Obsessively Raised by My Doll 124

Chapter 124

Lu Dieqing didn’t think of herself as the kind of person whose heart had opened to love early.

In matters of affection, she could even be considered a little slow.

In the past, she had thought that all the “likes” in this world were the same.

Hoping for a person to be well, feeling happy just seeing them, and wishing everyone could be together, living happily.

She had believed that this was the entirety of what it meant to “like” someone.

She had never even really distinguished between friendship and romantic love in the past.

For example, if she hadn’t known that Xinxin was the little doll.

If she were to put the little doll Xinxin and Ningning side by side and be asked to describe the difference between her feelings for the two, she would probably be stunned and would need time to think slowly.

But when she knew that the two were actually the same person, the irrepressible surprise in her heart told her clearly that some positions were very important and could only be occupied by one person; one more would be difficult to place.

Her feelings for the little doll were a kind of emotion that held her hopes.

She longed for someone to protect her, to accompany her, preferably inseparable, to have the most intimate connection in this world, so as to fill the unease in her heart.

But this emotion, in fact, had nothing to do with romantic love. It was just the desire for a very close companion.

And towards Ningning, she had truly, bit by bit, in their interactions, fallen in, developed feelings, and understood what was called a “little deer bumping around.”

When Ningning was unhappy, she would think of ways to make her happy, unable to turn a blind eye.

When Ningning was uncomfortable, she would also become anxious from the bottom of her heart, and even feel sorry for her, thinking that the other really didn’t know how to take care of herself, and that she also had a clumsy side.

When Ningning was jealous or shy, she was like having discovered a new continent, so happy and fond, she just wanted to lie in Ningning’s arms, hold her, kiss her, and coax her.

In short, everything related to Ningning could fully mobilize her emotions.

Life suddenly seemed to become more colorful.

Lu Dieqing had already forgotten the lonely feelings she had had before meeting Ningning.

After falling in love with someone and truly being in love with each other, it was as if she had a companion in her heart forever. Even if their bodies were not together, their hearts were always together.

Accepting Ningning’s kiss, Lu Dieqing, panting slightly, said in a small voice, “I like you the most. I only like you.”

She gently stroked Zheng Xuening’s earlobe, her voice so gentle it could melt anyone.

All the gloom in Zheng Xuening’s heart was soothed away by the girl.

She took a deep breath of the faint fragrance on the girl’s body, sat up straight, and was willing to let her go.

“Alright. Go on.”

Zheng Xuening helped Lu Dieqing to comb her messy hair, not missing a single strand of hair at her temples, gently stroking it.

Lu Dieqing was extremely docile and well-behaved, looking at the Crown Princess with her round almond eyes.

“I’ll always have the little doll with me. If you miss me, you can use it to talk to me.”

They had both obtained the puppeteer’s legacy now and knew how to control their divine sense. Last night, Ningning had been able to switch her soul between her own body and the doll, which showed that in this aspect, Ningning was very talented and had basically mastered this skill.

Seeing Lu Dieqing’s gentle look of coaxing a little kitten, Zheng Xuening, for some reason, suddenly said, “Don’t talk to others like this.”

When she said this, Zheng Xuening’s expression was cool and clear.

Lu Dieqing was stunned for a moment, not understanding what her Ningning meant, but it did not stop her from nodding and coaxing the other to be happy.

“Okay, of course. I’ll only talk to you like this.”

Zheng Xuening pressed her lips together, was silent for a moment, and then got up.

“I’m leaving.”

She moved with swift movements. After walking out of the sedan chair, she saw the Zuo sisters waiting not far away at a glance.

The two sisters didn’t know how long they had been standing at the academy gate, their eyes always looking in this direction. When they suddenly saw Zheng Xuening walk out, the two sisters turned around at the same time, pretending not to have seen anything, which was very much like trying to cover something up.

But then they realized that the other was the Crown Princess. How could they be like this? So they immediately turned their heads again and bowed in a low voice. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Zheng Xuening walked past with a blank expression.

She felt that she was being very abnormal now. She was full of jealousy for everyone who could get close to Lu Dieqing.

Clearly, she had already possessed the girl’s every night, but she still felt that the separation during the day was so unbearable.

So she was equally jealous of everyone who could openly communicate and get along with her little rabbit during the day.

When Zheng Xuening had walked far away, Zuo Xiaoya dared to take a deep breath.

“Sister, it’s a good thing you pulled me back just now and didn’t let me go to the sedan chair to say hello. Otherwise, wouldn’t we have just run into the Crown Princess and disturbed her?”

Every time she saw the Crown Princess, she didn’t dare to speak loudly.

