sjar Chapter 70 Confessing My Feelings (1)
Chapter 70 Confessing My Feelings (1)
Halfway through the banquet, Shen Xiaoran went to Qin Yaoyao's side to continue chatting.
Shen Xiaoran said, "She hasn't finished speaking yet! Why is she in a bad mood?"
Qin Yaoyao continued, "Because the person who used to like her seems to have fallen for someone else now."
Shen Xiaoran said angrily, "How could she do this? She clearly has someone she likes, yet she still goes and provokes others. This person is just too much!" She looked indignant, as if she were acting on behalf of heaven. Then she asked urgently, "Tell me quickly, who is this person? I want to help her get revenge!"
Qin Yaoyao was secretly delighted. This girl was indeed righteous and straightforward, without any affectation—that was wonderful. But on the surface, she still pretended to be cautious and said softly, "It's the Fifth Prince, He Mingfeng..."
After speaking, Qin Yaoyao stared intently at Shen Xiaoran, wanting to see her reaction and whether she would show any guilt. However, Shen Xiaoran only looked surprised and said incredulously, "Impossible! My cousin wouldn't do that! He's always liked Cheng Ying, how could he like someone else?"
Qin Yaoyao's heart skipped a beat; she astutely caught the key point in Shen Xiaoran's words: "So... you know that He Mingfeng likes Sister Ying?"
Shen Xiaoran nodded and said, "Yes, my cousin told me."
Qin Yaoyao understood, but still couldn't help but confirm, "Did he tell you?"
Shen Xiaoran laughed: "Yeah, when I just came back from Yangzhou, he wouldn't go shopping with me, but then he came to me on his own initiative and said he wanted to go shopping with me. I thought it was strange, there must be something fishy going on, so I asked him why he suddenly wanted to go shopping. I said I wouldn't go if he didn't tell me, and that's when he told me. It turns out he has a girl he likes and wants to give her a gift but doesn't know what to give, so he asked me for help. In the end, I couldn't help at all. He picked out a jade hairpin for Cheng Ying himself. I thought before that daffodils were something that most people couldn't pull off. But after seeing him today, I suddenly realized that although my cousin seems unreliable, he's actually a very thoughtful person. I think Cheng Ying would definitely like that hairpin, and it suits her temperament perfectly. So my cousin wouldn't like someone else. This must be a misunderstanding."
Seeing that things had gone well enough, Qin Yaoyao whispered, "How could that be? She saw it with her own eyes, how could it be fake?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, just a few days ago on the street," Qin Yaoyao said earnestly.
Shen Xiaoran frowned: "How is that possible? I've been with my cousin the whole time, and I haven't seen him get close to any woman!"
Qin Yaoyao found it amusing to see Shen Xiaoran still not having reacted, so she reminded her, "I also heard that the two of them were at the Third Prince's residence a few days ago when he got married! Sister Ying originally wanted to go to the garden to talk to the Fifth Prince, but as soon as she got there, she saw him chatting with other girls. So Sister Ying didn't disturb him and just left."
Shen Xiaoran immediately retorted, "Impossible. After I finished talking to my cousin that day, he went to find Cheng Ying. It's impossible for him to be with other girls..." Suddenly, as if she remembered something, her voice stopped abruptly.
"Could it be... you mean Cheng Ying saw me?" Shen Xiaoran asked incredulously.
Qin Yaoyao nodded and said with a smile, "It seems you finally understand."
Shen Xiaoran said anxiously, "Oh no! The girl Cheng Ying saw must be me, so she misunderstood my relationship with my cousin! Oh no! What am I going to do!" She stamped her feet in distress, and then said, "If my aunt knew that the daughter-in-law she had her eye on was running away because of me, wouldn't she be furious? And my cousin finally met a girl he liked, but she's ignoring him because of me, wouldn't she skin me alive? No, I have to go and explain things to her." After saying that, she turned to walk towards Cheng Ying, but Qin Yaoyao quickly grabbed her arm.
Qin Yaoyao smiled and said, "It won't be of much use for you to explain." Shen Xiaoran asked, puzzled, "How so?"
Qin Yaoyao then said earnestly, "Think about it, she doesn't know you. Even if you explain, will she believe you? She still wants He Mingfeng to tell her this, preferably a firm statement that he likes her."
