Chapter 25 025 That Night's Sensual Softness
The Prince of Ruyang's Mansion.
Half a month ago, the young marquis of Ruyang, who had been away from the capital for many years, finally returned to the capital. The whole family was overjoyed and held a grand banquet to entertain the famous families in the capital.
Prince Ruyang originally intended to use this banquet to give the young marquis, who had just returned to the capital, an opportunity to get to know the young talents in the capital. It would be even better if he could take this opportunity to meet a noble lady who caught his eye. This idea was inadvertently revealed, and when the emperor learned of it, he greatly approved of it. He simply ordered all the children of noble families in the capital to attend the banquet and privately ordered Xie Huaiyuan to attend as well.
Lin Wan was not among those invited by the Prince of Ruyang; she was able to go thanks to an invitation specially sent by Princess Li.
"This princess and Miss Lin hit it off immediately and are very happy. I hope we can meet at the banquet."
“Princess Li is always arrogant and has high standards. It’s rare that she and you are of similar temperament. You should try to communicate with her more.”
Princess Li was someone Lin Wan met twice in the few months since she came to the capital, and neither of those encounters was a pleasant conversation. How could they be considered kindred spirits?
However, Lin Wan did not reveal her true thoughts. She obediently nodded and softly agreed to her grandmother's instructions one by one: "When I see Princess Li, I will be happy to express my gratitude. If it weren't for her invitation, how could someone as insignificant as me have the opportunity to attend the banquet?"
Gentle and quiet, that's the impression Princess Li leaves on people.
Su Furong scoffed, "She's just pretending. She's desperate to marry into the Prince of Xiangyang's mansion and marry the heir. Almost every woman in the capital who has shown interest in the heir has been threatened by her in private. And yet she still acts so gentle and quiet. It's a joke."
The Prince of Ruyang's mansion was very large, with pavilions, terraces, waterside pavilions, artificial hills, and lakes. The scenery was extremely beautiful for the guests to enjoy. They even specially invited a famous opera troupe from the capital to set up a stage, making it a very lively place.
However, at this moment, Lin Wan was in a quiet lakeside covered walkway in the Ruyang Prince's Mansion.
Princess Li, dressed in a bright red peony-patterned dress, stood in the middle of the covered walkway and walked gracefully toward her. Her exquisite makeup was eye-catching, and she even had a delicate floral decoration on her forehead, making her look charming and lovely.
"So Miss Lin is here. I was looking for her in the front hall the whole time."
She had a gentle and lovely appearance, but the words that Princess Li uttered displeased those around her several times.
Apart from the people on both sides of the lake shore, there were only a few of them on the lakeside promenade at this moment.
Su Furong: "There are many guests in the front hall. My cousin has never been to the Prince's Mansion before. I heard that the lake scenery in the mansion is amazing, so I brought her here to see it."
Princess Li ignored her and instead continued to scrutinize Lin Wan, saying, "I had only seen Miss Lin wearing simple dresses before, looking fresh and refined. I never imagined that you would suit a bright red color so much better. You are truly charming and beautiful."
She had always known that she was not considered a stunning beauty in the capital, but upon hearing that the prince would be attending the banquet today, she deliberately wore a brightly colored dress for the first time, hoping to impress him. However, she never expected that the beauty she had painstakingly created would be so ordinary to Lin Wan.
The vibrant red on Lin Wan's body made her elaborate makeup look so ordinary and cumbersome, which filled her with displeasure.
The scenery of the lake and mountains is breathtaking, and the beauties are like a painting.
Princess Li spotted Lin Wan in her vibrant red dress from afar, her expression stiffening. She then sneered and continued forward, saying, "Just as I expected, you and Miss Lin are kindred spirits. Look, we're both wearing such bright red dresses today. Isn't that fate?"
After saying that, Lin Wan couldn't hide her surprise: "I dare not. This was made a long time ago but I haven't worn it. I thought that since your family is holding a banquet today, I should dress up in my best clothes to thank you for your sincere invitation. I never thought that I would be wearing a similar dress to you, Princess."
Princess Li sneered as she sized up the person before her. In terms of looks, even Princess Zhaoyi couldn't compare. Such a beautiful person would make even women take a second look, let alone men.
Seeing Princess Li's displeasure, Lin Wan hesitated, "Maybe I...I should go back..."
Go back? Impossible!
She didn't invite Lin Wan here just to let Lin Wan show off her beauty and leave so easily; that wasn't her purpose.
Princess Li's eyes flickered, and she suggested, "All guests are welcome, especially since today is my elder brother's return banquet to the capital. I had a brief meeting with Miss Lin at Yingke Lou last time, and I didn't expect there to be a misunderstanding. I'm afraid I said something inappropriate. Today is a good opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding with Miss Lin."
Su Furong: "Misunderstanding? Yingkelou? Cousin, when did you meet her?"
It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because the mere thought of it made Lin Wan feel even more irritated.
Her encounter with Princess Li at Yingkelou was purely accidental. She was so angry at Xie Huaiyuan for refusing to see her that she forcibly kissed him. She didn't dare tell Su Furong about these things, and even lied to Su Furong when she hurriedly returned that day. Now that Princess Li has brought it up again, Lin Wan is flustered and doesn't want Su Furong to know that she lied.
Lin Wan gave an awkward smile and brushed it off, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter at this moment.
The atmosphere became tense for a moment, then a maid brought over a teacup from the banquet table.
