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

Chapter 159: So... she wouldn't be treated as a substitute, right?

So she raised her head, met the Crown Prince's gaze, and responded calmly, "Feel free to give it a try."

For a long time, the Crown Prince stared into Xiao Jin's eyes and suddenly laughed, "Indeed, you still have such courage, Third brother."

Then his tone softened again, and he said in a gentle voice, "Actually, I invited Third sister-in-law to the Eastern Palace not to investigate any wrongdoing."

"It's just that I've missed our past interactions, and I wanted to see my younger brother. In passing, we can reminisce about old times as brothers."

Xiao Jin remained unmoved and asked, "Has Your Highness fulfilled his wish now that he has seen his younger brother?"

The Crown Prince paused and replied, "Of course... not."

"We used to have a good time drinking together, Third Brother. Unfortunately, ever since you went to war, we only had a drink together once in Qingzhou. And it didn't last long before it was disrupted by some ignorant assassins. I feel regretful about it," the Crown Prince continued.

Xiao Jin fell into silence. The "ignorant assassins" the Crown Prince mentioned... weren't they from the Blood Rain Pavilion? Although those people were probably not sent by the male lead, they were still his people.

The Crown Prince didn't notice anything amiss and kindly asked, "I wonder if Third Brother is interested in having a drink with me?"

While Xiao Jin was contemplating why the male lead had such a deep obsession with drinking, Chu Shao, who was sitting beside them, smiled and said, "Your Highness, your tolerance for alcohol is not great. This might pose some difficulty for you."

Xiao Jin remained silent, even though she believed she could hold her liquor.

Since it was Chu Shao who spoke, she didn't argue. The Crown Prince, sitting in a high position, smiled slightly and said, "Third sister-in-law is joking. Although alcohol is prohibited in the army, Third Brother still brings several casks of wine to let the soldiers enjoy. How could her alcohol tolerance be poor?"

At first glance, this statement didn't seem particularly offensive, but it sounded somewhat piercing to Chu Shao's ears.

It seemed like... the Crown Prince understood Xiao Jin better than she did.

Chu Shao maintained her smile, but Xiao Jin, driven by her strong survival instinct, coughed and tried to smooth things over for something she hadn't even done.

"I am indeed not good at drinking. Alcohol itself is bitter, and ordinary wine is usually bland and tasteless. It's better not to drink at all," Xiao Jin explained.

The Crown Prince looked at Xiao Jin and asked with a smile, "If ordinary wine is bland and tasteless, what kind of wine do you like?"

"I prefer strong liquor that can burn one's throat. Only then can I truly enjoy it," Xiao Jin replied calmly, casually making up an answer.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince chuckled and nodded in agreement. He instructed the palace maid by his side, "Very well, let's prepare some strong liquor according to Prince Yan's preferences."

Chu Shao sat in her chair, waiting for Xiao Jin's response. But she already knew what the answer would be.

As she expected, Xiao Jin showed little expression on her face, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Jin spoke to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, if you'll excuse me."

Although Chu Shao had anticipated this answer, she also knew that after dealing with the Crown Prince for so long, Xiao Jin must have wanted to extract something from him.