When Yun Xi saw Yun Qi again, their mental states had changed completely.
Especially Yi Yuan. Even though he was thick - skinned, just thinking about the unwarranted jealousy he had felt before, he wished he could fly back in time, grab himself by the collar and shake himself awake.
Yun Xi pursed her lips and smiled. Her bright eyes sparkled like the stars in the summer night sky.
"Wh - what's going on?"
Feeling a bit spooked by their gazes, Yun Qi even stuttered when he spoke.
Although this matter had been settled, it wasn't time to make it public yet.
Yun Xi hesitated for a moment about whether she should tell Yun Qi that she was his own younger sister.
After a moment's hesitation, she decided to keep this news hidden for the time being. She just looked at Yun Qi with a smile and winked playfully, saying,
"You'll know when you go back and ask."
"Ah?"
Yun Qi was completely confused, but he still politely took his leave. He said some nice words about his mother before going back.
Right after Yun Qi left, Qiao Yan came out, followed by Liu Mengxian.
One after another, it made Yun Xi laugh.
"What's up? Are you here to ask about my situation with Mrs. Yun?"
Yun Xi asked with a smile in her almond - shaped eyes as she glanced at the two of them.
Although the question was directed at both of them, the teasing look in her eyes was clearly aimed at Qiao Yan, which made Qiao Yan blush involuntarily.
Pretending to look around casually and not seeing Yun Qi, Qiao Yan felt a strange sense of loss in her heart. But on her lips, she still replied with a big smile,
"Sure we are. Meng and I heard that you chased after Mrs. Yun. We were so worried that you two would fall out. So we rushed here right away."
"Really—"
Yun Xi deliberately elongated the tone and took two steps closer to Qiao Yan.
Although she didn't know what had happened between Qiao Yan and Yun Qi, just from Qiao Yan's straightforward personality where all her thoughts were written on her face, Yun Xi could tell at a glance that Qiao Yan's look at Yun Qi was very different from before.
Qiao Yan's face turned visibly red. She stamped her foot and stubbornly said,
"Of course it is. If you don't believe me, ask Meng."
"How could you doubt me when I came here to care about you out of good intentions? It really hurts my feelings. Humph—I won't talk to you anymore."
Covering her mouth and smiling, Yun Xi quickly begged for forgiveness,
"Oh, please don't. It seems that Meng's marriage is about to be settled. If you ignore me, who will talk to me at the banquet then?"
These words made Qiao Yan burst out laughing, but also earned her a few punches from Liu Mengxian.
The three girls joked around merrily. Under Yun Xi's deliberate guidance, Qiao Yan and Liu Mengxian even forgot to ask about what had happened to Yun Xi before.
The sun rises and sets, and time flies by in the blink of an eye.
Yun Xi originally thought that Yun Qi would come to find her on the day he learned about her true identity or the next day.
But unexpectedly, there was no news for several consecutive days, which made Yun Xi feel anxious.
Only from Yun Qianying's side, it was heard that Shen Zhou's "mother" had personally visited Liu Jingyue with gifts, intending to finalize the marriage between the two.
But she was politely turned away by Liu Jingyue without even getting to see her.
This made Yun Qianying cry her heart out. She was so heart - broken that she ran to jump into a well, causing a great commotion in the Yun family.
Just at this time, Yun Xi received an invitation from Liu Mengxian, asking her to attend a banquet at Leifeng Villa the next day.
Leifeng Villa was a property of the Liu family. It was magnificently built and the environment was beautiful. Whenever a child of the Liu family was engaged, most of the banquets were held there.
Inviting her to Leifeng Villa, it seemed that Liu Jingyue and Ren Jiao were going to get engaged.
In the Great Yin Dynasty, the engagement banquet usually only invited the relatives and closest friends of the bride and groom. So Liu Mengxian only sent the invitation to Yun Xi and not to Yi Yuan.
But the invitation didn't clearly state whether one could bring someone along.
Yun Xi pinched the invitation and went to the next room to find someone. She planned to discuss with Yi Yuan whether he would go or not.
