Basking in the moonlight, she would sometimes lower her eyebrows and sometimes stretch out her long, jade-like arms. The colorful silk fan in her hand closed and opened, as if a brush was gliding across rice paper, painting the most enchanting landscape in the world.
Everyone present clapped and cheered. Xue Lianyu, as usual, showed his true colors - he couldn't contain his excitement at the sight of a beautiful woman. He even squeezed through the bustling crowd, trying to get closer and closer to the high platform.
Chu Liyin hurriedly chased after him, and Cheng Xiran followed closely.
Now that they were closer, Cheng Xiran could see the girl's face more clearly.
Her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, but in contrast to her cute appearance was the coldness in her eyes.
This made her think of Helian Duo, the aloof and unyielding man.
Cheng Xiran stared blankly for a moment. She thought this girl didn't look like an ordinary person from the capital. Instead, she had the facial features of people from the north.
Just as she was speculating about the girl's identity, she heard Chu Liyin suddenly exclaim, "Hey, look! Isn't that the prince!"
After saying that, she quickly covered her mouth and turned to Cheng Xiran apologetically.
Cheng Xiran followed her gaze and only then noticed Helian Duo on the opposite side.
He was dressed in a moon-white robe... Almost instinctively, she guessed the identity of the girl dancing gracefully on the high platform... Hua Bairu.
It must be her.
At this moment, his eyes were fixed on the high platform, and there was no trace of her in his eyes.
And Hua Bairu's eyes would also glance at him from time to time.
"What a perfect match! They're really made for each other," Cheng Xiran couldn't help but tease.
Xue Lianyu was still ogling the beautiful woman and didn't notice Cheng Xiran. It wasn't until Chu Liyin pinched his arm that he was pulled back to reality.
The surroundings were bustling, but the atmosphere in their corner was rather strange.
"Sister, what are you talking about?" Chu Liyin was a bit confused.
But Xue Lianyu slowly said, "That person should be Princess Hua Bairu of Yulin Kingdom."
Chu Liyin opened her mouth in surprise, wanting to say something, but in the end, she chose to keep silent because silence was the wisest choice at this moment.
"Let's not disturb them while they're flirting...," Cheng Xiran averted her gaze, turned around, and walked away. Then she added, "You guys can stay. I'll go somewhere else and have a look."
Chu Liyin was stunned for a moment but still decided to follow her.
As for Xue Lianyu, after taking a few more glances at Hua Bairu, he made his way through the crowd and came to Helian Duo's side.
Seeing that Helian Duo was standing still, Xue Lianyu reached out and poked him. He said anxiously, "Hey, Xiran has seen all this, and it seems she also knows that the girl is Hua Bairu. She's jealous now. Why don't you go after her and explain?"
"An innocent man has nothing to fear," Helian Duo simply said.
"Come on! Aren't you going to admit your mistake...?" Xue Lianyu was really surprised. After taking a look at Hua Bairu, who had finished dancing on the platform, he continued, "We men should be more tolerant towards girls. If you keep acting like this, aren't you afraid that Xiran will be snatched away by someone else?"
Just as he finished speaking, Hua Bairu walked up to them. "Who's going to be snatched away?"
Not only was she beautiful, but her voice was also soft and pleasant.
Xue Lianyu immediately smiled at her. "Hey, do you still remember me? I'm Xue Lianyu, A Duo's good friend."
Hua Bairu nodded slightly. "I have some impression. You're the young master of Feiyu Mountain Villa."
"I'm really honored to be remembered by you..."
Xue Lianyu burst out laughing, but he stopped soon because he felt embarrassed for himself.
To ease the awkward atmosphere, he changed the subject. "I thought you guys weren't supposed to arrive until two days later. Why did you come a few days earlier than planned?"
Hua Bairu stuck out her tongue playfully. "It's a secret. I'm afraid I can't tell you for now..."
Helian Duo had been silent all this time until Xue Lianyu mentioned Cheng Xiran.
"We're planning to go to the teahouse on East Street for a late-night snack. Do you guys want to join us?"
Before Helian Duo could reply, Hua Bairu readily agreed. "Sure! I haven't tasted the local food in the capital for years. I'm really looking forward to it."
Helian Duo didn't know what to say. Actually, he had a little plan in mind. He wanted to provoke Cheng Xiran to see what she really thought and whether she truly had feelings for him.
By now, Cheng Xiran's emotions had calmed down. After two cups of wine, her heart was numb and didn't feel any pain.
"Xue Lianyu, where did you go and leave me and sister...? The prince?"
Chu Liyin was startled. Cheng Xiran slowly raised her eyes and glanced at Hua Bairu and Helian Duo walking towards them. Then she lowered her eyes again. Even though she had the urge to leave, she thought to herself, why should she leave? The whole capital wasn't his territory. What was she afraid of?
With this thought in mind, she started chatting with Chu Liyin as if nothing had happened, pretending that they were just ordinary friends.
"What would you three like to order?" The waiter came over and asked Helian Duo and the others.
Hua Bairu pouted. "You guys order first. I don't know what to eat."
Chu Liyin said, "The vermicelli soup in this shop is delicious. You can try it!"
Chu Liyin took the initiative to start a conversation. Since she and Hua Bairu were only a few months apart in age, they soon got chatting.
Cheng Xiran suddenly felt like the odd one out. She pretended to be looking at the night view outside the window, but her face was clearly a bit unhappy.
"I wish I could have met you earlier. You don't know, the people in Yulin Kingdom are so boring. To be honest, I can't stand staying in the palace for a single day..."
Xue Lianyu also joined their conversation, and Hua Bairu would talk to Helian Duo from time to time. So at this table, only she sat quietly in a corner, saying nothing.
When the waiter brought her small wontons, she simply thanked him and then started eating expressionlessly.
Suddenly, the memory of that night flashed through her mind. She followed him, who was dressed as a knight, to have wontons late at night and was chased by killers. He was injured while trying to save her, and later she got to see something she shouldn't have.
Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Cheng Xiran's lips.
Hua Bairu noticed it. With a charming smile, she said, "I didn't notice this young lady just now. Could someone introduce her to me?"