Humming A Song

Cao Haoran finally got to breathe a sigh of relief after running away from there. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, and only then did he realize what had happened. His face turned green as his fingers curled up to form a fist firmly as his nails dug deeper into his skin.

What the heck is wrong with him?! Surely, that man was probably a sorcerer, otherwise, why would Cao Haoran feel like this every time he was around that person?

He closed his eyes and practiced the calming breath that he had learned during his martial art teachings. Only after a while was he able to regain his stable breath and body. After all these years, this was probably the first time he suddenly lost himself in front of someone like this.

His eyes couldn't help but narrow.

It couldn't be that the man belonged to that demon race, could it? Only those people were able to create natural attraction in the hearts of ordinary humans.

But what of it? Cao Haoran was long immune to these things because of his strict martial arts training as a kid. Sure, when he had just started his journey, he still felt a trace of attraction toward those people, but after practising his best, he was finally able to get out of their illusion quickly, 

But for some reason, Cao Haoran was still attracted to that young man.

He tapped his feet on the ground thoughtfully.

Maybe he should do something about it. First things first, he needed to find someone to spy on that person.

But when he thought about that youth's soft and glowing body, he gritted his teeth and decided to do it all himself. In any case, he also needed to practice his special breathing technique once again so that he could become immune to that young man.

Thus, he sneakily left the house and hid in a corner of his own pavilion, glancing toward the direction where Li Chen was going. Thus, he also sneakily followed.

If it were any ordinary person, they would have long been fooled by what was happening, not knowing that a certain someone was following them. But this was Li Mei we are talking about.

She had long figured out that the prince wouldn't let her go so easily. Even though she couldn't sense his presence, she knew that the man might have sent someone to spy on her at all times.

After all, she was still a thief.

Thus, she could only take a deep breath and pretend to be a man through and through, walking like a handsome young man. Since she had often cross-dressed, she knew how to walk like a man, mimicking every action perfectly with precise precision.

Cao Haoran felt like he was being allured even when Li Chen walked ordinarily. But why did he feel like the young man was deliberately strolling like that? Not only did he not continue his act of maintaining his balance further, he also ended up feeling a little bit lusty in his heart upon seeing that young man walking like that.

Damn, even walking seemed to affect him emotionally and physically.

He cursed under his breath, but he still continued to stare at the 'man' without stopping even for a second.

On the other hand, Li Mei had already thrown the matter of someone following her to the back of her head. She just had to be careful and hide herself during the times she would bathe and use washrooms. Other than that, she didn't think she would need to be more careful.

In her mind, it was just impossible for Cao Haoran to have enough time at hand to personally sneak around her and look at what she was doing all day and night. Thus, even if she wasn't that careful, it should be fine.

After all, no one would be interested in what a man was doing, especially someone who was brought personally by the third prince himself.

Thus, Li Mei continued to take a stroll, occasionally stopping by several flowers, glancing at them in awe, and then turning away to continue walking. This continued on for an entire hour, and even by the end of it, Cao Haoran didn't feel the slightest bit exhausted. Instead, the more she walked surrounding herself with a lot of flowers, the more the 'man' looked elegant and enchanting like some heavenly official who descended to allure him.

By the end of the day, when the house was finally ready, Cao Haoran had already decided that following this young man blindly was the greatest mistake he ever made in life.

At this time, Li Mei had already finished freshening up and eating. After that, she was merely going to the bathroom with the clothes arranged for her. The servants came along to help her through the bath, but she refused firmly, entering the place all alone.

Cao Haoran didn't really want to continue to stay, but his feet seemed to be frozen at that place. By the time he wanted to move away from there, he had already started to hear someone humming soft music.

He frowned and got closer and closer until he could hear that sound perfectly.

The music Li Mei was humming while she bathed was specifically sung by those maids who often took care of her on a daily basis. Since those little servants were the only motherly figures she had seen during her childhood days, she remembered that tune very well.

That was the only time she had ever felt warmth in her life, and this soft tune was the only evidence she had of how someone could treat her better despite her background. She leaned against the wall of the tub as she stared at the ceiling in a daze.

When was the last time she got to enjoy such a nice bath?

She pursed her lips. Never, honestly. But even now she doesn't have that kind of luxury.

Before entering into the bath, she had checked all the windows and carefully shut them up before stripping. Thus, she couldn't be sure if that follower spy would again find a way inside.

She didn't really want her identity to be revealed like this. Thus, she took a bath as fast as possible and dressed up, heading toward the door of the bathroom. Then she opened it up only to be stunned seeing a certain someone standing right in front of her door, looking at her in a daze.