Chapter 554: The Crown Prince Hit You?
Chapter 554: Chapter 554: The Crown Prince Hit You?
Shen Ningning saw the redness in Mo Lingwei’s eyes and knew he wasn’t joking.
She had her secrets, and she already felt she had wronged Mo Lingwei deeply. However, she couldn’t let him harm Lu Shaoyuan and his family.
They hadn’t done anything wrong. Lu Shaoyuan had only agreed to the ridiculous fake engagement to help her.
Shen Ningning could only ignore the dejection deep in Mo Lingwei’s eyes.
She took a deep breath, her voice purposefully calm. "Brother, I like Lu Shaoyuan. I don’t want to see you harm him or his family. Otherwise, we can’t even be friends anymore."
Mo Lingwei’s eyes flew wide, and it felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his heart.
He searched Shen Ningning’s eyes, as if trying to confirm whether she truly meant what she said.
Mo Lingwei’s fists clenched and then relaxed, the tips of his long fingers trembling uncontrollably.
His jaw tightened, and his voice sounded as if he were forcing out each word. "Did you even consider my feelings when you said that?"
Shen Ningning met his gaze, speechless.
Her beautiful, dark eyes held nothing but a wistful sorrow.
Mo Lingwei’s voice was hoarse. "Can you really not tell that I like you, or do you feel neglected because I’ve been busy with political affairs these past few days? If it’s any of that, just tell me. I’ll change it all!"
After he spoke, he even seemed ready to give up his title as Crown Prince on the spot.
"If you want my company and don’t want me to be too busy, I can stop being the Crown Prince. My father has many sons, and there are plenty of others better suited for the throne than I am."
When Shen Ningning heard this, her heart suddenly sank.
’Uncle Emperor dreaded this very thing.’
’They all knew Mo Lingwei was capable of throwing everything away.’
’Which was all the more reason she couldn’t let him give up everything he possessed for her sake.’
’Perhaps it was the shadows of her past at play, but she felt she wasn’t worthy—and certainly not deserving of Mo Lingwei abandoning everything to be with her.’
"But, Brother, I don’t like you! It wouldn’t matter to me even if you weren’t the Crown Prince anymore. There’s no way I would abandon the person I truly like because of that."
This time, Shen Ningning’s words were exceptionally firm.
Mo Lingwei’s sharp brows knitted together deeply, his bloodshot eyes staring at her in a stunned daze.
"Then why have you been closer to me than anyone else all these years?"
Shen Ningning turned away, afraid he would see the pain in her eyes. She could only force a calm tone. "I was bullied as a child. Your presence made me feel safe. I knew you could protect me, so I came to rely on you."
"But dependence isn’t affection. When I’m with you, Brother, I feel more like a little sister being well looked after. Only when I’m with Lu Shaoyuan... he..."
This time, before Shen Ningning could finish, there was a BANG from Mo Lingwei’s side as he kicked over a nearby flower stand.
With a loud CRASH, the porcelain pot shattered into countless pieces. The small, beautiful blue flowers looked as if their bones had been broken, crushed beneath the dark, heavy soil.
Mo Lingwei’s gaze was like a churning, scalding sea.
"I don’t want to hear you say another good word about Lu Shaoyuan."
Shen Ningning lifted her beautiful, tear-filled eyes. The sight of her tears made Mo Lingwei freeze for an instant.
’Her tears... Are they because I’m making things difficult and painful for her?’
’Does she really want to marry Lu Shaoyuan that much?’
Shen Ningning’s fingertips wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks. "We’ve said all that needs to be said. Brother, I think you understand my feelings now. From the very beginning, I’ve only ever thought of you as a real brother."
Mo Lingwei sneered. "A real brother..."
All these years, he had treated only her with such kindness, ignoring everyone else. He had only ever bowed his head and softened his heart for her.
And for all that, in her eyes, he was no different from Xie Mingxu or Xie Ming’an.
Shen Ningning choked up again. "Before, I heard the rumors in the Capital City, saying that for my sake, Brother was unwilling to take a wife or accept a consort. I thought it was just a joke."
"After hearing your confession today, Brother, I realize I’ve truly held you up for so long. Now that I’m about to be engaged to the one my heart is set on, you shouldn’t waste any more time on me. You should find a good match soon."
Mo Lingwei’s handsome, sharp features suddenly froze.
