Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 184 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (88)

Ji Shumin ignored Lu Liruan's awkwardness and, when Lu Liruan was struggling to find her rhythm, let out a few inappropriate sneers.

Lu Liruan blushed instantly, all the blood rushing to her head, feeling both ashamed and angry.

Ji Shumin showed her no respect, and the more helpless Lu Liruan became, the more wickedly he laughed. Although he was tied up, he had no awareness of being restrained.

Lu Liruan got angry and covered his mouth to stop him from making a sound: "Your Highness, you'd better behave yourself now and don't provoke me, or I'll make you suffer!"

Lu Liruan's threats were all bark and no bite, lacking any real deterrent power.

Lu Liruan, overwhelmed by the allure of her subordinates' beauty, examined Ji Shumin as if he were an expensive and fragile object.

Ignoring his provocative gaze, she patted his cheek irritably: "I'm afraid I'll break you... Stay quiet, let me see where it's sturdy!"

Lu Liruan was speaking the truth, but she didn't expect that her words would still be so hurtful.

Suddenly, the man beneath her looked down. He straightened his back, arching his spine into a supple curve, raised his neck, and leaned close to Lu Liruan's face, biting her lips quite hard with the tip of his teeth.

He then collapsed back, exhausted.

Lu Liruan was baffled.

He touched his sore lip and said, "What? You don't eat properly and you're as thin as a piece of paper, and you don't even want others to talk about it?"

That was indeed a bit against my conscience.

Lu Liruan's palm cupped his waist and abdomen, the skin and flesh against her palm were tough and taut, the slender muscle lines felt so good that she couldn't help but pinch them.

Lu Liruan pinched his waist and pressed down, her hand sinking into the obvious dimples of his lower back...

Pulling off the silk sash of his inner garment, the robe slid open smoothly. Ji Shumin's expression suddenly changed, as if he hadn't expected Lu Liruan to treat him this way, and he became a little flustered.

Lu Liruan had acted too quickly, but she didn't expect to see Ji Shumin's momentary panic. This sense of control, with the initiative back in her hands, intrigued Lu Liruan.

Without being taught, he began to explore, figuring out how to do it and where to touch... which would make Ji Shumin show a more attractive and pleasing expression.

self-taught.

Ji Shumin's bound hands unconsciously came down, and he weakly pressed against Lu Liruan's shoulder, trying to push her away, but Lu Liruan retaliated by biting his wrist.

Her slender fingers gripped and released, and Lu Liruan thought she had bitten him too hard. Her bright red tongue followed the bite mark and soothed him again and again, making Ji Shumin tremble slightly.

He was physically weak, so Lu Liruan didn't dare to provoke him much. However, his helpless state of being unable to control his body made it impossible for Lu Liruan to restrain herself any further.

"Li Ruan... how did you go astray?" Ji Shumin asked in a low voice, his tone heavy with nasal consonant.

"It's all your fault." Lu Liruan finally let go of his hand, letting him hold her in his arms, listening to the steady beating of his heart in his thin chest.

Lu Liruan could never get enough of listening to it.

"Ok?"

“How can I learn anything good from you?” Lu Liruan retorted confidently, shifting the blame.

"You haven't mastered anything... but you've surpassed your teacher in your love of causing trouble." Ji Shumin mocked him.

"Oh... Your Highness the Third Prince, you know you're tormenting people, huh?" Lu Liruan thought he had let something slip, so she quickly looked up and almost bumped into Ji Shumin's chin.

"Heh." Ji Shumin chuckled softly.

Lu Liruan suddenly realized that his half-truths and half-lies had been intentional all along; he was deliberately tormenting her!

Sure enough, she's still incredibly crazy.

"Help me tie my coat on, it's a bit cold." Ji Shumin's light voice fell into Lu Liruan's ear.

He had already let go of her hand, but he wanted Lu Liruan to do it herself. He lowered his eyes and just watched Lu Liruan's movements.

She tied it back on exactly as she had untied it, her hands moving slowly, the atmosphere tender and intimate...

The sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was over. That day, an unusually heavy thunderstorm struck, and the following days brought an unexpected chill.

The temperature dropped day by day, and even with two braziers lit in the house, my nose and fingers were still icy cold.

The small tatami mat used for sunbathing in spring and summer was completely abandoned because it was too close to the window and became so cold it felt like it had been frozen.

When Lu Liruan first married into the Songjingyuan Palace, Ji Shumin, although mentally unstable, was very diligent and self-disciplined.

Most of the time, as soon as Lu Liruan opened her eyes, Ji Shumin was already gone from the room.

