MY PRINCE HUSBAND HAS SEVEN WIVES AND I AM HIS FAVOURITE!
Chapter 147: The longer she stared, the worse it became

Chapter 147: The longer she stared, the worse it became

Hua Jing stared at him.

For a moment, her breath caught in her throat, her mind going utterly blank.

The man before her was unreal.

She had thought so the moment she turned and laid eyes on him, but the longer she looked, the worse it became. The sharp angles of his face, the golden hue of his eyes, the smooth perfection of his skin—everything about him seemed almost too perfect to belong to this world.

The wind carried a few loose strands of his dark hair across his forehead, framing his striking features in a way that made her stomach twist. The sunlight filtering through the cherry blossoms cast dappled shadows on his face, softening the sharpness of his gaze just enough to make him even more breathtaking.

Hua Jing felt her cheeks heat.

What... what kind of man is this?

His presence was overwhelming, like an unseen force pressing down on her. Not in a suffocating way—but in a way that made her hyper-aware of him, of the space between them, of the fact that she was completely alone with him.

And then, she remembered herself.

She blinked rapidly, forcing herself to break away from his gaze, but the warmth spreading across her skin remained.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her skirt, her body stiff as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

She had been so deep in her thoughts, so focused on the pond, that she hadn’t even sensed him approaching.

How long had he been there?

Her heart pounded.

No one had ever found this place before. She had made sure of it.

And yet—

This man had appeared, standing so close to her without a sound, watching her with an expression she couldn’t decipher.

The memory of what she had been thinking just moments ago—the quiet grief that had filled her chest, the hope she had foolishly clung to year after year—felt embarrassingly exposed now.

She didn’t want anyone to see her like this.

And especially not a man like him.

"I—" she started, but her voice betrayed her. It was too soft, too uncertain.

The man didn’t look away.

He tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes glinting with something she couldn’t quite place.

"Maiden," he repeated, his voice smooth and calm. "Why are you out here all by yourself?"

The question was simple, but it sent another wave of panic rushing through her.

She hadn’t expected him to speak.

And she certainly hadn’t expected his voice to sound like that.

It was deep, but not in a rough way. It had a softness to it, a quiet allure that made her heart stutter.

Hua Jing swallowed.

She needed to answer.

She needed to say something.

But her mind was in disarray.

Her thoughts kept circling back to the same question—who was this man?

His presence, his demeanor, the effortless nobility in the way he carried himself—he was not someone ordinary.

And yet, she had no idea who he was.

She had never seen him before.

The noble circles were small; even though she had lived much of her life in the shadows of the Hua family, she had still caught glimpses of the prominent figures in the capital.

But this man...

This man was unfamiliar.

His clothes were refined but unembellished, and there were no emblems to indicate his status. He carried no obvious sign of his identity.

And yet, there was something about him—

Something undeniably powerful.

She licked her lips, forcing herself to focus.

"It’s nothing," she finally managed, her voice steadier this time. "I just... like the pond."

The man did not look convinced.

His gaze flickered toward the water, then back to her.

"You come here often?" he asked.

Hua Jing hesitated.

There was no reason for her to answer truthfully.

There was no reason for her to speak to him at all.

But for some reason, she found herself nodding.

"Yes," she admitted.

The man was silent for a moment, as if considering something.

And then, to her utter shock—

He smiled.

It was slight—just a small upward curve of his lips—but it was enough to make her heartbeat falter.

She had the sudden, ridiculous thought that if she had been standing, her knees might have given out.

"I see," he said lightly. "That explains it."

Hua Jing frowned. "Explains what?"

His golden eyes studied her, unreadable. "Why I found you here."

She stiffened.

"Found me?" she echoed.

The man didn’t answer.

Instead, he moved, taking a slow step closer.

Hua Jing instinctively tensed, her fingers tightening around the folds of her skirt.

He stopped just before he entered her space, close enough that she could see the faintest traces of amusement lingering in his eyes.

"You were so focused," he mused. "I was standing here for quite some time before you noticed me."

Hua Jing’s face burned.

She had been that absorbed?

Her mind raced to recall how long she had been sitting there, staring into the pond, lost in thought. The idea that he had been watching her for an extended period without her realizing it made her stomach twist.

She clenched her jaw, willing herself to remain composed.

"That’s rude," she muttered.

The man chuckled. It was a soft, deep sound, rich with amusement.

"Perhaps," he admitted. "But you were quite interesting to watch."

Her cheeks flamed.

Who was this man?!

His words, his demeanor—everything about him was unsettling.

And yet, she couldn’t look away.

He was too mesmerizing.

Too dangerous.

She needed to leave.

She needed to turn and walk away before she made a fool of herself.

But before she could move, the man spoke again.

"You don’t recognize me, do you?"

Hua Jing blinked.

A strange chill ran down her spine.

Why would she?

They had never met before.

Had they?

She stared at him, searching his features for familiarity, for any trace of recognition.

Nothing.

She didn’t know him.

And yet...

Something about him—his presence, his voice, the way he was looking at her—felt oddly familiar.

She exhaled sharply.

"You’re mistaken," she said. "I don’t know you."

The man didn’t react immediately.

Then, as if something amused him, he gave another soft, unreadable smile.

"Perhaps not," he murmured.

And yet, the way he said it—so confident, so knowing—made her stomach twist.

She had the unsettling feeling that he knew exactly who she was.

And that terrified her.

She looked around and saw that it was getting past the time she was allowed to be outside and Chen Li was coming from the capital soon!

Panic...