Do we know each other?
The casual reply made Qin Rong blush with excitement. From the voice, she knew she hadn't mistaken the person, but the content of the words made her face turn pale.
"Why do you say that, young master? In Anyang City, by the river, don't you recognize Rong'er?"
These words caused an uproar, as no one had expected such a connection between them. Many people's gazes towards them suddenly became ambiguous. The king was delighted to watch the drama unfold. If Qin Rong recognized his son, they would be a perfect couple; if she mistook him, it wouldn't matter—either way, it would be a beautiful story.
Undeterred, Qin Rong continued, "Rong'er is confident that we have met before. May I remove your mask for you, young master?"
She deduced that the young man was of noble birth and would not have missed the royal palace's grand event, hence his gamble. Having vaguely recognized his physique, she had previously tested many young men, but this one, whom she hadn't danced with, felt very different. Now that she had a chance to further her interaction with him, why would she miss it?
"So what if I've seen it? So what if I haven't?"
"Rong, Rong'er just wants to know if it's that young master. Can't even Rong'er have this simple wish granted?"
As Qin Rong spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and she stared intently at Yuan Feng, but received no response from him, leaving her feeling extremely awkward.
"Young master, please agree!"
"Yes, yes, it's just a glance anyway, it'll make her give up on that idea."
"Look how pitiful this young lady is. She won first place just to catch a glimpse of her face. Young master, why don't you give in to her?"
The king's amused expression didn't escape the crowd's notice, and many emboldened to make jokes, livening up the scene considerably. Qin Rong's eyes rekindled with hope, hoping to use this opportunity to force Yuan Feng to submit. However, Yuan Feng ultimately didn't grant her wish.
"Do you all still remember the rules of the game?" Yuan Feng's words successfully silenced everyone. After a pause, he continued, "If I take off my mask, I must form a bond with her. Besides, I already have someone I love from the beginning. Do you all want to break up a marriage and create a tragic one?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Feng stared intently at Xiang Wan, making her heart skip a beat. No way? Could this be the "good show" Yuan Feng was talking about? If she cooperated, she'd be implicated—not worth it, absolutely not!
Xiang Wan lowered her head and pretended not to see Yuan Feng's gaze, then turned and hid behind Xiang Xia.
"Huh? Could it be that you, young master, are the one who cast all the lots for the girl who painted the ink painting?"
"Oh, I remember now, that girl, her name was Xiang Wan, right, Wang Xiang Wan!"
"That's right, that's right, I wanted to come too. Speaking of which, that girl's painting skills are quite good."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, their eyes searching for Xiang Wan, several gazes falling on her, making her feel immense pressure. The crowd automatically parted to make way for her from Yuan Feng's direction, and Xiang Wan, no longer able to be concealed by her pink dress, had no choice but to step forward and walk towards Qin Rong and Yuan Feng.
Yuan Feng smiled, Qin Rong's eyes blazed with fury, and Xiang Wan's face was slightly unnatural. At this point, what was not true had become a fait accompli, and she could not back down. Besides, she already owed Yuan Feng, so helping him was only natural. And most importantly, she could not watch Qin Rong regain power, otherwise, she dared not imagine what the consequences would be.
Having figured this out, Xiang Wan's eyes darted around, and the next second, every smile and frown was an act: "Sister Rong'er, I didn't expect that we sisters have such similar tastes."
"But," Xiang Wan glanced at Yuan Feng with feigned shyness, "I can always give in to you, but this time I'm afraid I can't. After all, everything is about first come, first served, don't you think?"
"You," Qin Rong was about to explode in anger, but seeing everyone around her watching, she suppressed her rage and sobbed, "Sister Wan'er, Rong'er met her first, why are you arguing with your sister?"
Qin Rong brought up the drama of two women vying for one man, drawing strange looks from the crowd, especially those who knew about Xiang Wan and Qin Rong's relationship. Their disdainful glances made Xiang Wan inwardly complain. Most people, however, were happy to watch the show, even the king, who enjoyed sipping tea as he watched.
Life is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills. Xiang Wan couldn't let these people watch her play for nothing; if she didn't drag a few people down with her, it would be a waste of her hard work.
“Rong’er, I’m not trying to compete with you. It’s just that your dancing skills are definitely better than mine, but to overpower all the ladies here, I’m afraid…” As she spoke, Xiang Wan bit her lower lip and glanced at the girls around her who were looking at her with displeasure. She said to Qin Rong with a hint of grievance, “I believe in your abilities. I’ll give it to you!”
Xiang Wan sighed, turning away reluctantly and lowering her head, remaining silent. To everyone, she appeared as a completely bullied innocent girl, stirring up resentment among them. The girls, already resentful of Qin Rong, began to criticize her even more fiercely. Their words weren't harsh or sarcastic, but the contempt in their tone was unmistakable, causing Qin Rong to burst into tears.
"You little brat, trying to use everyone to pave your way? Well, you'll get to taste what it's like to be questioned!" Xiang Wan thought to herself, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
Yuan Feng's gaze remained fixed on Xiang Wan, his intense stare impossible for her to ignore. While everyone's attention was on Qin Rong, Xiang Wan glared at him fiercely, thinking: You culprit, you want me to take the blame for you? You'd better see if I'm willing!
Seeing Qin Rong being bullied so badly, a tall, masked man couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to shield Qin Rong behind him.
"Oh, look, the protector of the flower has come up."
"I told you there was something going on, and here it is! You already have one, yet you're still eyeing someone else's. How shameless!"
"Exactly, there's a limit to flirting. This isn't a brothel, and these gentlemen aren't patrons. This young lady seems to have come to the wrong place."
As the crowd's words became increasingly outrageous, even the king couldn't remain uninvolved. He cleared his throat and said, "Enough is enough. Look at what you've said about the little girl!"
The king's words only fueled the anger, leaving everyone speechless and glaring at Qin Rong with resentment. The king, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, added, "It takes skill to be liked; don't make things difficult for her. A young girl like her, it's understandable that she has some ulterior motives."
These words successfully diverted Yuan Feng's attention, and Xiang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was very uncomfortable being stared at all.
"Is Your Majesty going to break your promise?"
Yuan Feng deliberately lowered his voice, and the king, still immersed in the pleasure of watching the show, did not recognize his son's voice for a moment. He said with a smile, "How could I do such a thing? The banter between young men and women must be mutual."
"Is that so?" Yuan Feng's cool gaze made the middle-aged king pause for a moment, as if he remembered something, and the smile on his face almost disappeared.
"His Majesty only said that removing the mask signifies a preordained marriage, but he didn't say whether the girl was willing or not. If someone removes their mask voluntarily, but the girl is unwilling, what then is the explanation?"
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