Yan Zhen raised his eyelashes and glanced at Jing Lan. His smile gradually turned cold, but he said very politely, "The banquet is about to begin. Please return as well, Prime Minister."
Jing Lan said calmly, "Please."
Yan Zhen smiled and turned to walk away.
Jinglan slowly raised her eyelashes to look at Yan Zhen's back, her gaze as cold as an abyss.
****
An Xin suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned around and said impatiently, "Is the Right Prime Minister very free?"
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "Nothing matters to Xin'er. Xin'er is everything."
An Xin sneered, "I think intercepting the letter is the more important matter for the Right Prime Minister. Give the letter back to me!"
Yan Zhen, instead of being angry, laughed and said, "Burn it."
An Xin was furious: "Why did you burn my letter? At that time, I didn't seem to have any connection with the adults!"
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "Xin'er means that there's something going on now?"
An Xin: "..."
Yan Zhen stepped forward, put his arm around her, and said, "Alright, don't be angry. I only stopped the letter back then so that I could have you today. Look, what did I do wrong for you?"
An Xin raised her hand and pushed him away, saying, "Does the Right Prime Minister usually like to talk to women like this? It sounds disgusting to me."
Yan Zhen refused to let go, saying, "Other women? When have I ever said such things to other women?"
The name "Xue Man" floated through An Xin's mind subconsciously. Even when she heard that Ming Jiao was very much loved, she had never felt this way before. However, as soon as this feeling arose, An Xin's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly said in a cold voice, "Let go."
Yan Zhen paused and then asked, "Is Xin'er perhaps jealous?"
An Xin nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at him with wide eyes: "Dream on!"
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "What I think is naturally wonderful. In the future, stay away from the Left Prime Minister; he is not a good person."
An Xin stared at him as if she had seen a ghost: "How dare a notorious traitor like him say that others are not good people?"
Yan Zhen leaned down and pecked her lips, saying, "If I'm sorry, where in this world is there anyone left?"
An Xin's lips twitched, speechless for a long time. If she weren't so clever, she really wouldn't have been able to process what she was saying for a while. Once she did, she truly felt that the most shameless people throughout history were now the most despicable!
"Yan Zhen, I only said I'd give it a try, but so far, I haven't felt even a little bit of affection for you, do you know that?" Thinking of Xue Man, An Xin paused before speaking. She didn't want to compete with a dead person for a man, and tragically, you can never win against a dead person!
Yan Zhen paused.
An Xin looked away and said, "Rather than creating entanglements in the future, let's end it here." She couldn't be sure of Yan Zhen's feelings for her, but she was certain that he had Xue Man in his heart. Even if there were no romantic feelings, a woman who was willing to die for him would always exist in that man's heart. Over time, this woman would become incomparable, because not every woman would die for him. Perhaps, in his entire life, she was the only one.
An Xin felt a slight irritation, but she concealed it well.
"Because of Jing Lan?" Yan Zhen paused, then slowly spoke.
"..." An Xin wondered how the logic had come about!
Yan Zhen said calmly, "Speak."
An Xin stared into his eyes. The closer she got, the more she looked into those eyes, and she felt an infinite beauty in them, which captivated her heart and soul.
"No," An Xin said subconsciously, then became a little annoyed. Why did she answer so obediently?
Yan Zhen tightened his grip on her arm slightly: "Because of the Empress Dowager?"
An Xin was taken aback.
Yan Zhen asked, "What did she tell you?"
An Xin opened her mouth, but those memories were so tragic. How could she bring them up again and cause him pain once more?
Her eyes flickered, and An Xin said, "Say... you're sick!"
Yan Zhen: "..."
An Xin, seeing her stunned expression, pushed him away and said, "Yes, you're sick!" As she said this, An Xin felt her mood suddenly improve, and a smile flickered across her lips, which she quickly concealed. She stared at Yan Zhen with a cold and indifferent expression, looking completely calm.
Yan Zhen's expression turned somewhat unpleasant: "Nonsense."
An Xin turned her head to the side, her eyes darting around, before turning back and saying, "No need to explain to me, I don't want unhealthy men!"
Yan Zhen's lips twitched violently, and he almost gritted his teeth as he said, "Xin'er, I am perfectly healthy."
An Xin raised an eyebrow: "Who knows?"
Yan Zhen: "..." Does anorexia count? That bastard said anorexia is an illness and needs to be treated.
****
The banquet was in full swing when An Xin slowly moved to Xu Ruolan's side. Then she saw Yan Zhen walk in expressionlessly. As she passed by, Yan Zhen glanced at her, and An Xin immediately looked away.
Xu Ruolan asked, "Xin'er, has the Empress Dowager made things difficult for you?" Her voice was low and her expression was worried.
An Xin smiled and said, "No."
Xu Ruolan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Xin'er, I have heard about what happened in the palace. Just as your father said, you need to be more careful with your words in the future. You are lucky today, but you can't be lucky every day."
An Xin immediately agreed, but then noticed a vicious gaze falling on her. She glanced up and saw it was Ming Jiao, whom she had met outside the palace. The girl's resentment was undisguised, but An Xin ignored it.
Mingjiao suddenly stood up, walked over quickly, and stood directly in front of Anxin. Anxin looked up, and then a glass of wine was poured on her face.