Ouyang Yi kept an eye on the two sisters. He needed to avoid Lin Songyan's gaze so that Lin Songyan wouldn't think that what he said was to distance himself from him and Qiao Zhizhi, and that he had other intentions.

The two sisters stood side by side beside the hot spring pool, where large, lotus-like, but not quite lotus flowers were blooming in various colors, creating a picturesque scene amidst the rising steam.

“Princess Feiluan, Miss Zhizhi,” Ouyang Yi greeted them with a smile.

"Greetings, Young Master Ouyang." Qiao Lian'er nodded.

“I love visiting Prince Heng’s Mansion in winter. I know all the flowers in the winter garden by heart. Why don’t I introduce them to you two one by one?” Ouyang Yi said gracefully.

“Okay,” Qiao Lian’er agreed.

The other party's target was Sister Zhizhi; since she had come to them, it was a perfect opportunity for them to extract information from her.

She pretended to be very interested in the names of those winter flowers and asked Ouyang Yi for their names.

Ouyang Yi's answer was specific and detailed, even going so far as to discuss the species and symbolism, which shows that he reads a lot.

However, when he answered her questions, his gaze was always on Qiao Zhizhi's face, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

When Qiao Zhizhi saw Qiao Lian'er acting, she also started acting.

“When we came in just now, we saw Young Master Ouyang and Young Master Lin together. You two seem to know each other well,” Qiao Lian’er asked.

“We’ve been close friends since we were kids, like brothers,” Ouyang Yi said with a smile.

"Brother Lin is two years older than me and should be getting married. A couple of years ago, my family asked two families about their daughters, but Brother Lin was not satisfied with either of them. Brother Lin is a man of strong feelings and said that he should only marry the one he likes."

"Fortunately, things have finally started to look promising this year."

Qiao Zhizhi's eyelids twitched; she had a premonition that Ouyang Yi was definitely not talking about her.

"So, does Young Master Lin have someone he likes?" Qiao Lian'er asked.

"It's not that Brother Lin likes or dislikes it. In the past, Brother Lin was still young, and he could simply decline if he didn't like the other families. But now Brother Lin is nineteen years old and almost twenty, and his marriage is still unsettled. Naturally, his parents want to settle things as soon as possible."

"A few days ago, the Sun family parents visited the Lin family. Both sides were very satisfied with each other. Although the fifth young lady of the Sun family is not particularly talented, she is clean, lively, and likable. It seems that the engagement will be finalized soon."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhizhi's face darkened, and she bit her lip.

She also mentioned that Sun Hetang was trying to get close to Lin Songyan because their parents had reached a mutual agreement.

Qiao Lian'er squeezed Qiao Zhizhi's hand.

"But just now I saw Miss Sun approaching Young Master Lin, and Young Master Lin seemed eager to escape, probably because he was unwilling."

“When it comes to marriages between high-ranking families, liking someone is the least important thing. In the past, that could be used as an excuse, but now we can’t delay any longer. It’s all arranged by parents and matchmakers. Which high-ranking family’s children didn’t go through that process?” Ouyang Yi said. “However, feelings can be cultivated after marriage. As time goes by, they will naturally start to value it.”

“The Lin family is a century-old family, and the Sun family has been stable for decades. They are a perfect match.” Ouyang Yi’s words were loaded with meaning.

Qiao Lian'er understood. This meant that the Qiao family was being looked down upon because they were newly rich, and it was uncertain whether their long-term stability would be guaranteed.

"Does Young Master Ouyang care about prestigious families?"

Ouyang Yi shook his head: "Our Ouyang family has a relatively open-minded family tradition. Whether it is an established family or a newly rich family, being able to stand up is a skill, and we will not fuss about this."

That's something I said intentionally for them to hear.

Qiao Lian'er never noticed any signs that Ouyang Yi had shown any interest in Qiao Zhizhi before.

He suddenly made a decision to marry Qiao Zhizhi. Was it his own idea, or someone else's idea?

Seeing Ouyang Yi reach out to pick a flower, Qiao Lian'er stopped him.

“Young Master Ouyang, these flowers look best on the branches; they will wither quickly if picked.”