The lights flickered, and the moon was at its peak, its soft glow resembling a calm lake, but the few people inside the Step Lotus Hall had no interest in appreciating such a beautiful night scene.

After all,

Young Master Gu’s hot pot was simply too delicious!

"This is a yuan-yang pot, the lamb should naturally go into the spicy pot, the white pot is for cooking vegetables, and adding some scallions to this sauce would make it even tastier..."

Having shared a few hot pot meals with Gu Lan before, Rong Miaoyan patiently explained to Qin Zhenghu.

Gu Lan took a sip of wine, a bite of meat, another of milk tea... After who knows how many bowls, Rong Heng stopped her.

"If you keep eating like this, you’ll be plagued with stomachaches tomorrow."

"That’s impossible, I have an iron stomach!" Gu Lan cheerfully insisted, ignoring the advice, and then picked a slice of white, smooth fish from the boiling red soup.

Jiu saw the fish and was reminded of something. "Your Highness, weren’t you going to give Young Master the secret recipe..."

"What does the Prince intend to give Gu Lan?" Rong Baoyi, with an unyielding spirit to never miss out on any gossip, quickly inquired.

Jiu said, "When His Highness visited Yuan Lang in Jinzhou earlier, he specifically asked a shopkeeper for the secret recipe of Jinzhou grilled fish, saying the fish was fresh and delicious. He wanted to cook it for Young Master Gu after returning."

Gu Lan’s eyes lit up: "Grilled what fish?"

Rong Heng curled his lips into a smile, subconsciously feeling relieved.

It suddenly dawned on him that he felt at ease because Gu Lan’s immediate thought was grilled fish rather than Yuan Lang!

"Rong Heng, pull yourself together!" He pressed his lips to stifle his smile, firmly telling himself.

Gu Lan was still looking at him in amazement, seemingly waiting for him to magically produce a grilled fish for her.

His slender, cold white hand touched Gu Lan’s forehead.

Rong Heng leaned down beside Gu Lan, whispering in a bewitching and melodious voice, "Behave, and tomorrow I’ll have Su Zixiao make grilled fish for you."

Meanwhile, far away on patrol at the Imperial Palace, Su Zixiao sneezed repeatedly: "Achoo, achoo—Working even on New Year’s Eve. I wonder what the Prince and the others are doing... It’s so cold!"

Gu Lan snapped out of it and instinctively grabbed Rong Heng’s hand, holding it in front of her to examine it closely.

His hand was very fair, not in a sickly way but in a delicate, cold white tone, full of resilience, and overall, it was long and good-looking.

This hand could wield a heavy sword or hold a slender silver needle, suddenly bringing a thought to her mind.

If Rong Heng were in that bustling, noisy era, what would he be?

Probably, a doctor saving lives?

Rong Heng let the person in front hold his hand, his manner relaxed.

The hot pot emitted wisps of white mist; he looked at her with eyes clear as water, captivating and moving, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned like tempting hooks.

As Rong Heng gazed, his Adam’s apple moved involuntarily, and his eyes briefly lost focus.

"By the way," Gu Lan remembered something and asked, "earlier today, you mentioned something about a coming-of-age ceremony..."

This sentence seemed to be a spark, suddenly igniting his deep, dark eyes.

"Coming-of-age," Rong Heng’s throat dried, his head lowered, his thin lips almost touching Gu Lan’s delicate earlobe as warm breath fell beside her ear, causing her to instinctively shrink her neck. "You can do many things."

Gu Lan’s heart trembled; she looked up at him, those deep eyes like waves surging violently, thinking something unknown.

"What things?" She suddenly lowered her head, quickly picking a piece of meat into her bowl.

Rong Heng smiled as he spoke: "For example, Prince Xiang can propose marriage to the Gu Family, asking to marry Miss Gu."

Gu Lan began to cough, feeling Rong Heng was too close, making her ears especially warm.

So it was about marriage; she had thought it was...

Miss Gu?

She pondered this title, feeling it wasn’t as imposing as Young Master, but it wasn’t too bad either.

Unknowingly, everyone was somewhat drunk. Rong Heng had only tasted the wine lightly, remaining sober, while Jiu and Qin Zhenghu were already completely out of it.

Jiu’s name might be "Little Wine," but his tolerance was only one cup.

Rong Miaoyan lifted her head, downing her drink again. Suddenly, she raised her eyes, tears glistening in her eyes like a pool.

Xie Yun asked, "Princess, what’s wrong?"

Rong Miaoyan’s red lips parted, with drunkenness and the bitterness accumulated during the day surging up in her heart. The broken but clear images continuously floated before her eyes, and she seemed to hear Rong Jing gently calling "Miaoyan" in her ear.