Chapter 44 - Wipe The Water Off My Body
Sheng Li gradually opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Ying Lili. "Why am I dreaming about her?" Sheng Li thought and closed his eyes. Something hit his mind and quickly opened his eyes. "What is she doing here?" Sheng Li thought and looked at the notebook on his lap. "She did not read it, right?" Sheng Li thought, but he was not sure.
He gazed at Ying Lili whose head fell to her left when Sheng Li acted swiftly and prevented Ying Lili's head to get hit against the wooden ground. Sheng Li's hand was on the left face of Ying Lili. He carefully let her head rested on the shelf and stood up from the floor. Putting the notebook on the shelf, he turned to look at Ying Lili.
Bending on his knees, he grabbed a few strands of hair that were at the front of Ying Lili's face. "You again did not listen to me," Sheng Li murmured and carried Ying Lili into his muscular arms. As he walked off the study room, Xing-Fu quickly stood up and bowed his head. "Good morning, your highness."
"When and why did she come here?" Sheng Li demanded an answer.
"Her highness came in the late midnight. Her Highness said she had something important to tell you," Xing-Fu replied. Sheng Li hummed and turned to his resting room. Two maidservants opened the door for the crown prince. Sheng Li went inside along with the crown princess.
Placing Ying Lili on the soft mattress, Sheng Li went to the right side of the room. A room divider was made there. Sliding the room divider's door, Sheng Li stepped out. After doing his morning business, he went to the water pool there. The crown prince removed the overcoat, followed by the inner robes. Only his black lower pants were still on his body. He removed the hairpin from the hair bun which suspended till his broad shoulders.
Later, he got into the pool and took a dip in the water. The water was chilly, but he needed that to throw-away many things that were revolving in his mind. He remained underwater for a minute and then came out.
Moving his hand over his face and hair, he rested against one edge of the pool. Xing-Fu showed his presence there along with two maidservants. He had a black satin bathrobe in his hands while the maidservants were holding the cotton towels in their respective hands. He had lowered his head and took glances at the crown prince.
"Your highness, in this early morning you are taking a cold bath. His highness may get sick so, he shall not stay for long there," Xing-Fu anxiously expressed his concerns.
Sheng Li answered nothing and stayed there for thirty minutes. As soon as he came out of the pond, Xing-Fu told the maidservants to wipe the body of Sheng Li. "Send them away," Sheng Li ordered coldly. Xing-Fu gestured to the two maidservants to go away from there. Sheng Li stretched his arms out while Xing-Fu helped him wear the satin bathrobe.
"You may leave," Sheng Li ordered.
Xing-Fu bowed his head and walked out from there. Tying the knot on the robe, Sheng Li walked towards his room. As he entered there, he saw the crown princess was sitting on the bed, waiting for him.
Hearing that door was opened, a smile carved on Ying Lili's lips. "Sheng Li..." the crown princess stopped speaking when he saw Sheng Li had just taken the bath and his upper body was still visible through the satin bathrobe.
Ying Lili turned her face away and blinked her eyes. "I will come later," Ying Lili in a low voice spoke and stood up to leave. Ying Lili stepped forward to leave when Sheng Li grabbed her wrist. "You can leave with my permission only," Ying Lili heard Sheng Li and was pulled by him such that she was facing him now.
Her hands were rested on Sheng Li's chest, and she quickly closed them. "Wipe me," Sheng Li ordered Ying Lili.
"W-what?" Ying Lili exclaimed as she raised her brow.
"Wipe the water off my body," Sheng Li repeated himself.
"Tell the maidservants to do that," Ying Lili stated. Ying Lili was pushing Sheng Li when she felt Sheng Li was tightening his grip on her waist. "You have something important to talk to me so, you can tell me while wiping my body," Sheng Li proclaimed with a stony gaze.
Ying Lili was released by him. "In the cupboard, there is a towel. Bring that," Sheng Li ordered. Ying Lili nodded. After taking the towel, he came to Sheng Li and saw he had already removed the bathrobe, making his upper body visible. Ying Lili gulped as she saw the perfectly carved abs on Sheng Li's body. She gripped the towel tightly in nervousness. But then there was something on Sheng Li's body that caught her attention.
'A dreadful scar near his heart'- it was an oval depression which was browned meant that the scar was there for a long time.
"Stop staring and start doing the work," Ying Lili heard Sheng Li. Ying Lili hummed and stepped closer to him. She wiped his front body, but her eyes were not leaving the sight of that dreadful scar. She did not know when her pointer finger touched the scar. "How did you get this?" Ying Lili asked and lifted her head to meet the gaze of Sheng Li.
"Just do your work and tell about the important thing for which you came here past midnight," Sheng Li stated. "One more thing, I did not allow you to touch me anywhere so, refrain from that," Sheng Li in a threatening tone said.
Ying Lili went behind Sheng Li's back and saw several scars there. "You are not saying anything," Sheng Li again spoke. Ying Lili started wiping Sheng Li's back and then spoke. "Last night I was in The Western Side of Palace in the embroidery workshop. I took a walk to freshen my mind when I saw someone there." Ying Lili had wiped Sheng Li's arms as well and had come to the front.
"Who?" Sheng Li asked.
"I could not see his face because of the dark but I found something there," Ying Lili asserted. She took out the Imperial seal from inside the pocket near her waistband and showed it to Sheng Li. "This," Ying Lili replied. Sheng Li took the seal from Ying Lili's hand and looked at the seal.
"Where did you find it?" Sheng Li questioned her.
"That was a dead end of Western Palace side. I tried looking for him but could not find him there. I wonder how did he hop onto such a high wall to go to the other side," Ying Lili frowned.
"Lili, you shall not walk alone in this midnight. What if he had attacked you?" Sheng Li queried.
"Are you worried about me?" Ying Lili asked him.
Sheng Li chuckled. "Why do you not listen to my orders?" Sheng Li asked her. "I had asked you this many times but, you never gave me an answer," stated Sheng Li.
"This was urgent that's why I had to come in late at night. I shall take my leave," Ying Lili stated.