whereabouts from those guards.
It was only because he knew that Lin Mengya would not do anything to harm him.
“Oh, thank you,Your Highness.”
Although his eyes and eyebrows were steadfast and cold, from her perspective, somehow it broke her heart to see the hardness in him.
“Your Highness, it is so cold in the study. Why don’t you come with me to my courtyard?”
Long Tianyu’s long, slender fingers were a little red. Although he was generally not afraid of cold, the temperature in his study was freezing, like being in an icehouse. What would she do if he fell ill from the chill?
Without hesitating, Lin Mengya stretched out her delicate and warm hands to grab hold of Long Tianyu’s hands, breathing on them, and rubbing his hands between her palms.
“Look how cold your hands are. Steward Deng, will you carry all of the Prince’s books and documents to my room. It’s so cold. Let’s all have a bowl of hot chicken soup each.”
Standing outside the room, Steward Deng and Lin Kui exchanged smiles. The beautiful couple in the room seemed to bring warmth to this frigid winter.
Lin Mengya’s attentive and sweet gesture of warming Long Tianyu’s hands, was like a warm current that flowed into Long Tianyu’s heart.
Although his Emperor father had doted on him since he was young, his father had always held on to the belief that a man should be hard-hearted, so he would not be taken down.
Maid Jinyue was the only person who would prepare a small heater, cotton clothes and pants for him, during winter time.
There were none other than Lin Mengya, who showed him warmth and tenderness.
“Look, now they won’t be so icy cold. You can’t really write smoothly if your fingers are stiff from the cold, right?”
Lifting her petite face to Long Tianyu, Lin Mengya smiled as she commented, only to see his eyes looking deeply at her. They were like a bottomless well, which Lin Mengya could not tear her eyes away from.
“You—”
Her pink lips parted a little and her cheeks blushed a little, making her look so lovely. Without hesitation, Long Tianyu lowered his head and pressed his thin lips onto Lin Mengya’s lips.
Long Tianyu’s breath came on her abruptly and forcefully, and Lin Mengya’s mouth was closed, as she was totally unprepared.
In reality, his kissing skill was not fantastic. However, this gentle contact had sucked away all her energy in an instant.
It felt as if she had been struck with an immobility curse. She leaned into Long Tianyu’s arms, as her cheeks turned a deep red, like a ripened apple ready to be harvested in autumn.
In her heart, however, she was cursing herself for being so useless. Was this not merely a kiss? Why were her legs turning into jelly?
She had to admit that she had been preoccupied with her research in her previous life, and she was totally inexperienced, when it came to her love life. She was reacting in this way, probably because she was not used to this new experience.
She stole a glance at Long Tianyu, and realized that this perpetrator was not doing any better.
How ridiculous of him to initiate a kiss on a woman!
Long Tianyu may have appeared calm, but in reality, a great earthquake had just occurred inside him, which turned his world upside down.
To be honest, he had never felt repulsed by Lin Mengya’s nearness. Being at close quarters was one thing, but having such an intimate contact, was another thing entirely.
At this moment, his thoughts were in a whirl. Her lips were so soft and her breath so fresh, he was not in the least repelled by her. The mind of this cold and relentless Prince Yu, had suddenly gone blank, over a kiss.
“I’m leaving, Your Highness! Those… things, I’ve asked Steward Deng to carry them over. Please check if I’ve left out anything you might need.”
Lin Mengya, feeling her cheeks burning, turned to leave immediately.
Heavens! She and Long Tianyu had actually kissed! And it was not under the influence of any drugs. Why then did she feel this burning sensation in her? Why was she feeling more intoxicated than if she had taken some medication?
Once outside, the cold air hit her face and Lin Mengya calmed down a little, as she patted her face.
Goodness! Why was she unable to stay calm and collected, given she had transcended from the modern world, to come to this world?
Reflecting on her reaction a moment ago, Lin Mengya started scolding herself quietly for indulging herself. It was not necessary to act like a pure and innocent young girl over a kiss!
It was all Long Tianyu’s fault! How could he be so handsome, in the first place?
