It wasn't long before someone from the palace came to inform, and only then did Helian Duo leave.
"Our Regent Prince is really swamped with affairs. He doesn't even have time to accompany our Xiran. It's really abominable."
Just as she was thinking about Xue Lianyu, he somehow slipped out. He always liked to appear out of nowhere.
Helian Duo rolled his eyes at him and went straight downstairs. Xue Lianyu sat there with a half - smile. He looked at Cheng Xiran in a rather strange way, as if he knew some earth - shattering secret about her.
Seeing that he just stared at her without saying a word, Cheng Xiran immediately picked up an orange from the table and threw it at him. Xue Lianyu caught it just in time and then said leisurely, "Xiran, I really didn't expect that even if you don't like me, you shouldn't team up with that little girl Chu Liyin to play tricks on me. Treating me like this, do you still consider me your friend?"
Cheng Xiran immediately understood but still pretended to be stupid on the surface: "I don't understand what you're talking about. Why would Liyin and I team up to play tricks on you? Are we bored?"
She lowered her head and continued writing. But Xue Lianyu wouldn't let it go: "Come on, I've already got the truth out. Tell me, did you tell her to ignore me so that I could realize my own feelings?"
Cheng Xiran stopped writing and forced out a couple of laughs. Seeing his unhappy face, she then explained, "Well, I just thought you were interested in her but refused to admit it. I was in a hurry, so I gave her some advice. It's no big deal."
But Xue Lianyu didn't seem to care and said, "My father thought I had bullied that girl and that's why she ignored me. Because of this, my father locked me up and beat me, and even punished me to be confined for several days."
No wonder she hadn't seen him for a few days. It turned out to be because of this.
Cheng Xiran couldn't help laughing: "Really? Does Uncle Xue like Liyin so much?"
Mentioning this, Xue Lianyu looked miserable: "He was planning to go to the palace in a few days to ask the Empress Dowager for a marriage decree. After all, that girl was brought up by the Empress Dowager."
Cheng Xiran picked up her pen again, writing while saying cheerfully, "Anyway, congratulations."
Xue Lianyu stuffed a peeled orange segment into his mouth and wrinkled his face from the sourness: "Congratulations my foot. I've already made up my mind. If worse comes to worst, I'll just run away on my wedding day. Or I'll find a girl myself and take her back. I don't believe I can't resist."
When he said this, his eyes weren't firm. So Cheng Xiran guessed this wasn't really what he wanted.
It was very likely that he himself didn't even realize that he had fallen in love with that girl Chu Liyin.
But since he had said so, it didn't seem appropriate for her to interfere in their relationship anymore. So when Cheng Xiran heard what Xue Lianyu said, she just gave a faint smile and replied, "Then stick to your decision. I hope you won't give up halfway."
After chatting with him for a while, Cheng Xiran brought up Sun Yanyan. After all, this woman had been causing a ruckus in the mansion for the past two days, and it was Xue Lianyu who had brought her here. Naturally, she had to let him know.
After hearing the whole story, Xue Lianyu didn't seem very surprised: "Everyone has ambitions. Sun Yanyan used to live a hard life. Now that she can rely on your father, she surely hopes to climb higher. As long as she doesn't do anything immoral, it's not a big problem."
After hearing his words, Cheng Xiran suddenly thought it made sense.
"I'm going on a long - distance trip in a couple of days. I'll have to trouble you to take care of the Cheng Mansion then."
Just thinking that she was about to be alone with Helian Duo made her extremely happy. The joy was obvious on her face. Xue Lianyu saw it and knew the reason, so he hit the nail on the head and said, "Xiran, tell me honestly. Did you reject me because you like that blockhead?"
A flash of panic crossed Cheng Xiran's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure: "No. How could I like him? He's not good - looking, and... he has a bad temper and likes to flirt with women. How could I like such a man?"
She imitated Helian Duo's tone from that day and actually made Xue Lianyu laugh.
"You're really one to talk."
Seeing that Xue Lianyu didn't pursue this topic anymore, Cheng Xiran finally felt a little relieved. Otherwise, she was afraid that she would say something wrong. If that happened, it would be really irreparable. She might not only miss the chance to go out and broaden her horizons with Helian Duo but also never see him again.
She couldn't repeat the mistakes of the original owner.
After writing for a whole morning, Cheng Xiran returned to the mansion near lunchtime. She originally wanted to invite Xue Lianyu to go with her since her grandmother liked him too. But he said he had to stay in the mountain villa obediently to accompany Chu Liyin these days and left in a hurry.
The shopkeeper sent Cheng Xiran out of the newspaper office while looking at Xue Lianyu's distant back and teasing, "It's really hard on Young Master Xue. But I remember he wasn't very obedient to his father before. He was quite dissolute a few years ago. Why is he so obedient now? Whatever the庄主 says, he does?"
Cheng Xiran pretended to be mysterious: "There must be a reason."
After returning to the Cheng Mansion, Cheng Xiran went straight to the old lady's courtyard. It was then that she learned from Nanny Jin that her grandmother would no longer have lunch in the front hall from today on.
"The old lady said seeing those people would make her upset. And the doctor told her to worry less, so that's that."
Seeing Nanny Jin disclose this helplessly, Cheng Xiran didn't say anything. She just walked into the inner room with a big smile.
The old lady was sitting around the stove, looking lethargic. It seemed she hadn't had a good rest last night.
Seeing Cheng Xiran, she lazily raised her eyes and smiled at her: "Xiran's back."
Cheng Xiran stepped forward and opened the window a little: "It's warm and sunny outside. Grandmother, why don't you go out and soak up the sun? Isn't it stuffy in the room?"
The old lady let out a long sigh and then slowly said, "I'm old. I just want to stay in this small place. Once I step out of this room, I feel like everything out there doesn't belong to me. Since it doesn't belong to me, why should I go out and be bothered?"
For some reason, hearing her say this made Cheng Xiran's nose a little sour.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say and could only sit there silently accompanying her.
It wasn't until Nanny Jin came in with two cups of hot tea and asked, "Old Lady, shall we have lunch now?"
Seeing her nod, Nanny Jin started making arrangements.
Cheng Xiran helped the old lady up and walked her to the pear - wood table beside and sat down.
"Although I rarely go out, I know a bit about what's going on outside..." The old lady said with a kind smile. After a pause, she continued, "Xiran, by now, won't you admit it to your grandmother? How far have you and the prince really gone?"