24 CHAPTER 24 : ...but satisfaction brought it back

Currently, Li Xi Rui is inside her white carriage. She thought back to what Long Jie had told her.

"I already talked to your father about it", Long Jie talk informally to her.

She thought, 'when had he switched to being familiar with her?'. But of course she couldn't just tell him off. He is still a prince. Accepting her fate, she replied, "If he is not reluctant, then it's not a problem. QiQi is welcome to stay at my place if she wants". They're talking about Bai Wu Chen and Bai Qi Qi. For some reason, the imperial examination has been pushed back and will only be held a month later. This way is still good as Bai Wu Chen will be fully recovered before the exam. 'So, the reason he had been visiting my house is because of the future top scholar', she thought. It seems like, the past and this lifetime Long Jie will still be the main backer of Bai Wu Chen.

"He also seem to be of the same mind". Even when that's what he said to Li Xi Rui, it was actually his scheme that made Bai Wu Chen unconsciously agreed to leave the Li mansion. 'It is to get rid of the other wolf', he thought. His Xi Rui hasn't love him yet so it will be dangerous to let another man being close to her. 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!'.

Suddenly she saw something at the a street stall. 'That's what I had been looking for!', she is ecstatic! She had been looking for these red things for a while. Her father had received some from a trader. But no one knows what to do with it so she had been experimenting with her dishes and the results is exceptional! Sooner than she expected, the chillies in her possession drained and she couldn't find more of it. Today, she is in a good luck.

Quickly, she went to the stall and buy every dried chillies. The trader is speechless. He had been readying himself to sail back to his country empty handed. But the young lady in front of him save him. After thanking the lady, he quickly packed every chillies he owned.

Taking one of the red things, Long Jie is suspiciously looking at the 'fruit' in front of him. "Is this could be eaten?", he asked Xi Rui.

"Well, if you haven't tried it before, you will never know, BUT I must warned you prince, it is very spicy", Li Xi Rui is not so heartless to make him suffered. "Curiousity killed the cat", she slowly added.

"..but satisfaction brought it back", he added.

"I never heard that before..", she was speechless. Is that the complete proverb? But why hadn't she heard it before?

"Spicy? Then I must try this so called 'spicy fruit'", he open his mouth and put the chilli inside.

'Ah... he ate it...', Xi Rui thought.

At first, she didn't see any changes on his face, but he became a little quiet. Too quiet. Glancing at his face, he noticed that she was looking at him, so he hastily excused himself. When he walks away, Xi Rui could see a bit of redness on the back of his ears. She almost laughed. Serve him right, she already warned him anyway, Li Xi Rui stifles her laugh.

Xiao Xi brought her back to the current time, "Eldest Miss, we are already arrived".

Slowly, they stepped down from the carriage and was about to walk through the main door when a voice stopped them.

"So, are you that desperate? Anybody is alright as long it's a royal family member?", that hostile tone is the tone she is familiar with. He often used that tone when he was talking to her.

Composing herself, she curtsy, "Greeting your highness crown prince". She really didn't want to see this man. Seeing that face, she didn't know what to feel.

"Answer my question! Anybody is okay with you is it?", he never felt this angry before. She claimed that she loved him, but not even 1 month, she already move on. Is that the extent of her love? Is that what he is in her heart? Not even worthy to last 1 month in her heart.

"What is Crown prince talking about? It's better if the crown prince can quickly go. Miss Mu will be heart broken if she heard her fiancee is looking at other woman", Li Xi Rui wanted to chase Long Qing quickly. She thought, 'What a hypocrite! Telling me how desperate I am. Didn't he remembered how he tarnished her reputation? Who would still dare to court her?! Didn't he moved on faster than she did? Why does he care so much when he didn't before the annulment?!'. She really wanted to lashed out but the people on the street has been eyeing them. It would not do to be punished because of insulting the crown prince.

"She is still not..", Long Qing said with a quiet tone.

"Forgive me Crown Prince. It seems like I couldn't hear what you had said", Li Xi Rui forced herself to be polite once more.

"SHE IS STILL NOT MY FIANCEE! We are still not engaged to each other", he bursts out. He had run out of patients.

***

"Is that so... She is not yet your fiancee but neither am I. I am no longer your fiancee", Li Xi Rui just use informal speech to the crown prince.

"But you still shouldn't..", Long Qing walk to stand in front of Li Xi Rui.

Xiao Xi shields her miss. 'Even if you are the crown prince or even the emperor himself, you must get through her first before you could hurt her miss!'.

Tapping Xiao Xi's shoulder to get her attention, Li Xi Rui shakes her head. It is to tell her that she is fine.

Li Xi Rui lifts her veil so she could look straight into his eyes. "As a crown prince, you shouldn't do this. It would not do to make a scene in public. You should think about your reputation", she reprimanded the crown prince.

As Long Qing looked at that hostile eyes he feels scared. 'Is he no longer in her heart?', he had been determined at that time to break their engagement. But now, when he looked at the girl he used to favor, he hesitated. So he said something he knew she had wanted to hear from him.

"Fine. I couldn't take you as my Princess consort, but I could take you in as my concubine", he had thought she will be happy like this. Isn't this the case for 10 years? As long as she could be together with him, she will do anything he asks?

But never had he ever predict that the girl in front of him would laugh. "Hahahaha! Your highness must be joking. That is the best joke I have ever heard", Li Xi Rui is so mad that she started to laugh. "Thank you for entertaining this miss, Your Highness crown prince. But why would a prince such as yourself take a lowly crude, a shrew like this miss as his concubine? Surely you could do better than that", she smirks.

"Why would you say that?", he is incredulous.

"That's the truth isn't it? Then crown prince, if there is nothing more, please excuse this miss before we become even more of a spectacle", Li Xi Rui left that shameless man standing outside the main door. She told the guard to close the door even when the crown prince is still standing there. She is not a nice enough woman after all.

What can a mere guard do? Well, he closed the door in front of the crown prince's face!

Speechless and in disbelief, he walked absent mindedly to his carriage. He believes that Li Xi Rui is deliberately shaming him. But he will not give her the satisfaction she seeks. If she wanted to become his princess consort again, she should prove herself and become better than Mu Jiu Jiu.

Meanwhile in Li mansion, Li Xi Rui is fuming! She could only become a concubine? Has she said something about being a concubine to him? She is not a bad enough woman to become the third person in a marriage. She will not downgrade herself just because of a man!

In Jian Palace~

Long Jie had been drinking 3 pots of water but the spiciness of the chilli still burns his tongue. He really regretted eating that 'spicy fruit'!!