Chapter 26：Low Emotional Quotient

Silence.

More silence.

Xia Lian Bei expected some form of denial, violent reaction, disbelief or even embarrassment.

But the person on the bed had a wooden expression all throughout.

All of a sudden, he felt tiredness creep to his bones.

She was really way more heartless than he was. He could even be akin to a saint when compared to her.

"Alright... I'll call your maids. You need to fill your stom-"

"Prince Feng..."

Xia Lian Bei sighed.

"You don't need to believe. Ben wang's not forcing you. Just... treat it as this prince telling a bedtime story or something."

He turned to the door.

"Someone, come! Your master is awake."

Answering his call was Xin Tao. Seeing Yin Hua Lei with her eyes open, the yatou looked like a huge boulder was taken off her shoulders.

She grinned widely, almost forgetting that Feng wang was also in the room.

"Mistress, this servant will heat soup to warm your body."

With nimble steps, she went off to do just what she said.

Xia Lian Bei looked on with quiet satisfaction. This damn girl really had reliable people.

He was about to stand up and take his leave but Yin Hua Lei abruptly spoke.

"My people were the ones who wiped out the staff of the inn. But... That year, members and the leaders of a prominent cult running rampant in tha jianghu were all subdued, captured or killed on the spot by an anonymous officer of Da Xia."

The demonic cult she was talking about was the backer of that inn. So the prince carefully nodded, not really knowing where she was getting at.

He was displeased because she shouldn't speak too much. Her voice was still raspy from being unconscious for almost two days.

He poured another cup of water which she casually took with her left hand. She slowly sipped with a thoughtful look then handed it back to him.

"The valiant hero never showed himself... That achievement should have been in your list of meritorious deeds. But that year, Feng wang shu was said to be badly needed in Northern Chu and couldn't journey back for the new year..."

She glanced down at him. One person sitting on the bed, one sat on the floor.

Xia Lian Bei suddenly had an ominous feeling.

"We both know you weren't in Northern Chu. From the looks of it, it also weren't you who arrested that demonic cult. Or else, you should have went back to the capital to celebrate such a huge feat with his Majesty."

Yin Hua Lei narrowed her eyes at him to the point that his hair stood on ends. What was wrong with her?

He had no choice but to admit.

"Fine... Fine. Ben wang ordered my men to deal with the Mo cult while I alone followed you. Just... Just don't ask this prince how."

Those were the greatest shameful moments of his life and he wasn't going to speak about it.

Yin Hua Lei stared at the wang shu's pale face that was getting more colorful by the second. His ears underneath his long hair were probably bright red already.

"Prince Feng is missing the point."

She just had to burst his bubble.

That year, she was sent on a secret mission by the Emperor. If this imperial uncle managed to follow her unit undetected, even if he didn't use his brain, he would still suspect the reason of her going to the northeastern border.

Connecting the dots were too easy from that point.

What more, there was also a chance that other people also trailed them.

Xia Lian Bei's face froze.

"Ehem, ehem... That there... Ben wang also learned of your family's secret along the way. There's no one else but me, don't worry."

He added the latter hastily, as if reading her mind.

She half-expected this but Yin Hua Lei's breathing still hitched when she heard his admittance.

"Does his Majesty know?"

The prince was somehow back to his devil-may-care attitude at this point as he lightly shrugged.

"Maybe? That old guy may or may not know without ben wang speaking. In any case, you're in less trouble if I don't talk."

He wasn't satisfied with that so he proceeded: "Right now, the utmost priority is to recover. No need to overthink... aiy! Don't clench your fist, are you crazy?!"

Xia Lian Bei unconsciously raised the volume of his voice in slight panic.

"Alright, calm down! Getting angry in your condition is not good. Hey, listen to this prince...! I will talk with Brother Emperor, are you happy now? Ben wang will sound him out. Seriously, damn girl, you're an expert at protecting people. How come someone has to protect you from harming yourself? Do you want the wound to open?... What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He paused, baffled. Then his face contorted as though he realized something bad.

"You're not thinking of doing it again? Yin Hua Lei! I swear...! Gods, ben wang will tell Shif- er...your father not to leave you alone even for a minute! Someone should seriously guard you all day!"

He felt unsatisfied so he proceeded with threats.

"This prince won't let you see your daughter for real... Are you even listening, woman?"

Xia Lian Bei was really irritated by now. He wasn't even aware that he was nagging someone's ears off as he stood.

He was about to shoot his mouth off when Yin Hua Lei snatched his left hand.

Flabbergasted, he was at a loss for words. But the lady was only interested on his pinky finger or more specifically, the crimson ring on his finger.