Princess Li instructed her maid to brew tea for everyone: "Let's use tea instead of wine. If there have been any misunderstandings in the past, let's apologize with this tea."
Lin Wan smiled but remained silent. She noticed with her sharp eyes that the maids serving tea would stare at the teacups while making tea for them. These teacups all had the same design, but upon closer inspection, she found that most of them were brand new, except for hers, which had slight mottled marks on the rim.
The maidservant avoided looking at her while pouring tea.
Lin Wan caught sight of the maid with a strange expression, smiled, and glanced at Princess Li to conceal her gaze. She noticed that Princess Li was also secretly watching her, or rather, watching the teacup in her hand.
She suddenly raised her eyes and stared directly at the maid who was making tea for her. Her cold gaze was fixed on the maid, who was startled and accidentally spilled the tea on Lin Wan's dress, soaking half of the dress instantly.
"oops!"
When Princess Li saw that her skirt was wet, she rushed forward to check on her. However, in her haste, someone knocked over a teacup, and Princess Li was also soaked.
"Miss Lin, are you alright?" Princess Li asked with concern in her eyes.
Lin Wan's skirt was soaked through. The tea was scalding hot, and the thin summer dress instantly burned her legs through the fabric. It hurt a little, but she could bear it. She looked at Princess Li with great surprise.
Before she could answer, Princess Li turned and sternly reprimanded the maid who was in charge of making tea: "How can you do such a simple thing? You can't even do it properly. How can you be so careless towards Miss Lin?"
Lin Wan felt a deep sense of unfamiliarity with Princess Li, who cared so much about her. Moreover, this was only their third meeting. They had hardly ever spoken, let alone formed a deep bond. The only person they had ever interacted with was Xie Huaiyuan.
Lin Wan had a guess in her heart. She lifted her eyelids and looked around. Sure enough, she saw Xie Huaiyuan's figure at the end of the lakeside corridor.
As she looked at Xie Huaiyuan, her eyes met his. Their gazes locked, and for a moment she forgot where she was. Images of that night's sensual and tender moments flashed before her eyes, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away, unable to look any longer.
Although she kissed Xie Huaiyuan in a fit of anger that night, she hadn't had a good time in the past few days. She was worried that Xie Huaiyuan would reprimand her for offending him, but there was no reaction. She couldn't help but resent that Xie Huaiyuan was really a blockhead. She had kissed him so much and he still didn't react. She tossed and turned and couldn't sleep at night. But when she actually saw him, Lin Wan couldn't help but back down. After all, he was a powerful prince.
The people on the veranda panicked for a moment, not expecting that two people in a row would have their clothes soaked by tea.
If only Lin Wan's dress had been soaked, no one would have cared, but since even Princess Li's dress had been soaked, it was inevitable that some people would panic.
Then, Princess Li and Lin Wan, their skirts dripping with water, heard the sound of steady footsteps approaching.
Lin Wan was flustered. She wanted to see Xie Huaiyuan, but she was also afraid that she wouldn't get the response she wanted. In her anxiety, she heard footsteps stop in front of her.
Princess Li, standing beside him, looked up at the man with a shy expression and said softly, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Xie Huaiyuan nodded and sized up the two people. His eyes swept over Lin Wan, who was standing silently with her head down, but before he could get a good look, his figure was blocked by Princess Li, who stepped forward.
“Brother Prince, I was planning to host a nice banquet for all my sisters today, but I never expected to be disturbed by such an ignorant maid. Look, my dress is all wet.”
That coquettish voice pierced Lin Wan's ears; it was so grating and irritating.
A deep, unfamiliar male voice rang out: "I never expected that after all these years, my sister still only sees Huaiyuan and never sees me, her brother."
Lin Wan raised her head and saw a handsome and dashing young man standing next to Xie Huaiyuan. He looked somewhat like Princess Li. The people next to him, including Su Furong, also quietly reached out and tugged at her, as they were supposed to bow to the young marquis.
Lin Wan watched silently, letting the water droplets on her skirt fall to the floor.
Xie Huaiyuan, in a gentle yet polite manner, instructed his servants to hand them clean handkerchiefs: "Although it is hot in summer, it is still inconvenient if your clothes are wet."
Princess Li said happily in a sweet voice, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Crown Prince, Crown Prince.
Lin Wan felt inexplicably irritable at this moment. Perhaps it was because the scalding tea disturbed her mind. She found everything unpleasant to look at, and she kept hearing Princess Li's coquettish voice in front of Xie Huaiyuan. Every word she uttered was so annoying and disgusting.
"Miss Lin, please use this handkerchief to wipe yourself."
Lin Wan did not take the handkerchief handed to her. Instead, she looked up at Xie Huaiyuan, who was standing close to Princess Li. Princess Li could not hide her joy and ostentation. Suddenly, Lin Wan finally understood why she had received a special invitation from Princess Li, even though she was not familiar with her. So that's why!
Xie Huaiyuan didn't even glance at him.
In front of outsiders, he was always polite. Even with a woman as frank and outspoken as Princess Li, he remained respectful and did not treat her with any special treatment.
And what about herself?
She was inexplicably angry with herself. Why did she kiss him that night? She had been agonizing over it for so many days, but Xie Huaiyuan seemed completely unaffected.
Lin Wan glanced at Xie Huaiyuan reproachfully, then said coldly and distantly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but it's not necessary."
Suddenly, everyone fell silent.
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at the handkerchief still in the servant's hand, and finally fixed his ambiguous gaze on her figure.
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