When Meng Qingluan saw that he had woken up, she went closer to him.
Are you still feeling unwell?
Zhu Qing'an shook her head, turned her head to one side, and tightly gripped the corner of the blanket with her fingers inside.
What are you doing here?
Shen Yan approached step by step, gazing at Zhu Qing'an lying on the bed, and asked without hesitation.
Why would this person be in the icy, snowy north instead of staying in the capital?
"I...want to find my older sister."
Zhu Qing'an's weak voice came through.
"Looking for me?" Meng Qingluan was taken aback. "I didn't tell you I was coming to the Northern Border before I left. How did you know I was here?"
As if drawn by a magnet, Zhu Qing'an slowly turned his head, his gaze sharp as he looked at her and said softly.
“I knew my brother-in-law was coming to the North, so I guessed my sister was probably here too, and that’s why I rushed here.”
What do you want with me?
Meng Qingluan looked at him as if he were a flower about to wither, sickly and weak, as if a gust of wind would knock him down.
“I was afraid my sister would suffer from an attack of her illness... so I rushed to find you, but I didn’t expect to be caught in an avalanche on the way, and I was the only one who survived.”
"..."
Meng Qingluan swallowed back her words of reproach, unsure of what to say for a moment, and after a long pause, she could only manage to utter one sentence.
"Don't be so reckless next time; health is the most important thing."
Zhu Qing'an replied, "Without my sister, being healthy is of no use."
"..."
Li Zhanjue, who had been sitting silently to the side, also keenly smelled the strong aroma of tea in the air and turned his gaze to Chen Yan.
The other person's expression darkened considerably, but they remained silent, as if pretending not to understand the cloying sweetness in Zhu Qing'an's words.
“Your sister is here now, but you’re not exactly healthy. On the contrary, you’ve developed a lot of illnesses, which only adds to her burden.”
Li Zhanjue uttered a sentence in a lukewarm tone.
Shen Yan's eyebrows relaxed; he'd taken the bait, hadn't he?
If you're not in a hurry, someone else will, and they'll take care of some immature little fox cubs for you.
Upon hearing Li Zhanjue's barbed words, Zhu Qing'an pursed her thin lips and turned her body slightly away, revealing her profile, mostly obscured by her dark hair, and her slender shoulders, which trembled almost imperceptibly.
"I... I was just too scared. I was too impulsive and caused trouble for everyone." Zhu Qing'an lowered her head even further. "I'm sorry... Sister."
Upon hearing his words, Li Zhanjue's brows furrowed.
The boy was clearly apologizing, but he couldn't help feeling that he was just trying to gain sympathy.
"Why play the victim here?" Li Zhanjue scoffed. "Instead of apologizing and playing the victim here, you should be smarter next time so as not to trouble your sister."
After Li Zhanjue finished speaking, a strong sense of anticipation suddenly rose in his heart.
The first half of his statement describes him as clear-headed, independent, frank, and straightforward, which is definitely not the image of a scheming person that Meng Qingluan believes him to be.
If you speak the second half of your sentence with her in mind, she will surely be deeply moved and her affection for you will increase.
To everyone's surprise, Meng Qingluan clicked her tongue and turned to look at him impatiently.
Why do you talk so much?
"...?"
etc!
No, no!
That's not how the story unfolded!
Shen Yan's lips almost curled into a smile, and he clenched his fists under his sleeves before finally managing to suppress a laugh.
It's much easier to watch two dogs fight than to get involved in the fight yourself.
Aren't these two both coveting his Luanluan? He'll just watch and see how they fight to the death, a battle to the death.
However, it seems that Li Zhanjue's brain was kicked twice by a donkey and spat on twice by a pig today.
Zhu Qing'an acted coquettishly and pitifully, claiming that she was doing it for Meng Qingluan's own good, even though she was ill.
Instead of backing down, Li Zhanjue directly confronted him.
What route is he taking?
Meng Qingluan, however, became more animated. She looked away from him, turned her head, reached out and patted Chen Yan's shoulder beside her, saying something cryptic.
"Tell me, what's wrong with the world these days? When a family is having a conversation, some unrelated strangers love to interrupt and make themselves seem so clear-headed and smart."
"Hmm... I don't know, maybe it's because no one at home talks to him."
Shen Yan readily agreed, looking innocent, and after a moment's thought, answered seriously.
"Really? Those kinds of people are quite pitiful. But I've discovered another type of person who has a nasty habit. Can you guess what it's called?"
"What?"
Shen Yan asked curiously, his eyes clear.
"Let me give you an example and you'll understand. Some people almost got blown up by a blast bomb, and then they say that people who survived in the freezing cold are incompetent."
"Arrogant and ignorant, like trying to see flowers through a fog."
"You're so clever." Meng Qingluan patted Chen Yan's head as a reward. "As the saying goes: 'When a crow perches on a pig, it only sees the blackness of others and cannot see its own.'"
"Luanluan knows so much."
"So-so, third best in the world."
"..."
The couple sang in harmony, but Li Zhanjue's heart felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on it.
If only he were deaf, he wouldn't have to hear all the insults they were saying.
Even a fool wouldn't understand, because the insults they hurled at him were so clear that even a fool could comprehend them.
Li Zhanjue looked at Shen Yan in confusion, but seeing that he showed no abnormality, he was puzzled.
He had only just told Meng Qingluan that he liked her, and now he was ready to fight him to the death.
Zhu Qing'an's intentions were so obvious, yet he was still living in their mansion, and he was still able to remain calm.
Shen Yan turned his head and looked at Zhu Qing'an. What he said made Li Zhanjue's jaw drop.
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