That aura of a superior was too strong, and the other’s personality was cold, and there were all kinds of rumors about the Crown Princess being cold-hearted. Zuo Xiaoya subconsciously felt that if she ran into her and accidentally said something she shouldn’t, her head would roll.

It was really not her fault for overthinking.

Their Zuo family’s situation was already awkward. In the past, they had followed the Second Prince and were considered to be on the opposite side of the Crown Princess. Now, although they wanted to “abandon the dark and turn to the light,” they had never really been accepted.

These days, the Third Princess had been frequently contacting their Zuo family…

Zuo Xiaoya was also afraid that this matter would reach the Crown Princess’s ears and that the other would misunderstand that their Zuo family’s position was unclear.

Seeing that the Crown Princess’s figure had disappeared, Zuo Xiaoya looked back at the little sedan chair that belonged to Lu Dieqing and said to Zuo Manzhi at her side, “Sister, can we go over and say hello to Miss Lu now?”

Zuo Manzhi said, “Let’s go.”

When Lu Dieqing got out of the sedan chair, she saw the Zuo sisters waiting for her outside with expectant faces.

This was so unexpected that she was slightly stunned, but she quickly reacted, blinked her almond eyes, and smiled, showing her small dimples.

“Xiaoya, Sister Manzhi.”

Aiyo!

Zuo Xiaoya clutched her heart, feeling as if she had been shot by an arrow.

Miss Lu smiles like a cute little sika deer. Her eyes are so bright. How can she be so sweet?

The Crown Princess is eating so well. Sob, sob, sob.

We can only look. Unlike the Crown Princess, who can go out of the palace with Miss Lu to play, and can even support each other on the carriage in the street in a loving way. Now, they are not even hiding it in the imperial palace, riding in the same sedan chair, full of love.

“Miss Lu, we’ve taken notes on the lessons the teacher taught these few days. If you want to review, you can borrow them.”

Zuo Manzhi said politely.

Lu Dieqing quickly said her thanks. “Okay, thank you, Sister Manzhi.”

Seeing that she called her elder sister “sister,” Zuo Xiaoya immediately forgot the previous matter and came over to say, “Why don’t you call me sister?”

Lu Dieqing’s eyes curved when she smiled. “Xiaoya is a younger sister.”

Aaaah! Zuo Xiaoya stomped her feet in protest.

“How am I a younger sister? I’m the same age as you. If we go by the month, I should be older than you.”

Lu Dieqing smiled and exchanged a look with Zuo Manzhi at her side, a little amused.

Compared to girls of the same age, Zuo Xiaoya was indeed a little more naive. Perhaps because she had been well-protected and had not shouldered too much responsibility, her way of dealing with the world was more romantic.

After the experience in the forbidden land, when Lu Dieqing returned to the imperial palace and saw these friends she had known in the past, she inexplicably felt that she had grown a little older, and that the others were all little sisters.

Especially Zuo Xiaoya.

Zuo Xiaoya immediately noticed the look between her elder sister and Lu Dieqing. The two of them seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding behind her back!

Damn it!

It’s bad enough that the Crown Princess is eating well. How come now my elder sister also seems to have a good rapport with Miss Lu, leaving me out!

She jumped up and stood between Lu Dieqing and Zuo Manzhi.

“What are you looking at each other for!”

Seeing her sister’s childish behavior, Zuo Manzhi curved her lips, her smile a little helpless.

Lu Dieqing, on the other hand, broke into a smile, the dimples at the corners of her lips becoming more and more obvious.

It seemed that because her state of mind had changed, when she looked at everyone in the imperial palace again, she felt that they were all different from before.

In the past, she would only envy the Zuo Manzhi sisters’ sibling relationship, and envy that they had grown up in the Chaoying Kingdom and were not hostages.

But now, when she herself had a little power, she would find that, in fact, everyone had their own cute points, and everyone had their own helplessness.

For example, Zuo Manzhi had a dignified aura and elegant and calm movements, but it was also because there was an older sister like her that a more romantic younger sister like Zuo Xiaoya could be raised.

Everything was complementary.

Lu Dieqing would no longer envy others now.

She felt that what she had was already the best in this world.

She had her parents’ love, a healthy body, a lover like Ningning who loved her back, and she could also have the legacy of the puppetry art.

She didn’t know what the front, or even the future, would be like.

But she knew that every step she was taking now was a beautiful experience she had never dared to imagine in the past.

Perhaps… Lu Dieqing had a feeling that her and Ningning’s peaceful days in the imperial palace were probably numbered.

