In the end, Li Ji went to sleep in the carriage alone.
The room was left to Hua Manman and Jiao Gui.
Jiao Gui hadn’t expected the Regent King to actually give in.
She couldn’t help but murmur.
"I thought the Regent King would throw us both out."
After all the fuss that night, Hua Manman was dead tired.
She scrambled onto the bed, mumbling.
"Forget about him. Let’s get to sleep. We have to travel again tomorrow morning."
Perhaps because the Regent King had slept in this bed, his scent lingered on the bedding.
Hua Manman thought she would find it unsettling.
But for some reason, she found the scent surprisingly reassuring.
It was like a drifting ship that had finally found its harbor.
Jiao Gui lay on the floor mat.
She turned on her side to face the bed and said in a hushed voice,
"I’ve heard the Regent King is notoriously moody and ruthless.
Anyone who opposes him meets a terrible end.
I don’t know what he was thinking, attacking you tonight, Young Master.
You must be more careful in the future, Young Master."
Hua Manman’s eyelids were drooping.
She answered vaguely,
"Mhm, I know."
Soon, she was sound asleep.
The rest of the night passed without any more trouble.
Hua Manman slept until dawn.
Feeling refreshed, she stepped outside and ran right into the Regent King.
He was still wearing last night’s black clothes, and his expression was sour, as if the whole world owed him money.
The moment Hua Manman saw him, she remembered nearly being killed the night before.
She immediately turned and walked in the other direction.
’He’s the all-powerful Regent King. I can’t afford to provoke him, but can’t I at least avoid him?!’
The Regent King’s voice came from behind her.
"Stop!"
Hua Manman pretended not to hear and kept walking, her head down.
Li Ji: "Hua Manman, I said stop!"
Hua Manman faltered for a second, then walked even faster.
’I’m not Hua Manman!’
’I’m Lu Man now!’
Li Ji: "Don’t you want your Wind Oil Essence?!"
This time, Hua Manman finally stopped.
She had to ride in the carriage later and needed the Wind Oil Essence to survive.
Seeing this, Li Ji was so exasperated he almost laughed.
’In her heart, am I worth less than a bottle of Wind Oil Essence?!’
Hua Manman first bowed to him, then held out her hand like a paw, asking for the Wind Oil Essence.
Li Ji took the small porcelain bottle of Wind Oil Essence from his sleeve and dangled it in front of her.
"Want it?"
Hua Manman resisted the urge to pounce and snatch it, nodding obediently.
"Mhm."
Li Ji: "Will you still avoid me when you see me in the future?"
Hua Manman hesitated, unsure how to answer.
Li Ji’s face darkened. "Is that such a hard question to answer?"
Hua Manman answered cautiously.
"That depends on your attitude. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll definitely take the long way around to avoid bothering you."
Li Ji sneered, "Hah. How considerate of you."
Hua Manman said modestly, "It’s only proper."
Li Ji secretly gritted his teeth.
’It’s been years, and this woman hasn’t improved at anything except for her ability to piss me off. That’s reached a whole new level.’
Mr. Du saw the two of them from a distance and immediately walked over.
"Prince, Princely Heir, it’s about time. We should depart."
Li Ji tossed the Wind Oil Essence to Hua Manman and turned to walk away.
Hua Manman quickly caught the Wind Oil Essence and tucked it away like a treasure.
Mr. Du fell a step behind, walking beside the Young Master.
He lowered his voice and asked, "What were you just discussing with the Regent King? He looked very unhappy."
Hua Manman: "We didn’t talk about anything. He just returned the Wind Oil Essence he took yesterday."
Mr. Du was skeptical.
"That’s all?"
Hua Manman retorted, "What else could there be?"
Mr. Du always felt that the relationship between the Regent King and the Young Master was strange.
They had clearly never interacted before, yet from the moment the Regent King first saw the Young Master, he had shown an unusual amount of interest in his affairs.
If the Young Master were a woman, one could say the Regent King had taken an interest in him.
But they are both men.
The Regent King has also been married and has a child, so he clearly has no homosexual inclinations.
Mr. Du couldn’t figure out the reason for it.
Hua Manman had just settled into the carriage when she saw the Regent King climb in.
She silently put on a pained expression.
’Why is this guy haunting me?!’
Li Ji sat down across from her.
The carriage started moving, but Hua Manman still hadn’t seen Jiao Gui.
She opened the window and asked a trusted aide riding on horseback outside.
"Where’s Jiao Gui?"
The trusted aide answered truthfully, "The Regent King sent Jiao Gui to the carriage behind this one."
Hua Manman sat back down and watched the Regent King warily.
’What kind of trouble is he planning now?’
Li Ji said calmly, "I have something to discuss with you alone. Jiao Gui would be in the way."
Hua Manman didn’t think she had anything to talk about with him.
’Since we met, this man hasn’t done a single good thing.’
’First, he held a sword to my neck. Then he yanked out my hair. Last night, he even snuck into my room to assassinate me.’
’I don’t even know how I offended him.’
’Why does he have to torture me like this?’
Li Ji tried to explain, "Manman, I..."
Hua Manman cut him off.
"Don’t call me that. We’re not that close."
Li Ji frowned. "Do you really not remember anything?"
Hua Manman was confused.
"Remember what?"
Li Ji took out the green pouch he carried with him.
"This was a birthday gift from you. You should at least remember something you made with your own hands."
Hua Manman took the pouch, looked at it, and grimaced in disgust.
"When did I ever make a pouch this ugly?
I’m warning you, you can insult my craftsmanship, but you can’t insult my taste!"
Li Ji watched her with a deadpan expression and said ominously,
"So you think this pouch is ugly, too. But you used to tell me it was beautiful and that the color suited me perfectly."
A look of pity appeared in Hua Manman’s eyes.
’I never would have guessed. The Regent King seems so smart, but privately, he’s this gullible.’
Li Ji: "..."
’So, she was lying to me all along.’
He took a deep breath and silently told himself.
’This is the person I went through hell and high water to find. I can’t hit her, I can’t scold her. I can only endure.’
Li Ji decided to lay his cards on the table.
"Tell me the truth. Is your amnesia real or fake?"
Hua Manman looked utterly bewildered.
"Of course my amnesia is real!"
’Why does this man keep asking such strange questions?’
’It’s as if he thinks we knew each other before.’
Wait.
’Maybe Lu Man really did know him!’
’Lu Man loved needlework. That green pouch the Regent King just showed me was probably made by her.’
’Oh, if I think about it that way, it seems like there might have been something between them.’
So, the question now is—
Does the Regent King know that Lu Man is a woman?