Author: Chai Jidan

Translator: chiangyushien

Proofreader: KainGuru, Zeraphiel25

The Third Prince’s face was expressionless seeing Mu Xueshi, he asked: “Why did you come here?”

Seeing that the Third Prince was not even a little happy, Mu Xueshi thought he was overwhelmed by what happened to his mother, so even Mu Xueshi’s tone had become much softer.

“I’m just worried about you. I want to come take a look at you. I’m afraid that you would get bored by yourself and take this matter to your heart.”

The Third Prince looked at the silly expression on Mu Xueshi’s face. He unexpectedly felt a wave of warm current flow into his heart. At the moment, he thought Mu Xueshi did not make him gnash his teeth as usual. Although he had left him in the imperial palace and even purposefully gave him an identity, so to speak, the Third Prince could not deny that he was also surprised this time.

Mu Xueshi noticed that the Third Prince remained silent. He quickly urged the Third Prince and said: “Hurry up and eat the warm food. If you’re going to eat it cold, it’s not good for your body. You don’t have a microwave here…”

Although the Third Prince did not understand what Mu Xueshi was talking about, he could still understand the words of concern that he said. Surprisingly, the Third Prince really took the bowl and chopsticks from Mu Xueshi’s hands.

Mu Xueshi was extremely happy. He squatted next to the Third Prince and excitedly watched him eat. The Third Prince continued to ignore Mu Xueshi’s gaze. He indifferently ate the meal inside the bowl.

Mu Xueshi watched him carefully without moving his eyes at all. With an intoxicated expression toward the Third Prince, he said: “Third Prince, you even eat in a classy way. You are indeed a prince. Watching you makes me want to eat, too.”

The Third Prince did not say a word. Mu Xueshi thought that the Third Prince tacitly consented. He quickly looked for a bowl and wanted to eat together with the Third Prince; but in the end, there was only one bowl in the tray. Mu Xueshi had looked everywhere, only to find a pretty good silver bowl in front of Concubine Mu’s spirit tablet which was filled with fruits, but in order to show respect for the Third Prince’s mother, he had to bear with it.

Unexpectedly, the Third Prince suddenly stood up. He turned the silver bowl upside down and emptied all the fruits inside it onto the table. He even helped Mu Xueshi fill it up with some rice and handed it over to Mu Xueshi.

Mu Xueshi was touched by this gesture that he did not know what to say; nevertheless, the Third Prince remained indifferent. Mu Xueshi felt that after he did not see the Third Prince for three days, eating together with him now even made him feel that the food tasted better.

The Third Prince noticed that Mu Xueshi was eating like a wolf and a tiger [1]. He felt this person was completely not the previous Mu Xueshi. He was as pure as a child who had not received any family precept. His every action exuded the original goodness and devotion of human nature. He did not know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. As for what the Third Prince’s feelings toward this completely new Mu Xueshi, who was right before his eyes, he was also confused.

([1]「狼吞虎咽」an idiom which means to gobble up or gorge oneself.)

In the next few days, Mu Xueshi kept coming back to find the Third Prince in this kind of manner. Afterwards, he simply did not leave. Seeing that there was no one who would come there to check, he continuously accompanied and stayed by the Third Prince’s side. At night he really could not withstand to fall asleep, but he would suddenly wake up and made himself conscious again. Since he came over, the Third Prince had never closed his eyes. Mu Xueshi was embarrassed to sleep on his own.

It was very difficult to endure it until the last day — Mu Xueshi did not appear in the Third Prince’s mourning room. On the contrary, the Third Prince felt rather uneasy. Before, he would not be easily influenced by others, but with these meetings with Mu Xueshi, he surprisingly changed what he had kept in his mind, little by little.

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