The atmosphere felt bizarre the moment Long Tianyu entered the main hall in the Liuxin Courtyard, and the strange ambience lingered.
The four maidservants, together with two other maids who tagged along, looked at Steward Deng and Lin Kui in surprise, as they carried Long Tianyu’s belongings from his study, one by one into the princess’s room.
The most unusual thing of all was that the usually thick-skinned Lin Mengya had rushed in with blushing cheeks. Moreover, no one had yet been able to get her to come out of her room, after she dashed in.
Following that, Long Tianyu, who had a weird expression on his face, strode into the room, sat down at the study table and began going through the documents, looking unruffled.
Although Lin Mengya did not come out of her room, she had instructed Baiji and Baizhi to bring her ginseng tea and snacks. Neither Long Tianyu nor Lin Mengya, separated by a thin wall, were willing to take the first step forward.
Perhaps they were avoiding each other.
Lin Mengya had changed into her casual clothes in the inner chamber of her room. She wondered if it was because the weather tonight was rather warm, or could there be other reasons for her feeling hot all over?
All she could do was to leave the windows open, as she looked out at the moonlit sky.
However, Xiaoyu and Qinghu had chosen to ignore Long Tianyu, whose presence was an eyesore to them.
Under Long Tiaohao’s cold stare, they entered Lin Mengya’s room.
Long Tianyu furrowed his brows, but held back his dissatisfaction. Forget it, anyway the four maidservants were with Lin Mengya in her room. He supposed the two men would not have the audacity to do anything against the law.
“Master? Master?”
Baiji called out gently to Lin Mengya, when she saw that Lin Mengya was in a daze.
Lin Mengya appeared to have woken up from a dream, as she looked at her maidservant with big, liquid eyes. Those eyes looked so lovable.
“What happened?”
She batted her lashes, which looked like the wings of a flapping butterfly. Her intelligent mind had stopped working, much like a computer that had crashed.
Baiji covered her mouth to smother a chuckle.
“Prince Yu must has a way with things. Otherwise, we won’t ever have a chance to see our master in a daze, our entire lives.”
It was only when Lin Mengya heard Baiji’s teasing, that she realized just how much she had caused herself to be embarrassed.
She waved her hand in the air as if it were coming down on Baiji, and refusing to let Baiji off so easily, she said,
“What an audacious maidservant! I’m going to beat you up to the point, that you will cry for your dad and mom.”
In an instant, the room reverberated with the sounds of laugher.
“I surrender, I surrender, Master. Please let me off.”
Baiji, who was cornered and being tickled by Lin Mengya continuously, quickly begged for mercy.
It was then that Lin Mengya stopped tickling Baiji. With all the joking around started by Baiji, Lin Mengya suddenly remembered that she had a task to complete, when she gathered the people here today.
She cleared her throat so that those around her who were laughing hysterically a moment ago gathered around her as she said,
“There is a mission which I need everyone’s help in.” “However, I’m not going to reveal to you the entire plan. I’ll divide the tasks of the mission among you. In this way, you will only receive the information regarding your own part of the task. I would also like to request that you keep each of your assigned tasks a secret. You’re not to inquire about another person’s task. However, please rest be assured that the task I will be allocating to you will be within your abilities. If it is beyond your ability, I will be there to help. This is an important matter. At the same time, we have to rush. I hope everyone will be able to complete your tasks before the Winter Solstice celebration.”
Lin Mengya’s request made everyone perk up, and their expressions turned solemn.
The thin wall was unable to totally block out the conversation going on at the other side.
Long Tianyu held the brush with his long, slender fingers. For the first time, he was totally entranced.
“What’s on your mind, Your Highness?”
The people in the room seemed to be discussing something. Gregarious waves of laughter could be heard from time to time, and they lightened the mood of those people who heard them.
All of a sudden, his curiosity was aroused. He started to wonder what those people in the room were talking about.
“What do you think they are doing?”
Steward Deng, who was grinding the black lead, stopped his task. He looked at Long Tianyu, stunned. Had the prince— the prince actually started noticing the other people around him?