Chapter 15 A Certain Confidence

Qing Yi had never expected Xiao Ye to be so open with him. In his impression, Xiao Ye was a very reserved, even aloof person. As Xiao Ye had said, their time together was only a few months, while they had been apart for three long years. How much of this affection, fueled by gratitude, was truly pure love?

For a long time, Qing Yi had always felt that even though they were already in love, Xiao Ye might still be reluctant to reject him because of a sense of gratitude. Therefore, it was not only Ye Qingyu who had a "Ming Yue" hidden in his heart, but Qing Yi also had such a "Ming Yue" in his heart.

Qingyi vividly remembered the night Xiaoye was heartbroken over Mingyue's death, when he and Qingfeng drank on the rooftop. A drunken Qingfeng recounted Mingyue's story: a strikingly handsome man with a cheerful personality, skilled in martial arts, and versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Many of the maids in the Northwest Prince's palace secretly admired him. Such a remarkable person, accompanying Ye Qingyu from childhood to adulthood, sharing their joys and sorrows, was a figure Qingyi could never replace.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoye, I shouldn't have asked you that." Qingyi was full of guilt and apologized sincerely.

"Have you been wanting to ask this for a long time?" Ye Qingyu looked at Qing Yi. The man before him had handsome features and a pair of narrow eyes. He was smiling before he spoke, but now his expression was filled with worry. Three years ago, Qing Yi was a frivolous and unstable young man, but now he had grown into a handsome and free-spirited man of the world.

"Ah, no... no..." Qing Yi felt uneasy and denied it with his words but his heart was not in agreement.

"Did you understand what I just said?" Ye Qingyu asked after recovering from his previous emotions.

"I understand, I understand, Xiaoye, you like me very, very much." Qingyi also returned to his usual casualness and joked with a smile.

“…” Ye Qingyu was speechless for a moment. He had said so many heartfelt words, but this guy actually summed it up like this.

"Xiao Ye, if I could have met you a few years earlier, with my outstanding ability, I would definitely be able to surpass Mingyue and firmly occupy all the places in your heart!" Qing Yi had a bottom line in his heart and began to brag eloquently again.

"Oh? Are you sure? Then tell me, how do you plan to beat him?" Ye Qingyu knew that Qing Yi was joking, so she continued with what he said.

"In terms of appearance..."

"Haven't you seen what he looks like? Are you sure you want to compare looks?" Ye Qingyu interrupted Qing Yi.

"Uh, who said I'm competing with him in looks? What matters to men is their abilities and skills. Who would focus on looks? You're not a girl!" Qing Yi quickly retorted.

"In terms of talent, you're far inferior! He's proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Ye Qingyu relentlessly criticized him, his tone firm and resolute. He felt extremely amused, a pleasure he had never felt before meeting Qing Yi. Perhaps this was Qing Yi's unique appeal, but he wouldn't say it easily.

"Oh, Xiaoye, you... You are deliberately making things difficult for me! I'm talking about abilities and skills. Who said we should compare talents? We are not going to take the imperial examinations or become an official in the court." Qing Yi was a little anxious, believing that Xiaoye was deliberately squeezing him.

"Since we are talking about abilities, why don't you tell me how you are better than him?" Ye Qingyu continued to ask with a smile on his face.

"He obviously can't beat me. My martial arts skills are better than his!" Qing Yi finally found a reason to straighten his back.

"Well, that's true. But my martial arts skills are not bad either, so I don't have very high requirements in this area." Ye Qingyu deliberately wanted to tease Qing Yi and continued to "pour cold water" on him.

"Ah, Xiao Ye, you are so heartless! How many times have I saved you? If my martial arts skills were too poor, how could I protect you? Have you forgotten the time when you were abducted by the witch Qi Jue? Think about it, if you hadn't met me at that time, if I hadn't been a great martial artist, could I have rescued you?" Qing Yi's memory was sometimes very strange. He remembered Ye Qingyu's embarrassing moments clearly, and would bring them up from time to time to talk about them, and show off his own contributions.

"Okay, eat quickly, then we'll go back." Ye Qingyu looked at Qing Yi's smug look and ended the topic.

"Yeah, you should eat more too!" Qing Yi felt that he had won the game and was in a good mood.

"Oh, by the way, Xiao Ye, I thought of something else. I'm definitely better than him." Qing Yi was eating when he suddenly looked up at Ye Qingyu opposite him with a sly smile on his face.

"Hmm?" Ye Qingyu thought the topic was over, but she didn't expect Qingyi to still be pondering it. Could it be that he still couldn't get over this hurdle in his heart?

"What do you think of my performance in that area? Am I very strong and powerful? Hahahaha!" Qing Yi smiled with a frivolous look on his face.

"..." Ye Qingyu knew that this kid couldn't say a few serious words.

"You don't admit it?" Qing Yi pressed on. If Xiao Ye dared to deny it, he would have to show Xiao Ye his true abilities.

"Bah! What do you want me to admit? Do you really want to compete? Are you out of your mind?" Ye Qingyu couldn't help but scold Qing Yi.

"... Hey, Xiaoye, why are you still cursing?" Qingyi had wanted to tease Xiaoye, but he didn't expect to be scolded. Then he thought, how could he really be stupid? How could he let his lover compare his abilities with others in a certain aspect? This is just nonsense!

"Eat, eat. My strength and performance are up to you, my young prince. If you are not satisfied, just tell me. I will study hard and practice diligently in the future, and I guarantee you will be satisfied!"

"..." Ye Qingyu's ears turned slightly red. How could this guy say such a thing in public? Had he been too nice to him recently, making him a little proud?