“Know what?” Gu Ci’s tone drew out slightly. “Know that you didn’t know why you wove it so large, and didn’t even notice that it looked like a funeral wreath?” After speaking, he nodded. “Then I know.”

“……” Anyway, at least he knew she had only made a blunder unintentionally.

Yan Luqing decided to ignore the hidden poison in his words and explained seriously: “I had originally only wanted to weave a small one, but the first one inexplicably turned out large, so I thought I could let the large one be for decoration, and then weave another small one…”

“But Big Black and Little Black really pissed me off!” she said angrily. “I clearly came to give you a gift, and they actually thought I came to attend your funeral.”

Gu Ci smiled faintly. “That can’t really be blamed on them.”

“……”

What kind of bizarre atmosphere was this?

She felt like some reckless family head who had given the wrong gift to his wife, and was now suspected by his subordinates.

And what was playing out now was the scene of his wife, deeply righteous and broad-minded, speaking up to plead on the subordinates’ behalf.

Yan Luqing blinked and forcefully cast out these strange thoughts, reiterating once more: “This really isn’t a funeral wreath…” Pausing for a moment, she lowered her voice slightly and said, “Actually, it’s meant to be worn.”

“…Worn where?” Gu Ci observed the two wreaths for a few seconds, then turned back to look at her and smiled. “If you were to say they could be used as hula hoops, I might find that more believable.”

“……” Hula hoop, my ass!

Yan Luqing glared at him, walked quickly over to the table, picked up the small garland, and had just lifted her hand to put it on Gu Ci’s head when he very swiftly tilted his body to the side.

Their height difference was about twenty centimeters or more. Yan Luqing didn’t know the exact number, but if Gu Ci didn’t want it, there was absolutely no way she could put it on his head.

“Oh, so it’s a head ornament.” His gaze turned into that kind of intrigued amusement. “If you like it, I can understand. But why give it to me?”

“It’s creative!” Yan Luqing looked at him. “You definitely haven’t worn this kind of head ornament in your whole life, right?”

Gu Ci was silent for three seconds, then said: “I think you probably also haven’t drunk hedinghong [a lethal poison]. Next time I’ll give you a bottle. Wouldn’t that also count as creative?”

Yan Luqing: “…………”

Yan Luqing was speechless. “I think you have drunk it, and I’m sure you also use hedinghong on your lips every day.”

Gu Ci didn’t express any opinion on her weak retort, still leaning against the table and watching her with a smile. The tail of his eyes curved upward slightly, under the light just enough to be alluring.

Yan Luqing’s heart itched from his smile.

Wouldn’t it look so good if he wore it?

Once the garland was put on, wouldn’t the aura of a forest prince emerge?

“Just wear it once, won’t you? I spent so long weaving it…”

She looked at Gu Ci expectantly. Those apricot eyes that shone bright when she smiled had unconsciously widened again, turning into exceedingly cute puppy eyes. Her pupils were moist and glistening, fixed on him in that way.

For a moment, Gu Ci seemed to return to last week when she had wanted him to teach her something. At that time, Yan Luqing had shown exactly the same expression.

The room fell silent for a while.

Not long after, the cold, pleasant male voice said: “I’ll wear it once, if you wear it for a whole day.”

“…???” Yan Luqing had been about to rejoice upon hearing the first half, only to find he had added a condition—and such a strange one at that.

“Why… why me?”

“You don’t have to wear it,” Gu Ci said casually. “That’s even better. Then I don’t need to wear it either.”

“……” Yan Luqing hesitated for a moment. “Then you have to let me take a picture.”

Gu Ci agreed.

She pressed Gu Ci down onto the edge of the bed to make him sit properly, then as she wished, placed the garland on his head. After that, she opened the camera on her phone, found the right angle, and took a photo of Gu Ci.

It wasn’t a complete frontal shot, and he wasn’t looking into the camera, but precisely this angle allowed the bridge of his nose to divide light and shadow into two halves. Under the illumination, Gu Ci’s skin and the small white flowers seemed to share the same color, while his hair and eyes were the same pure black, with his eyelashes faintly lowered.

He had no expression at all, yet it was exactly this demeanor that highlighted the refinement of his features, making the photo look like an artwork.

Yan Luqing was utterly satisfied.

A princess with a crown—absolutely stunning!

Though it wasn’t a real crown… the white garland worn by him still carried that air. In short, it was noble and beautiful.

