Huang Baozhai and Huang Yiming shared a look.

            "What?" Li Jie said defensively. "You think I can't protect you!?"

            Huang Yiming sighed, knowing that Li Jie himself needs constant care and watching over. "It's not that you can't.." He tried to coax his words but there was nothing that would have made it sound better to Li Jie. "It's just…"

            Seeing that her brother was being too soft on Li Jie again, Huang Baozhai decided that Li Jie needed to hear the truth for once.

            "You need caring yourself." Huang Baozhai said, waiting for Li Jie to have a meltdown or outburst or something. Even though that didn't sound like Li Jie\'s character at all, Huang Baozhai had no idea how people would react to these things.

            Surprisingly, Li Jie shrugged with a bitter smile. "I know I was too protected in many fields but that shouldn't stop me from protecting my friends."

            Huang Yiming stared at Li Jie with an unreadable expression for a few moments before he sighed and patted the crown prince's head.

            "You're right." He said. "Then we will both be at your care."

            Huang Baozhai had suspected this matter for a few months already. From Huang Yiming's blank expressions when she had approached them to the way he only went soft for the crown prince.

            And it all made sense when they talked about their love lives after so many times that Li Jie had dodged the subject because of people's ears.

            Her mouth slightly open with shock, Huang Baozhai stared at her brother's expression and for the first time in years, she was able to see what she had been missing like an idiot Li Jie.

            "Huang Baozhai." Li Jie lifted his head a little, staring at his weird friend. "What's with you and your… never mind. What's going inside that head of yours?"

            From the look in his sister's eyes, Huang Yiming just knew that she wasn't up to any good.

            Huang Baozhai with her older sister's powers activated was standing with one foot ahead of the other in a ridiculous fake heroic gesture.

            "I have the greatest idea of all time!"

            Li Jie and Huang Yiming exchanged a look. It was always known between the three—and others that had been in some of Huang Baozhai's ideas and plans before—that the girl brought nothing but disaster.

            Seeing the way, the two exchanged looks, Huang Baozhai quickly continued, not wanting anyone to stop her in the middle of her great plan.

            "JUST HEAR ME OUT!" She quickly said.

            Li Jie winced from her loud voice. He smirked as he loosened his neck muscles and his head fell back Huang Yiming's lap.

            "Yiming-ge, did you hear it?" He ignored Huang Baozhai with a smirk. "I think the maids have heard her and they're now escaping for their lives."

            With Li Jie looking at him like that, Huang Yiming couldn't help but give a small smile back. Right then, his supposed to be a genius sister jumped on both of them, tackling the already on the ground Li Jie and the sitting Huang Yiming to the ground.

            "Just hear me out." She smiled. "With Li Jie's harem and everything, I think—"

            Before she could continue, Li Jie interrupted her, "First of all, you're so heavy with that damn armor! Get off!" Though his words were harsh, there was nothing hurtful about his tone and the chuckling that he did in between.

            "Second of all, I don't need—"

            But Huang Baozhai ignored Li Jie as she laid on both of them and continued talking as if nothing has happened.

            "Even the strongest people need protection." She flicked the crown prince's forehead. "And hear me out first!

            "So, the harem is going to be filled with men that you have no idea where their mind is set in BUT—" She pointed at her brother with a smirk.

            "What if annoying Yiming bitch enters it in disguise and be your eyes and ears there and also your protection?"

            Li Jie paused for a few seconds and so did Huang Yiming though the pauses were made for completely different things.

            Li Jie was the first one to break the silence with his joyful expression.

            "That's a great idea!" He grinned widely but then, his face suddenly turned down. "But that would only benefit me… I can't ask Yiming-ge to do such a thing…"

            Innocent little bitch… Huang Baozhai thought and shook her head, knowing how wrong Li Jie is.

            Huang Yiming had not yet spoken, making his older sister's nerves get tangled together. The boy had the trap set for him so why doesn't he take advantage of it!?

            Li Jie shook his head and looked up to Huang Yiming. "Don't worry, ge." He waved his hands, looking as genuine to his words as ever. "I will never ask you to do such a thing for me! What of Yiming-ge has someone he likes? That person would misunderstand his feelings and he wouldn't have a chance with them!"

            With Li Jie's words, Huang Yiming suddenly jerked awake from his thoughts. "No, no, I…"

            Huang Baozhai watched from the corner, smiling winningly to herself. Li Jie's words had exactly triggered Huang Yiming where they should have been triggered.

            "I don't… It's…" Huang Yiming didn't want to say that he didn't like anyone but he also didn't want to say that he liked someone.

            Seeing her brother's miserable state of communication. Huang Baozhai decided to take matters into her own hand again.

            She, just as Huang Yiming had thought, couldn't deny or confirm the matter and so she did what always had worked for her: ignoring whatever shit was pooped in the way.

            "Yiming wouldn't mind or else he would have said something." Huang Baozhai said with her most carefree but convincing tone. "We're friends, right? We always have to protect each other."

            "But not in that way…" Li Jie bit his lip, his eyes moving between the siblings from the smirking older sister to a now distracted younger brother. "That's just…"

            "A genius idea, right?" Huang Baozhai interrupted Li Jie's thoughts, wanting to give her brother time to think and taking Li Jie's thinking time away.

            What did this brat do all the time? Huang Baozhai shook her head. My awesome ass saved him with only five minutes of acknowledging his heart's place! High-five, me!

            "That's right." Huang Yiming finally had gathered himself. "I think that's a great idea. We should do that. I will talk to father and the emperor myself."

            Just from the way Huang Yiming ad suddenly blurted all these sentences, Huang Baozhai wanted to smack him. What Li Jie needed to hear was his usual collected and short answers!

            "What about social status!" Li Jie said, freaking out more than the two siblings. "I… I said I might fall for someone and if I choose the emperor… Yiming-ge… I can't ask you to do that… I can't bear being the reason for that…"

            "And I can't bear doing nothing." Huang Yiming whispered but only his sister managed to understand his words mouthing along with him.

            "I have a plan." Huang Yiming cleared his throat, lying through his teeth. "Just… let me be part of it and I will handle everything."