H! GVCP Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Interesting

"Zhaozhao, why are you looking at me like that?" Zhong Ruoyan asked. Her reaction was swift; she immediately lowered her eyes and began to shed tears.

"You must still be blaming me. It’s all my fault. I should have stayed by your side; if I had, this never would have happened."

As expected of the 'White Moonlight' who managed to survive until the very end alongside that scumbag male lead, her acting skills were truly top-notch.

*First love or unattainable love that holds a dear place In the heart.

Yu Lingzhao was just about to say a few words to Zhong Ruoyan when an unfamiliar voice suddenly roared, "What are you doing to Yanyan!"

Yu Lingzhao cursed her bad luck inwardly. 

The only people who would stand up for Zhong Ruoyan like this, aside from the male lead Xiao Ning’an, were the Fourth Prince, Xiao Ninghua.

Xiao Ninghua: the ultimate simp for Zhong Ruoyan.

And Yu Lingzhao’s evaluation of this Fourth Prince was simple: an idiot!

"Yanyan! What happened to you?"

Xiao Ninghua rode up on his horse. 

Seeing Zhong Ruoyan dabbing away tears with her handkerchief while Yu Lingzhao sat high in her carriage, he instinctively assumed Yu Lingzhao was bullying her. 

He immediately lashed out at Yu Lingzhao: "What is the meaning of this, County Princess Mingzhu? Forcing Yanyan to cry with just a few words, are you using your position to bully others?"

Seeing the Fourth Prince rush in recklessly to defend her, Zhong Ruoyan thought, Oh no. 

If he ruined her relationship with Yu Lingzhao now, it wouldn't be easy to smooth things over later!

Yu Lingzhao looked at the Fourth Prince with a half-smile; he really didn't measure up.

Xiao Ning’an, at least, was a man of talent with a graceful bearing and decent temperament; his EQ and IQ were both online.

As for the Fourth Prince, he was tall for nothing. His looks were barely passable, his IQ didn't rank among the princes, and his EQ was like a trench. 

In comparison, he lost miserably.

Seeing that Yu Lingzhao actually dared to look at him, the Fourth Prince pointed his riding crop at her and shouted, "You, get down here!"

Yu Lingzhao slowly swept her gaze over Zhong Ruoyan, curled her lips, and nodded cooperatively: "Fine, I'm coming down."

With that, she let go of the carriage curtain.

Yu Xunyang frowned and moved to follow his sister down.

Yu Lingzhao shook her head and had him pull out the whip from under the carriage seat. 

Carrying the whip and supported by Feiyu, she stepped off the carriage.

Zhong Ruoyan saw Yu Lingzhao in her full County Princess regalia today. Her sharp eyes immediately caught the bracelet on Yu Lingzhao’s left wrist, and she froze. 

Wasn't that the Red-Gold Nine-Turn Exquisite Bracelet Inlaid with Rubies and Pearls that the Empress wore year-round?

She had just come from the palace! 

And she had received a reward from the Empress! 

As this thought flashed through Zhong Ruoyan’s mind, she began to observe Yu Lingzhao’s attire more closely. Sure enough, she saw the long-life lock collar!

Entering the palace for an audience naturally required dressing up, but besides the exquisite bracelet, that long-life lock collar seemed somewhat out of place.

Zhong Ruoyan sighed inwardly at Yu Lingzhao’s good luck. Before she could even feel envious, she saw the Fourth Prince walking toward Yu Lingzhao!

This Fourth Prince had truly appeared at the worst possible time!

Seeing the Fourth Prince approach, the corners of Yu Lingzhao’s mouth turned up slightly. She raised her hand slightly and gave a perfunctory arch of her hands.

The Fourth Prince was already displeased with Yu Lingzhao. Seeing her dare to salute him so dismissively, he immediately yelled, "You dare to be so perfunctory when meeting a Prince? How dare you show disrespect to this Highness!"

Yu Lingzhao let out a scoff. If the person arriving had been a formidable character, she might have humored them with a few sentences, but this Fourth Prince was truly...

"Has Your Highness forgotten things in your noble busy-ness?" Yu Lingzhao said with a charming smile. 

