Lover Number 1.5

Huang Baozhai and Huang Yiming exchanged a meaningful glance, their unspoken understanding hanging in the air.

"What? You think I can't protect you!?" Li Jie exclaimed, a hint of defensiveness in his voice.

Huang Yiming sighed, well aware of Li Jie's need for constant care and support. He carefully chose his words, attempting to convey his concern without hurting Li Jie's feelings. "It's not that you can't... It's just..."

Deciding that it was time for Li Jie to face the truth, Huang Baozhai spoke up, anticipating a dramatic reaction from the crown prince that never seemed to match his usual character. She couldn't predict how he would respond to such matters.

"You need someone to take care of you too," Huang Baozhai stated, bracing herself for Li Jie's potential meltdown or outburst.

To her surprise, Li Jie simply shrugged, wearing a bitter smile. "I know I've been overly protected in many ways, but that shouldn't prevent me from protecting my friends."

Huang Yiming gazed at Li Jie, his expression inscrutable, before sighing and affectionately patting the crown prince's head. "You're right. In that case, we'll both rely on your care."

Huang Baozhai had suspected the underlying dynamics between Li Jie and Huang Yiming for several months now. From Huang Yiming's blank expressions when she approached them to his softened demeanor whenever Li Jie was around, the pieces started falling into place.

And when they finally discussed their love lives, avoiding the topic due to prying ears, it all clicked for Huang Baozhai.

Her mouth slightly agape with disbelief, Huang Baozhai locked eyes with her brother, realizing what she had foolishly overlooked all this time, just like Li Jie.

"Huang Baozhai," Li Jie raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on his peculiar friend. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Observing her brother's expression, Huang Yiming knew that his sister's scheming nature had been activated.

With a mischievous grin, Huang Baozhai assumed a comically heroic stance, one foot placed ahead of the other. "I've got the greatest idea ever!"

Li Jie and Huang Yiming exchanged a knowing glance. It was a well-known fact among the three of them—and anyone else who had been involved in Huang Baozhai's previous ventures—that her ideas often brought nothing but chaos.

Catching sight of their shared look, Huang Baozhai hurriedly continued, eager to present her grand plan without interruption.

"Just hear me out!" she exclaimed.

Li Jie winced at her loud voice, then smirked as he relaxed his neck muscles, allowing his head to fall back onto Huang Yiming's lap.

"Yiming-ge, did you catch that?" Li Jie ignored Huang Baozhai, a playful smirk on his face. "I think the maids heard her and are now running for their lives."

Meeting Li Jie's gaze, Huang Yiming couldn't help but return the small smile. Right at that moment, their supposedly ingenious sister pounced on both of them, tackling Li Jie, who was already on the ground, and toppling Huang Yiming from his seated position.

"Just hear me out," Huang Baozhai smiled, undeterred. "Considering Li Jie's harem and all, I think—"

Before she could continue, Li Jie interrupted her, his voice laced with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "First of all, you're so heavy with that damn armor! Get off!" Despite his harsh words, there was no malice in his tone, and he chuckled intermittently.

"Second of all, I don't need—"

But Huang Baozhai disregarded Li Jie's words and carried on as if nothing had happened, sprawling herself across both of them.

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

"So, the harem will be filled with men whose true intentions are unknown, BUT—" She pointed at her brother, sporting a mischievous smirk.

"What if Yiming disguises himself and enters the harem as a way to be your eyes and ears, as well as your protector?"

Li Jie paused for a moment, and Huang Yiming also fell into silence, though their pauses were motivated by different reasons.

Li Jie was the first to break the silence, his face lighting up with delight. "That's a brilliant idea!" He grinned widely, but then his expression turned somber. "But it would only benefit me... I can't ask Yiming-ge to do something like that..."

Huang Baozhai couldn't help but think that Li Jie was naive, shaking her head at his misguided understanding.

Huang Yiming had yet to speak, which caused his older sister's anxiety to mount. The opportunity was right there for him to seize, so why wasn't he taking advantage of it?

Li Jie shook his head and looked up at Huang Yiming. "Don't worry, ge," he reassured, waving his hands in a genuine manner. "I would never ask you to do such a thing for me! What if you have feelings for someone? They would misunderstand your intentions, and you wouldn't have a chance with them!"

With Li Jie's words, Huang Yiming was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts. "No, no, I... It's..." He struggled to articulate his thoughts, not wanting to admit that he didn't like anyone, but also not wanting to reveal that he did.

Observing her brother's awkwardness, Huang Baozhai decided to take matters into her own hands once again. She couldn't confirm or deny the matter herself, so she chose to employ her tried-and-true strategy: ignore any obstacles in the way.

"Yiming wouldn't mind, or else he would have said something," Huang Baozhai chimed in, adopting a carefree yet convincing tone. "We're friends, right? We always have to protect each other."

"But not in that way..." Li Jie bit his lip, his gaze shifting between the smirking older sister and the now distracted younger brother. "It's just..."

"A genius idea, right?" Huang Baozhai cut off Li Jie's train of thought, intentionally diverting his attention and preventing him from overthinking.

What did this brat always do? Huang Baozhai shook her head. I saved his clueless ass with just five minutes of acknowledging his heart's desires! High-five, me!

"That's right," Huang Yiming finally composed himself. "I think it's a great idea. We should do it. I'll personally speak to Father and the Emperor."

Just from the way Huang Yiming suddenly blurted out those sentences, Huang Baozhai wanted to smack him. Li Jie needed to hear his usual collected and concise responses!

"What about social status?" Li Jie panicked, appearing more flustered than the two siblings. "I... I mentioned that I might develop feelings for someone, and if I choose the