Seeing the coldness in Qingyin's eyes, Duan Ruyi was forced to quiet down.

It seems Xie Yin really cares about that idiot next to him.

Thinking about it, a hint of hostility towards Chen Wang appeared in Duan Ruyi's eyes.

Watching Qingyin and Chen Wang walk away into the distance.

Duan Ruyi coldly said a few words to the person next to her and then chased after them.

"Treat your guests well."

"Yes, young master," the butler replied respectfully, showing no emotion whatsoever due to the sudden assignment.

Chen Wang was the first to notice that Duan Ruyi had caught up with them, even before Qingyin.

He frowned and said sarcastically, "Young Master Duan is so busy, why didn't you go to greet the guests instead of coming in?"

Duan Ruyi's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I've thought about it carefully. If I stay outside, I might neglect the guests inside. It would be better to come in and let the butler greet them outside."

Duan Ruyi's words were comprehensive, but Chen Wang didn't believe a single word of them.

According to him, the powerful and influential son of the prime minister was attracted by Ayin's beauty and only came in because of her.

Chen Wang stared at the man warily.

Duan Ruyi didn't even glance at him. He strode to Qingyin's other side and secretly gave the maid who was leading the way a look. The maid then forced a smile at Qingyin.

"Young master, I'm sorry, but I suddenly remembered that I have something to attend to at the manor. Perhaps you could ask our young master to take you there on your way to the banquet?"

After saying this, the maid did not give Qingyin an excuse to refuse and turned to leave.

Qingyin: "..."

Just then, the maid led her to a place with three forks in the road. Qingyin looked around and saw that there were several exits at the forks in the road. It was obviously very winding and complicated, and it would be impossible to find the banquet without someone leading the way.

Qingyin paused, then looked at Duan Ruyi, who was smiling broadly and gently, and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Young Master Duan."

A smile appeared on Duan Heng's lips, and he blinked his eyes playfully. Duan Heng deliberately slowed down his last sentence: "What's the trouble? It's just something that happens on the way. Besides, isn't Ayin's business my business too?"

The tone of his voice then became somewhat ambiguous.

Chen Wang was even more annoyed by him, so he openly stepped between Qingyin and Duan Ruyi, looked at Duan Ruyi with a forced smile, and said in a more serious tone: "Then thank you, Young Master Duan."

Suddenly, his beautiful and charming face was replaced with a baby face that was almost as tall as him, and Duan Ruyi's lips twitched.

His eyes turned cold as he glared at Chen Wang.

Chen Wang, the young master from a humble family, glared even more fiercely, blocking Qingyin's path.

Secretly, Duan Ruyi tried to peek at Qingyin from countless angles, but Chen Wang, that blockhead, blocked her every time.

Before long, Duan Ruyi also got angry.

His face turned completely cold. If looks could kill, Chen Wang would have died countless times already.

Qingyin watched the show intently from the sidelines.

Along the way, Duan Ruyi lost interest in taking a detour to accompany Qingyin and instead took a turn at a corner to find a route closer to the banquet.

Soon, Qingyin saw various flowers blooming on the grass and heard the noise of a crowd.

The banquet must be taking place not far from there.

Indeed, there were wealthy young men dressed in fine clothes sitting in various places, and pretty maids were respectfully pouring tea or wine for them as they admired the flowers in full bloom not far away.

Duan Ruyi walked ahead, blocking Qingyin's view. Everyone thought that only Duan Ruyi had come, so they all stood up eagerly, raised their glasses, and congratulated Duan Ruyi.

Normally, Duan Ruyi would find this scene boring, but today, with the people behind him, he found the people surrounding him both boring and annoying, feeling that they were in the way and delaying his time with Xie Yin.

Thinking it over, Duan Ruyi ignored the people who surrounded her and instead smiled warmly as she looked back.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why the usually gentle young master of the Prime Minister's residence had suddenly become so cold. Then their eyes fell upon Qingyin, who was exposed in front of Duan Ruyi.

Upon closer inspection, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Some people who were drinking couldn't help but spit out their drinks: "Holy crap!"

Where did this handsome young man come from!

This voice undoubtedly reflects the consensus of everyone who saw Qingyin.

For a moment, everyone present forgot about Duan Ruyi's change of expression and was only captivated by Qingyin's beauty.

Duan Ruyi narrowed her eyes dangerously and glanced around warily, causing everyone to forcibly avert their gazes.

However, some young men who were closer to Duan Ruyi couldn't help but ask him, "And who is this...?"

Duan Ruyi gave him a threatening look, and the man shrugged in fear, but still insisted on asking the question.

Forget it, Xie Yin's identity isn't something he can hide. Besides him, other people will ask, and they'll find out Xie Yin's identity sooner or later.

Thinking it over, Duan Ruyi lowered her eyes and said calmly, "This is Young Master Xie Yin."

Those eavesdropping nearby perked up their ears.

Thank you!

This name is familiar to everyone.

Isn't this the person who stole first place from Young Master Duan?

Everyone looked on in surprise, and secretly glanced at Duan Ruyi, who was smiling and saying her name without showing any sign of life.

She glanced at the stunningly handsome young man again. Indeed, with such a beautiful young master, who could possibly be angry?

Everyone secretly looked at Qingyin with amazement.

Chen Wang couldn't block all those gazes no matter how hard he tried. He was just one person, but there were countless others. Even if he blocked one angle, there would always be countless other angles he couldn't block.

In the end, Chen Wang had no choice but to give up.

Seeing Chen Wang panting heavily from exhaustion, Qingyin's lips curled into a slight smile, attracting even more admiring glances from others.

Seeing Xie Yin, who seemed to have drawn everyone's attention in the courtyard, Duan Ruyi felt a subconscious displeasure.

He wanted to glare at people, but not all of them listened to him.

Thinking it over, Duan Ruyi took the initiative to start a conversation, hoping to draw Qingyin's attention.

"The sun shines brightly today, and all the flowers are in full bloom. Why don't we play a game of flower-themed poetry?"

"Okay, okay."

"The Hundred Flowers Order is quite good; it's a perfect way to relax and have some fun at this time."

Everyone was still trying to curry favor with Duan Ruyi, but their words sounded somewhat perfunctory.

Seeing Qingyin standing motionless beside him, Duan Ruyi considered inviting her to play with him for a while.

"Young Master Xie, why don't you give it a try?"

Qingyin glanced at the excited crowd and the expectant Duan Ruyi, and declined, saying, "I'm sorry, I just want to enjoy the flowers and won't disturb you."

Seeing that Qingyin refused, several people clearly showed some regret.

But the thought that creating outstanding verses would attract Qingyin's attention roused him again.

Chen Wang was dragged along by Duan Ruyi and forced to join the crowd to participate in the Hundred Flowers Order, leaving him to watch Qingyin admire the flowers alone in the distance.

However, people's eyes would occasionally drift to Qingyin, who was admiring the flowers in the distance.