MY PRINCE HUSBAND HAS SEVEN WIVES AND I AM HIS FAVOURITE!

Zhao Yan's piercing gaze locked onto Hua Jing as he leaned in closer, his hands braced on either side of her.

The bed creaked softly under his weight, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent room.

The space between them was almost nonexistent now.

Their breaths mingled, warm and slow, creating a strange tension that neither could deny.

Hua Jing felt her chest tighten, her heart pounding so loudly she was afraid Zhao Yan could hear it.

She tried to maintain her composure, but the unsettling closeness was difficult to ignore.

Zhao Yan's face was so near she could see every detail—his sharp jawline, the cold glint in his eyes, and the faint scar above his brow.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his voice low and unrelenting.

Hua Jing's lips parted, but no sound came out.

The intensity of his gaze pinned her in place.

"I asked you a question," he said, his tone sharper this time. "Who are you? Who truly are you?"

His words sent a chill down her spine, snapping her out of the strange trance she had fallen into.

For a moment, panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly masked it with a calm smile.

It wasn't her usual mischievous grin, but a deliberate expression that hid the storm brewing inside her.

"Who does the prince think I am?" she asked softly, her tone measured.

"If I'm not Hua Jing, then who do you think I am?"

Zhao Yan's eyes narrowed. He was about to respond, but Hua Jing's gaze turned thoughtful as she added, "Or maybe… you didn't even know the real Hua Jing. Is that why you're surprised I'm like this?"

Her words seemed to strike a nerve.

Zhao Yan froze for a moment, his sharp expression faltering slightly.

Hua Jing noticed, her eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction.

It was a direct hit.

Zhao Yan straightened slightly, his brows furrowing as his thoughts raced.

It's true… I don't know Hua Jing very well, he admitted to himself.

He had only seen her once but...

Back then, she had been a quiet and polite young lady.

She had exuded grace, always bowing respectfully, speaking softly, and keeping her gaze lowered.

It was almost as if she was afraid of something

It was that version of Hua Jing that had made him decide she would be his seventh wife.

But this Hua Jing… this woman in front of me, he thought, is entirely different.

Could this be her real personality?

Had the person he thought he'd known been nothing more than a façade?

Zhao Yan's gaze hardened again as he returned to the present.

"You're accusing me of not knowing my own wife?" he asked coldly.

Hua Jing tilted her head, her expression calm yet laced with subtle defiance.

"How can you claim I'm different if you didn't even know me to begin with?"

Her voice was gentle, almost teasing, but her words were sharp and calculated.

"My prince," she continued, "isn't that the same as accusing someone falsely?"

Zhao Yan's jaw tightened, his fists clenching as he processed her words.

This woman was playing with fire.

"I know what I saw," he said firmly. "You weren't like this before."

"Before?" Hua Jing echoed, raising an eyebrow. "When exactly was 'before,' my prince? The one or two times you saw me from afar?"

Her tone was light, but the accusation in her words was clear.

Zhao Yan's face darkened.

"Are you saying the Hua Jing I saw then wasn't real?"

Hua Jing shrugged lightly.

"Who's to say?" she replied, her voice dripping with nonchalance. "Maybe I changed. Or maybe you simply never bothered to look closely enough."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with implication.

Zhao Yan leaned in again, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You're hiding something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Hua Jing met his gaze head-on, unflinching.

"And what do you think I'm hiding?" she asked, her tone calm.

Zhao Yan didn't answer immediately.

The silence stretched between them, taut and electrified.

Finally, he straightened, taking a step back.

"I'll find out," he said quietly, his voice laced with determination.

Hua Jing chuckled softly, leaning back against the pillows.

"I'm sure you will," she said lightly, her lips curling into a small smile.

"But until then, perhaps you should stop worrying so much. After all, I'm just your seventh wife. Nothing more."

Her words were casual, but the glint in her eyes told a different story.

Zhao Yan's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he turned abruptly.

His robes swept the floor as he moved toward the door.

But before he opened it, he paused.

Without turning back, he said, "You can act as much as you want, Hua Jing. But the truth will come out eventually."

With that, he stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him.

Hua Jing exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.

Her fingers toyed with the hem of her sleeve as she stared at the closed door, her thoughts swirling.

You can try, Your Highness, she thought with a wry smile.

But the truth you're looking for isn't something you can find so easily!

Hua Jing's gaze lingered on the door for a long time before she regained her full senses.

She had wanted the prince to discover her change in demeanor a little later, but it seemed she had acted too ahead of herself.

What she wanted to know right now was how the real Hua Jing of this world behaved.

From the way Zhao Yan had described her, it was clear that the two of them had vastly different personalities.

In her original world, Hua Jing had not behaved any differently when she was still living with the Hua family.

Even though they had treated her poorly, she had still been herself—spirited, resilient, and defiant.

But it seemed like the Hua Jing of this world was entirely different.

But how different?

She needed to find out what was going on.

And the only way to do that was to go back to the Hua Mansion as soon as this ridiculous honeymoon was over.

As she was lost in thought, the door suddenly swung open.

Startled, she immediately assumed it was the prince and said, "Did the prince forget something?"

But a familiar voice answered instead.

"Young Madam! How are you feeling?"

It was Xia Lin.