"Excuse me, but would you mind releasing me right now? It's been more than two minutes since we are in this position. It will look inappropriate, especially when there is a child here."

"A—Ah, yes, sorry…" Huang Shu reluctantly released the man in blue hanfu.

"How could you suddenly jump in like that anyway? I can handle it just fine," Yunyu said.

"I—I followed you before because you are uh… uhm… you're too beautiful to be left unguarded around the city," Huang Shu said truthfully.

"Too beautiful? Me?" The man in blue hanfu blinked a few times as if he didn't believe what Huang Shu said.

"Yes…"

"That's very bold, but I suppose I still have to thank you for helping me out," the man in blue hanfu said. He advanced one step closer, about to close the gap between him and Huang Shu.

But Huang Shu distanced himself slightly, thinking this guy might've been disgusted by his disguise right now. Since his face was covered in ashes and dirt, also with dusty and tattered clothes.

Somehow, Huang Shu regretted not wearing his princely robe right now as the Seventh Prince. This was the first time he felt that princely robe would actually help him, rather than getting sneer for being a prissy and privileged royal family by the whispers in the capital city.

Huang Shu finally understood how low a slave or servant could feel when facing someone above them.

"I—I'm sorry, Young Master, I—"

"Young Master?" The man in blue hanfu raised his brow with a slight grin at the edge of his lips. "I'm not a Young Master. I'm just a merchant son. My name is Bai Yunyu."

"Bai… Yunyu…"

Huang Shu felt a tingle in his heart when he called that name, something just click inside his heart, like a lock without a key, and he felt like he was swallowing the key when he called that name again, "Bai… Yunyu…"

Click.

And the lock inside his heart had been opened that easily.

"Bai… Yunyu…"

'Even his name tastes so sweet in my mouth. I won't get tired of calling his name over and over….'

Bai Yunyu chuckled, "Hey, hey, why are you calling me name three times? What do you think I am? A ghost?"

"A—Ah, it just feels nice to say," Huang Shu said meekly. He had a tint of red on his cheek, but it was covered with dust, so it wasn't visible for Yunyu.

"Hmm~ Well, Mr. Protector, would you mind telling me your name?" Bai Yunyu asked.

"Me? But I'm just a peasant… dirty one also…." Huang Shu said.

"Do you think I'm not? I'm also a peasant ah," Yunyu shrugged. "It's just that I dressed nicer. You should be a handsome man if you dress up and wash your face."

Huang Shu nodded and then lowered his head out of embarrassment.

"M—My name is…"

'Wait, I can't give my full name. He might've recognized me as the Seventh Prince. He would definitely hide his true nature for the sake of bowing down to the royal family….'

"Uhm… I'm Shu…" Huang Shu muttered softly.

"Shu? Just Shu?" Bai Yunyu tilted his head. "Isn't it a bit improper for you to give your short name in an introduction?"

Huang Shu almost choked with his own saliva when he heard that. This man was obviously younger than him, but he was already so well-mannered and well-spoken. He might've as well been a thirty years old scholar, and Huang Shu would admit that.

"Shu… Shu…" Huang Shu said.

"Shu Shu? That's a weird name," Yunyu commented. With a grin on his face, he continued, "But I like it a lot. I will call you Shushu, alright?"

'Shushu… isn't this some kind of... endearing call? D—Did he already think of me as his close friend? No, maybe even better, a romantic interest?!'

Huang Shu's mind already traveled far that he felt he might've flown to the sky right now.

"Well, since I'm Bai Yunyu, then you can call me Yunyu," Yunyu said.

'Can I call you Wife instead?' Huang Shu said in his heart but dared not utter it.

Bai Yunyu saw the corpse on the ground and frowned, "Let's go. I don't want Meilan to see this kind of stuff for too long."

Bai Yunyu grabbed the little girl's hand, and they walked to the other side of the dark alley, with Huang Shu following him from behind.

Yunyu looked over his shoulder and asked Huang Shu, "Shushu, are you hungry? I can always bring you to eat something with Meilan."

"… Yes."

"Good, just follow me," Bai Yunyu said.

They went to the nearest food stall and ordered three bowls of noodles.

"Yunyu, who are these people?" The vendor asked while serving the noodles.

"They are my friends," Yunyu said lightly as he gave the noodle to Huang Shu and Meilan. He specifically said to Meilan, "You can eat more if you want, okay? You can eat as much as you want."

Huang Shu ate commoner noodles once or twice, and they tasted fine. However, the food in Imperial Palace still tasted a lot better. He saw Yunyu ate his noodle without worry, so it already prove that he was just a peasant, albeit a gorgeous one.

Huang Shu ate the noodle while glancing at Yunyu a few times. Somehow, the noodle tasted a lot better than he expected.

After they ate, Huang Shu kept on following Yunyu, and they stopped in front of a jewelry store. An old man was polishing a green jade stone in front, and it was actually quite a big store that Huang Shu knew.

Since his mother and few other concubines liked to order jewelry from this store.

Bai Yunyu turned back and gently reached out on Huang Shu's hand. Huang Shu felt his body was electrified all over when their hands touched, and he could feel the softness of Yunyu's palm.

"Here is a reward for you. Thank you for helping me. Bye, Shushu," Bai Yunyu smiled and walked into the store with the little girl.

….

Huang Shu held the bag of coins carefully as he kept staring at the store, even though Yunyu already disappeared inside the store.

'Ah… what to do. I've fallen in love…'