As Yao Ling's gaze locked onto him, Yin Ming felt a chill run down his spine. It was all over.

He nervously took out a candy made of oranges, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. The aroma of oranges spread in his mouth, and the sweet taste finally dispelled some of his unease.

Yao Ling had already walked up to Yin Ming. Although her eyes were as calm as still water, her tangled fingers betrayed her nervousness. "Uncle, why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

Seemingly quite angry about the matter, Yao Ling was no longer the sweet girl she used to be, and became somewhat aggressive.

It seems that love really can make a girl become unlike herself.

Yin Ming originally wanted to politely say, "Miss Yao, it's been a long time," but since Yao Ling took the initiative to bring up the topic and got straight to the point, there was no need to say that.

Since things have come to this point, all I can do is continue making things up.

Yin Ming forced himself to remain calm, licked the orange candy in his mouth, and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"Well, it's like this. That day I received a message from my wife via carrier pigeon, telling me to come home as soon as possible. I had been away from home for too long and missed her quite a bit, so I set off immediately."

Do you understand what I'm saying? I have a wife! I love her very much! Please stop bothering me!

Yin Ming cautiously glanced at Ling Yao's reaction out of the corner of his eye. Fortunately, Ling Yao simply looked down at the hair ornament in her hand with an indifferent expression, without any other unusual emotions.

Yin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the male lead also knew that he couldn't put his heart into someone who didn't love him.

That's right, there are plenty of fish in the sea, no need to be hung up on this one.

Upon hearing this, Yao Ling raised her eyebrows slightly, crossed her arms, and nodded, seemingly both believing and disbelieving.

"Oh, I see. So much time has passed. Uncle, why are you still in Zhulu City? Aren't you in a hurry to go back and see your wife?"

Yin Ming was taken aback by her words and was about to make up some excuse when Yao Ling continued:

"Or is it that your home is in this Zhulu City, Uncle? If that's the case, that would be wonderful. I'd also like to meet your wife. Would it be convenient for you to introduce me to her?"

Yin Ming knew she was testing whether he was married or not. He wanted to say that it was inconvenient, but he changed his words and said, "...She's at home, not here."

Yao Ling pouted, giving him a knowing look, and mercilessly exposed him:

"Uncle, you don't even have a wife, do you? You're just lying, aren't you? Since you know I like you, why can't you give me a chance? Or do you think I'm not good enough for you?"

After saying that, Yao Ling bit her red lips pitifully. Yin Ming felt a little overwhelmed. Saying that she was not good enough for him was too serious.

Yin Ming had always treated her as the female lead, and Ling Yao was a very good friend to him. It is said that one should not covet a friend's wife, so how could Yin Ming have any other thoughts about her?

Even if Lingyao no longer has feelings for her, Yinming can no longer have any relationship with her. Just imagine, the goddess has become a friend's girlfriend, any man would feel disgusted.

"Miss Yao is so beautiful and has such a good personality. I am not good enough for you. But I really already have a wife."

Yao Ling shook her head, her face full of disbelief. "Then bring her to me, Uncle. I don't care. I've come all this way. If I don't see your wife, I'll pretend you're not married. I'll stay by your side until you like me too!"

Yin Ming turned his head away helplessly. Why was this girl so stubborn...?

Upon catching sight of Long Cheng, who was still intently studying archery, Yin Ming's eyes lit up. He had an idea.

"Actually... actually my wife is in this city, but she is in poor health and I don't want her to be exposed to the wind, so I let her rest at the inn."

"If you really want to see her, then arrange to meet at 1:15 PM by the moat near the city gate. I will bring her to see you."

Yao Ling frowned slightly. Although she was surprised by Yin Ming's sudden change of heart, she agreed, "Okay, see you by the moat tonight."

She didn't believe Yin Ming's story. It was obvious that he had come up with some scheme to say those things; otherwise, why would he have lied to her in the first place?

But this is fine too. When the time comes, she only needs to expose Yin Ming's disguise, and Yin Ming will no longer have a reason to drive her away.

Once the time and place were agreed upon, Yao Ling left without looking back, following the guards who had come with her, without even glancing at Ling Yao once.

Yin Ming shook his head at this. Is this what girls are like? When they like someone, they can't wait to be together every day, but when they don't like someone, they simply ignore their existence.

However, to be fair, it seems the boys are the same way. Lingyao doesn't seem to have given Yaoling a second glance. What a heartless couple.

It seems like the two were really a good match, with such similar personalities, it's a real shame they broke up.

Completely unaware of the impending danger, Long Cheng continued muttering to himself as he played his archery game.

He had forgotten how many jade stones he had handed over, but the arrows that landed on various items still silently demonstrated his strength.

Yin Ming looked at the wooden stakes and walls that were completely riddled with arrows, except for the target which was spotless, and even the stall owner had one stuck in his head. He couldn't help but chuckle.

He was genuinely curious about how Long Cheng had managed to perfectly avoid the target.

Hearing Yin Ming's blatant mockery, Long Cheng blushed, a rare occurrence for him. He placed the longbow on the stall and muttered, "I'm not playing anymore. There's something wrong with this bow. I aimed clearly, but it still missed after I let go."

Yin Ming shrugged indifferently. He had hit the target with all three arrows he had just shot. Whether there was a problem with the bow and arrow or not, the answer was actually quite obvious.

However, he now has something to ask of Long Cheng, so of course he has to go along with him.

"Since there's something wrong with the bow, let's stop playing with it. I happen to need your help with something right now."

Upon hearing this, Long Cheng patted his shoulder and said, "Brother Ming, just let me know if you need anything. Don't worry about leaving it to me; I definitely won't mess it up."

"You said it yourself."

Yin Ming pulled Long Cheng aside and whispered something, but Long Cheng shook his head and straightened up as if to leave. "No, no, this won't do. I can do everything else, but you want me to dress up as a girl? Isn't that making things difficult for me?"

Yin Ming immediately pressed him back down, "Keep your voice down!"

Yin Ming turned his head to look around, making sure that Yao Ling had already left and that his plan had not been heard, before turning back to continue discussing with Long Cheng.

"Didn't you just say to let me know if you need anything? I only have this one request, and you can't even do it? Where is your sincerity?"

"But I really don't want to dress up as a girl. How can I, a grown man, do something like this..."

"I'll treat you to dinner after it's done." Yin Ming interrupted Long Cheng directly. It was less than an hour before 7 PM, and after Long Cheng agreed, he still needed to buy clothes and jewelry to dress up. He couldn't waste too much time on negotiations.

Yin Ming knew that Long Cheng's favorite thing was rice, so he threw out this bait, aiming to achieve his goal in one step.

"Brother Ming, who do you think you are? How could I possibly be bought off by a meal!"

"You choose the location, all-you-can-eat food, and you can eat for as long as you want!" Yin Ming looked at Long Cheng with sharp eyes and said. This condition was already very accommodating, and it would be impolite to haggle any further.

Besides, he deserved it for attracting Yao Ling with his loud voice!

Long Cheng's eyes lit up when he heard this condition, and he finally changed his mind, "Really? Okay, deal, you can't go back on your word."

"Okay." Yin Ming breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to get him on his feet.

"Let's make this clear first, you have to keep your promise whether it works out or not!" Just in case, Long Cheng added.

Yin Ming raised an eyebrow, not expecting this guy to be so meticulous about food. "Okay, you listen to me then, we'll play it by ear, and we'll definitely succeed."

"Alright, let's go for the food!"