The Obsessive Crown Prince Can't Let Me Go-Chapter 139 - 137 She is Lu Ying’s Lover

Lu Ying retorted, "Why should we leave?"

Shen Yinning casually made up an excuse, "It’s too cold..."

"If I hold you, it won’t be cold." Lu Ying deliberately pinched her chin, forcing her to lift her head. "Why is Shen Zhaozhao sulking? Could it be that you’re unhappy because you ran into Master Cui?"

The man’s grip was astonishingly strong.

Shen Yinning couldn’t break free, nor could she show him a sour face outright.

She knew this dog of a man detested Cui Ji’s affection for her, so he was purposely using such methods to provoke Cui Ji.

Why hadn’t she noticed when she was younger that Lu Ying had such a despicable nature?

"Your Highness, you’re hurting me..." Shen Yinning said softly, her phoenix eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "The night is so cold, I just want to return to the bed to warm myself. Besides, I don’t want to be anywhere near Master Cui. He couldn’t even solve the Chun Cui Zhang case, wasting all the effort I spent nurturing him. Just seeing him makes me angry."

Lu Ying smirked faintly.

Clearly, he was quite satisfied with Shen Yinning’s response.

He lowered the carriage curtain, cutting off Cui Ji’s line of sight, and claimed her soft, rosy lips in an assertive declaration of possession.

The light of the delicate pearl-glass lamp swayed in the carriage, casting flickering shadows in the snowy night, blending obscurity with intimacy.

Shen Yinning was pressed onto the blanket by Lu Ying. Instinctively, she grabbed his broad shoulders. A sharp, unfamiliar pain coursed through her, causing her to cry out involuntarily.

Even though separated by the carriage, she was acutely aware that Cui Ji stood right by the roadside.

If the sounds escaped, how would she ever face anyone again?

Lu Ying was utterly unbearable!

Overwhelmed with shame, her eyes rimmed crimson as she bit into Lu Ying’s shoulder fiercely.

Despite Shen Yinning’s efforts to restrain herself, she still let out soft, weak moans. A shiver of numbness pierced through the pain, traveling up her spine and diffusing to her fingertips. She tensed involuntarily, her toes curling, while even her thin eyelids seemed to flush with a faint blush.

Every nerve in her body screamed one undeniable truth—she was no longer the pristine, willful noble daughter of the Duke Mansion she once had been.

She was now Lu Ying’s hidden mistress, tucked away in the Shen Garden.

Cui Ji stood at the roadside.

The opulently adorned carriage passed slowly before him, swaying violently. What was happening inside was self-evident.

Cui Ji watched as the carriage disappeared into the swirling snow, eventually vanishing from sight altogether.

The Capital was under curfew, and the streets were shrouded in darkness and silence.

Only the wind lantern he carried cast a faint glow, dimly illuminating his face in flickers of light and shadow.

Shen Garden.

Shen Yinning’s legs were weak as Lu Ying wrapped her in his cloak and carried her down from the carriage.

The bedroom, heated by the brazier, was as warm as spring. Several potted peonies, painstakingly cultivated in the warm room of the flower house, were placed about as decoration.

After freshening up, Shen Yinning changed into clean nightwear and emerged from behind the screen. Her small face was frosty as she sat on the bed, entirely ignoring Lu Ying’s command to retrieve a few books from the desk.

Lu Ying set the scroll he had finished reading by the pillow and looked at her. "You were fine in the carriage earlier—what’s upset you now?"

Shen Yinning turned away, still refusing to acknowledge him.

Lu Ying kneaded the bridge of his nose in vexation.

This little vixen, her temper so unpredictable—who had she inherited that from?

Resignedly, he asked, "Shen Zhaozhao, who has angered you?"

"Your Highness, how dare you ask?" Shen Yinning choked with emotion, glaring at him. "I know my position is lowly and have never once asked for rank or status from you. But tonight, bumping into Cui Ji, you humiliated me right in front of him. I also have my dignity—how am I supposed to hold my head up after this?"

Cupping her face with a small handkerchief, she fell onto the embroidered quilt, sobbing pitiably.

Lu Ying immediately understood.

So, this is what it was all about.

Shen Yinning stole a peek at him, then resumed her lament, "It seems I don’t please Your Highness at all, and living holds no meaning anymore. I might as well not live, sob sob sob..."

Lu Ying said, "It was my fault."

"Your Highness is the Crown Prince, the future Emperor—how could you possibly be at fault?" Shen Yinning sat up, her eyes tearful yet filled with melancholy as she glanced back at him. "It’s my fault for not being as pleasing to Your Highness as the Crown Princess Consort. Perhaps my feelings for you were just one-sided to begin with. From now on, I won’t bother you anymore."

Lu Ying pressed his lips into a tight line, suppressing a laugh that threatened to escape.

In the palace, he had crossed paths with countless women.

But none were like Shen Zhaozhao—so calculated and dramatic, yet impossible to dislike.

He clasped Shen Yinning’s hand. "It’s not one-sided."

Shen Yinning’s eyes flickered, locking on his gaze.

Noting the anticipation concealed within her eyes, Lu Ying knew exactly what she wanted to hear.

If it had been three years ago, he would have said without hesitation that he liked her and wanted to make her his wife.

But after all the betrayals he had endured, the words "I like you" felt impossible to utter to Shen Yinning now.

What he felt for her now was primarily desire bound to the bedroom.

They were the world’s most compatible lovers but would never be partners who could weather trials and tribulations together.

This, he had no illusions about.

He answered sincerely, "Although the most important woman in my life is the Crown Princess Consort, you are not without value. The Crown Princess cannot bear children. Shen Zhaozhao, I hope the first imperial grandchild of the Eastern Palace will be born of you."

Glittering teardrops still clung to Shen Yinning’s cheeks.

She stared at Lu Ying, her gaze tinged with an unfamiliarity.

Over the past days, she’d given her all to please Lu Ying. Yet in the end, she was still less significant than Shen Yunxi.

Lu Ying’s affections seemed to stem only from his desire for an heir to be passed off as Shen Yunxi’s child.

A chilling ache spread through her heart, like fine cracks appearing on flawless porcelain.

She forced a smile. "I understand."

Lu Ying took hold of her ankle. "Is the sprain from the other day feeling better?"

"It’s long since stopped hurting."

Removing her silk stockings, Lu Ying examined the still bruised area on her ankle. His expression turned serious. "It’s best we have the Imperial Physician take a look. If anything lasting results, it’ll be troubling."

Shen Yinning observed his earnest side profile.

This man clearly didn’t love her, yet sometimes he seemed to care deeply for her, treating her with astonishing tenderness and attention.

The heart of the monarch was like the ocean—unfathomable.

She pursed her lips faintly. In any case, she didn’t love Lu Ying. Why should it matter whom he cared for?

She might as well enjoy his attentions with peace of mind.

The snowstorm raged on late into the night. Since Doctor Xiao Chen’s father was old and frail, the one who arrived was the younger physician himself.

Doctor Xiao Chen carefully inspected Shen Yinning’s ankle and reported respectfully, "Your Highness, the lady’s sprain has healed significantly and will fully recover within two days."

Only then did Lu Ying relax.

Just as he instructed Gui Quan to escort Doctor Xiao Chen out, he seemed to recall something and added, "Take her pulse and examine why she has yet to conceive."

Shen Yinning froze and instinctively refused. "I don’t want to."

For the past year, she had been taking contraceptives.

If this were discovered, wouldn’t Lu Ying be furious enough to devour her alive?

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