"I... I have someone I like," Cheng Xiran blurted out in a flurry.
Helian Duo moved his face closer, his lips almost touching hers.
He wasn't in a hurry, just pursuing his question patiently. "You used to like me. What about now? Do you still like me?"
"Um..." Cheng Xiran turned her head away, gently biting her lower lip, and then continued, "Even if I did like you, it was only in the past. Things are different now. You're not my type."
As she spoke, she pushed Helian Duo away, and this time it was effortless.
Cheng Xiran got up in a hurry. Making an excuse that she was tired, she left directly. She returned to the South Courtyard in a turmoil, and there was no sound from Helian Duo behind her.
She wondered what he thought after hearing her words.
Her mind was in a mess. She even forgot to wait for Mu Li. She simply tidied herself up and then went to sleep.
She didn't wake up until late the next morning. The maid came in to help her wash and change into ordinary clothes. After everything was ready, she went to the front hall. Zuo Yan was already waiting there. She stepped forward, wanting to ask about Helian Duo's situation, but after much thought, she gave up the idea. Then she heard him say, "The situation at the Cheng Mansion is in chaos now. They probably won't ask too much about you. Even if they do, I've asked A Li to go back first to cover for you. You can just go to the newspaper office and go about your business as usual."
Cheng Xiran responded with a bored "oh" and then followed him out of the prince's mansion.
Zuo Yan was about to turn around and leave after sending her to the door when Cheng Xiran, on a whim, called him back. "How's the matter of Young Master Qian?"
Zuo Yan looked back and replied truthfully, "Young Master Qian has become the laughingstock of the whole capital now."
Cheng Xiran paused for a moment, deliberately lowering her voice, and then asked, "What about the prince?"
Zuo Yan remained calm, ignoring Cheng Xiran's concern for Helian Duo. He just casually replied, "It's okay. I'm taking care of him. You don't need to worry. Doctor Han said he'll recover in a couple of days."
"Which eye of yours saw that I'm worried?"
Cheng Xiran retorted unrelentingly, then put on an indifferent look, which made Zuo Yan a bit confused. He wanted to say that he didn't mean anything else.
True to the saying that talking too much leads to mistakes. After leaving the prince's mansion, Cheng Xiran decided to come to the mansion less often. Otherwise, her mind would always be in a state of unease, constantly being influenced by Helian Duo. Since she couldn't get rid of these feelings, she could only nip this thought in the bud.
Passing by a crispy cake shop, she casually bought two crispy cakes. When she ate them all the way to the newspaper office, she saw the shopkeeper chatting with an old man at the door.
When she got closer, she finally heard what they were talking about.
"They all say that all this is the work of a chivalrous man who suddenly came to the capital to uphold justice. Since he knew that Young Master Qian of the Qian Mansion has done all kinds of evil, he stepped in to play a prank on him, making him lose all his face now!"
The shopkeeper reached out and took two oranges from the basket beside the old man's feet. After giving one to Cheng Xiran, who was listening silently, he replied, "I've also heard a bit about this. This chivalrous man's whereabouts are very secretive. I heard that the people from the Qian Mansion are searching for him everywhere. They've even searched the Huayan Pavilion thoroughly."
The old man sighed softly and said meaningfully, "So, we should protect him even more. Although the world seems peaceful on the surface, there are actually undercurrents surging inside. There are fewer and fewer people like him who are brave enough to act on justice."
The shopkeeper said a few more words to him, mostly about current affairs. After the chat, the shopkeeper bought some more oranges from him, saw him off, and then came back after a while.
Cheng Xiran went into the room, peeled an orange and took a bite. The sourness made her frown.
The shopkeeper quickly poured her some tea and said with a smile, "It's really not easy for this old man to do business alone. I've told him not to pick the oranges so early, but he always says they taste sweet to him."
Cheng Xiran drank half a cup of green tea in one go before the sour taste in her mouth gradually faded.
After a pause, the shopkeeper let out a long sigh and said, "Later, he told me that when his wife was still alive, she would always pick the oranges at this time to make wine and sell it. And his wife also liked to eat sour things."
It turned out that the old man was also a passionate person.
Before Cheng Xiran could express her feelings, the shopkeeper suddenly changed the topic and asked her mysteriously, "Miss, have you heard the rumor about the prince today?"