Yin Hua Lei turned the ring so she could examine it more closely.

Her assumptions were right.

She wordlessly looked up to him with an inquisitive stare.

Xia Lian Bei felt like she was digging holes on his skull.

"Mistress... The soup is here." Xin Tao had been standing there for half the time to burn an incense stick but the two were arguing animatedly.

Or more accurately, Feng wang was the one scolding her mistress. Where on Da Xia would one see a patient being scolded like this?

Yin Hua Lei released her grip on his pinky finger to accommodate the small table Xin Tao brought.

Xia Lian Bei looked like his soul flew away because he remained standing there like a statue.

Xin Tao carefully blew on the spoonful of soup and fed her mistress but her movements were quite awkward since the wang shu was still here.

In the end, it was Yin Hua Lei who broke the tension after a few sips of the warm soup.

"Your Highness, this princess now understands and will make sure to follow your instructions."

Her brows slightly furrowed as her next words were quite foreign even to her ears.

"...Hua Lei appreciates your... uhm, concern. I won't repeat the same impulsive actions... Rest assured. That... Also... Hua Lei thinks that this is not the end of this talk...?"

The last part was neither a question nor a statement.

Her face had gone from pale to dark by the end of her speech. She seriously didn't know what to say. Yes, she feigned her composure while the prince was retelling that matter from three years ago but she was currently at her wits' end.

After all, Yin Hua Lei was still lightheaded because of the blood loss. It was already an achievement that she hadn't fainted because of the strain of absorbing everything that he said.

Her hand subconsciously kneaded her temple to ease the discomfort.

Xia Lian Bei looked at her lost expression. This damn girl seriously lacked any ability to understand her own emotional state.

She could only think of resolving sentiments with her own logic.

How did she even end up with the conclusion that she had affection for his ninth nephew when she didn't have a single clue of comprehending the simplest of human emotions?

"You..." He sighed for the nth time tonight. "Don't think too much. Focus on recuperating. Other matters can wait. Ben wang... will find an excuse for Bao Bei to visit regularly."

In the end, he couldn't help but give in.

He was the one who harshly rebuked and refused her request to see his daughter but he was also the first to crumble.

Xia Lian Bei's dignity was hanging by a thin thread when faced with this woman. And worse, he didn't feel a bit remorseful about it.

And now, he was even starting to plan the most discreet way to let the mother-daughter pair be reunited permanently without tying her to him. Because she probably wouldn't want to be with him.

Something was seriously wrong with his brain too.

What could he do? She dealt him a death blow this time.

If it were others, Xia Lian Bei would coldly watch on the side while the person died in agony.

Why was this girl an exception?

The answer was excruciatingly simple.

She was Yin Hua Lei.

That was it. He couldn't fish for a better answer.

Yin Hua Lei quietly watched his retreating figure. Never would she imagine that she'd have a somewhat peaceful talk with that wang shu.

He was the most unreasonable and implacable person in Da Xia.

Even the Emperor had a hard time talking with his brother on sensible grounds.

Yin Hua Lei was dense but she wasn't braindead.

She tardily finished the bowl of soup and felt her eyelids grow heavy again.

The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was the crimson ring on her index finger.

The round ring had a single image inside the transparent ruby.

It was a proud phoenix with its majestic wings spread open, expecting all the avian races to worship him.

Xia Lian Bei's ring also had a phoenix in it.

She stared at it earlier so she couldn't be mistaken that his ring's phoenix was slender than the one in her ring.

Fenghuang.

How fitting, she thought.

That night, Yin Hua Lei had a fever.

And for some reason, she dreamt of her Uncle Emperor hiding a smirk underneath his usual incompetent ruler façade.

She wouldn't believe it if this godfather of hers told her he didn't have a hand in the matter of the rings.

The Emperor was after all, the one who gifted her this ring from birth.

To Yin Hua Lei, it looked like his Majesty had scammed his younger brother for a long time now.

Xia Chun's foxy image alternated with what looked like a teen Feng wang with his white hair and sanguine eyes being pointed at by countless hands.

It was suffocating, even for her.

But the prince kept on grinning his usual aggravating smile until the infinite hands grew tired of pointing at him like some freak.

From start to finish, he was looking at a single direction.

Yin Hua Lei was curious of what was more important than retaliating for the ridicule he was receiving.

Sure enough in a distance, there was a rosy young girl running after a familiar figure. She kept on calling that person but not once did he glance her way.

The young Xia Lian Bei only watched as the figures grew further and further.

The alluring smile he kept slowly cracked and soon turned to a bitter sneer.