In the magnificent grand hall, among the dazzling dancers, a girl in a red skirt swaying gracefully paired with a tall and handsome man in a suit and leather shoes as they waltzed in carefree, relaxed steps.
They gazed into each other's eyes as if unaware of anyone else's presence, tacitly enjoying the atmosphere brought by the music and harmony. It was as if only the two of them existed in the entire hall, even the lighting seemed perfectly tailored for them.
No one was more compatible than they were.
Qiao Ying looked at the elegant features of the man, her eyes falling on his lips that were slightly redder than usual.
Her eyes were very calm, yet Qin Hanyue could feel some heat in them.
Qin Hanyue's senses were right, Qiao Ying with hormones running high was aroused by lust at the moment as she stared at the man's lips: Damn, I want to kiss him.
This damn place! Qiao Ying who always did whatever she wanted was for the first time restrained by the occasion and unable to act on her desires.
"What are you looking at?" The man's voice was low and seductive.
He was teasing her deliberately.
Because he noticed Qiao Ying's wandering eyes, even somewhat aggressive. It seemed she was not as pure and innocent as she appeared. This made Qin Hanyue secretly excited and delighted.
At the same time, he savored her passion from earlier.
If Qin Hanyue knew Qiao Ying's inner thoughts at the moment, he would surely be more furious than her, possibly to the point of becoming ill.
Qiao Ying: "Looking at your face."
Qin Hanyue chuckled and asked, "How do you like it?"
Qiao Ying admitted plainly: "It's comforting."
Qin Hanyue laughed again. To him, this was undoubtedly high praise. He looked at Qiao Ying and said, "It's my first time seeing you in a formal dress in real life. You really look beautiful."
His eyebrows and eyes were gentle. He spoke those words very sincerely.
It was this face that he still wasn't used to.
What also made him uncomfortable was that she wasn't accompanying him as his date tonight.
The music ended, and Qin Hanyue let her go, politely taking a step back. He took off his coat and handed it to Qiao Ying.
He was behaving very much like a gentleman.
"Thank you, Mr. Qin." Qiao Ying took it and put it on.
She saw Lin Cheng coming back, only to be intercepted halfway by Karina.
Qiao Ying looked at the scene not far away and said, "I told Ryan I'd show some sincerity."
Qin Hanyue: "How are you going to do that?"
Qiao Ying: "I'll need your cooperation to put on an act."
Qin Hanyue: "What do I play?"
Qiao Ying looked towards the nearest circular two-story bar: "Do you see that? Go stand over there later and pretend to be mute."
Pretend to be mute?
Qin Hanyue hesitated. She was not letting him speak, which meant he had to hold it in. It definitely wasn't going to be anything good.
Qin Hanyue rejected it inwardly, but could only agree.
Karina extended her hand, "May I have this dance?"
Lin Cheng: "Sorry, Xiao Yin is still waiting for me over there."
Karina slowly lowered her hand. Her face was expressionless beneath the black veil: "The Duke chatted with my father for so long yet they didn't reach an agreement?"
Lin Cheng had just been called away by the King earlier.
Lin Cheng: "I think my stance has been made very clear."
Karina: "Is the Duke really going to disappoint all those citizens who adore him and hand over Country C to someone like Ryan?"
Lin Cheng: "While I am adored by the citizens, it is only in the West. After all, I am a Huanese. In terms of status, Ryan is more suitable than I am."
Karina: "It doesn't matter which country the Duke is from. As long as the Duke agrees to the marriage alliance, no one would dare say no to him."
"Who said that?" Qiao Ying's words cut in.
Karina looked at Qiao Ying who had appeared by Lin Cheng's side. Her gaze was sharp as knives, as if trying to stab Qiao Ying to death where she stood.
Karina's icy voice said, "Miss Qiao, I hope you understand that you and the Duke are not the same kind of people at all."
