Entering the private room, He Jinxuan, who had already ordered the dishes, was trying to placate her: "Yanyan, I really feel wronged."
Xinyan naturally believed him, but she didnât intend to let him off the hook so easily. She was somewhat perplexed; even though he wasnât particularly handsome, he somehow attracted so much attention, which really irked her.
He Jinxuan saw Xinyan down her tea like it was alcohol and quickly poured her another cup: "I do know Mei Xueshan, but only in passing since she always appears, trailing behind Jian Minru.
Whatever sheâs plotting, I truly donât know. If it werenât for Qu Aitingâs indiscretion today, I wouldnât even be aware of this matter."
Xinyan hadnât said a word, which made him truly anxious: "Yanyan, youâre not really going to send me to the cold palace because of those peopleâs words, are you?
If you do, youâd be falling for their trap. Quarreling over a few words from others isnât wise."
Upon hearing this, Xinyan turned to look at him, intentionally asking, "So you mean I can pretend I didnât hear anything and not care about their words?"
He Jinxuan felt a bit soured by Xinyanâs comment; how could the little girl be so awkward?
After a moment, he reacted: "No, I donât agree?"
Xinyan picked up her teacup: "Disagree with what?"
He Jinxuan snatched the teacup from Xinyanâs hand: "Not only should you care about me, but you have to believe in me too."
His face showed such sincerity that Xinyan found it amusing: "Youâre such a tough guy, where did you learn these things?"
He Jinxuan said seriously: "I didnât learn from anyone, Yanyan. I donât want you to get upset over baseless rumors, but I also donât want you to hear those words and have no reaction at all. Having a reaction shows you care about me; it seems really contradictory."
Xinyan could naturally sense his mood: "Alright, I trust you. I wonât doubt you because of othersâ words, but since weâre engaged, we should always be mindful of our status, keeping some distance from those who might have ulterior motives to avoid unnecessary trouble."
After pausing for a moment, she continued: "You know me; I dread troubles the most."
He Jinxuan agreed earnestly: "Yanyan, making promises is just talk; you should watch how I act in the future."
Xinyan beamed brightly: "Okay."
He Jinxuan was about to say more when the dishes arrived. He Jinxuan said: "Today thereâs roast lamb chops; eat more."
Xinyan was truly hungry now. The aroma was tantalizing to her.
These two were having a lovely time, but the atmosphere on the other side wasnât so good.
Unexpectedly, Lu Changjun was invited by the Qu Family, and now Qu Aiting was glaring coldly at Lu Changjun.
Mr. Qu, not knowing what happened before, had given his daughter several eye signals, but got no response, leaving him furious enough to want to knock open his own daughterâs head to see what sheâs thinking.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
Thankfully, the dishes came out quickly on this side too, and Quâs mother stepped in to smooth things over: "Changjun, the steamed ribs with millet here are really good, try some."
Lu Changjun didnât expect that his own family invited him to the banquet with other intentions, and he wasnât inclined to leave abruptly, instead responding politely while pondering an excuse to leave soon.
The idea of matching him with Qu Aiting was absurd to him.
That wasnât just what he thought; Qu Aiting was even bolder, directly saying: "I didnât expect the person you were inviting today was him. If you had other intentions, I advise you to give up early, he and I are absolutely impossible."
Before Lu Changjun could say anything else, Qu Aiting added: "Not to mention heâs in the south while I work in Beijing. What are you thinking?"
Mr. Qu disapproved of his daughterâs words: "How can you talk like that."
After saying that, he looked at Lu Changjun, who hadnât spoken a word the whole time: "Changjun, Aiting has been spoiled by us, donât take her too seriously."
Lu Changjun glanced at Qu Aiting who was still glaring at him, feeling the urge to tease her: "Her straightforward personality is quite nice."
Upon hearing this, Qu Aiting was instantly enraged: "What do you mean by that?"