Xue Lianyu seemed rather reluctant. "Forget it. I've got his temper all figured out. Besides, there are so many people gathered outside the mansion now. He's probably in a foul mood and definitely has no time for me."
Just because there were people in front of the main gate, couldn't he come out through the back door?
Cheng Xiran mused to herself silently. To distract herself, she started to keep herself busy.
Chu Liyin argued with him for a while. Somehow, she managed to persuade him, and they went to the prince's mansion together without inviting her.
Zhuque and Yun'er were playing around while she sat alone tidying up the manuscripts. Perhaps because there was no one else in the newspaper office and she remembered the numerous loving couples she had seen on the long street that morning, a sudden wave of sadness welled up inside her, and she felt dejected and her mood inexplicably sank.
"Excuse me, is Miss Cheng from the Cheng family here?"
The voice came before the person appeared. It was as clear and crisp as the tinkling of a mountain spring. If she hadn't listened carefully, she would have thought it was a young girl speaking.
Following the sound, she saw a man dressed in a light green silk robe, with a wisp of gauze floating around him, looking like an otherworldly immortal. Looking up, she was greeted by a face as flawless as jade.
His eyes were as deep as ink, and under his slender and straight nose was a pair of bright red lips, slightly curved into a smile.
Cheng Xiran didn't know what words to use to describe this smile. It was like the gentle breeze in the early morning or the maple dew in the evening. Even though it was their first meeting, it didn't give people a sense of alienation at all.
Zhuque and Yun'er, who had been playing around, were also momentarily stunned when they saw him.
He was indeed extremely good-looking, but that was all.
Since she didn't feel her heart skip a beat, she concluded that she had no interest in this handsome young man. She stood up and replied, "I'm Cheng Xiran, the eldest daughter of the Cheng family. May I ask your name and what brings you here?"
The good-looking man bowed his head and said, "I'm Yan An. I just passed by here. Maybe Miss has no idea who I am. Please allow me to explain."
Cheng Xiran invited him in and asked Zhuque to make a pot of new tea. After chatting with him for a while, Cheng Xiran finally understood that Yan An was a schoolteacher in a private school and also the blind date her grandmother had intended to introduce to her in the past few days. However, the matter hadn't been finalized, and there had been no agreement, so she knew nothing about it.
"My grandmother has been feeling unwell these days. I guess she forgot about it. But I'm very glad to meet you, Mr. Yan."
Cheng Xiran was very polite, but Zhuque and Yun'er couldn't take their eyes off him. After all, they rarely went out, and when they met such a handsome young man, they naturally wanted to take a good look.
"I've made an appointment with my friend to go to the Lantern Festival tonight. I was on my way to his place and happened to pass by here, so I thought I'd come and pay you a visit first. If I've offended you in any way, I hope Miss Cheng will forgive me."
Then he invited Cheng Xiran to go with him, but she declined. Although on the surface, she said it would be good to meet more men and choose the best one, she wasn't in the mood today. Moreover, she just thought Yan An was good-looking and had no other feelings for him.
The smile in Yan An's eyes didn't fade because of Cheng Xiran's polite refusal. "Then I'll take my leave first. I'll come and visit you again some other day..."
Seeing that Cheng Xiran was about to go out with him, he quickly stopped her. "Miss Cheng, please stay."
Sure enough, as a schoolteacher, his every move was proper and polite.