"The Duke's uncle was once the crown prince of Country C who brought prosperity to the entire nation. Whether it's the Duke or the Duke's family, their capabilities and status dictate that they can only move upwards. Miss Qiao, if you truly care for the Duke, you should consider his future prospects instead of dragging him down. If the Duke can't ascend to the position he is meant for, his circumstances in Country C will not be as easy as they are now." As she finished, Karina also looked meaningfully at Lin Cheng as a reminder.
"Miss Qiao, if you want money or status, feel free to speak up. I will try my best to satisfy Miss Qiao's needs, as long as you agree to leave the Duke."
The superficial smile on Lin Cheng's handsome features disappeared without a trace, replaced by faint chilliness: "Princess Karina, you've gone too far."
Although Karina had known Lin Cheng since childhood and always liked him, she did feel somewhat apprehensive towards Lin Cheng deep down.
Because Lin Cheng was a very cool-headed person. Most of the time, he gave people the impression of being sentimental and easy to get along with, but the reality was completely different.
After interacting with him for a long time, you'd realize his emotions were highly formulaic, even his facial expressions and tone of voice seemed pre-set, always the same, almost never changing.
You'd involuntarily become guarded around him.
The three of them were the main stars of tonight's banquet. Their current situation - two women vying for one man - was truly eye-catching, and people nearby intentionally or unintentionally drew closer to watch.
Qiao Ying was indifferent to Karina's magnanimity and well-meant advice. She was like a silly girl in love who only knew about romance and didn't consider her lover's circumstances.
She was too lazy to even bother humoring Karina with a response.
Under Karina's resentful gaze, Qiao Ying said to Lin Cheng: "Lin Cheng, I think this is a good occasion. Why don't you propose to me in front of everyone?"
At the circular bar ahead, Qin Hanyue who had his ears pricked up like antennas upon hearing Qiao Ying's words nearly lost control of his facial expressions.
He was extremely shocked, reacting so strongly inwardly that his chest where he'd been punched earlier ached in resonance.
Qiao Ying told him to pretend to be mute and stand farther away, so he guessed she must be planning to act out scenarios with Lin Cheng that would make him unable to remain calm.
At most, he could accept Qiao Ying taking Lin Cheng's arm as courtesy. He could convince himself that it was just etiquette, and bear her exchanging a few boyfriend-girlfriend lines with Lin Cheng.
But she was actually asking Lin Cheng to propose to her - taking the initiative to have Lin Cheng propose to her was the same meaning!
Qin Hanyue had the foresight to already make Qiao Ying promise not to overdo the act.
But now she was doing this... Did she not know what was considered overboard, or was she just placating him earlier?
Not only was Qin Hanyue greatly provoked, even Lin Cheng was tremendously shocked.
Propose?
She was willing to sacrifice this much?
Lin Cheng felt it was a trap. Earlier, she had refused to even pretend to be his girlfriend, yet now she was actively playing his fiancée.
He secretly glanced at the man nearby.
Lin Cheng finally understood what it meant to want to stab someone just from their gaze - it couldn't be hidden at all. Qin Hanyue didn't just want to stab him, he clearly wanted to chop him up and blend him to feed to his four dogs!
When Karina advised Qiao Ying to leave Lin Cheng, Qiao Ying instead blatantly asked Lin Cheng to propose right in front of her. It was practically slapping Karina in the face.
Karina's face beneath the black veil twisted slightly.
Those closest heard Qiao Ying's words very clearly, and it quickly caused quite a stir, with people crowding around.
Lin Cheng looked at Qiao Ying, speaking gently: "Are you sure?"
Qiao Ying: "Yes, if they continue forcing you and trying to take you away from me, then let's just get married directly."
Qin Hanyue's jawline tightened bit by bit. When Qiao Ying uttered the word "married", it instantly tensed into a sharp line.
He downed the glass of wine in his hand in one gulp. The icy liquid washed over his tightly clenched teeth.
Qin Hanyue's mouth was filled with sourness.
