Chapter 36

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Chapter 36: Title

Gu Hengbo glared at the smiling Lian Rong and suddenly thought of a question; they hadn’t filled their stomachs yet after walking around. “I’m still hungry.”

Lian Rong nodded, “If you hadn’t said it, I would have forgotten. Let’s head back.”

Gu Hengbo shot her a disdainful glance. “You can go back if you want; there must not be any buns there. Besides, I really want to eat soup dumplings. I haven’t had them in days. Aunt Zhang, I miss you.” As she spoke, Gu Hengbo started to shout and lightly twirl with her hands on her stomach.

Lian Rong’s lips twitched as she looked at her helplessly. “Do you have to eat buns? There are other options! Someone like you is more suited to eat noodles.”

Gu Hengbo glanced at her sideways. “What do you mean someone like me? Please watch your words, Your Highness. Compared to you, I resemble a village girl. I will eat noodles, but I want hand-pulled noodles or knife-cut noodles, not the ones made by a machine. If not that, then long-life noodles, the kind that fills a bowl with just one strand.”

Lian Rong tilted her head and seriously absorbed her words. “There is a street in the royal city that is quite lively at night. I haven’t been there, but Qian Yue said it’s nice.”

Gu Hengbo appeared dejected. “Alright then, let’s go there. After we eat, we can go home. Ugh, I’m so tired.” She exaggeratedly yawned, showing no image of propriety.

Lian Rong followed behind her, deeply furrowing her brow, “Are you really a woman?” No matter how she acted, she certainly didn’t act like a seventeen-year-old unmarried girl. (Hey, I just married you today.)

Gu Hengbo turned her head, “Who are you saying is not a woman? I could say the same about you not being a man. You have a problem; don’t drag others into it, alright? I’m just lively.”

Also very careless, Lian Rong thought silently. “Does the crown princess know the way?”

“Don’t call me crown princess.”

Lian Rong narrowed her eyes; this woman is just asking for trouble. If you don’t show her some authority, tomorrow she’ll be climbing onto your roof.

“What should I call you then?” Lian Rong asked.

“Call me by my name,” Gu Hengbo replied without thinking.

“Wife.”

“Scoundrel! Why are you touching me? Don’t call me wife.”

“If you don’t want that name, then what about calling me a humble servant or humble wife? You can choose.”

Gu Hengbo strode forward angrily, and as she walked, she bumped into people without apologizing. This wasn’t her usual style. Though she usually acted crazy, she still had manners; today, for some reason, she was particularly angry. “Humble servant, humble wife? You’re just a worthless person, androgynous. Your whole family is useless.”

Lian Rong calmly followed behind her, the corners of her lips slightly lifting, her mood quite good, attracting the attention of the nearby aunts and mothers with hearts in their eyes.

“Hey, wait, there’s a noodle shop over here that looks pretty good.” Lian Rong abruptly pulled Gu Hengbo, who was rushing forward with her head down. It seemed like a casual gesture, but Gu Hengbo winced in pain. “You did that on purpose.”

“What’s wrong?” Lian Rong looked at her innocently. “Aren’t you going to eat noodles?”

Fine, you’re tough. Gu Hengbo sulked as she walked into the noodle shop, shouting loudly, “Boss, two bowls of your signature noodles, and make sure to add soup.” It wasn’t her fault she had to shout; there were many people inside, and if she didn’t yell, the boss wouldn’t see them in this little corner.

I’m parched! Being with Lian Rong is just wasting my breath. Wait, what did I say wrong again? I meant to say, with a man.

Lian Rong amusingly looked at her angry expression. “My dear.”

“Is it wrong for me to make a mistake? Please, can you not call me that? If you don’t like my name, you can call me Meisheng or Ah Sheng instead. Just please don’t call me that.” Gu Hengbo appeared very accommodating.

Lian Rong stared into her eyes. From the first time she saw her, she found those eyes very beautiful, bright and spirited, clean and clear. It was precisely because her eyes were so clear, almost transparent, that they were more enigmatic than deep, dark ones.

“Ah Heng.”

Gu Hengbo was startled. What did she just call her? “What did you call me?” Please don’t scare her; that was something Yan Chufeng only called her during intimate moments.

