The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go-Chapter 186 - 184 Happy New Year, Shen Zhaozhao

It was past midnight, and faint firecracker sounds welcoming the New Year drifted in from outside, mingled with the joyous cheers of children.

The spring drapes were silent, and the young woman had already fallen asleep, dazed.

Lu Ying tightly embraced her, greedily kissing her cheeks and lips.

"Shen Zhaozhao, Shen Zhaozhao..."

"Happy New Year, Shen Zhaozhao..."

He called her over and over, his hoarse voice tinged with tender affection and careful restraint, as his broad palm gently caressed her head.

It was as if the ruthless and violent man from earlier was not him at all.

Separated by a single wall in a secret chamber.

Shen Xinglei had been confined for days. Each day, only one maid would quietly bring him food, most of which was spoiled. It was evident that the wretched woman Shen Yinning was deliberately tormenting him!

He licked his cracked lips.

His field of vision was shrouded in darkness, so his sense of hearing became all the more acute.

He clearly heard Lu Ying calling Shen Yinning’s pet name.

One call after another, as if he could never say it enough.

Shen Xinglei had never seen Lu Ying be so patient with any woman before.

Even his own sister, Shen Yunxi, had never received such tenderness from Lu Ying.

Lu Ying...

Does he like Shen Yinning?

This thought took root and sprouted in Shen Xinglei’s heart, escalating his sense of alarm and powerlessness. He could only silently hope that his elder brother would realize he was imprisoned here and save him as soon as possible.

But would his elder brother really discover where he was?

The stagnant darkness tortured Shen Xinglei’s will, day after day.

He found that he was starting to fear Shen Yinning.

...

The next day.

The first day of the Lunar New Year.

Shen Yinning had been so exhausted from the torment of the previous night that she woke up late in the afternoon.

Haitang and Wei Yu attended to her as she freshened up and changed clothes, cautiously informing her, "His Highness has gone to the palace. He probably won’t return to see you until later in the day."

Shen Yinning appeared languid, showing hardly any reaction.

Haitang observed her expression and added, "His Highness said that it’s a tradition to eat dumplings shaped like gold ingots on the first day of the New Year. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the small kitchen to prepare a lot of dumplings for you, with various fillings—shrimp and seafood, shepherd’s purse with lean pork, winter bamboo shoot with mushroom and lean pork, beef with egg, and three-flavored dumplings. Which flavor would you like? Or would you like to try two of each?"

Shen Yinning took a sip of warm orange peel tea.

Lu Ying, that man—young in age, yet his demeanor was steady and serious, much like those overly rigid elders.

Talking about how the first day of the New Year required eating ingot dumplings—though she knew it was a folk custom, she had always scorned following such conventions.

She looked at herself in the rhombus-pattern bronze mirror.

It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and she wore a newly tailored pomegranate-blossom Shu brocade jacketed gown, adorned with a Cloud Pattern Gold Lock Pendant around her neck. Only the ornaments in her hair bun were a bit plain.

After some thought, she opened the set of kingfisher-blue enameled hairpieces Lu Ying had given her.

She selected two kingfisher enamel peony gold tassel hairpins and placed them in her bun, finally looking a bit more satisfied.

Looking into the bronze mirror, she spoke firmly, "I won’t eat them."

Haitang and Wei Yu exchanged glances and persuaded, "It’s said that eating ingot dumplings on the first day of the New Year ensures good fortune and blessings for the year ahead. You should at least take a bite or two as a token."

"I don’t like dumplings."

Shen Yinning reiterated with emphasis.

The two wanted to persuade her further, but their peripheral vision caught sight of the man lifting the bead curtain as he entered, and they immediately held their breath, stepping aside.

Lu Ying had just returned from the palace.

Today, Prince Wu and his wife had gone to the palace to pay their respects, greatly pleasing the Emperor, who naturally hosted a grand banquet at noon, inviting officials of all ranks and their families.

Lu Ying had no interest in witnessing the hollow shows of familial affection and left the banquet early.

He walked in with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at Shen Yinning. "What tantrum are you throwing now?"

Shen Yinning used her pinky finger to dab a bit of red rouge, carefully applying it to her lips.

She glanced at Lu Ying, her lips pursed with rouge, recalling the humiliation he subjected her to the night before.

The bright, sharp phoenix eyes held defiance, her voice crisp and clear. "Does refusing dumplings equal throwing a tantrum?"

"Eating dumplings on the first day of the New Year is a tradition."

"I’ve never cared for such traditions. Even when my parents were alive, I never bothered to eat dumplings on the first day of the New Year at home. I simply don’t like them."

Lu Ying’s brow furrowed, his narrow eyes clouded with icy disdain.

The New Year was supposed to be joyous, yet this little fox spirit was contrary to him from the moment they met and intent on quarreling with him.

Once, while he was still a youth, he saw Shen Yinning eating dumplings in Noble Consort Zhang’s palace. Back then, she smiled sweetly, telling the Noble Consort how much she loved dumplings and how delicious the ones in her palace were.

Now that she was by his side, she claimed to dislike dumplings.

This little fox spirit was born rebellious, destined to clash with him at every turn.

But eating ingot dumplings on the first day of the New Year was customary. In his younger years, while he lived under Consort Liu’s care in the palace, he hadn’t even had anyone to make dumplings for him when he craved them. Now that he had gone out of his way to instruct the small kitchen to prepare them for her, she stubbornly refused to eat.

She was spoiled!

His face darkened as he ordered the palace maid, "Bring the dumplings."

Soon after, a maid brought in a plate of dumplings and respectfully placed them on the small Buddha table by the soft couch near the window.

Lu Ying sat down on the soft couch, looking at Shen Yinning.

Yet Shen Yinning remained poised in front of her vanity mirror. Sensing his gaze, she even turned her face away, deliberately refusing to look at him.

Lu Ying rapped his knuckles against the small table. "Come over here."

Shen Yinning lowered her gaze, fiddling with the gold lock around her neck, ignoring him.

Lu Ying’s voice deepened. "I said, come here."

Shen Yinning hesitated for a moment before reluctantly rising and elegantly sitting on the other side of the small Buddha table.

Lu Ying picked up his chopsticks, lifted a dumpling, and brought it to her lips. "Shrimp and seafood filling."

Shen Yinning haughtily turned her head away, refusing to eat.

The chopsticks hovered in the air.

Haitang and Wei Yu kept their heads low, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Lu Ying paused, dipped the dumpling in sauce, and brought it to her lips again.

"I won’t eat dumplings..."

Shen Yinning’s stubbornness was resolute, as if determined to oppose Lu Ying at every turn.

Lu Ying suppressed his temper. "Is it that you truly dislike dumplings, or is it that you dislike eating the dumplings made by the people under my command? As a child, when you visited Noble Consort Zhang’s palace to offer New Year’s greetings, I remember you eating dumplings with great relish, two at a time. What now? Are the dumplings here poisoned, that you find them inedible?!"

Shen Yinning abruptly turned to glare at him.

The visit to Noble Consort Zhang’s palace was years ago, so far in the past that she had forgotten it. How was it that he still remembered?

She fiddled with the golden lock.

In truth, she didn’t dislike dumplings. She just couldn’t swallow her anger from the humiliation he had inflicted on her the previous night.

She was deliberately opposing him, wanting to see him exasperated yet powerless against her.

At that moment, De Sun entered to report, "Your Highness, Prince Wu has requested an audience!"

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