Chapter 479: I Command You to Stop, Shen Ningning

Chapter 479: Chapter 479: I Command You to Stop, Shen Ningning

Inside the Su Mansion, a group of young ladies huddled together, trembling.

The young noblemen who had come for the banquet were hiding nearby, all shouting, "Your Highness, please calm down! Get ahold of yourself!"

At the center of the crowd stood a cold-faced man in lavish robes. His foot was pressing down on the unconscious Su Zhirou. His dark, sharp brows were furrowed, and his eyes were bloodshot red.

A sharp pain stabbed through his head. He pressed his long fingers to the spot between his brows. The surrounding voices begging him to calm down were like flies buzzing in his ears.

"Annoying," Mo Lingwei spat.

The killing intent radiating from him instantly frightened the entire room into silence.

Chen Shaobei paced anxiously outside. "Haven’t you brought the Princess over yet? Faster!"

As he spoke, he glanced inside, his expression fraught with worry.

’It’s all my fault today. I shouldn’t have dragged Mo Lingwei out of the palace.’

He had originally wanted to come to Su Zhirou’s birthday banquet to run into Shen Ningning, but after they arrived, they heard she wasn’t coming at all.

Up to that point, everything had been relatively normal. Mo Lingwei just wore a sour expression and couldn’t be bothered to talk to anyone.

However, when Su Zhirou offered a toast to Mo Lingwei, she just had to go and stir up trouble.

She had said, "When I was at the National Academy, I ran into the Princess and asked if she wanted to come with you, Your Highness. But the Princess refused me. Your Highness, I don’t think the Princess likes me very much..."

Before Su Zhirou could even finish, Mo Lingwei slammed his cup down in annoyance.

She let out a shriek, her face turning pale.

"So she doesn’t like you. So what? Why bring it up before Us? Are you asking Us to send you to your grave?" Mo Lingwei snarled, his aura terrifying.

Su Zhirou had only meant to bad-mouth Shen Ningning. Who could have expected Mo Lingwei to be so protective of her?

It was too late to admit her mistake. Mo Lingwei’s head began to throb.

He shot to his feet and flipped the table. Su Zhirou, who was having the worst luck imaginable, was struck in the head by the table and knocked unconscious, a large lump swelling on her forehead.

But no one dared to check on her.

Because after Mo Lingwei stood up, his thin, crimson eyes had taken on an unhinged look.

He scanned the people around him with an unfamiliar yet dangerous gaze, like an ancient, ferocious beast that had not yet attacked, searching for suitable prey.

Chen Shaobei had a feeling that if Shen Ningning didn’t arrive soon, someone was going to die.

Mo Lingwei was already stepping on Su Zhirou’s head.

Just then, a little eunuch ran in like a gust of wind, announcing, "Her Highness, Princess Funing, has arrived!"

A visible wave of relief washed over the crowd.

Even Mo Lingwei paused when he heard Shen Ningning’s name, his crimson eyes faltering for a moment.

He turned his head. At the courtyard’s festooned gate, a spring breeze rustled, making the shadows of the wisteria blossoms dance.

Bathed in the soft spring light, a girl with bright, lovely eyes hurried over, lifting the hem of her skirt.

She wore an orange brocade dress with a colorful silk shawl draped over her fair shoulders. Her pretty face was lightly powdered, making her look even more pure and endearing.

Shen Ningning had arrived just in time. Chen Shaobei ushered her into the room as if he were receiving a living Buddha.

"Princess, the Crown Prince is angry," Chen Shaobei whispered, explaining, "Su Zhirou provoked him, and he’s not happy."

Shen Ningning glanced at the unconscious Su Zhirou lying on the floor.

She let out a helpless sigh.

’She really had it coming.’

’Why would she provoke him?’

Shen Ningning walked up to Mo Lingwei. The young woman was now a full head shorter than him.

She had to look up at him when they were children, and it was still the same now that she was grown.

Shen Ningning looked at Mo Lingwei, placed her delicate hands on her hips, and pouted slightly.

"This is someone else’s birthday banquet. Why are you scaring everyone? Don’t be angry anymore."

Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes, staring at her for a long moment.

Anyone would have been terrified by such murderous, blood-red eyes.

