"Second Prince, you...?" Qin Yun felt a little awkward.
"The rabbit meat is still hot, eat it quickly!" Xie Jing'an urged.
Qin Yun couldn't refuse, so she began to eat the rabbit meat.
After just one bite, Qin Yun immediately spat it out!
"Second Prince, your rabbit meat isn't cooked!"
"Not cooked? Impossible?" Xie Jing'an took the rabbit meat and took a bite! His expression changed immediately!
Looking at the rabbit meat in his hand, Xie Jing'an scratched his head and said shamefully, "This is my first time grilling this thing. I'll be careful next time!"
"It looks cooked on the outside, but it's still raw inside. Second Prince, you should be more patient and grill it longer!" Qin Yun kindly reminded him.
"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll grill it again for you!" He had just been displeased to see Qin Yun eating Ouyang Siqing's grilled chicken wings, so he was a bit impatient.
He never expected his good intentions to backfire!
Standing up!
He returned to the campfire.
Xie Jing'an picked up another rabbit leg and started grilling it again.
Ouyang Siqing looked at the chicken wings in his hand and offered them to Qin Yun again. "There isn't much meat, but it can help for now. Eat something to tide you over!"
Qin Yun smiled and accepted.
Xie Jing'an, who was not far away, watched Qin Yun take the chicken wing again, and his heart felt heavy.
He looked at the undercooked rabbit meat in his hand.
He could only sigh inwardly.
Soon!
Wei Xiaochang and Zheng Haonan returned, carrying a deer, a pheasant, a wild rabbit, and a sheep respectively.
Their prey was quite abundant!
The two came to the campfire and found the atmosphere unusual. Wei Xiaochang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why aren't you talking?"
Zheng Haonan looked at Qin Yun.
Although Qin Yun was wearing an outer robe, his sharp eyes still noticed something unusual. "Young Master Qin, you're injured?"
Injured? Wei Xiaochang also looked in Qin Yun's direction!
The two immediately stepped forward to inquire.
"Young Master Qin, how did you get injured?" Zheng Haonan asked with concern.
Qin Yun smiled. "The wound has been cleaned. I'm fine!"
"But, your injury...?"
Seeing everyone gathered around Qin Yun, Xie Jing'an put down the rabbit meat.
He stood up, went to Qin Yun's side, and pulled away the people surrounding her.
"What are you all standing around here for? Go help clean the prey!"
Given Xie Jing'an's status, everyone discreetly left, picked up different prey, and started to get busy.
Wei Xiaochang, who was cleaning the prey, suddenly asked, "Second Prince, you and Young Master Ouyang only hunted one pheasant and two rabbits?"
Zheng Haonan also found it unbelievable. "Second Prince, you have the best archery among us. This...?"
Xie Jing'an felt a little uncomfortable and said sheepishly, "Qin Yun was injured, and it was my fault, so I have to take responsibility for her. The hunting was delayed because of it!"
The two nodded, their faces showing sudden realization.
During the subsequent process!
Xie Jing'an paid constant attention to Qin Yun!
As soon as the other three got a little too close to Qin Yun, he would rush to get in between them.
His excuse was: Qin Yun was injured, so don't get too close, lest you touch her wound!
With Xie Jing'an, the little tyrant, around, the others were much more sensible.
Soon!
The group ate the roasted meat. During the meal, Xie Jing'an gave Qin Yun the best-roasted meat.
Even though Qin Yun was full, Xie Jing'an still kept sending food into Qin Yun's hands.
Ouyang Siqing looked at the roasted meat in his hand and wanted to give it to Qin Yun, but Qin Yun's hands were already full of roasted meat from Xie Jing'an. He could only eat it silently.
After the picnic!
Xie Jing'an handed over the horse to a servant to ride back.
He then entered Qin Yun's carriage.
Inside the carriage!
Xiao Ju looked at the thick-skinned Xie Jing'an, completely bewildered.
Meanwhile, Xie Jing'an was staring at Qin Yun, not even blinking.
Qin Yun felt uncomfortable being stared at by Xie Jing'an. She lowered her head, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes to rest.
Was this jinx acting strange today?
What was he being so weird about?
His gaze was so blatant, as if he wanted to devour her!
Even Xiao Ju, standing beside her, couldn't bear to look. She covered her eyes and said, "Second Prince, why are you drooling while looking at my young master?"
Drooling?
Xie Jing'an quickly touched his mouth. "Sorry, I... I...?" He stammered for a long time but couldn't explain himself.
Qin Yun opened her eyes and looked at Xie Jing'an sharply. "Second Prince, do you have some kind of ulterior motive towards me?"
Xie Jing'an quickly explained, "Qin Yun, this Prince will not harm you. Please believe me!"
"Second Prince, please be more normal. I'm not used to you being like this!"
Xie Jing'an lowered his head, feeling very guilty.
He was too impatient. Qin Yun wasn't used to his fervor yet. He had to slowly change her perception of him.
The entire journey, Xie Jing'an was very quiet.
Whenever Qin Yun needed something, he would stick to her like a lapdog, taking over all of Xiao Ju's tasks.
This behavior made Qin Yun very uncomfortable.
Although he was the cause of her injury, his enthusiasm was simply too much. He was like a completely different person!
After returning to the Zhuangyuan Mansion!
Qin Yun persuaded him several times before Xie Jing'an finally returned to the palace.
Upon returning to the palace, before Xie Jing'an even reached his own residence, Fang Jing dragged him off to see his imperial uncle.
Imperial Study!
"Imperial Uncle, what do you need from your nephew?" Since the dragon chair was occupied by Xie Qianmo, Xie Jing'an had to speak first.
Xie Qianmo held his forehead, feeling a prickle of exasperation. "Where did you go today?"
"Hunting outside the city!"
"With whom?"
Xie Jing'an lowered his head and confessed everything. "Qin Yun, Ouyang Siqing, Zheng Haonan, and Wei Xiaochang. Just the five of us!"
"In the future, if you go out to play, don't involve Qin Yun. She's quite busy lately! If you have nothing to do, don't bother her either!"
Hearing Xie Qianmo's advice!
If it were in the past, Xie Jing'an would have readily agreed!
But today, he retorted, "Imperial Uncle, Qin Yun and I are not only classmates but also friends! You were the one who told me to interact with her more back then!"
"Your nephew isn't bothering Qin Yun; we're just looking out for each other!"
"In the future, if you have nothing to do, don't undress in front of others to show off your stone muscles! If you're not embarrassed, I am for you!"
The thought of Xie Jing'an stripping naked and showing off in front of Qin Yun made him furious!
If Xie Jing'an weren't his nephew, he would have wanted to cripple him!
Stripping to show off...!
Fine!
A few days ago, in front of Qin Yun, his actions were indeed a bit excessive.
He had acted that boldly because he thought Qin Yun was a man. If he had known Qin Yun was a woman, he would never have done that!
Most importantly: he didn't know if Qin Yun liked his physique after seeing it!
Xie Jing'an fell into thought, his expression on his face very animated.
He would smile a little at one moment and then pucker his lips in a wronged manner at another.
Seeing this, Xie Qianmo felt a sense of suspicion arise within him!
Without his knowledge, what exactly had this young man done to Qin Yun?
Xie Qianmo's mood instantly soured.