Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 153 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (57)

"Huh?" Lu Liruan didn't understand what he meant. When she looked over, Ji Shumin had already looked away.

"What mansion?" Lu Liruan pressed.

"What was your courtyard like in the Marquis of He'an's residence?" Ji Shumin leaned forward and moved his wheelchair to the table where Lu Liruan was writing.

He reached out, picked up the inkstone from the shelf, and slowly ground it in the inkstone. The fragrance of fine ink filled the air, and he looked like he was really curious.

“My courtyard…” Lu Liruan crossed her arms, her eyes slightly narrowed as she recalled every detail of the mansion.

The Marquis of He'an's mansion was built with great care, after all, the family was extremely wealthy in business, and it could be said that they had more money than they could ever spend.

However, Marquis He'an was very cautious, and no matter how complicated or exquisite the construction was, he would never overstep the bounds.

Many noble families used exceeding the rules as a symbol of nobility and status, which Marquis He'an scoffed at.

"As long as you're not discovered, or as long as you're close to the royal family, it's all fine. But once you fall from grace or are targeted, that's breaking the rules, and that's where people will report you!" That's how he always taught his children.

"Our family doesn't ask anything of others, we just want our family members to be safe and sound, to live a peaceful life. As for fame and achievements, I have no such ambitions..."

When he said this, his wife and children all seemed to take it very seriously.

In other families, a lack of ambition among the younger generation would be a major taboo, but in the Marquis of He'an's mansion, it is something to be praised.

Madam Gao once told Lu Liruan, "Your father is doing just fine. Once we close our eyes, we won't care about what happens after we die. As long as we are well and our children are well, that's enough. The next generation's affairs are your concern. It's the next generation's responsibility to worry about them."

Lu Liruan found it a bit funny, but also thought that this idea was indeed open-minded, and it was a thorough implementation of the idea that children and grandchildren have their own blessings.

What's rare is that the whole family shares the same idea, which Lu Liruan believes is a kind of wisdom.

While describing the appearance of the mansion, Lu Liruan casually mentioned some of the things that Marquis He'an had said to Ji Shumin.

Ji Shumin listened quietly and attentively: "There are actually people who think like this."

"What do you mean?" Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow: "People are diverse. They think and act in all sorts of ways. Not everyone has the same mindset. So, the most difficult thing to understand is actually the human heart."

“That makes sense.” Ji Shumin seemed to be hearing this for the first time. He was lost in thought for a moment before pulling out a piece of paper from the side and spreading it out in front of Lu Liruan.

"Why doesn't the Crown Princess draw it for me to see?"

Lu Liruan did not notice his unusual thirst for knowledge, assuming it was just ordinary idle chatter.

He picked up his paintbrush, dipped it in the ink that Ji Shumin had ground, and began to paint on the paper.

After Lu Liruan finished painting, the palace's allowances were being distributed. Now that summer had arrived, the weather was getting hotter and hotter.

The advantages of the lush and dense vegetation in Songjingyuan became apparent at this time, as it was cooler than places exposed to direct sunlight.

The fruits sent down from the palace were chilled. The early-ripening peaches were small but very tempting, with juice as sweet as honey and skin so thin that they would fall off at the slightest touch.

Lu Liruan picked one up, turned around and put it on her plate, hoping that Ji Shumin would eat a few more bites.

When I got back, I didn't notice that the drawing I had just made was no longer on the table.

Lu Liruan bit into the icy watermelon, her teeth aching from the cold, while a stuffy, hot breeze blew in through the window.

In a short while, the sky outside had darkened and hung extremely low, with layers of clouds moving rapidly, and the sand and dust on the ground being blown up in swirling motions.

A bright flash began in the distance, followed by a rumbling sound...

It's going to rain heavily.

"It was sunny just a moment ago." Lu Liruan leaned out the window, her hands resting on the windowsill.

The next instant, raindrops suddenly pelted my face, and before I could even react, my hair was soaked.

Lu Liruan returned in a daze, raising her hand to touch her face: "It's raining, so why did you slap me?"

Ji Shumin was stunned for a moment, then understood what Lu Liruan meant, and laughed out loud, a rare occurrence for him: "Who told you to be so restless?"

He beckoned: "Come here."

He took a clean, soft handkerchief and raised his hand to wipe the side of her face.

His lips curled slightly, his expression softened, and as the gloom outside darkened the room, the sharp aura emanating from His Highness the Crown Prince vanished completely in the shadowy atmosphere.

He sat there, like a sculpture of jade, drawing everyone's attention amidst the darkness...

Lu Liruan wanted to take the handkerchief and wipe herself, but Ji Shumin wouldn't allow it. He was so meticulous, as if he were wiping a precious, fragile treasure, as if nothing was more important than this.

Worried that he would get tired of raising his arms, Lu Liruan squatted down. There was a carpet on the floor next to the table, so Lu Liruan adjusted her posture and sat down cross-legged.

