Chapter 503

Who else could the visitor be but Xu Heming? The moment Li Zhiwei thought about how Xu Heming had tormented her last night, she felt both shy and vexed.

This man looked so proper and serious—how could he be so... so—

Li Zhiwei couldn't even find the right words to describe it.

Really, he was far too frivolous.

At the thought, Li Zhiwei was so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a hole.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Xu Heming stepped forward quickly, remembering how Li Zhiwei had been crying and pleading for mercy last night. He couldn't help worrying that he might have been too impulsive and hurt her.

Li Zhiwei glared at the one who had caused her troubles. How dare he ask her that now?

Had he forgotten what he did to her last night?

At that thought, Li Zhiwei grew even angrier. But with so many people in the room, she couldn’t very well bring up what had happened between her and her husband in their chamber for all to hear.

So she could only roll her eyes at Xu Heming, as if to say: Isn't this all your fault?

Seeing his little wife, blushing with both shame and anger as she glared at him, Xu Heming found her utterly adorable.

He deliberately walked up to Li Zhiwei, took her hand, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

Without thinking, Li Zhiwei pulled her hand away from his and even slapped his hand.

It was clear she was very displeased with his closeness.

"Did I do something to displease the princess?" Xu Heming's lips curled slightly, as if he found even making Li Zhiwei angry an amusing game.

"Your Highness, if you keep this up, you'll sleep in the study tonight!" Li Zhiwei said indignantly.

She thought to herself that she had never known that the marital bed could turn a proper man into someone so wild.

But last night's wildness had truly frightened her. She couldn't endure another night like it.

In her past life, when she had married Lin Jitong, although they had mistreated her, she had only experienced the intimacy of man and woman that one time they had plotted against her.

That time, she had been unconscious. Later, Zhou Yutang had told her that the man was merely a groom from the Ruan'an Marquis’ estate.

At the thought, Li Zhiwei could still feel the suffocation of that moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Seeing Li Zhiwei lost in thought, Xu Heming pinched her hand in dissatisfaction.

Her displeasure was plain on her face, and she was daydreaming right in front of him—who was she thinking of? Some other man?

"Your Highness, the princess, the Old Princess is still waiting for you both," said Qinghua, who was standing by, urging them along.

"Fine, I'll let you off for now." Xu Heming decided that later he would have a serious talk with Li Zhiwei about a husband's authority.

How could she threaten to send him to sleep in the study at the slightest disagreement?

Later, he would have Qingsong remove the bed from the study.

Cian Hall

"Grandmother, if there's nothing important, I'll be heading back now," Xu Qingshi said, puzzled. Why had the Old Princess summoned him so early in the morning?

But he had been here for half a day, and she still hadn’t told him what it was about.

The Old Princess exchanged a knowing smile with Nanny Luo.

"What’s the rush?" The Old Princess was in a good mood and didn’t mind Xu Qingshi’s somewhat rude tone.

"Grandmother, I have things to do," Xu Qingshi said discontentedly. Last night, he had slept beside the beautiful lady, but when he woke up, he was back in Liangqi Courtyard.

He had no memory of how he got back.

He was planning to seek out Li Zhiwei to ask about it.

But then he had been summoned to Cian Hall.

The problem was, his grandmother had called him over half a day ago and still hadn’t said anything—just kept him waiting. Xu Qingshi was truly getting impatient.

"What important things could a child like you have?" The Old Princess thought that nothing was more important than meeting his soon-to-be mother.

But a similar scene had happened half a year ago.

Xu Qingshi, however, had a big heart and didn’t remember that.

"I—" Just as Xu Qingshi was about to say he wanted to find Li Zhiwei, he saw her walking in with Xu Heming.

The Old Princess looked at the new couple with great satisfaction.

The Prince An’s manor hadn’t seen such joy in a long time.

The last time, she had also received Li Zhiwei’s tea of respect, but that time the situation had been rushed and unprepared.

That time, the two children hadn’t truly become husband and wife—but now, it was different.

Today, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍the Old Princess had received Li Zhiwei’s handkerchief of consummation. Last night, the two had truly become one.

The Old Princess was already imagining the happy news of adding two more grandchildren in the future.

"Mother!" Seeing Li Zhiwei arrive, Xu Qingshi rushed over without a second thought, took her hand, and was overjoyed.

"Mother, I don’t know how I ended up back in Liangqi Courtyard last night," Xu Qingshi said, hugging Li Zhiwei's hand and pouting with a bit of grievance.

Xu Heming, who had been in a good mood, immediately darkened his expression when he saw Xu Qingshi’s annoying hand.

That brat.

Coming to snatch his wife again.

"Speak properly—why are you pulling and tugging? Where are your manners?" Xu Heming glared at Xu Qingshi with a dark face, as if daring him not to let go.

"Mother!" Xu Qingshi hid behind Li Zhiwei, acting pitiful.

"Why are you picking a fight with a child?" Li Zhiwei rolled her eyes at Xu Heming, baffled by where his anger was coming from.

Hearing this only made Xu Heming frown deeper.

What did she mean by picking a fight with a child? That brat Xu Qingshi was the one encroaching on his woman—should he just smile and accept it?

Xu Heming told himself he was nowhere near that generous.

"Nyah—nyah—nyah!" Protected by Li Zhiwei, Xu Qingshi proudly stuck his tongue out at Xu Heming.

Xu Heming frowned and briefly regretted his recklessness last night.

That brat looked nothing like his own seed.

He should have sent him to that treacherous mother of his.

But then he remembered that Zhou Yuxin had likely been drowned long ago.

Xu Heming could only seethe in silence.

After all, such an unsavory matter would embarrass him if the world knew that his former princess had died in childbirth.

If he revealed the truth, he would only shame himself.

"Alright, Your Highness, Mother is still waiting for us." Seeing Xu Heming bickering with a child, Li Zhiwei tugged lightly at his robe.

She gestured toward the Old Princess, who was still waiting.

Xu Heming shot a glare at Xu Qingshi, then walked over and deliberately squeezed between him and Li Zhiwei, separating them. He took Li Zhiwei's hand and led her toward the main hall.

"Father, that's too much!" Xu Qingshi chased after him, shouting as he ran.