Lu Liruan was once very satisfied with this aspect of Ji Shumin: he was strict with himself but not demanding of others, and he did not require Lu Liruan to get up early or abide by the tedious and complicated palace rules.

The other women in the palace were already well-versed in the palace rules and etiquette, but Lu Liruan, who was about to move out, hadn't memorized many of them yet.

Lu Liruan once asked Ji Shumin, but Ji Shumin lazily replied, "Although it is said that without rules, there can be no order, it is not the kind of rules that are only meant to discipline and make things difficult for people. I myself do not like to follow them, so why are you following them?"

"for example?"

“For example, spending more than an hour in the morning to wait for Consort Rong to pay your respects, see her briefly, and then rush back, you might as well sleep a little longer,” Ji Shumin said bluntly.

Lu Liruan secretly gave him a thumbs up: You are still very likable in this respect!

Now that Ji Shumin no longer needs to attend court or deal with trivial matters, he and Lu Liruan can stay in bed together.

From the very beginning, Ji Shumin saw Lu Liruan setting up a small table on the bed, eating oranges and chestnuts while looking at her sketchbook, and he looked puzzled and disgusted.

Now, he was comfortably leaning back on the cushion, flipping through a book in his hand, and very naturally opening his mouth to take the orange segment that Lu Liruan handed him.

It was very harmonious, peaceful and beautiful.

About half a month after the sacrificial ceremony, the emperor finally relented and allowed the two to leave the palace.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs selected an auspicious day for the housewarming.

Lu Liruan and Ji Shumin came to bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress.

The Emperor looked on with considerable concern: "Min'er, you must take good care of yourself in the future, and don't let your father worry about you." In front of the Empress, he displayed his benevolent fatherly demeanor even more.

The Empress was not to be outdone; she acted as if nothing had happened a few days ago.

She spoke earnestly, like a truly loving mother, giving him a series of instructions, which made Lu Liruan impatient.

After the two finished their performances, looking at Ji Shumin and Lu Liruan with respectful expressions, they finally stopped, satisfied.

Before their departure, the Empress gave Lu Liruan and Ji Shumin each a string of Buddhist prayer beads and personally put them on their wrists.

When the cold beads were slipped onto Lu Liruan's wrist, she couldn't help but shiver.

"Li Ruan, take good care of Min'er. I know you are an obedient child..."

The Queen's meaning was clear: you cannot escape my control, and you'd better obediently do as she says.

Ji Shumin remained unfazed.

Lu Liruan watched from the sidelines. If she didn't know the truth, she would probably really think that the two of them were a loving mother and filial son.

The reason why the Empress hated Ji Shumin so much was partly because she and Ji Shuqin were treated coldly, bullied, and ignored by the Emperor.

However, the emperor made Ji Shumin the crown prince and kept him by his side.

It seemed that he valued this son very much.

The emperor used this method to alienate the mother and son from a young age.

Before Ji Shumin's mind was mature enough, and before he even had the ability to think for himself, a deep chasm was created between him and the Empress.

The Empress showed him no love a mother should have for her son. Instead, she poured all the hatred she couldn't express to the Emperor onto this child who was loved by the person she hated.

But in Lu Liruan's view, the Emperor's affection for Ji Shumin was never genuine.

It was all a facade from beginning to end...

Not only Ji Shumin, but the Emperor treated every one of his sons, and Lu Liruan was now convinced that her feeling was not wrong.

The only things the emperor cared about were imperial power and himself.

To him, these sons were more like grown-up offspring, eyeing him covetously.

As soon as they showed signs of resistance, the emperor was constantly thinking about how to remove their claws and fangs.

Lu Liruan remained on edge until the carriage rumbled along the outermost road of the palace.

The moment the palace gates opened, Lu Liruan lifted the curtain and looked out, seeing the dazzling yet chilly winter sunlight and the azure sky without a single cloud.

"Have we left the palace?"

Lu Liruan asked Ji Shumin beside her blankly.

Ji Shumin lifted the curtain at the back and patted Lu Liruan on the shoulder, gesturing for her to turn around and look at the increasingly distant, solemn vermilion palace gate.

What was once an unattainable dream has now come true. In an instant, Lu Liruan's mind was filled with the various places to travel in all four seasons listed in Ji Shuminni's notes, and she thought of the bustling streets of the capital that were still warm and lively even in winter.

The heat came from the steaming bun stall, from the charcoal vendor, and from the freshly wrapped wontons simmering in a large pot of broth...

It was from the bustling crowd, shoulder to shoulder, with shouts and laughter, that the heavy burden that had been weighing on people's shoulders seemed to be lifted off in an instant!

Lu Liruan couldn't help but beam with joy!

