A warning bell rang loudly in Yun Xi's heart. Her intuition told her that something bad was about to happen.
Even from almost a street away, she seemed to be able to see Qiao Yan's furrowed brows.
Without thinking further, Yun Xi lifted her skirt and rushed forward quickly.
Before she got close, Qiao Yan's face had darkened to the point that it seemed water could drip from it.
Yun Xi quickly shouted, "Brother, brother! I was just watching the acrobats nearby. How did you find me here? And cousin, when did you meet her?"
The tense atmosphere among them eased a bit. Qiao Yan then turned to look at Yun Xi, who was running over out of breath.
She glanced backward and saw Jiang Ning, as well as Sai Xing and Ling Yan carrying things.
Huh? There seemed to be two familiar figures in the distance looking inexplicably aggrieved?
But Qiao Yan didn't have time to take a closer look. Because Yun Xi had already reached her side. While gasping for breath, she greeted Qiao Yan with a smile, "Huff... What a, what a coincidence, A Yan. Huff... We could even run into each other here... Ah ha, ha ha..."
Qiao Yan's face immediately softened. She quickly reached out to support Yun Xi and chided her, "If it's a coincidence, that's fine. Why run so fast? Aren't you afraid of falling?"
"Hey..." Yun Xi grabbed Qiao Yan's delicate hand and tried hard to calm her unsteady breath. "Isn't it because I'm happy to see you?"
Without making it obvious, Yun Xi took a glance at Yun Qi, who was clearly relieved, and Wei Manzhu, who was in a low mood. She first greeted Qiao He and then half - jokingly and half - tentatively said, "What were you guys talking about just now? Were you speaking ill of me while I was away? You know my skills. Don't even think about hiding anything from me."
Qiao Yan couldn't help but exchange a look with Yun Qi. After all, they both knew about Yun Xi's fortune - telling skills.
The thing that had just happened really couldn't be hidden from her.
But Qiao Yan didn't want to talk about it.
After all, if she were to say what had happened, there really wasn't much.
It was just that she received a message from Yun Qi, asking her out for a stroll and saying that he had something to tell her.
Having a faint guess in her heart, Qiao Yan was, of course, overjoyed. She even dressed up specially.
But when she was about to go out, her elder brother caught her. Helplessly, she had to take Qiao He with her.
She thought that when she saw Yun Qi, she could just say it was a coincidence. And with her elder brother around, even if someone saw them strolling together, there would be a proper pretext.
But unexpectedly, when she happily came to the appointment, the first thing she saw was Yun Qi walking side by side intimately with another woman.
As a woman herself, how could she not understand the look in that woman's eyes when she looked at Yun Qi.
At that moment, she just wanted to turn around and leave.
But Yun Qi was very happy to see her. He immediately introduced the woman's identity and made it clear that it was just an accidental encounter.
With a frank look and clear eyes, Qiao Yan was willing to believe him.
But Wei Manzhu obviously noticed that Yun Qi treated her differently. She called him "cousin" affectionately one after another. Although she looked smiling on the surface, every word was about how special and kind Yun Qi had been to her when they were young. This made Qiao Yan's anger rise.
Unfortunately, Yun Qi was such a wooden - headed person. Not only did he not notice the problem at all, but he also cooperated with Wei Manzhu and answered every question.
Just when Qiao Yan was on the verge of losing her temper, Yun Xi rushed over in a hurry.
Now that Yun Xi asked this question, Qiao Yan really didn't know how to answer her.
And Yun Qi finally realized something. Only then did he belatedly notice that Qiao Yan's bad complexion seemed to be because she was jealous of him.
Yun Qi quickly opened his mouth to explain properly, but as soon as he grinned, he burst into a happy laugh.
There was an eerie silence. Everyone stared at Yun Qi, who was giggling, in shock.
Yun Xi: I can't bear to look.
