"You...you're really a prince?"
Qin Rong's voice was filled with helplessness, her face still wet with tears, and her eyes, as she looked at Yuan Feng, were filled with hope mixed with a trace of pain. From the whispers of the crowd, she knew the answer all too well, yet she still hoped to hear it from Yuan Feng himself, whether to give up hope or out of sheer anticipation.
Even knowing that Yuan Feng would no longer have any contact with Qin Rong at this point, Xiang Wan was still extremely nervous. This Qin Rong was no longer the kind-faced but ruthless character from the original story. The injured woman before her was her nominal sister, so fragile and helpless that she evoked pity. She was also nervous in front of the man she admired, yet she also mustered the courage to pursue him. If this were in modern times, she would be the kind of woman Xiang Wan admired. However, they were ultimately enemies, and Xiang Wan could not afford to be soft-hearted.
"As you can see!"
Yuan Feng's words were like the last straw that broke Qin Rong's heart, instantly dimming her eyes, making her stand there blankly with her eyes down, her body trembling slightly.
“In that case, Rong’er will grant His Highness’s wish.”
Qin Rong's words came late, calm and even, but they made Xiang Wan's heart skip a beat, and a bad premonition came over her.
"Sister, if you don't want to befriend the prince, then don't hold him back. Why not give me a chance?"
Qin Rong stared intently at Xiang Wan, her eyes brimming with suppressed rage, yet she feigned composure, dispelling any lingering sympathy Xiang Wan might have felt for her. There's a saying that goes, "Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself." Qin Rong's true nature had likely been fully unleashed just now, and Xiang Wan had no intention of showing any further mercy.
"Sister, there's something I haven't told you: stealing someone else's marriage is the most intolerable thing in the world. This is a piece of advice, sister, please remember it well. As for my matter with the prince, you don't need to worry about it."
"Is stealing someone else's marriage the most intolerable thing in the world?" Qin Rong murmured softly, as if speaking to herself. After a long while, she smiled at Xiang Wan and said, "No matter whose marriage it is, as long as the two people are in love in the end, what's the point of talking about stealing or not stealing?"
"Is that so? It's good that my sister is determined, but I'm afraid she may not be able to achieve her goal even after exhausting all her efforts. It's better not to waste her energy."
"No need for you to trouble yourself, sister." Qin Rong's tears had dried. She glanced at Yuan Feng and then said to Xiang Wan, "His Highness the Prince is still waiting here. Sister, please decide soon whether you agree or not!"
Once Qin Rong calmed down, she immediately put Xiang Wan in the eye of the storm.
The crowd was still watching, and several unfriendly gazes were fixed on her, their eyes like knives, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Xiang Wan was unwilling to simply hand herself over. She didn't truly live here; everything around her was, to her, a three-dimensional, realistic game. To complete it, she needed Yuan Feng's help, and the best way to get his help was to be with him. But to be with him, without genuine affection, it would be difficult to continue. Yet, she was unwilling and didn't want to. One day, she would return to her real world, and everything that happened here would become a memory, but the genuine affection she had given wouldn't be so easily taken back. Xiang Wan thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out what to do, so she resorted to delaying tactics.
"Prince, please allow me to think about it, okay?"
While Xiang Wan frowned in thought, Yuan Feng kept a close eye on her, knowing she probably wouldn't give in so easily. That's alright; as long as she didn't directly refuse, there was still a chance to ensnare her.
"good!"
The crisp, decisive answer startled Xiang Wan. She looked up and saw the smile in Yuan Feng's eyes, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She was genuinely afraid that Yuan Feng would press the issue, even though she understood he was acting. Her instinct told her that if she agreed, things might become real, and she couldn't afford to take that risk.
His Majesty the King, somewhat disappointed that his son hadn't succeeded in winning back his daughter-in-law, shook his head and sighed, announcing the end of the ball. The crowd gradually left the palace. Xiang Wan followed behind the Queen Mother, constantly subjected to Xiang Xia's questions and Qin Rong's hostility, feeling helpless and distressed.
Back in the courtyard, the Queen Mother didn't ask her about the prince, which relieved her. After today's incident, she would probably become a public enemy in the eyes of young women.
As expected, at the dance the next day, many young women took the opportunity to provoke her, criticizing her height, appearance, clothing, accessories, and aesthetic sense. Although they didn't say it to her face, the whispers behind her back were quite loud, but Xiang Wan categorized them all as jealousy. Of course, Xiang Wan couldn't let herself be talked about like that, so she went wherever the noise was loudest and even introduced the clothes in her family's shop to them. Watching the girls' ugly faces mixed with forced smiles as they complimented her, Xiang Wan felt incredibly satisfied.
So engrossed in tormenting others, she neglected to pay attention to Qin Rong. By the time she remembered she should be concerned about this scheming woman, Qin Rong was nowhere to be found in the hall.
Xiang Wan circled around a few times but didn't see the person she was looking for, so she grabbed Xiang Xia, who was talking to a masked young man, and whispered, "Sister, have you seen Qin Rong?"
Xiang Xia Chao smiled apologetically at the masked young man in front of him, then turned to Xiang Wan and frowned, asking, "What do you want with her?"
"I always feel like something will happen if she's not here."
"Are you looking for the girl in the light blue dress from yesterday?" The young man who was talking to Xiang Xia interrupted the two sisters, gesturing to the side, "She seems to have gone that way."
Xiang Wan thanked him, whispered a few words to Xiang Xia, and then walked over there.
"How do you know where she went?" Xiang Xia asked the man in front of her after Xiang Wan left.
"I saw it by chance." The person in front of me seemed unwilling to talk any further and wanted to change the subject, but then Xiang Xia said, "I'm worried, I need to go and check it out."
"Don't worry, the prince is here." The man's words of dissuasion did not reassure Xiang Xia; instead, they made her even more worried. The man could only add, "The prince has sent people to protect you secretly; nothing will happen."
Regardless of what Xiang Xia and the man were talking about, Xiang Wan slowly walked along the passageway on one side of the hall into the garden, where she faintly heard sounds coming from a dimly lit corner. She slowed her pace, tiptoed over, and hid under the flowers.
"Young master, Rong'er has only one wish. If you can help her, she will surely repay you."
"Do you know that if things are exposed, neither of us can escape responsibility?"
"No, I won't tell as long as you don't say it."
"Okay, you can't go back on your word after agreeing to my terms, otherwise..."
"Don't worry, Rong'er always keeps her word."
"Okay, tomorrow night, the signal will be to smash the cup."
"good."
Seeing two figures walk out one after the other, Xiang Wan straightened up, frowned, and walked back while thinking.
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