"Does Your Highness like being outside?" Lu Liruan suddenly asked.

"I don't know." Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow.

Lu Liruan then remembered that Ji Shumin had been born in the palace. What was an unfamiliar and oppressive place for her was his high and mighty residence, a place he had never left for most of his life.

I stole this precious person from that place...

The thought flashed through Lu Liruan's mind, and then a surge of pride and joy welled up in her chest.

She wished she could shower him with all the good things in the world and bring him into her life.

Lu Liruan knew that thinking this way was inappropriate, but she also felt that it was very appropriate for the situation.

She married Ji Shumin and entered the palace, integrated into his life, understood everything about him, and slowly changed for him.

But now, Ji Shumin has left the place where he lived and is going with him to a place he has never set foot in before, walking the path he has walked, letting him lead and guide him, and just because he likes it and made a promise, he still resolutely accompanies him.

It's like... Ji Shumin married himself.

This feeling overwhelmed Lu Liruan, making her unable to express it in words. She wanted to use any method to let Ji Shumin know her feelings for him, but she didn't know what to do.

"What's wrong?" Ji Shumin noticed that her face was flushed, and she was staring at him intently with bright, moist eyes, her sincerity almost palpable.

"I...I will be good to you." Lu Liruan could only manage to stammer out this sentence.

Ji Shumin understood Lu Liruan's thoughts immediately and raised an eyebrow: "Of course you have to be good to me."

“You have to swear to me that you’ll always be good to me, or else…” Ji Shumin leaned closer and murmured, “Never mind, I can’t bear to do anything to you.”

"I swear I'll be good to you..." Lu Liruan was deeply moved by his charm.

"I will always be good to you, and we will always be the closest of people." Lu Liruan willingly repeated the words that Ji Shumin had said countless times.

Lu Liruan snapped out of her reverie and thought about finding a red veil to cover the Third Prince's head, quite seriously and with a burning desire.

He turned his head and met Ji Shumin's ambiguous smile.

For some reason, Lu Liruan felt that Ji Shumin could see through her thoughts.

They arrived at the newly renovated mansion.

The first and second gates were exquisitely decorated, but when they entered the courtyard where the two were to stay, Lu Liruan stood at the door with a complicated expression.

"What's wrong, don't you like it?"

“No…” Lu Liruan said somewhat dryly.

It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I'm a little too familiar with it.

Although Lu Liruan had heard Ji Shumin mention that the courtyard was built according to Lu Liruan's preferred style, she never expected that it was built almost exactly like her own courtyard in the Marquis of He'an's mansion!

“Didn’t Li Ruan say that the Marquis of He’an’s residence was your favorite home? I’ve moved my home here for you.” Ji Shumin’s tone was indifferent, as if it contained a hint of apathy.

He stared at Lu Liruan, as if trying to see how she would react.

Lu Liruan met his gaze and thought to herself: Every time I think he's a normal person, he can prove me right with his actions.

No, I'm still crazy.

It's hard to tell whether he's simply putting this statement into practice or is just struggling with himself.

Ji Shumin's stubbornness and neuroticism are often fully displayed when it comes to people or things he cares about.

"Why don't you add things you like?" Lu Liruan asked him.

"The one I like?" Ji Shumin curled the corners of his mouth.

"I don't care what happens to me, as long as you're here, that's enough." Ji Shumin held Lu Liruan's hand, their fingers intertwined.

Neuropathy.

Lu Liruan would still think of him that way, but her state of mind at this moment was completely different from when she heard Ji Shumin's stubborn and willful words before.

Lu Liruan even felt at ease and happy: It's good, probably because of what she's been exposed to all along.

That's what I think now too.

I've gone insane from being with him.

The house was built with great care. Ji Shumin had a floor heating system installed, so now that the house is warm and cozy when the fire is lit.

Lu Liruan stepped onto the carpet wearing socks, feeling a warm and cozy sensation.

We set up a small pot to brew some wine, and with a couple of handfuls of melon seeds and dried meat, we spent our first night in our new home in a slightly tipsy state.

After leaving the palace, they were even less constrained.

Lu Liruan is free to go wherever she wants.

Lu Liruan naturally wanted to return to the Marquis of An's residence.

When she spoke to Ji Shumin, he casually asked, "Is Li Ruan going to leave me alone at home?"

"You can't come back with me..."

"Why not?"

"what?"

Lu Liruan was taken aback: "You're going?"

Ji Shumin sneered: "Li Ruan doesn't want to take me with her?"

No, I just thought you wouldn't want to go. Lu Liruan drew her conclusion based on her understanding of Ji Shumin.