She didn’t know where this premonition came from, but it spurred Lu Dieqing on, making her cherish the present days even more.

She was talking and laughing with the Zuo sisters, and even Zuo Manzhi could see the change in her.

“Miss Lu seems… a little different from before today.”

Hearing this, Zuo Xiaoya immediately chimed in and nodded.

“That’s right, little sister Lu, you’ve become mischievous!”

In fact, she had wanted to be a little closer and call Lu Dieqing “Qingqing,” but having run into the Crown Princess and Lu Dieqing’s close relationship several times in a row, Zuo Xiaoya didn’t dare to be too intimate with her form of address.

“In the past, you were always very shy. Most of the time, whatever my sister and I said, you would just listen and rarely speak. This time, after you came back from outside the palace, you’ve become much more cheerful.”

Zuo Xiaoya added her own discovery.

Huh? Is the change in me so obvious?

“Was I not very talkative before?” Lu Dieqing was curious about her own transformation and asked the Zuo sisters what their impression of her had been in the past.

Zuo Xiaoya nodded. “You were a little reserved and introverted. Whatever we said, you would mostly just smile at us. You were very serious when you listened to the teacher’s lecture and never got distracted. We didn’t have much chance to chat.”

Zuo Manzhi also said cautiously, “Miss Lu is indeed… a little more relaxed than before.”

She could feel that the previous Lu Dieqing in the Caiyun Academy was like a little squirrel that had mistakenly wandered into this place. She was curious about everything here, but also particularly vigilant and cherished it.

This made them even more reluctant to get too close to Lu Dieqing, for fear of scaring her and causing some misunderstanding.

But this time, when Lu Dieqing returned from outside the palace, it was as if her heart had opened up and she had let go of some of the heavy burdens on her mind, and had gained a bit more confidence.

When talking to them, she seemed more at ease.

This confidence, could it be from the Crown Princess?

Zuo Manzhi thought to herself, guessing what position the Crown Princess had placed Lu Dieqing in.

It was certain that she would be taken as a consort, but she just didn’t know to what extent.

“Miss Lu, the invitation to our home still stands. If you are free next time you are on leave, you are welcome to come.”

Zuo Manzhi extended an olive branch again.

Lu Dieqing thought for a moment and nodded. “Okay.”

Hearing her agree, the smiles on the Zuo sisters’ faces instantly became even brighter.

…

As the day was drawing to a close, Lu Dieqing received a note.

It was handed to her by an unfamiliar student in the academy.

“The Third Princess invites you to a meeting.”

The student whispered.

The location was written on the note.

Lu Dieqing was surprised for a moment and took the note.

The unfamiliar student added in a low voice, “The Third Princess said that this meeting is with no ill intentions, and that you should not worry.”

If it were before, Lu Dieqing would have been a little worried about this and would have hesitated whether to go.

But now that she had guided qi into her body and could use some of the protective spiritual artifacts in her storage ring, as the saying goes, the more skilled one is, the bolder one is. The Third Princess had invited her, and she was very curious about why the other wanted to see her, so she did not refuse and just nodded in agreement.

However, before going to the appointment, Lu Dieqing’s small hands gently stroked the little wooden doll in her sleeve and used her spiritual power to connect with the other.

“Ningning, I’m going to see the Third Princess.” The little girl obediently reported.

At the same time, Zheng Xuening, who had just finished dealing with political affairs and was sitting cross-legged absorbing spiritual energy, opened her eyes in her bedchamber.

Her mind moved, and her soul immediately switched to the little doll. She heard Lu Dieqing’s telepathic message.

“What are you seeing her for?”

Lu Dieqing used her divine sense to tell her about receiving the note and the Third Princess’s invitation.

Now that the two of them were communicating through the little doll, they no longer needed to speak out loud, but could just use their divine sense to transmit their thoughts, which was much more convenient than before.

“Ningning, as the saying goes, it’s better to resolve enmity than to keep it. The Third Princess seems to have shown some kindness this time. I think… she might really have something to see me for.”

Lu Dieqing transmitted her thoughts in a small voice.

Zheng Xuening sighed. “I won’t stop you. You don’t need to explain so much.”

Lu Dieqing: “But you’re not happy.”

Zheng Xuening: “You’re seeing things.”

She would absolutely not admit that she was jealous.

She had waited in her bedchamber until it was dark, originally thinking that she would be able to see her little rabbit return right away, and then…

But she had not expected that a Cheng Yaojin would appear in the middle.

The Third Sister, Zheng Sixin, had not been seen early or late, but had insisted on seeing Lu Dieqing at night, which was snatching away her and Qingqing’s private time.