631 How much do you hate me? [Bonus chapter]
Mingquan stood in front of Lin Jiao and the young man with whom she was walking.
Lin Jiao frowned to see him while the young man greeted Mingquan. His cold gaze irked her and she walked past him when Mingquan stopped her.
“Do you really want to end it?”
His question made Lin Jiao stop. The young man decided to leave and told Lin Jiao he would see her later.
“Why would you see me later? Let’s go together,” Lin Jiao said.
Mingquan snickered and told the young man to go ahead.
“You don’t need to come with me. I have an urgent work to finish,” the young man said and strode away.
Lin Jiao glared at Mingquan and decided to go in the other direction. At that moment, he held her hand and dragged her with him in the other direction. She didn’t say anything as they were in the market and followed him silently.
Her anger burst at him when he pushed her against a wall in a narrow passageway that was isolated from people and stood close to her.
.....
“The Fourth Prince lied about being respectful toward women,” Lin Jiao muttered.
“I am respectful. I think I have the right to hold your hand. You are such a stubborn woman who leaves me no other gentle way to use,” Mingquan affirmed.
Lin Jiao averted her gaze from him.
“You didn’t come to see me. I waited for you,” Mingquan said in a gentle voice. Stubborn people were supposed to give care which he wanted to.
“How could you ignore me? You happily talked with that man while with me you have to carry this angry face,” Mingquan remarked.
She shifted her gaze at him. “Because the Fourth Prince also does the same to me. Everyone thinks he is the best prince among all the six princes in the Kingdom. I didn’t see it at all. You always get angry at me. You also didn’t come to see me,” Lin Jiao pronounced with a stern look on her face.
Her eyes turned misty and she again looked away. “I hate you. Also, I threw that bracelet away,” she angrily said.
Mingquan gripped her chin and turned her head to make her look at him. “Say it while looking at me,” Mingquan demanded from her.
“I hate you,” Lin Jiao said. The tears were on the verge of falling from her eyes. “I threw that band away. I don’t want your protection nor do I want to marry you.”
“That is not from your heart. I know you are hotheaded, but I am known for my calmness for a reason. Throw as many as tantrums you want to, but in the end, you will need me to console you,” Mingquan asserted. His eyes didn’t leave her even for a second.
“I told the Fourth Prince already that I do not need his consolation. I am happy being myself. And I said that from my heart,” Lin Jiao affirmed, keeping her hand on her chest where she could feel her heartbeat.
“Have you found the answer which I asked you?” Mingquan queried her.
“Yes. I don’t like you. I hate you. That is the answer I got,” Lin Jiao asserted.
“I knew handling you would be the toughest task for me,” Mingquan affirmed and sighed. “Be truthful to me if you want me to leave your life. Can I not even scold you? I care for you, that’s why I scold you,” he stated.
His fingers let go of her chin and hooked around her neck.
“Everyone scolds me. Everyone tells me not to do this or that. My father and brother were always busy. I want them to look at me. They never do. I miss my mother,” Lin Jiao said and tears rolled down her cheeks. This was the second time, she cried in front of Mingquan.
He wiped the tears from her cheeks using his thumbs. “I look at you and want to take care of you, but you run away from me. What do you expect me to do then?” He asked.
Lin Jiao sniffled and lowered her gaze. “I hate seeing everyone has a mother. Ye Xin also has a mother. That is why I go and drink in the restaurant. I may sound like an insane woman, but this is what I am. People will say you are a grown-up woman, but I am still a kid. That day, I wanted to share my happiness with the Fourth Prince, but he scolded me. He also doesn’t want to hear me out.” Lin Jiao expressed her thoughts to him, which she didn’t even tell Ye Xin.
Mingquan apologized to her and asked her to calm down. “I was worried for your health. I didn’t know you would be mad at me and throw away the protection band I gave you,” he said.
“It is inside the drawer of my room. It has a royal emblem, so I could not throw it out,” Lin Jiao muttered.
“You are a thoughtful person,” Mingquan said with a tiny smile.
“But I hate you,” Lin Jiao asserted.
“How much do you hate me?” Mingquan arched his eyebrows.
“A lot,” Lin Jiao said.
Mingquan moved his face close to her. “I was annoyed thinking why you didn’t come to see me. I should have left my ego behind to come to you. You must have missed me a lot to say this,” he concluded the meaning behind her hatred in a different yet charming way.
He kissed her and closed his eyes. He nibbled her bottom lip while she stood like a statue, doing nothing. She was too startled by it. Those five days, she kept lying to herself. Her heart started to thunder against her.
“Move your lips,” Mingquan whispered as he stopped and she looked at him in astonishment. That startled look on her face had made him stop and he thought she might not want that kiss.
However, he was wrong.
Lin Jiao stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back.