...
Xuan Hao slowly walked into the elegantly decorated Yuexuan.
At this moment, Tang Yuehua had just finished her morning lesson on aristocratic etiquette.
When she turned her head and saw Xuan Hao strolling in alone, a hint of surprise flashed in her gentle eyes.
"Why did you come alone today?"
Tang Yuehua asked, looking puzzled as she went to greet her.
In the past, when Xuan Hao came to Yuexuan, he was almost always accompanied by Na'er, and occasionally he would come with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
He was rarely seen appearing alone.
In Tang Yuehua's mind, if Xuan Hao didn't have Na'er with him, his "personal companion," then there was most likely something wrong.
For example, when the girls in his family with their different personalities had a fight, this bastard got caught in the middle and had a headache, so he ran away to find some peace and quiet; or he had a big argument with His Highness the Crown Prince because they disagreed on political views.
The two walked through the corridor and arrived at Tang Yuehua's private room on the top floor.
Upon entering, Xuan Hao acted as casually as if he were in his own home.
He plopped down on the soft couch in the main seat, expertly poured himself a cup of top-quality fragrant tea, and casually picked up a delicate pastry from the plate and put it in his mouth.
Tang Yuehua sat down opposite him, looking at his arrogant attitude with annoyance, and tentatively asked, "So, did you quarrel with His Highness the Crown Prince again this time?
Or did your girlfriends have a falling out and kick you out?"
"Don't make wild guesses, they didn't argue." Xuan Hao swallowed the pastry and shook his head.
"These past few days have been a rare period of peace, and the relationship between the two sides has actually been quite good.
The Crown Prince's side has also been quite quiet lately."
Tang Yuehua was even more puzzled: "If everything is alright, why did you come here alone?"
Xuan Hao has always been a restless person and rarely acts alone.
Most of the time, he and Na'er are practically inseparable.
"There's nothing I can do," Xuan Hao sighed, leaning back on the cushions and putting on a pitiful look.
"Na'er and the others are busy today, and His Highness the Crown Prince is also tied up with state affairs these days.
So I can only wander around all alone, and in the end, I had no choice but to come and seek refuge with you."
Tang Yuehua was so angry at his pretentious manner that she laughed.
"You're all alone now?" She rolled her eyes at him, her tone teasing.
"You, Xuan Hao, have a whole bunch of beauties around you. Wherever you go in Tian Dou City, aren't you surrounded by glamorous figures and entourages?
Among the nobles, big and small, throughout the empire, who dares not give you, the president of the Tian Dou Self-Strengthening Association, some face? What are you pretending to be pitiful for?"
Xuan Hao helplessly shrugged:
"You've known me for a long time. Don't you know what kind of person I am? I'm just putting on a show."
Tang Yuehua looked at him and shook her head with amusement:
"Yes, yes, I know you're a very busy person and you work hard. What's wrong, are you tired?"
"You haven't had lunch yet, have you? Should we get you something to eat?"
Xuan Hao shook his head: "No need to trouble yourself, I had breakfast before coming over."
"Then you'll need to eat something to fill your stomach.
I'll have someone prepare some from the kitchen."
Tang Yuehua was about to get up when she remembered something and added with a headache, "However, with your exaggerated appetite, I'm afraid the kitchen at Yuexuan won't be able to satisfy you for a while."
She had witnessed it firsthand; Xuan Hao's terrifying blood and qi power allowed him to consume the equivalent of food for a dozen or even dozens of people in a single meal.
Yuexuan has always followed a refined and elegant path, and his meals consist of small and exquisite pastries and dishes.
It's impossible for him to conjure up a massive amount of food to fill his bottomless pit.
If we really let him eat as much as he wants, we'll probably have to send people to bring back several truckloads of food from big restaurants outside.
"No need to go through all that trouble." Xuan Hao reached out to stop her, his tone sounding somewhat listless.
"Just have someone prepare a couple of nice dishes.
I'll just eat a little something to tide me over; I don't have much of an appetite today."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yuehua abruptly stopped in her tracks as she was about to get up.
She turned her head, her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes instantly filled with shock and solemnity.
No appetite?
For a monster whose vitality rivals that of a ferocious beast and who craves meat at every meal, how could Xuan Hao possibly utter the words "I have no appetite"?!
