Cheng Xiran was enjoying her memories when suddenly someone spoke to her. She turned her head and saw Hua Bairu looking at her intently.
Although the hostility in Hua Bairu's eyes had subsided, Cheng Xiran still caught a glimpse of it.
Xue Lianyu was about to say something when Chu Liyin, the straightforward girl, jumped in and said, "Oh, this is my elder sister. She's the eldest daughter of the left prime minister. And she's also the fiancée the emperor bestowed upon the prince."
The smile in Hua Bairu's eyes gradually faded, and her hostility grew stronger.
Helian Duo remained silent beside them, which could be taken as an acquiescence. But Cheng Xiran just had to correct her: "Don't get the wrong idea. We're only nominally engaged. In fact, there's nothing between us. It's just an empty title."
Hearing these harsh words, Helian Duo's heart skipped a beat.
However, there was no obvious change in his expression.
She...
Chu Liyin stopped awkwardly. Xue Lianyu quickly winked at her, signaling her not to speak carelessly anymore.
But Hua Bairu took it seriously, and a faint smile gradually appeared in her eyes. "I thought so too. You two don't seem very affectionate."
"That's because the prince and elder sister had a fight..."
From afar, Zhuque and Yun'er were extremely grateful to Chu Liyin in their hearts.
Chu Liyin was about to argue anxiously when Cheng Xiran interrupted her harshly: "I already have someone I like. The reason I became the prince's nominal fiancée is for a proper matter. I'll go to the palace in a couple of days to ask the emperor to revoke the order."
Hua Bairu listened attentively and nodded. "I see."
For some reason, after saying these cruel words, Cheng Xiran didn't feel the slightest bit of pleasure.
What's going on? This was exactly the result she wanted, so why was she so sad?
A sense of sorrow welled up in her heart, and she decided to turn her grief into appetite.
Trying to look cold, she took big mouthfuls of wontons. But she was distracted and scalded her mouth.
She looked at Helian Duo and saw him sitting there silently.
She felt like crying but held back.
The atmosphere grew colder and colder. Xue Lianyu had to initiate a conversation with Hua Bairu to salvage the collapsing situation.
After taking a few hasty bites, Cheng Xiran lost her appetite. She stood up and said, "It's getting late. I'll go back first. You guys continue to stroll."
She turned around and left. Maybe she walked too fast, so she didn't hear what Chu Liyin shouted behind her.
It's good. It's better to break it off completely.
It's better to break it off...
Once outside the teahouse, Cheng Xiran finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst into sobs. Fortunately, it was already late at night, and there were few people on the long street. After crying for a while, she stopped. After all, her soul was that of a modern person who understood things, different from those delicate young ladies.
It's just a breakup. In her previous life... No, she never even had a sweet love in her previous life.
Thinking of this, Cheng Xiran felt even more sad.
But thinking carefully, they never really got together.
So it was just the end of a one - sided love.
"What's so great about it? I, Cheng Xiran, can't live without him, Helian Duo?"
"Yes, yes, yes..." Zhuque stepped forward and supported her as they walked towards the inn. She continued, "Miss, even without the prince, you'll surely find someone better. He'll love you more and hold you in his palm all the time. He'll never make you sad or cry."
Damn Zhuque. When did she start speaking so pretentiously? It made Cheng Xiran want to cry again.
Yun'er was already moved to tears.
The cool wind blew across her face, but she didn't feel the slightest bit of cold. The experiences of these days made her understand that many things could only be borne by herself. She couldn't rely on others.
After returning to the inn, she suddenly craved hawthorn cakes. She mentioned the shop outside the capital city to Zhuque. Their hawthorn cakes tasted the most authentic. Zhuque agreed and said she would go and buy some early the next morning.
She didn't sleep well that night. It wasn't that there was any danger. She just couldn't fall asleep because she missed that man. She wondered if he was with Hua Bairu now. Everyone seemed to like Hua Bairu, and she was gradually losing her presence. Her heart bled drop by drop.
The next day, she didn't get up until lunchtime.
She found that she was used to this kind of idle life. But after much thought, she couldn't find a job. Given her status, every move of hers was watched by others. A single mistake would cause a stir in the whole capital.
Yun'er was setting out lunch in the outer room. When she saw Cheng Xiran wake up, she came forward to help her wash and dress.
"Miss, I heard that this afternoon, a wealthy family by the moat is holding a martial arts contest to find a husband for their daughter. How about we go and have some fun after lunch?"
Cheng Xiran wasn't interested. She only asked about the hawthorn cakes.
"Here come the hawthorn cakes..." Zhuque walked in from outside, holding a plate of bright and crystal - clear hawthorn cakes.
Cheng Xiran was eager to eat them, but Zhuque stopped her. "It's better to eat them after a meal. Hawthorn is a cold - natured food, and you're on an empty stomach, miss."
Cheng Xiran pouted and asked, "How did you buy them? Are the old man and the old woman in that shop still in good health? I've always wanted to visit them, but I never had the chance..."
Cheng Xiran chattered on. When she noticed Zhuque's unusual expression, she asked casually, "What's up?"
Zhuque thought for a long time and finally decided to tell the truth. "The shop wasn't there when I went early this morning. I asked the people nearby, and they all said they didn't know. On my way back, I met the prince. He asked about your situation, so I told him about this.
"Then he said he would handle it. These hawthorn cakes were sent by the left guard just a moment ago. He said it took a lot of effort to find them."
"Oh..." Cheng Xiran replied indifferently. Then she changed the subject and said, "I won't eat them then."
It seemed that her young lady was really angry this time. Otherwise, why was she still so angry after a few days, and there was no sign of improvement at all?
She knew how stubborn Cheng Xiran could be, so she didn't try to persuade her anymore. Instead, she took out another box. "This is the gift sent back by Young Master Yan An through someone."
The mention of Helian Duo had already disturbed her mood. Now she didn't care what others said, so she just nodded absent - mindedly.
After taking a few mouthfuls of lunch, she had nothing to do. She started to think about how to meet the emperor. After thinking for a long time, she couldn't come up with any ideas, so she gave up and went to sleep again.