She rested her arm on Ji Shumin's knee, propped her chin on it, and let him carefully tidy her up with his fingers.

After wiping her hair, Ji Shumin didn't retract his hand. Instead, he raised his hand and pulled out the hairpin that decorated Lu Liruan's hair bun.

"Do you like this?" Lu Liruan wore a slender white jade hairpin today, simple and elegant, with a silver tassel hanging at the end.

"Qinghe chose it for me." Lu Liruan had only just noticed the specific design of the hairpin she was wearing today.

"Oh." Ji Shumin touched her earrings of the same material: "Does the Crown Princess not like to dress up?"

Lu Liruan didn't know where he got this conclusion from.

As if sensing her confusion, Ji Shumin tilted his head: "I have heard that women often spend an hour getting ready in the morning, but the Crown Princess... seems to only need half an hour."

Lu Liruan: ...

Why are you still observing this?

How come I didn't know you were observing this?

As it turns out, His Highness the Crown Prince is incredibly meticulous; nothing escapes his notice.

“I don’t usually go out, so lightweight is the priority,” Lu Liruan said, shrugging.

“Sigh…” Ji Shumin sighed softly.

"What? Why is Your Highness sighing? Do you think I don't look good to you?" Lu Liruan was puzzled and a little annoyed.

You have quite a lot of fuss about. If it weren't for the many restrictions on women in the palace, I wouldn't even be willing to spend these two quarters of an hour.

"Does Your Highness think I am being impolite? Dressing up is not a necessary thing for women. The reason why it takes so long to dress up every day is simply because you have a lot of free time. Most women in the common people are busy. How many of them have time to dress up every day?" Lu Liruan pouted.

“You men like to look at beautiful women in full makeup, why don’t you spend time dressing up yourselves? I suppose all the women in the world like to look at handsome men too?” Lu Liruan said to herself with amusement.

"When did I say that?" Ji Shumin scoffed, pinching Lu Liruan's earlobe and tugging at it. "So, the Crown Princess likes to look at that handsome young man?"

"When the Crown Princess was still unmarried, she must have seen quite a few, right?"

Lu Liruan also gave a light scoff: "Your Highness thinks quite a lot too..."

The two locked eyes, staring intently at each other, as if trying to discern something from the other's expression.

"I recently came across this book and thought that the Crown Princess would look very elegant if she dressed like this." Ji Shumin pointed to the bookshelf and gestured for Lu Liruan to fetch it.

Lu Liruan was quite curious, so she got up to look for it. When she got it and opened it, she found that it was a book about the styles of women's hair ornaments.

"Your Highness's interests are truly extensive." Lu Liruan was genuinely puzzled; she couldn't understand how someone with so much on their mind could still find the time to read these miscellaneous books.

Lu Liruan sometimes couldn't help but sigh, maybe... some people's minds are just different from others, they are just smart and don't know how to get tired.

Ji Shumin took it, flipped open the two folded pages, and gestured for Lu Liruan to look at the pattern: "I think this style is suitable for the Crown Princess."

...You're quite knowledgeable.

The sound of rain pattering outside, along with the dampness and cool fragrance of grass and trees, brings a sense of comfort and relaxation.

"I've never drawn it before." Lu Liruan looked at the pattern and recalled that she really had never drawn it before.

"Try?"

"what?"

By the time Lu Liruan realized what was happening, the red rouge and the fine brush for painting floral designs were already in the hands of His Highness the Crown Prince.

He seemed quite interested: "The Crown Princess... is exquisitely born, she will be elegant and beautiful." He said softly, as if coaxing her with tender words.

Lu Liruan felt her face burning up, and she didn't know where to look. Did he even know what she was saying?

Ji Shumin seemed to have a special fondness for dressing people up. He liked to choose beautiful fabrics and suitable styles for the Crown Princess, and he liked to stroke her face and her soft, long hair.

Every adornment left on her filled Ji Shumin with a strange sense of excitement and satisfaction, making him feel that his Crown Princess truly belonged to him...

The soft touch of the pen tip landed on his brow, gliding slowly. Ji Shumin's expression was focused, as if there was nothing more worthy of his attention.

Lu Liruan held her breath, and for a moment she inexplicably felt that she didn't know where to look.

His Highness the Crown Prince, ambitious and scheming to conquer the world, found himself focused and patiently adorning himself with floral decorations in this pristine and tranquil Yutian.

It seemed that this matter was equally important and worth his attention.

"All right."

After finishing the last stroke, Ji Shumin examined it for a moment, then cupped Lu Liruan's face in his hands and gently patted it: "Go and take a look."

Lu Liruan bent down and looked into the bronze mirror. In the soft reflection, she could clearly see her own face.

