"Haha--" He wasn't annoyed by her scolding, and still laughed arrogantly: "Then next time I will definitely find a secluded place. I think your Hengwang Mansion is quite good. I remember there is a pavilion in the backyard, which is said to be the highest place in the capital. It should be very interesting to do it there..."
"You—" She spat at him, speechless. How could the men of the Huangfu family be so shameless, uttering such words so casually? She had initially been mindful of propriety and didn't want to argue with him, but now she couldn't bear it any longer. She pushed him away, turned around, and quickly walked out.
She didn't want to be alone with this person; he was just too annoying.
Huangfu Yi, standing behind him, burst into laughter again. This Seventh Sister-in-law is just too funny!
--
Not long after Meng Wan returned, Huangfu Mi followed her back, carrying the Western clock in his arms.
Seeing her sitting there in a daze, resting her chin on her hand, he went over and hugged her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, turning his head to look at her, and said, "Why are you so sullen all of a sudden? Were you scared by Lao Ba?"
He knew Huangfu Yi's personality well; he was the worst at being tactless, especially when he was around girls. He would speak and act very recklessly, so it was no wonder that Meng Wan was unhappy.
Little did he know that this wasn't the only thing that made Meng Wan unhappy. With the events of that night still fresh in her mind, she simply couldn't understand the Eighth Prince using normal thinking.
"You'd better avoid associating with him, lest you be led astray."
She said sullenly, "They say you become like those you associate with, and you become like those you associate with." She didn't want Huangfu Mi to become like that.
"How could that be?" Huangfu Mi chuckled. "Eighth Prince isn't a bad person by nature, but after being away from home for so long, he's inevitably become a bit unruly."
“Then you’ve been outside for a long time too,” Meng Wan interrupted him.
Huangfu Mi then realized that the girl was truly angry at this moment. He didn't know how the Eighth Prince had offended her, so he didn't dare to say anything. He just nodded and said, "I understand, I understand. Don't worry, I won't associate with him anymore. I'll put him under house arrest and forbid him from stepping into our Heng Prince's residence!"
With a righteous and stern expression, Meng Wan nodded, glanced at him again, then sat down at the table and absentmindedly fiddled with the Western clock, doing nothing else.
--
When Xiao Yun'er arrived at the mansion, Meng Wan was having dinner. She didn't have much of an appetite to begin with, and when she saw Xiao Yun'er covered in mud and grime, her eyes widened in surprise.
"What happened to you? Why are you covered in dirt? Did you get into a fight?"
His urgent tone clearly showed his extreme worry. As he asked, he held Xiao Yun'er's hand and looked her up and down carefully. He noticed that her pink and yellow dress was covered in mud stains, and his beautiful brows furrowed instantly.
"No, no, sis," Xiao Yun'er waved her hands repeatedly upon seeing this. "How could I get into a fight!"
"What happened?" Meng Wan asked anxiously.
At this point, Xiao Yun'er frowned, and said angrily, "I thought the weather was nice, so I walked here, but I was hit by a carriage on the road and fell there and got like this."
"A carriage?" Meng Wan took a handkerchief and wiped Xiao Yun'er's face, puzzled. "Which road did you take? If you had walked, it would have been shorter to take the bustling city street. Did you take the road that is accessible by carriage?"
"How could that be?" Xiao Yun'er raised her voice: "Of course I know that taking the bustling city center is closer, and naturally I wouldn't go the long way around it. What's most infuriating is that guy actually drove a carriage in the bustling city center and even hit someone! I'm so angry!"
Don't underestimate that girl just because she's young; she can't stand anything. If it had just been someone bumping into her, it wouldn't have been a big deal. She would have just cursed at the person and then stopped being angry. What's infuriating is that several small businesses on both sides of the street were also affected to some extent, which is why she's so furious.
"How could this be so outrageous? Riding a bicycle in the middle of the city, this person is just too arrogant!"
Infected by Xiao Yun'er's indignant appearance, Meng Wan's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. She carefully wiped Xiao Yun'er's small hands clean before saying, "Then why didn't you stop the carriage and hand it over to the authorities? Such a despicable person should go to jail for a few days to learn his lesson!"
The two sisters are quite alike in this respect; when they hear something they don't like, they get angrier than anyone else. At this moment, Meng Wan clenched her fists, looking as if she wanted to devour the person riding the carriage alive. This made Xiao Yun'er turn her anger into joy, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
While taking the clothes that Meng Wan had found, she said, "Sister, look how anxious you are. Don't you know who I am? Do you think I can let him leave so easily?"
Seeing her smug look, Meng Wan raised an eyebrow: "You stopped the carriage?"
She became increasingly curious. Xiao Yun'er was all alone today. Could the people in the carriage have been fooled by her? Meng Wan didn't believe it.
Sure enough, after chuckling, Xiao Yun pursed her lips, quickly took off her outer robe and put on clean clothes, saying, "I don't have that kind of ability. I almost got beaten up by two strong men who came down from the carriage while I was stopping it, but luckily I met some good people. They not only saved me from those two men, but also made some young lady in the carriage pay me money. They are really amazing."
The little girl spoke with great enthusiasm, her eyes filled with admiration. Meng Wan even saw a glint in her eyes. She couldn't help but blink, staring intently at the little girl, and smiled, "You were saved by a man? A hero saving a beauty?"
As if teasing her, Xiao Yun'er paused for a moment, her face suddenly turning red. She snatched the belt from Meng Wan's hand and tied it around her waist, glaring at her and saying, "Sister, what are you saying? How annoying!"
Meng Wan giggled at his shy expression. Just as she was about to say something, Mu Ci walked in from outside.
"Miss, Third Miss--"
Meng Wan turned her head: "What is it?"
Mu Ci stepped forward: "The Fifth Prince has arrived and is waiting in front, but the Prince is resting at the moment. I was afraid of disturbing him, so I came to inform you first, Miss."
Huangfu Mi has a bad temper when he wakes up, and he hates it when someone wakes him up while he's resting. So Mu Ci didn't dare to bother him and could only report to Meng Wan.
Meng Wan glanced at the Western clock: "He'll wake up on his own in a little while. Don't disturb him. I'm going to see Fifth Brother first."
Since Huangfu Yu returned to the capital, she hasn't had a chance to speak with him yet. Now that he's asleep, it's a good opportunity to chat with him. Anyway, she doesn't dare to call Huangfu Mi.
Just then, Xiao Yun'er had changed her clothes, so Meng Wan led her towards the front hall. On the way, Xiao Yun'er tilted her head and asked, "Sister, is the Fifth Prince the one the Empress wanted you to marry?"
It was a long time ago, and I didn't expect this girl to know about it. Meng Wan smiled slightly and nodded: "It was him, but you mustn't say anything carelessly later. I can tolerate your loose tongue, but the Fifth Prince can't."
Xiao Yun stuck out her tongue and giggled, seemingly unconcerned about Meng Wan's warning. She simply followed Meng Wan into the front hall.
Inside the hall, Huangfu Mi sat there drinking tea. When he saw Meng Wan, he was clearly taken aback, then laughed loudly and said, "I guessed that Seventh Brother was sleeping too. Sure enough, he forgot about our horseback riding appointment. He's really utterly despicable!"
He spoke casually, but to his surprise, Xiao Yun'er, who had just stepped into the room, froze in place.
The moment she looked up, she clearly saw a face that seemed familiar.
It was him.
The man who saved her on the street not long ago!
He was actually the Fifth Prince, Huangfu Yu!