And yet, Shen Ningning stood so close, showing not a hint of fear.

The girl’s upturned neck was slender and pale. If Mo Lingwei were to lose control, he could snap it with one hand.

He lowered his cold, crimson gaze to her neck and slowly reached out a long-fingered hand.

Just as everyone held their breath in fear, Mo Lingwei’s fingertips simply plucked a small green leaf that had fallen onto the ends of Shen Ningning’s hair.

"What took you so long?" Mo Lingwei’s voice was hoarse as the sharp, murderous air around him began to fade. "I almost killed them all."

Hearing this, some of the younger noblemen in the crowd could no longer hold it in and began to cry, a quiet "WAAAH" escaping them.

Mo Lingwei’s sharp gaze shot over like a dagger, and the young nobleman’s mouth was immediately covered.

Shen Ningning stood on her tiptoes and grabbed his collar. "Don’t be so fierce. We’re leaving!"

In his current state, Mo Lingwei would only continue to frighten everyone if he stayed, so the girl decided it was best to take him away.

And so the Crown Prince, who would fly into a rage and show no one any respect, obediently bent down. Shen Ningning was barely using any force, yet he allowed himself to be docilely dragged away.

After they left, those who could collapse, collapsed, and those who could finally breathe, gasped for air.

Chen Shaobei sighed helplessly and sent someone to fetch a doctor to check on Su Zhirou.

「Inside the carriage.」

Shen Ningning was applying medicine to Mo Lingwei’s hand.

When he flew into a rage, he cared nothing for the lives of others, and even less for his own.

He hadn’t even noticed the shallow cut on his palm.

The girl’s head was lowered, and from Mo Lingwei’s angle, he could see her smooth, dark hair and one half of her beautiful, rosy profile.

At that moment, Shen Ningning said with some displeasure, "Su Zhirou is always up to no good. Why did you even come to a banquet like this? I thought you were coming to have a good time, but who knew you’d have another episode."

"Uncle Emperor told me to keep a close watch on you and not let you get too violent in front of everyone. Otherwise, what will happen if you can’t become the Emperor?"

After she finished speaking, Mo Lingwei didn’t reply for a long time.

The girl looked up in a fit of pique and saw that the red had faded from Mo Lingwei’s thin eyes. They were now a deep, profound color, and he was watching her with a leisurely gaze.

Shen Ningning poked his forehead with a slender, pink fingertip. "I’m talking to you!"

Mo Lingwei snapped out of it, tilted his head, and scoffed, "Then I just won’t be the Emperor. What’s the big deal?"

Shen Ningning never expected him to say something like that.

"If you’re not the Emperor, what will you do?"

"I’ll be a businessman, like Lu Shaoyuan," Mo Lingwei blurted out.

Shen Ningning froze.

She watched as he leaned back against the carriage wall, shut his eyes with a hint of awkwardness, and sneered, "He gets away with calling you out to meet him alone all the time, just because you two own a shop together. You’re not annoyed by him doing it, so I can do it too. It’s just money, isn’t it? We can have as much as We want."

Shen Ningning was speechless.

She closed the medicine box. "If you’re going to talk like that, *Brother*, then it just proves that it’s pointless for me to manage you. I should just let you run wild, shouldn’t I? Fine! Hmph! Wu Fang, stop the carriage!"

The carriage screeched to a halt on the side of the road.

The girl jumped right out, holding her head high as she walked away.

Mo Lingwei’s eyes flew open as he watched her actually leave.

He cursed at Wu Fang, "She tells you to stop, and you just stop? Who is your master?!"

Wu Fang, holding the reins, looked at him innocently.

"This subordinate... this subordinate... Your Highness, the Princess is getting away."

Mo Lingwei furrowed his sharp brows and gritted his teeth. "You’re leaving again? Are you this impatient with Lu Shaoyuan, too?"

Shen Ningning had no idea what connection there was between the two things he was saying.

She didn’t look back and only walked faster.

A moment later, she heard Mo Lingwei’s footsteps chasing after her from behind.

"Stop. We command you not to leave."

Shen Ningning broke into a run.

Mo Lingwei muttered a curse. Angrier than he had ever been before, he sprinted after her and grabbed her by the wrist.

"We were wrong, alright?! What if you fall, running so fast?"