’It was a vibrant spring, so why did it feel like a cold wind was gusting in from all sides, roaring and crashing within his heart?’
The bitter feeling surging in his chest made his throat tighten, and he couldn’t utter a single word.
Shen Ningning watched as his expression grew increasingly sullen, dark enough to drip ink.
’Of course, she felt terrible too, but she had made her choice. She couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted now.’
"Brother, let’s not..."
Suddenly, Mo Lingwei strode over. Before Shen Ningning could react, he gripped the back of her neck, forcing her head up.
The next second, Mo Lingwei’s cold, thin lips crashed down on hers, burning with possessiveness.
Shen Ningning’s beautiful eyes widened, and she felt as if her heart was about to stop.
She hurriedly raised her hands to push him away, but Mo Lingwei had anticipated it. He grabbed her wrists, holding them tightly in his grasp.
His kiss was one of absolute dominance and possession, filled with a world-destroying rage.
As they struggled, Mo Lingwei pushed Shen Ningning directly against the door, kissing her fervently.
Shen Ningning couldn’t break free, so she kneed him in the stomach. Mo Lingwei let out a muffled grunt, and a sharp pain shot through his lip a second later.
Shen Ningning had bitten him!
Mo Lingwei regained a sliver of his sanity and looked down. The girl’s eyes were brimming with defiant anger, the corners stained a lingering pink.
He froze, and the inferno deep in his eyes was instantly extinguished, replaced by ice.
’What have I done?’
Mo Lingwei subconsciously let her go.
Shen Ningning staggered back, almost crashing into a bookshelf.
The girl’s dark hair stuck, slightly disheveled, to her pale cheeks. Her lips were swollen and red from being bitten, and a smear of dark blood clung to the corner of her mouth.
Her eyes blazed with humiliated fury and sorrow. "Mo Lingwei! You’ve gone too far."
Even Mo Lingwei hadn’t expected it. In a rush of blood to the head, he had kissed her forcefully, almost without thinking.
But now that he had cooled down, he realized he had been too rough. He must have hurt Shen Ningning.
With things escalating to this point, resentment grew in both their hearts.
Mo Lingwei’s frosty eyes looked as if they had been quenched in ice.
"Shen Ningning, I will ask you one last time. Did you mean everything you just said?"
"Yes," she answered almost without thinking.
The piercing, cold light in Mo Lingwei’s eyes not only stung him but also wounded Shen Ningning.
A moment later, he let out a self-deprecating scoff.
"Fine. Then you’ll have your wish." He suddenly pulled open the door. Mr. Han and a group of students were just about to break the door down and rush in.
Mo Lingwei coldly stepped aside, and Mr. Han tumbled into the room from his own momentum, landing on the floor with a pained yelp.
"Teacher!" The students rushed to help him up.
However, as Mo Lingwei passed by them, everyone felt the terrifyingly hostile aura emanating from him.
The noisy crowd fell silent, hardly daring to breathe as they watched Mo Lingwei stride away.
When passing Lu Shaoyuan, Mo Lingwei didn’t even spare him a glance.
"Ningning!" Lu Shaoyuan paid Mo Lingwei no mind. As the Crown Prince brushed past him, Lu Shaoyuan rushed anxiously toward Shen Ningning inside the room.
"I’m fine." Shen Ningning’s clear voice was tinged with a delicate hoarseness.
Seeing her disheveled hair, her tear-streaked face, and the desolate pallor of her expression...
Ye Shangyi and Qi Xiuwei rushed over, and were shocked to see the fleck of blood at the corner of her mouth.
"Did the Crown Prince hit you?!" Ye Shangyi was furious.
Shen Ningning shook her head. "No, I hit him. That’s why he’s truly angry now. He won’t be coming to bother everyone anymore."
Hearing this, Lu Shaoyuan frowned and glanced outside.
There was no sign of Mo Lingwei.
He moved to shield Shen Ningning. "I’ll take you home."
After they left, the students began to whisper among themselves—
"Unbelievable! Princess Funing even dared to hit the Crown Prince? They must have had a huge fight."
"Sigh, I really thought the Crown Prince and the Princess were a couple. Who would have thought the Princess actually likes Second Young Master Lu!"
"Isn’t that just how matters of the heart are? You can’t control them. But given the current situation, does this mean the position of Crown Princess Consort is open to someone else?"
Meng Wanning stood in the crowd, and upon hearing this, a calculating look flickered in her eyes.