Chapter 137: A Master of Making a Scene

Inside the carriage, Xiao Jingxuan’s gaze remained fixed on Su Jingluo with intense heat. Su Jingluo would occasionally lift the curtain to glance outside, only to lower her head again, twisting her handkerchief nervously. Xiao Jingxuan, however, seemed oblivious to her embarrassment, continuing to stare at her unblinkingly.

"Can't you see how uncomfortable I am?" Su Jingluo finally couldn't hold back anymore. My unease is so obvious; what on earth are you staring at?

"I see it. I saw it long ago. But I haven't done anything, have I?" Seeing her like this, Xiao Jingxuan couldn't help but smile. Su Jingluo shivered; Xiao Jingxuan rarely smiled, and when he did, it was rather unsettling, as if he were hatching some dark scheme.

"You? What are you staring at? What else are you planning to do?" Su Jingluo felt a prickle of alarm and instinctively touched her face, wishing she had a mirror to see if there was something stuck to her skin.

"I’m just observing why the wise, mighty, and eloquent Princess Jing has suddenly turned into a little girl." Xiao Jingxuan’s eyes were filled with doting amusement, though his words remained sharp.

"What nonsense are you spouting? I have no such thing." The mention only made Su Jingluo feel as though he were teasing her. Her face flushed a deep, vibrant red, like an apple ripening in the autumn sun.

"By the way, how did you manage to produce Li Yue'er? And how did you know for sure that they would try to harm her?" Su Jingluo quickly changed the subject, genuinely curious about his uncanny foresight.

"I didn't know," Xiao Jingxuan replied, shrugging candidly.

"You didn't? You didn't know, yet you had Fifteen follow them and save Li Yue'er? If it wasn't you who saved her, then who did? And how did you find her?" Su Jingluo’s curiosity peaked, a thousand questions bubbling up inside her as she fired them off in quick succession.

"Was it not you who cried and made a scene, claiming that someone was plotting against the Princess, and ordered Fifteen to follow them?" Xiao Jingxuan recounted the events of that day truthfully. Su Jingluo’s face reddened even further. Did the secret guards really have to report every single thing she did to him?

"But they refused me! They told me I wasn't their master." The memory of Fifteen’s dismissive attitude was still fresh in her mind. Could they all be just a bunch of soft-hearted cuties with sharp tongues?

"Mm, yes. It was I who told them to follow your arrangements to some extent." Xiao Jingxuan wore an expression that practically shouted, "See how good I am to you?" as he sought credit.

"You could have told me! Do you know how terrified I was today? My head was spinning." Su Jingluo had indeed felt a moment of panic when Er Hong pulled back her sleeve. The public always sympathized with the underdog; Su Jingluo had felt like she was trapped in a situation where she was being forced into the muck.

"I didn't notice. I was more curious about how you could lie on the floor and throw a tantrum, yet also argue your case with such logic in court. I wonder which one is your true self." Xiao Jingxuan felt that Su Jingluo was like a nine-linked puzzle—inscrutable and layered, one ring interlocking with another. The more he looked, the more curious he became, and the more he longed to explore.

"I didn't throw a tantrum; that was a tactical strategy! You make me sound like a shrew." Su Jingluo blushed. Everyone cares about their reputation; who likes being told they act like a shrew to their face? Besides, without that scene, could today have gone so smoothly? Still, that girl A-Lan was truly remarkable. She had predicted this entire sequence of events back then, anticipating the three maids' every move. If not for her warning, things would have ended in disaster today. That girl is extraordinary; she is worth cultivating.