Cheng Xiran's lips twitched slightly. This girl clearly didn't come to see her but rather to ogle at Helian Duo. Cheng Zhiyue's eyes seemed glued to Helian Duo.
"I'm fine. I'll go back tomorrow. Now that you've seen me, you can leave," Cheng Xiran said bluntly, issuing an unceremonious dismissal.
"Sister is having lunch. I haven't eaten yet. Could I join you, sister?" Cheng Zhiyue asked brazenly as she stepped forward.
Cheng Xiran picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth. She said coldly, "There's no room. If you want to eat, go back to the prime minister's mansion."
With the words spoken like that, Cheng Zhiyue didn't dare to stay any longer. She cast a few reluctant glances at Helian Duo before finally leaving.
Seeing Cheng Zhiyue go, Chu Liyin burst out laughing. "Did you see Cheng Zhiyue's face just now? It was as black as coal. I'm dying of laughter."
"Don't talk while eating and don't speak while in bed. If you keep acting like this, you're not afraid of never getting married?" Cheng Xiran also found it quite amusing. It was really a bummer that Cheng Zhiyue had to pick this moment to cause trouble.
"Sister Cheng, are you eager to get married? I heard that the eldest son of Lord Liu is good - looking and has a good character. Sister Cheng, do you want to meet him?"
Xue Lianyu tugged at Chu Liyin's clothes under the table, hinting for her to stop. Chu Liyin understood and shut up.
During lunch, everyone kept silent, making the atmosphere a bit awkward. Cheng Xiran picked up a piece of stir - fried pork with green peppers for Helian Duo and said softly, "I made this dish myself. It tastes quite good."
Helian Duo looked at the stir - fried pork with green peppers in his bowl. His chopsticks paused, showing no intention of eating. Seeing this, Cheng Xiran pleaded, "It's really delicious. Could you just take a bite?"
Helian Duo was taken aback, and so was Xue Lianyu.
Everyone knew that Helian Duo disliked stir - fried pork with green peppers the most. Cheng Xiran had really stepped on a landmine this time.
Helian Duo hesitated for a moment, picked up the dish, put it into his mouth, chewed a couple of times, and then swallowed it.
This time, Xue Lianyu was so shocked that he dropped his chopsticks on the table. Seeing this, Cheng Xiran looked at him curiously and said, "Is my dish so delicious that you can't even hold your chopsticks?"
Saying that, she picked up some and ate it herself, but she didn't find anything special. Seeing that Chu Liyin also had that look on her face, she became even more puzzled. "What's wrong with you guys?"
Chu Liyin lowered her voice and whispered, "Since that year, Brother Prince hasn't eaten this dish anymore. Sister Cheng, why did you make this dish?"
He didn't like it?
Cheng Xiran turned to look at Helian Duo. Seeing his ugly expression but still forcing himself to eat, she suddenly felt something strange in her heart. "I didn't know you didn't like stir - fried pork with green peppers. How about..."
"How about you make me another lunch some other day?" Helian Duo looked up at Cheng Xiran and said in a deep voice.
Make another lunch some other day? Cheng Xiran looked at the two people in front of her and then understood. Originally, this was supposed to be a meal for Helian Duo, but there were extra people. "Okay, but I'm going back to the prime minister's mansion today. Let's find a day and a restaurant to invite you."
Helian Duo didn't say a word. He ate his meal in silence. The air suddenly froze, and everyone was watching Helian Duo's expression.
The meal was rather strange. After lunch, Xue Lianyu quickly pulled Chu Liyin away, and Helian Duo also excused himself and left, leaving Cheng Xiran alone.
Zhuque looked at the empty courtyard and asked in a low voice, "Miss, the prince seems a bit unhappy. Is the food not to his taste?"
Cheng Xiran pursed her lips and said, "Who knows? Who can guess what's on his mind? Pack up our things. It's time for us to go back. If we don't go back soon, who knows what bad things Lady Liu might say about me in front of Father."