The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

Chapter 145 Let's Demand It Together

Su Yaoyao was crying so hard she couldn't speak.

She imagined the scene—a six-year-old child, forced to confront the death of his birth mother. To protect him, his mother threw herself at the dagger that he was supposed to thrust at.

What the Empress Dowager wanted was for him to kill his mother with his own hands.

He should live the rest of his life in nightmares.

She finally understood why Xiao Chenyuan never seemed to value his own life.

He felt that he was the one who had harmed his mother!

Xiao Chenyuan opened his eyes and looked down at her.

There were tears in those eyes.

"I only learned later... that at that time, the Empress Dowager's sword was hanging behind me. If my mother hadn't died, then..."

"She knew that only with her death would the Empress Dowager temporarily spare me. The bloodline of Liang... she would only keep one!"

Su Yaoyao rushed over and hugged him tightly.

"Stop talking," she cried, "Stop talking..."

Xiao Chenyuan was being held by her, his body still trembling slightly.

"The Empress Dowager ordered my mother's body to be dragged away." His voice was hollow. "She knelt down and wiped the blood from my face. She said—"

"This is the last time. From now on, you will be my beloved grandson."

Su Yaoyao felt ice-cold all over.

"It was me... who killed my own mother..." Xiao Chenyuan was now lost in that memory, and his whole being showed a state of impending collapse.

"Xiao Chenyuan." She called his name, her voice choked with emotion.

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her.

"That's not your fault," she said, emphasizing each word. "Did you hear me? That's not your fault."

Xiao Chenyuan remained silent.

Su Yaoyao stood on tiptoe and hugged him.

"You were only six years old then," she said softly. "You couldn't do anything."

Xiao Chenyuan buried his face in the crook of her neck, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Su Yaoyao felt something warm fall on her neck.

She didn't say anything, but gently patted his back.

One moment, one moment.

It's like comforting a wounded child.

"I kept it from you because..." His voice was muffled.

"I know," Su Yaoyao interrupted him, "because the matter is too complicated, and I'm afraid I'll get involved."

Xiao Chenyuan remained silent.

Su Yaoyao sighed and hugged him even tighter.

"The Empress Dowager owes you," she said, "we'll get it back together."

She paused.

"But remember—you are not alone anymore."

Xiao Chenyuan tightened his grip on his arm.

It took him a very long time to raise his head.

His eyes were still red, but his expression had returned to its usual calm.

"I shouldn't have said these things," he said hoarsely, "to make you feel bad."

Su Yaoyao glared at him: "What do you mean by 'shouldn't have said it'?"

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her.

Su Yaoyao reached out and cupped his face in her hands: "Who am I to you?"

"...My graceful figure."

"Your pain is my pain," Su Yaoyao said earnestly. "Your hatred is my hatred. Your problems are my problems."

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Got it?" Su Yaoyao asked.

"...I've got it."

Su Yaoyao was finally satisfied and leaned back into his arms.

"Graceful".

"Um?"

"Sometimes I wonder," he said in a muffled voice, "what would I become without you?"

Su Yaoyao leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"What will it become?" she asked.

Xiao Chenyuan remained silent for a moment.

"I'll probably... turn into a monster."

Su Yaoyao felt a pang of pain in her heart.

She looked up at him.

"And now?"

Xiao Chenyuan lowered his head and met her eyes.

There is her reflection in it.

"Now, you're here."

Su Yaoyao smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

"Then Your Highness must cherish me. So..."

She intended to distract the man.

"Why did Your Highness secretly hide my undergarments?!"

Xiao Chenyuan choked.

Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow, picked up the light purple dress and shook it. "Don't think I'll let you off just because you're playing the victim, Your Highness. Explain yourself."

Xiao Chenyuan's ear tips turned red again.

"Um..." He cleared his throat, "the palace maid took the wrong one when she was tidying up, I wanted to return it to you—"

"You want to give it back?" Su Yaoyao shook the small garment. "Then why is it still in this box? With that bed sheet?"

Xiao Chenyuan was speechless.

Su Yaoyao looked at him like this, feeling both annoyed and amused.

"Xiao Chenyuan," she called him by his full name, "do you know that what you're doing makes you look like a pervert?"

Xiao Chenyuan remained silent for a moment.

"Know."

Su Yaoyao was taken aback.

He looked up at her, his gaze surprisingly open and honest.

"But I just can't help it. I want to keep anything that belongs to you."

Su Yaoyao's heart softened.

This person...

"What else is Your Highness hiding?" she asked deliberately, her face stern. "Confess honestly."

Xiao Chenyuan thought for a moment, then got up and walked to the bookshelf, taking out a small box.

Su Yaoyao opened it and was stunned.

Inside were a few strands of hair tied with a red string; a bookmark she had torn from a storybook; and a handkerchief she had casually thrown away—she remembered this handkerchief; it was the one she had used at the Tangquan Palace, but she couldn't find it afterward and thought she had lost it.

"You..." She looked at him, unsure of what to say.

Xiao Chenyuan stood in front of her like a child who had done something wrong.

"I know this is wrong. But I just..."

"What is it?"

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her with a deep gaze.

"I just want to keep everything about you with me."

Su Yaoyao's heart melted.

She stood up, tiptoed, and kissed him on the lips.

"Xiao Chenyuan," she said, "you're a real pervert."

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her.

"But I like it." Su Yaoyao laughed. "I like you, you pervert."

Xiao Chenyuan was stunned for a moment.

The next moment, he picked her up and pinned her against the bookshelf.

"Yaoyao." He looked down at her, his voice low and husky, "Do you know, every time you say you like me, I think..."

"What are you thinking about?"

Xiao Chenyuan remained silent.

He simply lowered his head and kissed her.

The kiss was deep and urgent, filled with a long-suppressed desire. Su Yaoyao was breathless from his kiss, her hands clinging to his shoulders, her whole body going limp in his arms.

After a long while, he finally released her.

"Three days," he said, his voice hoarse, pressing his forehead against hers. "Two more days."

Su Yaoyao was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant and couldn't help but laugh.

"Your Highness still remembers this?"

"I'll remember," Xiao Chenyuan said, looking at her. "I'll remember it all, principal and interest."

Su Yaoyao looked at the darkness in his eyes and suddenly felt a little regretful.

This person... really will get back the principal with interest.

"Um," she cleared her throat, "how about... we discuss it?"

Xiao Chenyuan raised an eyebrow.

"One day less?"

"no."

"How about... a discount?"

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, but the eyebrows and eyes were relaxed.

"Yaoyao, do you know that every time you do this, I just can't do anything about it?"

Su Yaoyao blinked: "Will Your Highness surrender or not?"

Xiao Chenyuan remained silent.

He simply pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I will not surrender. But I accept it."

Su Yaoyao leaned against him, a smile curving her lips.

This person...