I'm competing with the male lead for a woman[GL]

Chapter 149: Old acquaintance

Unable to resist the unexpected intruder who suddenly broke into the carriage, Xiao Jin had no choice but to let go. In order to prevent the person outside the carriage from hearing, she explained in a low voice, "This portrait was not created by me, but was found in the former room of Prince Yan."

Chu Shao, aware that Xiao Jin was not the real Prince Yan, still maintained a smile on her face upon hearing that it was found in the Prince Yan's room. Speaking in a whisper that only they could hear, she responded, "Oh? Your Highness, now I'm curious."

Then she reached out and easily separated Xiao Jin's fingers, slowly unfolding the portrait. The image of a woman in white clothes was revealed on the paper. Chu Shao looked at the person in the painting, and her smile didn't diminish. "Not bad, it's a portrait of me, but I can assure you that it was not painted by the Prince Yan."

"Does the princess know who painted this portrait?" Xiao Jin couldn't help but ask.

Unexpectedly, Chu Shao replied with a smile, "Of course, it was painted by an artist."

"..."

Seeing Xiao Jin's silent and puzzled expression, Chu Shao smiled even more and said, "What I said just now was just teasing you, but now I remember. This portrait was painted for me by the court painter when I turned fifteen."

Xiao Jin was somewhat confused. "But, Princess, you didn't have a coming-of-age ceremony, so the portrait wouldn't have been officially recorded. How did the Prince Yan obtain this painting?"

"I don't know either," Chu Shao shook her head. It seemed that she found this matter interesting and made a guess, "Perhaps it was stolen."

Upon hearing Chu Shao's speculation, Xiao Jin remembered another incident. Ye Juege had told her that the original owner had secretly investigated Chu Shao's information before setting off to conquer Yao Country. If this portrait was stolen by the original owner for the purpose of collecting information, it seemed plausible. But it was too exaggerated.

To send a trusted confidant deep into enemy territory just to steal a portrait and verify the rumors of the renowned beauty of Yao Country's number one beauty? Xiao Jin rubbed her temples, feeling that things were too fantastical and didn't seem like something a person with a normal thought process would do.

Since she couldn't understand what the original owner was thinking, Xiao Jin took the portrait handed to her by Chu Shao and began to explore another question, "This painting is extremely well done. I assume the princess was in a good mood at the time, which allowed the artist to create such a masterpiece."

Chu Shao frowned, "Is that so? Unfortunately, it has been a long time, and I don't remember the mood I was in at that time."

A long time? Xiao Jin keenly noticed Chu Shao's choice of words. It had only been a few years, why did Chu Shao describe it like this? Could it be...

Before Xiao Jin could come up with a reasonable explanation, Chu Shao interrupted her thoughts with the following words, "I remember now." Chu Shao recalled the experience of her coming-of-age ceremony and smiled slightly, "I met an old friend that day, and I found it to be quite amusing, so I was very delighted."

As Chu Shao spoke, a crescent moon hung in the sky. The moonlight shone through the dark blue curtains and fell upon Chu Shao's brows and eyes, making her eyes appear bright and gentle. 

Xiao Jin saw this scene and felt a strange taste in her mouth, but her tone remained indifferent, "If it can make Shao'er feel delighted, then it seems that person is indeed interesting."

In fact, Xiao Jin had already begun to search through the few fragments of memories in her mind, trying to figure out which person Chu Shao referred to, someone she had not paid attention to. She had watched Princess Shao grow up, so how did she not notice such a... such a little thief who dared to act under her nose?