“If you insist on only wanting to ‘propose marriage’,” Yun Chi knew he was a stubborn man who wouldn’t change his mind once he made up his mind, so he patiently gave him some pointers, “then you should talk to Miss Luo first to make sure that her family will agree to your proposal. It would be best if she could also express her opinion to the Emperor herself, so that the Emperor would have a clear idea and then agree to your proposal.”
Yun Lie kicked twice underwater, making a "tsk" sound, and muttered with a flushed face, "Why wouldn't she agree?"
After all, she liked him so much!
****
As the sun began to set in the west at Shenshi (3-5 PM), the group that had been wandering around the hunting grounds returned to the palace one after another.
Luo Cuiwei wandered in alone through the west gate, only to run into Yun Lie.
"Where's my bracelet?" Luo Cuiwei walked over and held out her hand to him, her red lips curving into a smile, but her eyes were lowered.
Yun Lie felt a pang of annoyance: What does this mean? Her shoe tips are prettier than his?!
"I got it back, but I forgot it on the table when I changed clothes just now." His voice was flat as he looked up at the sky, but secretly touched the purse at his waist with his fingertips.
I told you not to look at me, but you just won't look back.
Perhaps it was because he had just bathed in the hot spring, but his refreshing aura wafted over her, making Luo Cuiwei feel somewhat unsettled.
"No rush, just remember to return it to me tomorrow." Afraid that he would notice her blushing, Luo Cuiwei lowered her face even further, leaving only the top of her hair for him to see.
Unsure why she had suddenly become so polite to him, Yun Lie was so annoyed that he wanted to squash her flat and hide her in his purse along with the bracelet.
"Aren't you busy right now?" Yun Lie asked knowingly, pursed his lips, and waited for her to look up before continuing, "I have something to tell you."
Luo Cuiwei looked apologetic. "Is it urgent?"
"There's no rush." Yun Lie frowned slightly, seemingly displeased.
“Oh, it’s like this,” Luo Cui explained with a smile, “My sister went to visit Xu Ying, the ninth daughter of the Xu family, and I just realized that I haven’t greeted Uncle Xu on the way here. It was really impolite of me, so I was just thinking of going to say hello.”
The Xu family in the north of the city is quite famous in the business world of the capital. The head of the Xu family and Luo Huai are old friends and childhood friends. Both families are merchants, and they have often helped each other out with cash flow when they occasionally encounter cash shortages. So their relationship is quite close.
However, in the past, Luo Huai was the one who handled the interactions between the Luo family and the Xu family; after Luo Huai was injured, Luo Fengming took over. Luo Cuiwei would never go to the Xu family unless she had something to do.
But since they've all gathered together now, and she's the younger generation, she should at least go and greet them.
"Where did this Uncle Xu come from? Didn't you look at the list carefully?" Yun Lie said casually. "The head of the Xu family didn't come. The person who came was Xu Yan."
The second young master of the Xu family is the successor that the head of the Xu family has been grooming. This time, the head of the Xu family was unwell, so he asked Xu Yan to come and accompany him in his place.
Upon hearing the name "Xu Yan," Luo Cuiwei's expression immediately changed: "Oh, then I won't go."
"You have a grudge against him?" Yun Lie narrowed his eyes, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Luo Cuiwei snorted, lowered her head, and kicked the crack in the brick floor hard. She gritted her teeth and spat out two words angrily: "No!"
Seeing that she was radiating the message that "don't ask me anything, I won't tell you even if you do," Yun Lie obediently shut up.
Intuitively, he felt that there was something between Xu Yan and Luo Cuiwei...
Ugh, how could those two names together be so annoying to him?!
29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
Since the person who came was Xu Yan, not Old Master Xu, there's no need to make a special trip to pay him a visit.
Once she made up her mind, Luo Cuiwei immediately put the matter out of her mind.
Looking up, she saw Yun Lie looking both annoyed and bewildered, his eyes lowered as if he were sulking. Somewhat puzzled, she tentatively asked with a soft laugh, "What's wrong?"
At this moment, Yun Lie's thoughts had already raced far away, and he didn't hear Luo Cuiwei's question with a slight smile at all.
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Luo Cuiwei simply extended her right foot slightly and gently nudged the tip of his shoe, trying to bring him back to his senses.
A delicate, pretty shade of light red touched the dignified, dark blue, then quickly withdrew.
What was originally an extremely ordinary action, lasting only a short moment, could be transformed into a tender and alluring scene in the eyes of someone with a discerning eye.
A faint, tingling, and burning sensation suddenly shot from his toes to the top of his head, startling Yun Lie so much that he took a half-step back, looking rather flustered.
"Don't lay a hand on me in broad daylight." Yun Lie gave her a light glare, not too fiercely, before glancing over her head and looking into the distance.
He felt he shouldn't have blushed.
Luo Cuiwei was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh: "How can you accuse someone so easily? I didn't lay a hand on you."
"I can't be bothered with you." Yun Lie said angrily, turning around and leaving.
After taking a few hurried steps, he realized that the person behind him didn't seem to be following, so he couldn't help but secretly slow down his steps.
****
Luo Cuiwei knew very well what the intense, pounding feeling in her heart that she had experienced while watching the polo match that morning meant.
But this sudden realization came unexpectedly, and she hadn't yet figured out how to face Yun Lie.
For the first time in my life, I've taken a liking to a young man, and it turns out to be a prince.
And her initial intentions in approaching him... sigh.
The first encounters between male and female characters in those storybooks are nothing more than "childhood sweethearts" or "love at first sight"; but no matter which one, they are all pure and beautiful from the beginning, without any ulterior motives.