Then let He Mingfeng give the hairpin to Sister Ying. Sister Ying will definitely believe it, and you can become good friends! Shen Xiaoran said, "What you said makes sense. This cousin is too stupid. He hasn't given the hairpin away yet. If he had given it away earlier, how could Sister Ying have misunderstood?" The two smiled at each other.
Just then, the Third Princess came over and said, "Cousin, Yao Yao, what are you talking about? You seem so happy."
Shen Xiaoran said, "You're a child, I won't tell you."
Qin Yaoyao chimed in, "They're just kids."
He Mingxuan retorted defiantly to Qin Yaoyao, "You're half a year younger than me! How dare you call me a child? Hmm. Tell me now, or I'll..." As she spoke, she reached out her claws.
Just as he was about to scratch them, he saw Cheng Ying stand up and walk out.
He Mingfeng watched Cheng Ying leave and then followed her out.
Qin Yaoyao and the other two followed closely behind and went out as well, as did He Yanxi.
He Yanxi originally wanted to be alone with Qin Yaoyao, but with these two annoying people constantly following him, he didn't have a chance. So he sent someone to find Qin Zeyu and have him go find Qin Zefei. As soon as they arrived at the garden, they saw Qin Zeyu standing there. He Mingxuan's eyes lit up and she called out, "Qin Zeyu, over here!" Qin Zeyu noticed them and greeted the people around him before walking over and saying, "Greetings, Third Princess, Aunt, you're here too." Qin Yaoyao smiled and said, "Yes, just out for a walk." Qin Zeyu was about to speak when he was interrupted.
He Mingxuan was displeased when she heard him call her the Third Princess. She pouted and said, "Qin Zeyu, I have something to tell you. Come with me." With that, she took Qin Zeyu's hand and walked to the other side. She didn't forget to turn back to Qin Yaoyao and Shen Xiaoran and say, "You two take your time. I have something to do, so I'll be going now." After saying that, she turned around and ran off with Qin Zeyu.
Qin Yaoyao shook her head helplessly as she watched them leave. Shen Xiaoran also looked somewhat helpless. However, not long after, Qin Zefei arrived. Seeing Qin Yaoyao, he went straight over and said, "Auntie, have you seen Zeyu?" Qin Yaoyao replied, "He just went out because he had something to do." "That kid! He actually made me come here to wait for him, and then he ran off first. I'll teach him a lesson when I get back!" Qin Zefei muttered as he stormed off. Seeing this, Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but smile and say, "Auntie has to go too~"
After Qin Zefei left, Shen Xiaoran asked Qin Yaoyao curiously, "Who was that boy just now?" Qin Yaoyao smiled and replied, "He's my nephew, Qin Zefei." Shen Xiaoran then asked, "Oh? His name is Qin Zefei... How old is he?" Qin Yaoyao looked at her with some suspicion, "Why are you suddenly so interested in Zefei? You wouldn't happen to have fallen for him, would you?"
Shen Xiaoran laughed mischievously, "No way, I was just asking." Qin Yaoyao clapped her hands in sudden realization, "Could it be that the person you're looking for is Zefei?" Shen Xiaoran nodded shyly.
"Oh, I see." Qin Yaoyao smiled. "Then hurry up and go, don't keep him waiting too long. Good luck!" Shen Xiaoran smiled gratefully, then turned and left. Watching Shen Xiaoran's departing figure, Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but chuckle softly.
However, after Shen Xiaoran left, He Yanxi emerged from behind a tree. Qin Yaoyao looked at him in surprise: "What are you doing here?" He Yanxi calmly explained, "I saw you come out, so I followed you to see." Qin Yaoyao's lips curled up slightly: "I see. But since you're here, let's watch the show together." Saying that, she pulled He Yanxi to a secluded corner and secretly observed the movements in the distance.
As soon as he finished speaking, He Mingfeng strode into the Imperial Garden. He walked up to Cheng Ying with a serious expression and called out softly, "Ah Ying..."
Upon hearing the familiar voice and address, Cheng Ying froze, then slowly raised her head, staring incredulously at the man before her—He Mingfeng was standing quietly in front of her.
Cheng Ying panicked instantly, turned and ran, thinking to herself with annoyance, "How could I be so stupid! I didn't even notice when the person was right in front of me! No, I have to get out of here first!"
However, just as she turned around, He Mingfeng swiftly grabbed her.
Cheng Ying was startled and panicked, struggling desperately to break free from He Mingfeng's grasp.