“I remember when I first met you, you said your name was Gu Hengbo.” Of course, this first time was different from the other first time; Gu Hengbo automatically understood it as the first time in Mingluan Palace. “Oh, that… I thought that character suited me well when I was flipping through books, so I used it as my nickname. I accidentally said it wrong.” How absurd that she had to undermine her own name to cover up a lie. Never mind, she doesn’t know.

Lian Rong nodded. “I see. Since you like that character, let’s call you that from now on.”

“No, no, no! I think my current name is fine; after all, it was given to me by my mother,” Gu Hengbo said, feeling a sudden chill trickle down her back. Why did she always feel like Lian Rong’s gaze had a hint of mockery?

“Then how about I call you that from now on, just me, Ah Heng?” Lian Rong’s tone was gentle, her phoenix eyes soft enough to melt water.

Gu Hengbo felt goosebumps all over and forced a laugh. “If you like calling me that, then go ahead.” What was up with Lian Rong’s strange gaze? Awkwardly, she felt a blush creeping onto her face. Aah… how embarrassing.

Just as Gu Hengbo could no longer endure Lian Rong’s ‘enthusiastic’ gaze, the waiter with a cloth draped over his arm approached with a bowl of noodles. “Sorry to keep you waiting, the other bowl will be here soon.”

Gu Hengbo looked at the steaming noodles, suddenly feeling very hot. The small room was crowded, making her feel warm; with the noodles steaming, she felt even hotter. Seeing Lian Rong’s bare gaze, she felt even hotter. “How about you eat first? I can wait a bit.” Gu Hengbo cautiously suggested, suddenly realizing she might have been a bit too bold in front of this person.

Lian Rong, with a gentle gaze, insisted, “You should eat; weren’t you just saying you were hungry? I’m not in a hurry.”

Gu Hengbo picked at the noodles, and when Lian Rong’s bowl arrived, she finally relaxed a little. It was better to eat together; otherwise, if Lian Rong kept staring at her like that, she might lose her appetite. But, really, could Lian Rong actually have feelings for her? Goodness, after all, he was a man; if they kept this up, something would eventually happen. Though Lian Rong was wonderful, if she really couldn’t go back, she would need someone to live with, but realistically, it was better to find someone who was honest and lead a stable life.

Lian Rong wasn’t very hungry and had drunk quite a bit that evening, so she lost her appetite quickly. She had only eaten a few bites before putting down her chopsticks. It was her first time in a place like this, and she thought it wasn’t too bad. “Eat more; if it’s not enough, just order more.”

Gu Hengbo nodded while slurping up noodles. Just as a mouthful went down, she suddenly realized, “Oh no, we didn’t bring any money.” Her voice was just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, including the owner. Everyone who was eating and those who weren’t turned their attention to their little corner.

Lian Rong took out a handkerchief, calmly wiping the saliva that Gu Hengbo accidentally sprayed on her face with excitement.

Gu Hengbo scratched her head in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I…”

“Run.”

Gu Hengbo tilted her head. “Run?”

“Of course, if we don’t have any money, we have to run.”

Before Gu Hengbo could react, Lian Rong pulled her and they dashed out. The two of them stumbled through the crowd, soon followed by a gang holding sticks, shouting and chasing after them.

Gu Hengbo ran out of breath, turning her head back as she ran. “I never expected a prince to do this at such a young age. I’ve never skipped out on a bill my whole life!”

They finally stopped in a dark alley, Gu Hengbo leaned against the wall, peering out to ensure no one followed them, then gasped for air against the wall. “That was so thrilling! I’m getting too old for this!”

Lian Rong leaned against the wall beside her. “Was it fun?”

Gu Hengbo nodded slightly, still catching her breath.

Lian Rong gazed at her face for a while and suddenly leaned in closer.

Gu Hengbo nearly had a heart attack and instinctively pushed her away, only to have Lian Rong block her. Lian Rong pressed her legs against Gu Hengbo’s, her cool, thin lips brushing against her face. “After running for so long, I need to catch my breath,” she said, and without waiting for Gu Hengbo to respond, she kissed her.