But as soon as she reached the study, she saw Xie Huaiyue was also there. There was a man kneeling on the ground, who seemed to have just reported something.
Yun Xi was taken aback. Just as she was about to back out, Yi Yuan had already stood up and walked towards her,
"Xiao Xi, you came just in time."
Waving his hand casually to signal the man to leave, Yi Yuan naturally stepped forward and took Yun Xi's hand, which made Xie Huaiyue roll her eyes at him secretly.
Yi Yuan just pretended not to see it. He pulled Yun Xi to sit down and said,
"Xie Huaiyue's men found traces of the man who abducted you before in the west of the city. I'm just about to go there with him to check."
"But when we fought last time, I noticed that their faces didn't seem to be real. I forgot to ask you before. What do they really look like? Do they have any special features?"
Yun Xi thought it was news from Yanshan County, but it turned out to be the trace of the Holy Master. She quietly relaxed her tightly - clenched hand hidden in her sleeve. After greeting Xie Huaiyue, she thought for a while and said,
"I was only awake for a short time on the way, but every time the Holy Master showed his face, he always looked like an old man with white beard and hair. His voice was very hoarse and vicissitudinous. There were no special features on his face. He looked kind - hearted. He was probably in his sixties."
"That guy named Shan Hou was very big. He had thick and short eyebrows and dark skin. There was a mole beside his cheekbone. He was about in his early twenties and looked simple - minded."
"However..."
Yun Xi frowned slightly,
"I'm not sure if those were their real faces. Because once when I was half - awake, I saw that the Holy Master's hair seemed to turn black."
"Okay,"
Yi Yuan nodded,
"I understand. But no matter how well a person can disguise, his eyes will never change."
"The painter from the Supreme Court of Judicature will come soon. Please describe their eyes in detail so that our men can search for them according to the description."
Yun Xi responded softly. Seeing that Yi Yuan was so busy, she silently put away Liu Mengxian's invitation and didn't mention the banquet for the next day for the time being.
She just cooperated with the painter to draw the portraits of their eyes, and then went down to prepare her clothes and gifts for the next day.
The next day, at Leifeng Villa—
The sky was gray and it seemed about to snow.
Yun Xi wrapped her golden - threaded peach - red fox - fur - trimmed cloak tightly and got off the carriage with a hot - water bottle in her arms. As soon as the group entered the door under the guidance of the maid, Liu Mengxian came out to greet them in person.
With a shy look on her pink face, she took Yun Xi's arm and walked towards the inner hall while chatting.
Inside the hall, Liu's eldest mistress, Jin Aichuan, was sitting in the main seat with a radiant face. She was smiling brightly and chatting with all the female guests.
Liu Mengxian led Yun Xi into the hall and introduced her to everyone one by one.
Sitting on the upper seat with Jin Aichuan was Ren Jiao's mother, Mrs. Ren. Below them, from left to right, were Liu Jingyue, the second mistress of the Liu family, the third mistress of the Liu family, and then all the young ladies.
Of course, Yun Qianying was also among them.
In terms of family relations, except for Mrs. Ren, all these women were her aunts. Especially Jin Aichuan, Liu Mengxian's biological mother, who had married into the eldest branch of the Liu family. Her husband, Liu Zeqin, was Liu Jingyue's own elder brother. She had doted on Yun Xi very much when she was a child.
Taking a quick glance, Yun Xi quietly sized up the delicate third mistress of the Liu family. She greeted everyone politely with a smile.
Liu Jingyue, without any hesitation, told Lu Qiong to bring a stool. She stepped forward with a big smile and pulled Yun Xi to sit with her.
Yun Qianying, who had been putting on a smile before, immediately pulled a long face.
But in front of all the ladies and elders, she didn't dare to lose her temper. She said a few sarcastic words pretending to be cute, but Yun Xi deflected them all without a flaw. Yun Qianying almost gritted her silver teeth in secret.
After everyone had chatted for a while, the ceremony of presenting betrothal gifts in the front suddenly became lively.