What must have happened, something so serious, that this guy can't even eat?
Although Tang Yuehua was shocked and worried, she did not rush to ask questions.
She first suppressed her doubts, turned around and went out to instruct the maid to prepare some appetizing and exquisite dishes in the kitchen, and then returned to the room and sat down next to Xuan Hao.
She stretched out her slender, soft hand and gently placed the back of her hand on Xuan Hao's forehead to carefully test the temperature.
"I don't have a fever, and I'm not sick."
Tang Yuehua withdrew her hand, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.
"Then what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Tang Yuehua's serious expression, as if she were examining a terminally ill patient, Xuan Hao found it somewhat amusing:
"Don't be so nervous, I really just have no appetite, it's not like I'm about to die."
"Don't try to fool me." Tang Yuehua wasn't buying it.
"Since the young ladies at home aren't arguing and His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't run into any trouble, something terrible must have happened that's seriously affecting your mood, which is why you can't even eat."
She paused, her expression growing increasingly serious:
"But, something that could make you unable to eat... I really can't imagine how serious it could be."
Xuan Hao smiled helplessly and leaned back in his chair: "It's really nothing serious, don't make wild guesses."
Seeing his reluctance to talk, Tang Yuehua wisely refrained from pressing him further.
A short while later, a waitress from Yuexuan brought in two exquisitely presented and visually appealing lunches and placed them on the table.
However, just as Xuan Hao said, he really had no appetite today. His usually voracious appetite, which allowed him to devour a few bites of bland food with his chopsticks before putting them down.
Seeing his unusual demeanor, Tang Yuehua's worries deepened. Caught up in his emotions, she herself lost her appetite and simply waved her hand, signaling the maid to remove all the barely touched food.
Once the room was quiet again, Tang Yuehua stood up, grabbed Xuan Hao's sleeve, and led him directly to the bedside in the inner room.
"Lie down on it," Tang Yuehua said, pointing to the soft mattress.
Xuan Hao was quite obedient and readily took off his shoes, then lay flat on the bed.
Tang Yuehua sat down on the side of the bed, rolled up her sleeves, and placed her hands on Xuan Hao's broad back, massaging him with moderate pressure to help him relax.
Over the years, whenever Xuanhao had something weighing on his mind or felt frustrated, he would habitually go to Yuexuan.
Only in this elegant and tranquil place, when facing Tang Yuehua, could this lecherous and lawless little rascal, in the eyes of outsiders, calm down for a while and restrain his sharpness and eccentricity.
Facing Tang Yuehua, Xuan Hao didn't seem to have any overtly suggestive thoughts.
Their relationship was actually difficult to describe with a single, accurate word.
After all, there's an age gap between them, so calling her a "confidante" would seem a bit frivolous and inappropriate; but to say that Xuan Hao genuinely respects her as a highly respected elder would be an overestimation of his bottom line.
That little rascal still occasionally makes a few frivolous remarks, or tries to take advantage of others during the massage.
Of course, he kept a tight rein on things, only going so far as to gain a slight verbal or physical advantage.
As soon as Tang Yuehua frowns and shows even the slightest sign of anger, this bastard immediately becomes as obedient as a cat, shutting up and keeping quiet.
The room was filled with a faint, calming incense scent.
After a while, feeling the slightly tense body beneath her finally relax completely, Tang Yuehua stopped what she was doing and asked softly, "Can you tell me now?
What happened?"
Xuan Hao lay on the pillow and sighed deeply, his voice somewhat muffled: "This matter... has something to do with you."
"I?"
Tang Yuehua frowned slightly, her hands pausing.
"What does this have to do with me? Everything has been peaceful at my Yuexuan recently, what could possibly happen?"
However, as soon as she finished speaking, a sudden inspiration flashed through her mind, and her expression changed slightly.
She suddenly remembered that just a few months ago, when Xuan Hao returned from Soto City after finishing his business, he was not only injured, but also told her that he had encountered Tang Hao there and been beaten up.
Thinking of this, Tang Yuehua's heart skipped a beat.
"Could it be...could it be Tang Hao...he's come to Tiandou City?!"
Read 20+ chapters ahead at Patreon
patreon.com/TaroYamato
patreon.com/TaroYamato