CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 320: NOT EVERY PRINCE HAS THE RIGHT TO STRIVE

Ah——

Meng Yao yanked the blanket and covered her head.

[Host, it’s hot. Covering yourself like this, you might get heatstroke.]

[Host, you don’t need to be shy. Your thoughts are only known to me, the system. Rest assured, at least Zhao Ting doesn’t know.]

[Host, if you’re not passionate and uninhibited, fine, but why so bashful?]

[You’re not exactly young anymore! This isn’t good!]

Not exactly young!

Meng Yao suddenly threw off the blanket, beads of sweat already forming on her forehead. She gritted her teeth, "Even if I’m not exactly young, I’m still younger than you are."

Having gone through several hosts, calling it an old monster wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Before time traveling, she was single and could still be called "missy."

After time traveling, even though she gained a few children, she had been diligently maintaining this body since taking it over. Although not as good as in the past life, it’s not bad either!

——

In the courtyard, Zhao Ting was being exceptionally proactive.

Back when he was a prince, he never learned how to woo a beloved woman, but he was quite skilled at pleasing elders.

Thus, Mrs. Qian was coaxed into smiles.

Looking at Zhao Ting now, she found everything about him satisfactory.

Good family, good looks, dedicated, good temper, pleasant to talk to, and doesn’t just talk the talk.

He’s simply flawless.

"Rest assured, I’ve been managing business for years, I have some skill in reading people’s minds. Yao just hasn’t come around yet." Said Mrs. Qian.

The not-yet-come-around Meng Yao had already determined from the clues pieced together by the system that she did, in fact, have feelings for Zhao Ting!

Not just the initial shallow attraction of someone good-looking.

But the desire to thoroughly enjoy everything.

Meng Yao patted her cheeks, having figured it out, there was no more to be conflicted about. Life is short, one must seize the moment, else what a waste of time that would be.

She didn’t date in her past life, but in this life, with such an excellent choice, not grabbing hold would be foolish.

So Meng Yao decisively opened the door.

"Why didn’t you rest a bit more?" Zhao Ting, always attentive to Meng Yao’s movements, went up to her as soon as she appeared.

"I’ve rested enough." Meng Yao glanced at Zhao Ting, indeed, everything about this man matched her aesthetic taste.

"Earlier, your big sister and brother-in-law told me a lot of interesting stories from Dahe’s school days, Yao, it must have been tough for you then." Zhao Ting said.

"Let’s not talk about the past, okay?" Meng Yao replied.

Mr. and Mrs. Qian heard this and thought Meng Yao was upset.

But Zhao Ting was overjoyed.

Not talking about the past meant Yao only wanted to focus on the future between them.

"I’ll do as you say." Zhao Ting couldn’t help but let his lips curve upwards.

"Shall we go for a walk?" Meng Yao asked.

"Sure."

They walked for quite some time before Mrs. Qian snapped out of it, "Looks like Yao’s come around?"

Earlier, Zhao Ting had been sighing, saying he didn’t know when he’d be able to win her over, and she had said she would help.

And they didn’t even need help; they sorted it out themselves?

Didn’t get a chance to help, a bit of a shame.

"Miss Bai Su, do you have any food preferences?" Mrs. Qian asked Bai Su.

Bai Su shook her head, "Big sister, I’m not picky."

Since she called Meng Yao "Meng Sister," she naturally addressed Mrs. Qian as "big sister."

"What do you like to eat then?"

"Meat."

Bai Su’s eyes sparkled.

Although she wasn’t starving along the way and occasionally got to eat roast game, she still preferred pork.

Mrs. Qian liked Bai Su’s straightforward nature, knowing Meng Yao’s character, anyone she allowed along surely had a good character.

"Liking meat is good, young people should eat more meat. This is your first time in Xuzhou, right? Come, I’ll show you around, let’s buy some meat to bring back. Let me tell you, I’m good at making braised pork and stewed pig trotters." Mrs. Qian said.

Bai Su almost drooled, swiftly taking Mrs. Qian’s grocery basket and cheerily following her.

Over there, Zhao Ting took Meng Yao straight to the east of the city.

During his travels, he’d been to Qixia. Upon leaving the east city, there’s a Qixia Manor with excellent scenery.

Right now, the lotus flowers were in full bloom, and the manor had a lotus pond where one could boat and pick lotus pods.

Yes, Zhao Ting intended to take Meng Yao boating.

Once out of the city, Zhao Ting boldly, albeit tentatively, grabbed Meng Yao’s hand.

Meng Yao instinctively wanted to withdraw her hand, but catching a glimpse of Zhao Ting’s nervous face, she allowed him to hold her hand and even clasped his back.

Yao didn’t pull away, Yao let him hold her hand!

Where was he? What was he doing?

His heart was beating so fast, as if it would burst out of his chest.

Meng Yao was initially a bit nervous, but feeling Zhao Ting’s pulse racing, this man who usually spoke so smoothly was actually quite inexperienced.

With him being so nervous, she wasn’t nervous at all.

"Zhao Ting, holding my hand, how does it feel?" Meng Yao slightly tilted her head, looking at Zhao Ting and asked.

"It feels like my hand isn’t mine, my heart isn’t mine either, walking feels like stepping on clouds. Am I dreaming?" Zhao Ting raised his other hand and pinched his face.

Ouch, not a dream.

His words and actions made Meng Yao laugh.

From his past demeanor, he seemed like a king.

From his current behavior, he seemed like a novice bronze rank.

In his thirties, yet he acts like a teenage boy when holding hands.

"You really never held a girl’s hand before?" Meng Yao asked.

"I’ve had my hand forcibly touched before, but it didn’t feel like this." Zhao Ting answered honestly.

"How did that feel?"

"I wanted to avoid it!"

"I’m curious though, you’re a prince, who would dare to forcibly touch your hand?"

"In the palace, it seems strict, but under the surface... how do I say it, my mother wasn’t favored, so naturally, I as a prince wasn’t either. When I was a child, being good-looking, some palace maids were fond of pretty young boys." Zhao Ting said calmly.

Isn’t this essentially the same as Li Chang’an encountering a widow when he was young?

Meng Yao felt a bit sympathetic for someone.

Evidently, it’s not just girls who are ever in unsafe situations.

"Did you just let them bully you?"

"No, I arranged for my father to see it. After that, I never saw those palace maids again. Also, no one dared to do it again. Plus, my father assigned an instructor to me afterwards."

Which shows, the previous emperor didn’t seem to treat him badly?

"Even though the matter was resolved, it left a shadow on your heart, which is why you’ve never married?" Meng Yao asked again.

"There’s that reason, but it’s not the whole reason." Zhao Ting said, "Being in the royal family, oftentimes you’re not in control."

He really wanted to perform well to make his father happy. So, whatever the instructor taught, he learned diligently and earnestly. However, later he realized, not all princes qualified for the effort.