“Miss, do you realize how dangerous that was?” the cute young man, Peach, asked, his delicate face still pale from the scare. The rest of the group stared at him in shock, not expecting the usually docile “Little White Rabbit” to lose his temper. “Hehe, sorry about that, I won’t do it again, Xiaotu. Honey Peaches shouldn’t get mad, or else no one will play ‘kiss-kiss’ with me,” Xiaotu said with a cheeky grin, his words causing a blush. “Miss,” Honey Peaches, whose face had turned deathly pale, now flushed red. She murmured softly. The other three handsome men’s faces darkened even further, while the four beauties wore expressions of “Oh, so they’ve reached that stage.” Meanwhile, Langyue under the tree looked desolate.
Axuan: Poor child, it’s my fault as your stepmother, causing your first love to be nipped in the bud.
Langyue, dressed in green, walked towards Xiaotu from behind the tree. “‘Prince Langyue of Tingyue Kingdom greets the Goddess of Lingying.'” He bowed respectfully, his handsome face still bearing the innocence of youth, filled with admiration.
“Timisula, what’s a prince? Can you eat it?” Xiaotu whispered to his maidservant.
Axuan: Xiaotu, I doubt your history lessons over the past few years were very effective.
Xiaotu thought for a moment and earnestly replied, “I was mostly sleeping.” A bead of sweat rolled down…
“Miss, a prince is the son of the emperor. When the emperor passes away, he becomes the emperor,” Timisula explained, exasperated by her naive mistress.
“Oh, I see. Prince Brother, are you here to find Big Brother Night? He’s not here. And you can just call me Xiaotu,” Xiaotu said, looking troubled.
Xiaotu, he’s a prince, how could he not know…
“Xiaotu, then you can call me Langyue. My father sent me to find you. This is a gift for you.” It seemed she didn’t dislike him. What he didn’t know was that Xiaotu never learned to dislike anyone, having been overly protected.
Langyue brought out an exquisite brocade box from his sleeve, opening it to reveal a purple crystal as large as an egg, emitting a dazzling purple light. “Wow, what a beautiful purple crystal, thank you, Brother.” Xiaotu was surprised; he initially thought it might be a delicacy he loved.
“You’re welcome.” This was an invaluable rare purple crystal, not only because of its size, which was rare, but also because it was harvested from the snow mountains. Yet, Xiaotu’s reaction was not one of excitement but of mild surprise and slight disappointment. Langyue’s affection for Xiaotu deepened at this.
“Miss, the ‘Matcha Cake’ from the kitchen is ready. I brought it for you,” Honey Peaches said excitedly, carrying twenty delicate cakes. Seeing her beloved matcha cakes, Xiaotu grabbed one in each hand, savoring them with delight. The rich aroma of matcha, mixed with the scent of milk, and the soft, tender texture of the cakes were heavenly, much more useful than an inedible purple stone. Xiaotu thought to herself, glancing disdainfully at the crystal.
Her cute yet not spoiled actions caught Langyue’s attention, making everything clear to him. Everyone had one cake, Xiaotu had two, and she eyed the remaining nine with longing. “You’re not eating anymore, right?” Although it was a question, there was an unspoken threat: if you dare to say yes, I’ll fight you. Everyone nodded with a mix of amusement and resignation. Except for Langyue, they were all used to Xiaotu’s love for food.
After stuffing the remaining nine matcha cakes into her stomach, Xiaotu felt stuffed to the point of bursting, belching ungracefully and then drinking a large glass of water. “Miss, I was worried you might not have enough, so I made plenty of my new ‘Honey Cheese’ for everyone to try.” The nanny brought in a tray full of aromatic cheese cakes. But Xiaotu was too full to eat anymore, despite her desire, her stomach protested. She watched enviously as everyone enjoyed the delicious cakes, pouting with regret, wishing she hadn’t eaten so much earlier…
Everyone consoled the adorable Xiaotu, but her eyes remained fixed on the delicious cakes, silently counting, “One, two, three, four… all gone.” Her beloved “Honey Cheese” cakes were gone…
Chapter Six – The God Among Men
“I can’t sleep, what should I do, Ah Huang? At least you’re here with me,” Xiaotu mumbled with her mouth full of snacks, occasionally sharing some with the big yellow dog lying on the floor. Eventually, only one cake remained in the tray. Xiaotu eyed the dog, who was looking at her with longing, but she was tempted too. “Ah Huang, be good, I’ll have the cook make more treats for us tomorrow, but this one’s for me. Mom said kids should eat more to grow healthy. You’re already so chubby, you don’t need it, right? Hehe.”
Ignoring Ah Huang’s pitiful gaze, she finished off the last cake. “…Awoof…” Ah Huang let out a mournful howl, as if to say: “I’m in perfect shape, a golden ratio, even female dogs throw me winks. What are you looking at? I’m a ‘handsome man’ here, you little kid, I won’t argue with you.” Ah Huang shot Xiaotu a disdainful look before lying back down to feign sleep.
Xiaotu nestled in her hammock, one hand propping her cheek, the other stroking Ah Huang’s soft fur, swaying the hammock out of boredom. A rich fragrance of flowers wafted over, not cherry blossoms, nor any single flower’s scent, but a blend that only Xiaotu, with her keen sense of smell, could recognize as the scent of a hundred flowers. Faint rose, subtle saffron, a hint of osmanthus, soft lily, light plum, and gentle lavender… but no cherry blossom, her favorite. Xiaotu felt her eyelids fighting, suddenly overwhelmed by sleepiness… Then, she felt someone calling her. “Hey, Xiaotu, wake up!” Slowly opening her eyes, she wondered, “Where am I? This isn’t Xiaotu’s room. And where’s Ah Huang?” She curiously surveyed her surroundings. This, this was clearly an ocean of flowers, unlike any she had ever seen, with countless varieties and quantities of blooms. Xiaotu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t open your eyes any wider, or they’ll pop out.” Damn, her expression was just too adorable.
“Huh, who are you, brother?” Xiaotu finally noticed there was someone beside her. The brother before her was dressed in a loose, fiery red robe embroidered with golden peonies, the edges adorned with tiny golden daisies. His jet-black hair flowed down to his heels, and his face was enchantingly beautiful. Heavens, her brother Ye was already very handsome, but this brother was even more beautiful, almost like a woman. The “Miracle of Hundred Flowers” on his forehead glowed with a golden light. She had never seen anyone wear red so magnificently. However, Xiaotu knew at a glance he was a man because Ye had told her men have a “bump” on their throat called an Adam’s apple. Hehe, I’m so smart.
“Little girl, do you like what you see? Are you falling for me? No need to feel inferior. I am ‘Hundred Flowers Jade Immortal,’ adored by all, blooming where flowers see me, and carried by cars… That’s the type I am. As for you, you’re actually quite pretty yourself,” said the Hundred Flowers Jade Immortal with a touch of helplessness.
After listening to his flamboyant “speech,” Xiaotu earnestly replied, “Brother Hundred Flowers, you’d look even better in white, though red is nice too, but it makes you look like a ‘bride.’ Strawberry Mousse said brides wear red at weddings.”