"His Majesty has granted me the privilege of being exempt from kowtowing to anyone but the Son of Heaven. Does Your Highness wish for me to perform a full salute to you?"

The Fourth Prince wasn't truly a complete fool. Rebuked by Yu Lingzhao and seeing the exquisite bracelet, which his legal mother usually wore, now on Yu Lingzhao’s wrist, he was suddenly struck dumb.

Yu Lingzhao, however, didn't plan to let him off: "If Your Highness wants a salute, it’s not impossible. However, I only salute the Son of Heaven."

The Fourth Prince's face flared with panic as he said fuming, "What nonsense are you talking about! When did this Highness ever ask you to perform a salute!"

Yu Lingzhao smiled without a word; against a paper tiger like the Fourth Prince, waving Emperor Jianyuan’s banner was the most effective tactic.

The Fourth Prince glared at Yu Lingzhao in a fury. 

Unfazed, she simply offered a slight smile in return.

The Fourth Prince turned back to glance at Zhong Ruoyan, giving her a reassuring look, and said to her, "Don't worry, Yanyan, I will definitely get justice for you!"

Yu Lingzhao let out a 'pfft' and laughed. Such brainless people who rush to stand up for others really exist everywhere; even among the princes, there could be such a foolish son.

Looking at the vastly changed Yu Lingzhao, Zhong Ruoyan was momentarily at a loss as to how to act.

Thinking it more important to soothe the Fourth Prince first, she stepped forward and performed a formal curtsy: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but this subject daughter has suffered no grievances."

The Fourth Prince was slightly surprised. He gave Yu Lingzhao an awkward glance and then asked, "Then why were you crying just now?"

Zhong Ruoyan pursed her lips, looking as if she were on the verge of tears again. "Zhaozhao and I have been friends since childhood. She was injured this time, yet I couldn't be by her side; it is only right that she is angry with me."

After hearing this, the Fourth Prince mulled it over. 

Then, looking at Zhong Ruoyan with confusion, he asked with total sincerity, "If it's only right that she's angry, then why are you crying?"

Yu Lingzhao found this hilarious and let out another 'pfft' of laughter. 

This Fourth Prince was truly a wonderful character.

"What are you laughing at now!"

The Fourth Prince looked at Yu Lingzhao in annoyance. "Yanyan said you were angry, so why are you laughing now!"

Yu Lingzhao smiled without answering. The Fourth Prince had successfully provided a physical manifestation of what it means to be furious out of humiliation. 

It was truly funny.

Zhong Ruoyan had been stunned silent by the Fourth Prince’s question, "Why are you crying?" 

She had never expected the Fourth Prince to turn around and question her instead!

Yu Lingzhao looked at Zhong Ruoyan, who had been left dazed by the Fourth Prince's retort, and her eyes showed a hint of pity. 

Poor kid.

"Nothing. Is it not allowed for my nose to itch?"

Yu Lingzhao spoke with total confidence. 

The Fourth Prince found it difficult to argue with her, so he simply muttered, "Next time don't get hurt and make Yanyan worry," before galloping away on his horse.

The Fourth Prince's behavior was truly breathtaking to Yu Lingzhao. 

To an outsider, it might have looked like he was the one with a crush on her.

With that level of emotional intelligence, trying to woo Zhong Ruoyan would truly be as difficult as reaching the heavens.

As soon as the Fourth Prince left, Yu Lingzhao prepared to turn back to her carriage, but Zhong Ruoyan stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve, saying pitifully, "Zhaozhao, are you truly angry with me? If you are angry..."

"If I am angry, what do you intend to do?" Yu Lingzhao looked at Zhong Ruoyan with curiosity. 

"What do you plan to do to appease my anger? Go and give Princess Qing'an a beating as well? Or go crack open the heads of people from the other noble families?"

Zhong Ruoyan froze. She hadn't expected Yu Lingzhao to actually follow her lead and keep talking. With a stiff expression, she said, "Zhaozhao, are you joking?"

Yu Lingzhao raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at Zhong Ruoyan sideways, and smiled. 

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

>>H! GVCP Chapter 23