The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 55: What Is This Strange Quirk?
When Hua Manman got back to the Prince Mansion, it was just in time for lunch.
She quickly changed her clothes and happily trotted over to the dining hall.
Li Ji had been sitting in his wheelchair reading a book on military strategy. When he saw Hua Manman arrive, he set the book aside and asked with a wry smile.
"So you finally decided to come back?"
"I just went out to buy a few things. Were you waiting for me so we could dine together, Prince? You’re so thoughtful, I’m deeply moved."
As she spoke, Hua Manman eagerly served him, placing food on his plate.
Li Ji accepted her attentive service as his due.
Only when he was about half-full did he finally speak, his voice unhurried.
"You can sit and eat too."
That was exactly what Hua Manman had been waiting for!
She immediately plopped down in the empty seat across from Prince Zhao, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and began to eat with great relish.
The chef at Prince Zhao Mansion had been personally assigned by the Emperor from the Imperial Kitchen, so his skills were naturally impeccable. Every dish he prepared was a feast for the senses, so delicious it made one want to swallow their own tongue.
’For the excellent food at Prince Zhao Mansion alone,’ Hua Manman thought, ’I have to do my best to please Prince Zhao. I need to make sure I can eat every meal with him from now on.’
Li Ji heard her inner thoughts as clear as day.
’So that’s why she’s trying so hard to please me. Just to freeload off my food and drink.’
’How materialistic.’
Hua Manman noticed Prince Zhao was staring at her again, which she found rather puzzling.
’Prince Zhao seems to have a habit of staring into people’s eyes.’
’What a strange quirk.’
Li Ji asked casually, "Is the food good?"
Hua Manman swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded vigorously. "It’s absolutely delicious!"
Li Ji asked, "How does it compare to the food at the teahouse?"
Hua Manman froze. A moment later, she realized the teahouse Prince Zhao mentioned must have been the place where she and Song Ding had their discussion today.
’So Prince Zhao had someone follow me!’
’Otherwise, there’s no way he could have found out so quickly.’
Li Ji admitted it frankly. "I did indeed have someone follow you in secret."
Hua Manman said, "Were you doing it to ensure my safety, Prince? You’re so thoughtful! I’m so moved I could cry."
She took out a silk handkerchief to dab at the corners of her reddening eyes, looking genuinely moved.
However, Li Ji clearly heard her inner thoughts—
’That bastard! That damned creep! How dare he have someone spy on me!’
Li Ji was speechless.
Hua Manman put down her handkerchief, her face beaming with a blissful smile. "To be able to marry you, Prince, must be a blessing I earned in a past life."
Li Ji retorted icily, "If that’s the case, why did you go to a secret rendezvous with your lover?"
The smile vanished from Hua Manman’s face, which turned deathly pale.
She looked so pitiful, as if she had been deeply wronged.
She was on the verge of tears from the injustice.
"Lover? What lover? You are my only love, Prince. If you keep saying such things, you’ll break my heart."
But Li Ji wasn’t falling for her act.
He chuckled, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Ha. Even if your heart is broken, it would be Song Ding who broke it. What does that have to do with me?"
Seeing that he had pushed the matter this far, Hua Manman knew she couldn’t get away without a reasonable explanation.
She had no choice but to compose herself and quietly recount how she had happened to run into Song Ding on the street.
"The only reason I agreed to go into the teahouse with him was to make a clean break.
If you don’t believe me, you can ask Si Yun.
She was with me the entire time. She heard everything Song Ding and I said to each other."
Li Ji stared at her for a moment and found that he couldn’t hear any of her inner thoughts.
She was telling the truth.
She wasn’t lying to him.
Li Ji relaxed slightly.
He leaned back, his posture becoming more relaxed.
"Of course I believe you."
