Chapter 148: A Faulty Mind Calls for a Broken Heart

"Not really. I just didn't want you to be manipulated or emotionally blackmailed. Responsibility is responsibility, and blackmail is blackmail. Neither she nor I should do that. It's just that seeing her in this state, I couldn't help feeling a bit soft-hearted." Su Jingluo still feigned a touch of low spirits. How much of this was sincere and how much was an act? Even if she believed that Xiao Jingxuan was engaging in emotional blackmail or manipulation, she would still carry on regardless, but she would never allow anyone else to treat Xiao Jingxuan that way. By now, in Su Jingluo's heart, Xiao Jingxuan had already been officially claimed.

Let the sweetness spread across the entire world; from this moment on, this man is my hound, bound to follow me through life and death.

Xiao Jingxuan sighed and said softly, "Wanwan is not like you, after all. You are a pine tree growing along the cliffside, able to withstand violent storms, bitter winters, and heavy snows, capable of enduring both good and bad. She is a flower in a greenhouse; the slightest ripple feels to her like an unbearable tempest."

Hearing Xiao Jingxuan put it that way, Su Jingluo immediately felt a bit displeased. What on earth is that supposed to mean? Because I'm strong, I deserve to suffer? Since she's a greenhouse flower, are you planning to be her greenhouse thermostat? Did you think about running off the moment I tied my leash around you?

"Indeed. So is Your Highness planning to bring your cousin back? As a woman, she surely cannot endure hardship and suffering." Su Jingluo looked at Xiao Jingxuan with an expression of pure sincerity. *You scumbag, if you dare utter a single word of agreement, I'll let you taste what heartbreak truly feels like.*

"There's no need. Where in this world is there ever a true greenhouse? If fate permits, perhaps one might exist, but I am certainly not it. Besides, her father would never truly wash his hands of her. And even if he didn't care, she has private funds of her own." Although worried about Lin Wanwan, Xiao Jingxuan still refused. He understood the principle that hesitation brings trouble. What Xiao Jingxuan did not know, however, was that Lin Wanwan's father and stepmother had grown increasingly harsh over the years, nor did he know that Lin Wanwan's private funds had all been given to Su Jingluo for medical treatment, with a portion invested in what she believed would be her turnaround.

Seeing Xiao Jingxuan give this reply, Su Jingluo was quite satisfied. She took his hand and led him into the Luojing Pavilion. Outside the doors, Lin Wanwan's crying and howling had been witnessed by A'lan, Ruihuan, and Yunbai. Ruihuan and Yunbai had been itching to go out and scratch the woman's face off, but they were forcefully held back by A'lan.

Seeing the Prince and Princess reconciled as before, A'lan and Ruihuan finally set their minds at ease. Only Yunbai remained unhappy, pouting her little lips, feeling deeply unsettled that Lin Wanwan had been let off so easily.

"Well, well, Daddy's precious darling, who has upset you? That little pout of yours is long enough to tether a pony." Because his relationship with Su Jingluo had grown even closer, Xiao Jingxuan felt much more relaxed upon seeing Yunbai, and his speech was no longer so rigid. As soon as these playful remarks left his lips, a servant who was serving tea dropped a cup, shattering it all over the floor. What on earth was wrong with the Prince? Had someone replaced his brain?

The servants, having smashed the teacup, hurriedly dropped to their knees to confess their fault. Ever since the Princess took up residence in the Luojing Pavilion, everything inside had been incomparably rare and precious, and they usually handled everything with the utmost care. Yet today, the Prince was acting utterly out of character.

Xiao Jingxuan waved a hand to dismiss the matter. It was just a teacup, after all; he could simply have Shen Zhong send over better ones. He then pulled Yunbai onto his lap to coax the child.

Su Jingluo paid it no mind and instructed the servants to prepare food, keeping Xiao Jingxuan in the Luojing Pavilion for dinner. Taking advantage of the moment, she pulled A'lan to a secluded spot, handed her a generous sum of silver, and told her to catch up with Lin Wanwan and deliver it to her. She also instructed A'lan to have Fifteen secretly protect Lin Wanwan from the shadows. Although Su Jingluo disliked Lin Wanwan, she did not want to see her driven to destitution or pushed to do something desperate—if that happened, Xiao Jingxuan would inevitably feel immense grief and self-reproach, and that was the last thing she wanted to see.