The brushstrokes of the floral decoration between the eyebrows are beautiful, even more exquisite than those in the model book. Ji Shumin was a master of both calligraphy and painting, and he was also very skilled at painting floral decorations.

"Your Highness... excellent craftsmanship." Lu Liruan exclaimed sincerely.

"Heh—" Ji Shumin chuckled, amused by her exaggerated praise.

Floral patterns may appear stiff on a book, but when painted on warm, textured skin, they come alive instantly.

Ji Shumin watched as Lu Liruan's expression changed, the floral adornment making her look like a radiant goddess, and he was very fond of her.

Lu Liruan also became interested and flipped through the book. When she got to the last page, she saw a pattern with flowing and continuous lines.

On a sudden impulse, he coughed lightly and pointed with feigned seriousness: "I think... Your Highness would suit this!"

She had hoped to see Ji Shumin's surprised expression, but instead, His Highness the Crown Prince bent down and looked carefully in the direction Lu Liruan was pointing.

Raising an eyebrow with a calm expression, he turned the fine brush that was lying to the side and handed it to Lu Liruan.

This time, it was Lu Liruan who was surprised.

Ji Shumin leaned back casually, tilting his head slightly to look at Lu Liruan with a half-smile, his hands resting on the armrests of the wheelchair.

...It seemed to be able to be touched or played with by anyone, as if it was okay to do anything with it.

Lu Liruan, unable to resist, was overwhelmed with emotion.

Lu Liruan tentatively touched Ji Shumin's face, mimicking how he had done to her, and pinched his earlobe.

"You really want me to draw it?"

His Highness the Crown Prince looked up at her, and strands of hair slipped from Lu Liruan's fingertips.

"Doesn't Your Highness think this diminishes your masculinity?" Lu Liruan bent down, teasing him with a smile.

"Heh." Ji Shumin said calmly, "If it were that easy to be harmed..."

Lu Liruan understood what he hadn't finished saying: What's the difference between having it and not having it?

When told to do whatever she wanted, Lu Liruan hesitated.

His Highness the Crown Prince's face was so flawless that Lu Liruan worried that if she raised her hand, she would draw a huge flaw on it.

After touching the other person's face several times with her fingertips, Lu Liruan finally chose the simplest style.

After gently outlining the single petal pattern vertically between his eyebrows, Lu Liruan then added two more strokes to the corners of his eyes, according to her own ideas.

"All right?"

Seeing that Lu Liruan neither continued painting nor spoke, Ji Shumin asked him in a low voice?

"Ah? Ah..."

Lu Liruan finally came to her senses.

Ji Shumin's eyebrows and eyes were as delicate and sharp as a fine brush painting, with long but not upturned corners, giving him a cold and stern look.

Adding a touch of rouge did not soften the look at all; instead, the striking color emphasized the sharpness of the color, giving off a strange sense of disdain.

"Is it drawn so badly?" Ji Shumin sneered as he looked at Lu Liruan's stammering. "Don't tell anyone outside that I taught you to draw. I can't bear the shame of that."

Ji Shumin was clearly not interested in what his finished painting would look like; he was simply satisfying Lu Liruan's creative desires.

For reasons unknown, Lu Liruan herself didn't understand, but she quickly used a handkerchief dipped in water to wipe away the intense, vibrant color.

Only I saw what happened just now; it remains only in my heart. Even Ji Shumin himself didn't see it.

For the next few days, the sky was rarely clear; it hung low, and there was always a sense that a storm was brewing...

Ji Shumin spent less and less time in the courtyard, then gradually more time, and he always stayed in the study.

The little weight that had just been raised was dropping more and more severely as the weather got hotter.

Lu Liruan sensed something was wrong, but he simply said lightly, "It's probably just the heat of summer; it'll be better when autumn comes..."

In these anxious days, the birthday of Marquis He'an was fast approaching.

For Lu Liruan's birthday gift, several jars of fine wine were prepared. These were tribute wines contributed by His Highness the Crown Prince, the kind that couldn't be bought anywhere else, no matter how much silver one had.

Marquis He'an was not a heavy drinker, but he did enjoy fine wine.

Seeing that Lu Liruan was deep in thought, Ji Shumin took the initiative to ask her what was wrong and share her worries.

"This... my father drinking it, is that not going too far?" Lu Liruan asked.

“I have never seen anyone as cautious as you all,” Ji Shumin said, putting down his pen.

"What is wrong with the birthday gift I gave to the Yue family?"

"I...I gave it to you," Lu Liruan said softly.

"I delivered it together with the Crown Princess," Ji Shumin corrected.

"Okay, okay, we'll deliver it together. I'll explain it to my dad." Lu Liruan compromised.

"Now that you've left the palace, stay quietly in your residence until you've had your fill before coming back," Ji Shumin said earnestly, watching her prepare.

Lu Liruan didn't realize it at the time, but soon she knew that Ji Shumin's words were a serious admonition to her.