Yun Xi smiled awkwardly and tried to smooth things over. Then her words were directed straight at Wei Manzhu, "Cousin has been out for so long. I'm sure aunt at home must be missing you. Brother and I still have something to do, so we won't accompany you anymore."
"Ah?" Wei Manzhu, who was just wondering why Yun Qi was laughing, was stunned. She subconsciously turned to look at Yun Qi, "I, I can..."
"Xiao Xi is right," Yun Qi consciously stood behind his sister and firmly distanced himself. "Manzhu, you should go back first. We won't be able to take care of you later. If something goes wrong, it will be hard for us to explain to aunt."
The words that Wei Manzhu hadn't finished were stuck in her throat and she had no choice but to swallow them back.
Reluctantly, she said goodbye and had to leave with her maid.
Yun Xi took Qiao Yan's arm again and said with a smile, "We've been walking for a whole morning and we're tired. Fortunately, the Qunying Tower is just ahead. Let's go there to rest our feet."
After saying that, she specially explained to Qiao Yan, "Brother has been at the border for many years, and I've just recognized the Yun family. In fact, we're not very familiar with cousin Manzhu. If she said something excessive, don't take it to heart."
Qiao Yan naturally understood what Yun Xi meant.
She gave Yun Qi, who still had the nerve to smile, a hard look. Qiao Yan replied a couple of words and naturally let this matter go.
Two people who had been closely observing Yun Xi's movements in the distance lifted their feet in unison. After glaring at each other, they both followed up.
Knowing that these two people definitely wouldn't do as she said obediently, Yun Xi didn't care.
She proposed going to the Qunying Tower because she wanted to find an opportunity for Yun Qi and Qiao Yan to confirm their feelings for each other.
While her parents were still in the capital, she hoped they could settle the marriage as soon as possible. Otherwise, who knew what other complications would arise later.
They had only been sitting in the private room for a short while when Yun Xi excused herself, saying that she wanted to buy a weapon or some other gift for her father and asked Qiao He to help her choose. Then she left with a bunch of people, leaving the two of them alone.
Qiao He knew that his little sister wouldn't suffer a loss.
Moreover, he had seen the situation just now and had more or less noticed the affection between the two. Qiao He had been in poor health since he was a child and had no intention of getting married.
He knew very well that the future husband of Qiao Yan had to be someone who could uphold the prestige of the Marquis Changming Mansion.
In terms of family background, appearance, and personal ability, Yun Qi was an excellent candidate.
What's more, Qiao Yan liked him.
It wasn't the kind of admiration she had for Yi Yuan, but true love, the kind of love a young girl has.
Naturally, Qiao He was happy to help them get together.
Yun Xi and Qiao He exchanged a look with their respective elder brother and younger sister. Then they politely backed out.
"Miss Yun," after leaving the private - room door, Qiao He no longer concealed his look as he looked at Yun Xi. "Where shall we go now?"
Yun Xi gave a charming smile, her eyes shining brightly. "Follow me."
After saying that, she turned around and led Qiao He to another private room at the corner.
Without hesitation, she pushed open the door. Sure enough, she saw Yi Yuan and Shen Zhou sitting opposite each other by the window in silence.
When they saw Yun Xi, they were shocked. Then they stood up in unison and walked towards her.
Qiao He raised his hand to stop them and the "No" that had already come out of his mouth were both stuck. Instead, he silently gave Yun Xi a thumbs - up.
Yun Xi forced a smile and directly ignored the two people who were trying to curry favor with her. She simply made a "please" gesture and led Qiao He into the room while saying, "This private room has a great location. It's just at the corner. As long as the angle is right, we can see A Yan and the others through the window."
As she spoke, she walked to the window and carefully opened a crack. Then she continued, "Young Marquis Qiao can see if my brother will do anything out of line. As for whether to listen..."
Suddenly, Yun Xi froze. She suddenly turned to look at Yi Yuan and said anxiously, "A Yuan, Shan Hou!"