61. Rival in Love

Jin Lanyue blushed and quickly buried her face in Xie Wenling's shoulder: "Let, let Yue'er think about it..."

It's all because her second brother comes to her every day and recites those distorted poems.

She accidentally mixed them up.

Qu Zijin chuckled and was about to offer a reminder when Xie Wenling suddenly added, "It seems like frost on the ground."

The little dumpling suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling: "Brother Xie can recite poems too?!"

Xie Wenling didn't know how to respond to her words.

If an official who has just passed the imperial examination cannot even recite this, then all the examiners this year should be dragged out and beheaded... oh, and him too.

The little dumpling didn't understand; she just thought Brother Xie was amazing: "Brother Xie is so great! Brother Xie can do everything!"

Qu Zijin couldn't help but interrupt her elaborate flattery: "Does Young Master Xie like poetry and literature?"

Xie Wenling didn't say whether he liked it or not, he only said, "I know a little about it."

"Then how about we spar another day?"

"Not interested."

"...?"

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Qu Zijin did not expect him to refuse so decisively and thoroughly.

Then someone else appeared who was just as clueless about social etiquette as him.

The little dumpling was completely unaware of the undercurrent between the two, only focusing on hugging Brother Xie's neck and chattering away.

When she was interrupted while praising Xie Wenling, she began to praise Qu Zijin: "Brother Xie, the Grand Tutor is amazing! He can recite 'Quiet Night Thoughts'! He can also do arithmetic! He can do addition and subtraction within 100!"

Xie Wenling remained as taciturn as ever: "Wow, that's really impressive."

His tone was completely flat.

Qu Zijin felt that something was not quite right.

He understands the little dumpling's praise; it must be genuine.

But Xie Wenling echoed...

Why does he always seem to be being sarcastic and sarcastic?!

I'm so annoyed, but I have no evidence.

They soon arrived at the entrance of the Wenhua Hall School. Xie Wenling bent down and put the little dumpling down, saying, "We're here."

The little dumpling tugged at his sleeve and wouldn't let go: "Brother Xie, you have to come pick Yue'er up after school too!"

Xie Wenling: "...Oh."

Qu Zijin stood to the side and gently interjected, "Teacher, I can also take you home."

The little dumpling shook her head, her face serious: "No, Yue'er wants to thank her brother for picking her up!"

"...I see." Qu Zijin forced a smile, but inside he felt like a vat of vinegar had been spilled.

Xie Wenling was completely unaware of Qu Zijin's disappointment, or rather, he simply didn't care.

He raised his hand and gently patted the little dumpling's head: "...Go inside."

The little boy reluctantly let go of her hand and followed the music into the school, turning back every few steps.

Qu Zijin walked ahead, but couldn't help turning back to look at Xie Wenling, who was still standing there, and whispered, "Teacher, what does your brother Xie usually do?"

The little dumpling tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Brother Xie doesn't talk much, but he brings Yue'er candied hawthorns!"

Qu Zijin silently noted it down—candied hawthorn, right…

After entering the school, the little dumpling was still a little reluctant to leave, but Xie Wenling left without hesitation.

Qu Zijin offered a few words of comfort to the little girl absentmindedly before going out to find the books he would need for today's lesson.

The little dumpling was left alone in the school.

But before she could even feel lonely, the school door was suddenly pushed open from the outside—

The second brother pushed open the door and stood panting in the doorway.

"Little sister! You really didn't wait for me!" The second brother's eyes were red, like a puppy that had been abandoned.

"It's because Second Brother is too slow!" Jin Lanyue corrected. "Brother Xie walks very fast, whoosh—he's there in no time!"

Behind his second brother, the little prince strode in with upright steps: "What, thank you, brother?"

"It's the super-super handsome Brother Xie!" The little dumpling stretched out her little arms and gestured, almost falling off the cushion. "He can buy candied hawthorns! He can give you a hug!"

The little princess bounced in, lifting her skirt: "What? How beautiful is it?"

"It's super, super, super cute!" The little dumpling proudly puffed out her chest. "Thank you, Brother, for taking Yue'er to school!"

It would have been better if she hadn't brought it up, because the moment she did, her second brother burst into tears: "We clearly agreed to go to school together! You... you forgot your brother for the sake of a pretty face!"

"It's not 'color'! It's 'thank you, brother'!" the little dumpling said earnestly, but she didn't understand the meaning of the idiom at all.

Upon hearing their conversation, the young prince immediately became alert, his alarm bells ringing.

The little dumpling only had a day off, but it seems like a very formidable "love rival" has come to her side!

Yes, a love rival!

That's what the young prince thought.

He immediately moved to Jin Lizhi's side.

"Jin Ban Du," he lowered his voice, "what exactly happened? Who is this Brother Xie?"

"Waaaaah, ever since he came, my little sister won't play with me anymore..." The second brother described his "miserable" experience of the past two days with snot and tears streaming down his face. "Even Dad and Mom have fallen out of favor..."

"What? Is that so?" The young prince's heart leaped into his throat. "Damn it! It seems my rival is incredibly powerful!"

"Yes, yes!" the second brother nodded repeatedly.

So the young prince made a quick decision: "Jin, we must form an alliance and fight the enemy together!"

The second brother wiped away his tears and nodded, and the two little boys instantly formed an alliance.

"He definitely has ill intentions!" the young prince said decisively.

"that is!"

"They might have poisoned the candied hawthorns!"

"Huh?" The second brother was stunned.

Meanwhile, the little princess didn't care about any of that. She lay on the little dumpling's desk, her eyes sparkling: "Little Moon, how handsome is your brother Xie? Is he more handsome than the Grand Tutor?"

The little princess hadn't seen many boys, except for the little prince, Jin Lizhi, her father, and the Grand Tutor.

She thought the two little brats, the young prince and Jin Lizhi, were not handsome at all. Her father was the emperor, and she couldn't compare them to others.

Therefore, she chose the Grand Tutor as the object of comparison.

"Hmm..." The little dumpling bit her finger and thought for a moment, "Grand Tutor is like Moon Brew, and Brother Xie is like... like a fiery Moon Brew!"

"Pfft!" The little princess laughed so hard she fell onto the prayer mat.

She laughed for a while, then couldn't resist her curiosity: "I've never seen a big, fiery moon before. I'm so curious, I really want to see it."

The little dumpling nodded in agreement: "Little Cloud, meet Brother Xie! Brother Xie is handsome, Little Cloud will definitely like him!"

Meanwhile, the two boys standing nearby—

The second brother said, "That Brother Xie... Uncle Xie can't have gone far!"

"Hmph!" The little prince's face puffed up with anger. "I'd like to see who dares to steal my Little Moon!"

He then turned to rush towards the door.

"Wait for me!" the second brother hurriedly followed. "I want to have a match with him too! We have to team up! Team up!"