A Lifetime Promise

Chapter 23

There were three people sitting together inside the running carriage, one had a smug smile on his face as he watched two certain people staring at each other silently.
Undeniably, Lin Xinglan and Qiang Jingyi were looking at each other as if they were having a staring contest, and the one who gave up was none other than Lin Xinglan.

She felt awkward and didn't know what to say so she was staring at the other, she didn't know what else to do. Seeing that Qiang Jingyi had no plan to speak, she couldn't stand the silence anymore and broke it.

"So... Uhm... Where are you going to take me?"

She fidgeted her fingers when she heard no responses. She tried again but with a louder and clearer voice.

"I asked, where are you going to take me?"

Unfortunately, the fourth prince was still silent. In the end, her irritation got the best of her.

"Hey, little prince, I asked you a question! What, are you deaf now?" Her expression was one of those annoyed ones.

The foreigner kept quiet but his eyes widened in surprise, he didn't expect someone would actually act like that towards the famous fourth prince, especially addressing him as 'little prince'.

If someone was acting the same as her, they would be already dead or at least losing a hand.
He was waiting for the prince to make his move on the young girl but it never came, instead, the prince only looked calmly at her.

"Shouldn't you be saying something else to this lordship?"

Lin Xinglan looked at him confusedly, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Like what?"

Qiang Jingyi's eyes darkened, he tried to hold something in as he stayed calm outside.

Zaki Yaman, on the other hand, was speechless. He didn't know how to react, who was this young girl that had the audacity to speak in such way towards the ruthless prince?

Lin Xinglan saw that Qiang Jingyi's expression wasn't good, she stiffly looked away from his eyes but she could feel his sharp eyes bore into her head so strong that she didn't have the strength to bear it for long.

"...H-how.... How did you find me?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"This lordship found you yesterday. The hairpin gave you away. You didn't expect you would be exposed even when you wore that hairpin, did you?"

She had to admit she flinched just a little bit by his harsh, cold voice. He must had seen her when she was out to run the errand. She scolded herself for using the hairpin when she clearly knew it wouldn't be a good idea but, the hot weather was just unbearable.

She sighed deeply and looked straight at him with clear eyes, "You shouldn't have come to me. Just let me leave and don't bother coming to me ever again."

Her voice was sharp as if she was serious about what she said. Qiang Jingyi narrowed his eyes dangerously, his next words left her astounded as his words pierced through her heart.

"Do you really mean it? Even if you have promised to never leave me, even if you have promised to stay with me forever? You actually dared to leave this lordship once and now you still dare to do it again without any hesitation?"

"....."

"Lan, do you no longer care about this lordship?"

This made Lin Xinglan choke whatever she had planned to say back in her throat.

Qiang Jingyi didn't have the plan to back down and continued, "Isn't that so? That's why you cruelly left me with only a single letter behind. Now that I actually found you, you still have the nerve to tell me you will leave me again."