Chu Lingzhi grew even more puzzled. "Weren't you just waking up? What's there to be sad about?"
"Seeing you sad makes me sad too." Nangong Yehen's tone was deep and earnest.
"Heh heh..." Chu Lingzhi's heart skipped a beat as she feigned indifference. "Does Young Master Nangong even know what sadness is?"
"Chu Lingzhi, I'm serious!"
"..." Chu Lingzhi was startled. She lifted her face and looked at him with confusion. "Why are you sad?"
"Let's talk outside." If they said too much here, they'd wake the little ones.
"Aren't you going back to sleep?" Chu Lingzhi asked.
"I'm awake now."
Chu Lingzhi pursed her lips, but she hadn't slept yet.
Still, she didn't feel the least bit drowsy.
Nangong Yehen took her hand and led her outside the courtyard, where they sat down on a large rock.
He looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
"Hey, weren't you going to tell me about your sadness?" Chu Lingzhi nudged his elbow.
"Your sadness naturally makes me sad." Nangong Yehen cast her a cool glance.
"Young Master Nangong, saying that will make me foolishly think you like me." Chu Lingzhi froze for a moment, then quickly laughed.
She knew he was good to her only because of the children.
Without Chu Junyu and Nangong Yichen, she and he would be from completely different worlds—no force on earth could bring them together.
Nangong Yehen suddenly leaned his handsome face close, pinched her chin, and smirked seductively. "No need to fool yourself—I do like you."
The moonlight outside was even clearer than inside the room.
Even without a lamp, she could clearly see his expression.
His eyes, black as the stars in the sky, sparkled even brighter, and his wicked smile seemed like poison.
His tone carried a kingly arrogance.
Chu Lingzhi stared at him, her expression tinged with doubt. "What... did you say?"
He said he liked her?
Nangong Yehen's face drew even closer.
If he came any nearer, the tip of his nose would touch hers.
He gazed into her eyes, the smile fading from his face. "I said, I like you!"
At that, Chu Lingzhi's heart pounded like a deer crashing into it, her pulse racing, thumping wildly...
"Young Master Nangong, I'm not a three-year-old child, so you don't need to humor me." Chu Lingzhi suppressed her shock and gave a faint smile.
"If you were a three-year-old, I wouldn't bother humoring you." Had she ever seen him humor Chu Junyu and Nangong Yichen?
"What do you like about me?" Chu Lingzhi asked.
"I like the feeling of having you by my side." As for what exactly he liked about her, how would he know?
Chu Lingzhi furrowed her brow slightly. What kind of feeling was that?
Was it genuine affection or just dependence?
She looked into his eyes. "Young Master Nangong, aside from me, have you ever lived with an unmarried mother?"
Nangong Yehen's face darkened. "No!"
Hearing this, Chu Lingzhi smiled knowingly.
His liking her, his enjoyment of her presence—it wasn't really romantic love between a man and a woman.
It was more that she was mature and genuine.
"Your smile makes it seem like you don't believe me." Nangong Yehen raised an eyebrow, staring at her with displeasure.
"No, it's not that. I just find it too sudden, too unbelievable."
"Why unbelievable?"
"You, the illustrious City King with all your glory, actually like a Cinderella like me." Chu Lingzhi laughed.
He tightened his grip on her chin. "And why not?"
"..." Chu Lingzhi couldn't think of a reason why not.
"Whether I'm the City King or you're Cinderella, we're still just a man and a woman. It's normal for me to like a woman—unless you want me to like a man?"