After the photo was taken, Gu Ci didn’t even ask to check her phone for the result. This was probably the confidence of Princess Ci.

The more Yan Luqing looked at the photo, the more she liked it. Beside her, Gu Ci had already removed the garland and was holding it in his hand. She leaned in, calling him excitedly: “Gu Ci.”

He responded: “Mm.”

“Can I show this photo to others?” Yan Luqing shook her head with delight. “Look, isn’t it so good-looking?”

“?” Gu Ci raised his eyes without expression and glanced at her. His left eye said, Father disapproves. His right eye said, Just you dare. He opened his mouth: “No.”

Before Yan Luqing could even put on her disappointed expression, from the corner of her eye she saw Gu Ci’s hand move, and the next moment, she felt a light weight settle on her head.

…He had put the garland on her.

When Yan Luqing looked up, Gu Ci was gazing at her, as though appraising something.

A few seconds later, he smiled: “Your turn.”

When Yan Luqing walked out of Gu Ci’s room with the garland on her head, Big Black, Little Black, and the Disney Auntie in the living room all froze, as if no one could understand why she would do such a thing to herself.

In the end, it was Disney Auntie who reacted first, praising: “Miss Yan, you look so beautiful! That looks wonderful on you!”

Big Black and Little Black said nothing. The two brothers knew who had given the garland to whom, but why it was now on Yan Luqing’s head—though very curious, neither dared to ask. After all, Miss Yan’s face was clearly ashen.

Gu Ci, on the other hand, looked completely in good spirits during the meal.

Yan Luqing: aggrieved, utterly aggrieved.

She slowly finished eating, then in the living room opened her album again to look at that photo she had just taken of Gu Ci.

Princess wearing a flower crown—how she longed to show it to others.

The princess himself didn’t seem willing.

But precisely because he wasn’t willing, she wanted all the more to do it.

…

After dinner, when Gu Ci came from his room to the living room to get water, even before reaching the sofa, he saw Yan Luqing sitting there.

Four or five people were scattered around the living room—besides the bodyguards, there were also the aunts who did the cleaning and cooking.

Just as he was about to fetch water, Yan Luqing spoke up: “Big Black, come here.”

Her voice was raised, as if on purpose choosing to say this when he was present.

Gu Ci found it amusing, and his gaze swept across to where the two of them were.

Yan Luqing asked the tall bodyguard: “What’s your screensaver?”

“Ah…” Big Black had clearly not expected such a question. He froze for a moment, then pulled out his phone: “It’s this.”

“Oh.” Yan Luqing glanced at it and handed it back to him. “Since I’ve seen yours, I’ll show you mine too.” Saying so, she brought out her own phone and placed it in front of him, her tone cheerful. “Look.”

The instant Big Black saw it, his expression stiffened even more. “Isn’t this—”

“That’s right～ it is!” Yan Luqing cut him off, smiling broadly as she asked, “Well? Is it good-looking?”

“Good-looking.”

“……”

Gu Ci’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He watched as Yan Luqing repeated the same trick with Little Black—asking to see his screensaver and then showing him hers.

Little Black exclaimed: “Miss Yan, it actually looks better on him than on you!” Then realizing he had said something wrong, he hurried to correct himself: “Oh no, what I mean is—you both look good…”

Yan Luqing waved her hand good-naturedly. “It’s fine, don’t be nervous. I won’t fight with him over who looks better, haha.”

Gu Ci: “……”

When he lowered his head to fetch water, Yan Luqing was still going on.

“Hey, Auntie, I changed my screensaver. What do you think?”

“Ah, isn’t this Gu Ci! Oh my, he really is so handsome! Even prettier than a girl, just too good-looking!”

“Hahaha!” Then came someone’s overly exaggerated laughter. “Right, right! I think so too!”

“……”

After fetching water, Gu Ci walked toward the sofa and stopped a few meters away.

When Yan Luqing looked over, the smug smile on her face hadn’t diminished in the slightest. She even shook her phone at him—the lock screen clearly the photo she had just taken of him.

Her whole face said: I just showed everyone my new screensaver～ what can you do about it?

“You, come here.” Gu Ci beckoned her over.

Yan Luqing, still brimming with delight, walked to his side and looked up. “What is it? Do you want to take a closer look at my new screensaver?”

“No.” Gu Ci said lightly. “You went out this afternoon, so tonight you have to make up for that time.”

Yan Luqing’s heart gave a jolt. “?”

But Princess Ci issued her a death order: “Now, immediately go study in the study room.”