Just as the words faded.
Bang—
The door was violently pushed open from the outside. Pei Yu stood there, panting heavily with one hand on his hip, peering anxiously into the room.
His gaze naturally fell inside, landing on Bai Liuyue holding Xie Chengxiao's hand.
He only felt a stab in his heart.
He couldn't help but say, "Hey, Xie Chengxiao, let go of that girl!"
He didn't even call him cousin anymore.
Only then did Bai Liuyue seem to notice her unintentional action from a moment ago, and she smoothly withdrew her hand.
Feeling the warm touch fade from his fingertips, Xie Chengxiao looked up with some displeasure at the uninvited guest before him.
"Pei Yu, what are you doing here?!"
Pei Yu strode quickly to Bai Liuyue's side and gently pulled her toward him.
Only then did he answer:
"I bumped into Xie Manyu acting all sneaky just now and felt something was wrong. Sure enough, when I asked, she had actually helped you arrange a meeting with Sister Liuyue."
"How could a lone man and a lone woman like you two be alone in a room? Besides, Cousin, I don't trust your character."
"So I rushed over immediately. And wouldn't you know it, you... how could you hold Sister Liuyue's hand? I..."
I haven't even held it yet.
Pei Yu thought indignantly.
Bai Liuyue clarified, "It was an accident."
Seeing her still defending him, Pei Yu couldn't help but say:
"Sister Liuyue, don't be fooled by my cousin."
"He might look serious and proper, but he's actually very wicked."
"Maybe it wasn't an accident. Maybe he did it on purpose. Let's not hang out with him."
Xie Chengxiao rubbed his temples in exasperation and said, "Pei Yu, Manyu and I are returning to the Northwest tomorrow. I just came to say goodbye today."
"What? You're going back to the Northwest! That's great, this is truly good news."
Pei Yu's eyes instantly lit up.
Didn't this mean his chances just got bigger!
But the next second, he heard what sounded like the devil's whisper.
Xie Chengxiao: "And I also heard that Liuyue is going to be betrothed to Second Young Master Jiang of the Presidential Palace by Old Master Bai, so..."
"Wait!" Pei Yu quickly interrupted. "Back up a bit, what was that last sentence?"
Bai Liuyue smiled faintly and nodded, saying, "Yes, I was just telling Young Marshal Xie that I am likely going to marry Second Young Master Jiang of the Presidential Palace."
If seeing his cousin hold Sister Liuyue's hand just now was a stab to the heart, then hearing this news was the sky falling!
"What?!" Pei Yu let out a wail, his face falling as he cried, "That Jiang Yunshen is always hiding his true colors. You can tell at a glance he's no good."
"Sister Liuyue, you absolutely must not marry him. Marrying him is like jumping into a pit of fire."
"Besides, who knows what will happen to the Jiang family during the next presidential election."
"They can't compare to our Jinzhong. Why don't you consider someone else?"
He blinked, falling just short of pointing at his own forehead and shouting, 'Pick me, pick me!'
Bai Liuyue smiled and shook her head.
"I cannot overrule my grandfather's decision."
Pei Yu turned to leave,
"Then I'll go have a good talk with Old Master Bai. It's not like we don't have good young men in Jinzhong, why must you marry so far away..."
"Ah, wait! Did you drive here?" Bai Liuyue waved him down.
Pei Yu stopped in his tracks, nodded, and said, "Yeah."
"Then could you give me a ride to Qujiang Tower?"
"No problem! What are you going there for?" Pei Yu nodded cheerfully.
"Second Young Master Jiang invited me to watch a play, and I'm almost out of time," Bai Liuyue replied.
The previously grinning Pei Yu instantly reverted to a bitter expression.
With very fake acting, he slapped his forehead and said:
"Ouch! I almost forgot. I did drive here, but my adjutant just drove the car away."
"I don't have a car now, and it's probably too late to get to Qujiang Tower at this hour. Why don't you just skip it? We are already at this teahouse, so let's sit down and have some tea together."
"Just consider it a send-off for my cousin."
Xie Chengxiao really couldn't bear to look at him.
And that last sentence—he was just returning to the Northwest, not passing away!
What did he mean by a send-off?
Bai Liuyue smiled and shook her head, saying, "It's fine. Second Young Master Jiang probably won't mind if I'm a little late. I can't just not show up."
She was just about to leave.
When another arm blocked the door.
The same thing happened a second time.
Pei Yu lowered his eyes with a look of disappointment and whispered:
"But I just got here. I haven't even sat down or had a single sip of tea."
"Do you really have the heart to leave just like that? Sister Liuyue, no matter what, we've been friends since childhood. Can you bear to leave?"
Xie Chengxiao scoffed lightly from the side, turned, and sat down.
He poured a cup of tea for both of them.
He pointed at the cups and said:
"Drink your tea."
"Right, right, right! Drink tea, drink tea." Pei Yu pointed at the teacups on the table and said, "Drink tea."
"Alright, I'll keep you company for one cup of tea, but I really have to leave shortly after." Bai Liuyue half-reluctantly sat back down.
She noticed the two men exchange a glance, seemingly forming some sort of alliance.
They were deliberately stalling to keep her from seeing Jiang Yunshen.
How childish.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yunshen, who had waited at Qujiang Tower to no avail, appeared at the door of their teahouse private room a quarter of an hour later.
He appeared much more polite.
Unlike Pei Yu, who had simply smashed the door open, he knocked gently twice.
"Excuse me..."
"Not here! You've got the wrong room! Get lost!" Pei Yu reacted quickly, immediately shouting a rejection.
A soft chuckle came from outside the door.
As if confirming something.
Then, with a creak, Jiang Yunshen pushed the door open and walked in.
He saw Bai Liuyue sitting at the head of the table inside the room, flanked on her left and right by two handsome men in military uniforms.
Their gazes met in midair.
Bai Liuyue gave a sly smile.
Jiang Yunshen shook his head with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, having already anticipated this outcome.
"Xiaoyue, I was wondering why you hadn't shown up. It turns out someone was holding you up."
Hearing such an intimate form of address, Pei Yu exploded with anger.
"Who are you calling Xiaoyue? Who gave you permission to call her that?"
Jiang Yunshen ignored his fiery temper and said slowly in a gentle voice:
"I'm just following the Old Master's way of addressing her. I'll be the grandson-in-law of the Bai family in the future, so it should be appropriate for me to call her that."
Pei Yu puffed up with anger like a pufferfish.
"You?! The grandson-in-law of the Bai family? In your dreams!"
"Don't think I can't recognize you as Gu Qinghuai just because you took off your white coat and aren't wearing glasses. Tell me, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"I am protecting Sister Liuyue. You politicians are filthy with your backstabbing schemes. If you have the guts, face me head-on."
Jiang Yunshen curved his lips into a light smile and said:
"The Bai family is a prominent political family. Who exactly is Young Marshal Pei insulting?"
Pei Yu was stunned.
Only then did he realize that in his excitement just now, he had accidentally insulted Sister Liuyue's family as well.
Flustered, he tried to explain:
"Um, that's not what I meant. Sister Liuyue, you know me, I'm just clumsy with words."
Truly unable to bear watching his cousin make a fool of himself.
Xie Chengxiao tapped his fingertips against the table. He looked up, meeting Jiang Yunshen's gaze, and said coldly:
"Second Young Master Jiang, nothing is set in stone yet. Don't be too confident, lest you end up slapping your own face!"
Jiang Yunshen's lips curled up slightly. He nodded and said:
"Yes, Young Marshal Xie is right to remind me. I almost forgot to invite you to our wedding banquet when the time comes."
