Chapter 76: Seeing His Deadpan Face Makes Me Angry

Chapter 76: Seeing His Deadpan Face Makes Me Angry

Wang Qiluo left with a smile after talking to Lu Lingyun.

Dinner time arrived soon after.

Lu Lingyun went to Ningxin Courtyard to eat with everyone and was surprised to find that besides Qiu Ling, Xing Dairong was also present at the table today.

It wasn't unusual for Qiu Ling to be called to dine together from time to time.

But it was quite surprising to see Xing Dairong standing there as well.

Xing Dairong stood by the side, serving dishes to the old Lord Marquis as his concubine. The old Lord Marquis showed no expression towards her, but perhaps Lady Qin had said something nice about her, as he accepted her presence.

Lu Lingyun couldn't help but brighten her eyes; Xing Dairong seemed quite skilled at pleasing people.

Sitting beside them, Qiu Ling looked uncomfortable, clearly not used to Xing Dairong being there.

Lu Lingyun didn't say anything else and sat down warmly.

Not long after, Cheng Yunshuo returned from his duties.

With heavy snow outside and low temperatures, Cheng Yunshuo went to work every day with great enthusiasm.

Initially, Lady Qin felt sorry for her son and wanted him to skip work during this period, as it was an idle position. However, the old Lord Marquis disagreed. The Cheng family had risen from the borderlands beyond the pass, with generations of small generals fighting their way up until Cheng Yunshuo's grandfather finally received a marquis title and moved to the capital. If not for the family's meager offspring, all descendants would have been sent to the borderlands for training.

Seeing Cheng Yunshuo's eagerness to work, the old Lord Marquis wouldn't let Lady Qin spoil him and encouraged him to continue working.

"Father, Mother, I..." Cheng Yunshuo greeted the elders upon entering, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw Xing Dairong in the room.

Xing Dairong smiled warmly upon seeing him return. "The Prince is back."

She approached him affectionately to remove his outer robe. They hadn't seen each other for over a month, and Cheng Yunshuo instinctively recoiled when she touched him.

"What are you doing here?"

Xing Dairong stood still, looking at Cheng Yunshuo with watery eyes.

"Lady Qin asked Aunt Xing to stay for dinner," Lady Qin answered on her behalf.

They were still standing by the door when Xing Dairong reached out again to remove his coat. This time, Cheng Yunshuo didn't avoid her and let her take off his outer robe.

Cheng Yunshuo's face was unreadable, showing a mix of indifference and impatience. He seemed reluctant to look at her or engage with her.

There was a sense of a couple who had grown tired of each other over decades, lacking any affection and merely going through the motions of living under the same roof.

But Xing Dairong wasn't like that towards him, at least not outwardly.

Xing Dairong wore a warm, ingratiating smile as she followed Cheng Yunshuo to the table. "Prince, you must be tired after a day out. I made a special dish for you tonight. Please try it."

Cheng Yunshuo responded rather dismissively, "Mm."

Lu Lingyun noticed that she no longer called him Yunshuo but addressed him as Prince, following the others' lead.

These two...

Everyone sat down, but Xing Dairong remained standing, busily serving dishes.

"Prince, you love fish. Have more fish."

"Prince, these bamboo shoots are my specialty. Try them."

"Prince, how does it taste?"

"..."

Xing Dairong was very busy, serving dishes to Cheng Yunshuo one by one. He only responded to two or three of her ten remarks, and eventually, even the old Lord Marquis couldn't bear it anymore.

"Alright, Aunt Xing, sit down and eat. Don't keep moving around."

Xing Dairong put down her chopsticks and respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Marquis."

She wanted to sit next to Cheng Yunshuo, but both sides of him were already occupied by Lu Lingyun and Aunt Qiu, so she had to sit next to Aunt Qiu.

After sitting down, she stretched her hand across Aunt Qiu and placed a serving of food into Cheng Yunshuo's bowl.

"Prince, you haven't tried this dish yet."

Her sleeve brushed against Aunt Qiu's utensils, irritating Qiu Ling.

Unfortunately, this was a family dinner, and she couldn't react, so Qiu Ling endured it silently.

As Xing Dairong continued to serve dishes, Qiu Ling's face grew increasingly pale.

Finally, Qiu Ling put down her chopsticks and rose, apologizing to Lady Qin and the old Lord Marquis. "Lady, Lord Marquis, I've been feeling nauseous lately. I might need to leave."

"Alright, go ahead," Lady Qin said, noticing her poor complexion.

Qiu Ling left, making room for Xing Dairong.

Xing Dairong's eyes sparkled, but just as she was about to sit next to Cheng Yunshuo, he stood up. "Father, Mother, I'm done eating. There are some documents from the Prefectural Commandant Manor that I need to review. I'll head back now."

"Alright, you can go too."

Cheng Yunshuo followed Qiu Ling out.

He left, and Xing Dairong couldn't sit still either. Just as she was about to get up and find an excuse, she heard the old Lord Marquis say, "Go, go, go. If you want to leave, then leave."

Xing Dairong thanked him with a bow and hurriedly went after Cheng Yunshuo's footsteps.

After these three had left, the old Lord Marquis put down his chopsticks in a huff. He glanced in the direction of the people outside the door and coldly snorted, "Back then, he caused such a ruckus over that woman, saying it was true love. How long has it been? And now this dead look! Weren't you supposed to be madly in love? Why don't you go love each other!"

Lu Lingyun: "......"

"Enough, Yunshuo has grown up."

"Just looking at that deadpan face of his makes me angry!"

Lu Lingyun: "......"

A father, indeed a father.

Cheng Yunshuo walked on the road, and halfway through, Xing Dairong caught up to him.

"Prince."

"What do you want!"

Without any elders around, Cheng Yunshuo didn't bother with pretenses and spoke even more coldly.

Under the dim moonlight and lantern glow, Xing Dairong stared at Cheng Yunshuo's expression, "Do you really have no feelings for me anymore?"

Cheng Yunshuo didn't want to talk, nor did he feel like saying anything.

Xing Dairong slowly approached him, "Yunshuo, I'm not the same Xing Dairong anymore. From now on, whatever you want me to be, I will be. I'll listen to you obediently."

Her voice was soft, laced with a tone of self-pity and pleading.

She was like a weak little rabbit.

Shaking slightly, she began to sob, "You know, besides you, I have no family in this world. Are you really going to abandon me?"

Cheng Yunshuo: "......"

Looking at Xing Dairong, who was completely different from before, even her crying had changed. Cheng Yunshuo couldn't quite describe his feelings, "Go back and rest well."

Xing Dairong sniffled and wiped her tears, "Mm, okay."

This time, unlike her previous stubborn crying, she actually listened and obediently stepped out of Cheng Yunshuo's embrace, wiping her teary eyes and leaving with her head down.

Cheng Yunshuo softened again.