He Mingfeng held her hand tightly and said firmly, "Aying, I have something I want to tell you. Come with me."
After saying that, he didn't care whether Cheng Ying was willing or not, and pulled her forcefully towards the depths of the garden, stopping only when they reached a secluded corner.
Cheng Ying struggled desperately to pull her hand away, but she couldn't. All she wanted was to escape this place as quickly as possible; she didn't want to hear He Mingfeng say anything more, because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.
Enraged, Cheng Ying shouted, "What do you want? Let me go!"
He Mingfeng knew perfectly well that if he chose to let go now, there would be no future for them. Therefore, he absolutely could not let her go easily, lest he leave himself with lifelong regret. However, Cheng Ying kept nagging, which made He Mingfeng extremely irritated. So, he decided to take action to shut her up. He lowered his head and kissed her lips forcefully, trying to calm her down.
Cheng Ying's eyes widened, completely unable to react for a moment. When she finally came to her senses, she began to struggle desperately, but He Mingfeng held her tightly, refusing to let go. The more Cheng Ying struggled, the tighter He Mingfeng held her, as if trying to meld her into his own body. Only finally did Cheng Ying gradually calm down and stop resisting. At this point, He Mingfeng slowly released her lips, but still held her hands tightly, as if afraid she would escape again.
Cheng Ying couldn't help but cry, tears streaming down her face. She choked out to He Mingfeng, "How could you do this? We made a promise that you would always wait for me. But now, you're with another woman. Why did you have to come and bother me?" As she spoke, her emotions grew increasingly agitated, and her sobs grew louder.
Seeing Cheng Ying so heartbroken, He Mingfeng felt a pang of guilt and pity. He quickly reached out and gently wiped away her tears, softly comforting her, "Please don't cry anymore, okay? If you don't want to see me again, then from today onwards, I will stay away from your life and stop bothering you."
Hearing this, Qin Yaoyao, who had been watching the scene unfold, became extremely anxious. She turned to He Yanxi in a panic and said, "Sister Ying, is that what you mean? How can He Mingfeng be so stupid!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ying stopped crying, but still choked up as she said, "You want to stay away from me? You were just bullying me! You wanted to stay away from me? Then let go of me!"
Upon hearing this, He Mingfeng immediately said, "I'm not stupid. What if you run away if I let go of you now? I still have something to say to you!"
Cheng Ying replied defiantly, "Then don't say it!"
He Mingfeng said urgently, "No! I want to ask you, why have you been avoiding me all this time?"
Cheng Ying said angrily, "It doesn't matter anymore, He Mingfeng. Since you have someone you like, then we shouldn't see each other again! I wish you and that girl happiness and a fulfilling life together!"
He Mingfeng hurriedly explained, "So you want to distance yourself from me, is that it? But I don't like any other woman!"
Cheng Ying felt a pang of heartache seeing the hurt in He Mingfeng's eyes, but it was clearly him who didn't want her, so why should she feel sorry for him? A wave of grievance welled up in her heart.
So, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, she pretended to be calm and said, "It's clearly you who doesn't want anything to do with me, so why are you turning around and accusing me!"
He Mingfeng was instantly stunned. His eyes widened, and he asked with a puzzled look, "When did I say I was going to cut off all contact with you? How come I didn't know that? Did someone tell you?"
Cheng Ying shook her head, her tone tinged with a hint of resentment: "Nobody told me this, but this is what I think."
"Liar! You said you'd wait for me until I figured out how I felt, but you..."
He Mingfeng interrupted her impatiently, pressing, "So, have you figured it out?"
Cheng Ying was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Does it matter? Don't you already have someone else?"
He Mingfeng's heart tightened; he immediately understood what Cheng Ying had misunderstood. He grasped Cheng Ying's hand tightly and said with unwavering eyes, "Important, very important. You are very important to me."
His voice was full of sincerity and affection, which stirred Cheng Ying's heart slightly. However, she still tried her best to remain calm and not let herself be swayed by her emotions.
"Let go of my hand first." Cheng Ying tried to break free, but He Mingfeng refused to let go.
"No, I won't let go." He Mingfeng's gaze was firm and unwavering, as if he wanted to see through Cheng Ying's eyes to her true thoughts deep inside.
"Let's talk and clarify things," He Mingfeng said, his tone pleading.