Chapter 122

Chapter 122

She shot Meng Shuping an angry glare before turning away in a huff. Meng Shuping looked utterly bewildered. "Hold on, why is she glaring at me? It's not like I stopped Jiang Cihe from escorting her. Is she blaming me for not giving her the lantern? But that's hardly my fault, is it?"

Jiang Cihe frowned slightly. This Jian Xihan truly needed to be taught a lesson. How could she take her anger out on someone else for no reason?

Jian Xihan paused briefly before continuing to walk. Was it wrong to blame that boy? If it weren't for him, Brother Cihe would surely have given her the lantern and escorted her.

Ling Feng followed closely behind her. Not long after, a guard from the princess's household approached Jian Xihan. "Miss, we should hurry back. The princess is waiting for you!"

Jian Xihan replied reluctantly, "I know!"

But as soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and said to Ling Feng, "Don’t tell Brother Cihe that I have guards with me!"

Ling Feng nodded promptly. "Yes."

Even if he didn’t say anything, did the prince really not notice?

Watching Jian Xihan’s departing figure, Meng Shuping couldn’t help but ask, "Is it alright that you’re not escorting her?"

Jiang Cihe didn’t answer. Instead, he took Meng Shuping by the hand and led him toward a secluded area. Meng Shuping, confused, allowed himself to be pulled along, wondering, "What is he doing?"

When they reached the deserted spot, Jiang Cihe stopped and stared intently at Meng Shuping. "What? Do you want me to escort her?"

Meng Shuping looked puzzled. "Isn’t she your relative?"

"What does he mean, 'do I want him to escort her'? I was just asking! After all, she’s his cousin, not mine. Is he going to say that if I want him to escort her, he will?"

Jiang Cihe said with a blank expression, "Even if you wanted me to escort her, I wouldn’t."

Meng Shuping grew curious. "Why not?"

"Does he dislike that girl?"

Jiang Cihe explained, "She came to the Lantern Festival with her family. Even if she got separated, she definitely has guards with her. Besides, I’m here with you. How would I have time to escort her?"

Meng Shuping suddenly understood. "So that’s how it is!"

"It seems he doesn’t really want to escort her either. I guess I asked unnecessarily."

But after hearing Jiang Cihe’s words, the uneasy feeling in Meng Shuping’s chest vanished. Then, he noticed Jiang Cihe giving him an intense look. "If I hadn’t spoken up earlier, would you have given the lantern to her?"

Meng Shuping quickly replied, "No, I wouldn’t."

Jiang Cihe scrutinized him. "Really?"

"Really," Meng Shuping said. "You won this especially for me. How could I give it to someone else? I was going to say that if she really liked it, she could buy one herself. It’s not like she can’t afford it."

"Why compete with a poor person like me?"

Jiang Cihe smiled slightly, his voice tinged with amusement. "Good. Remember, the things I give you cannot be given to others."

Meng Shuping nodded. "Of course! That’s basic courtesy!"

"Even if I were to give it away, I wouldn’t do it in front of him. I’m not that tactless. Of course, I wouldn’t do it behind his back either!"

Jiang Cihe’s heart sank. Was it just about courtesy? He glanced at Meng Shuping. "Since I gave you a gift, shouldn’t you give me one in return?"

Meng Shuping widened his eyes in surprise. "Huh?"

"Seriously? This jerk! Is he trying to take advantage of me? This lantern didn’t cost him a penny, and now he wants a gift in return? I have no money!"

Jiang Cihe’s lips curled into a smile. "Then I’ll be waiting for your gift."

Meng Shuping protested, "I never said I’d give you one!"

Jiang Cihe replied with a faint smile. "It’s basic courtesy to return a gift when you receive one."

Without waiting for Meng Shuping to retort, he turned and walked slowly away. Meng Shuping hurried after him. "I never said I’d give you one!"

Before long, the two arrived near the river. Meng Shuping glanced around and quietly tugged at Jiang Cihe’s sleeve. "How about we go somewhere else?"

Jiang Cihe looked puzzled. "Why?"

Meng Shuping gestured around. "Look, this place is full of couples on dates. Won’t we stand out?"

A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on Jiang Cihe’s lips. "Then just pretend we’re a couple too."

Meng Shuping’s breath hitched. "Huh?"

"Here we go again! Why does he always say such misleading things? Good thing I’m clear-headed, or I’d think he was flirting with me."

Jiang Cihe patted his shoulder. "Who said only couples can come here? The view is so good here—it’d be a shame to miss it."

Meng Shuping nodded blankly. "Oh."

"I knew I was overthinking it. He just wants to enjoy the scenery here. But I have to say, he’s pretty bold. Good thing it’s not daytime, or I wouldn’t want to be gawked at here."

The two sat down on a rock, quietly watching the lights in the distance. Meng Shuping stole a glance at Jiang Cihe. His profile, illuminated by the lantern light, looked exceptionally handsome.

Meng Shuping’s heart beat a little faster. "You have to admit, with his power, wealth, and looks, anyone who ends up with him would really hit the jackpot."

Jiang Cihe’s lips curved upward, but the next moment, he heard Meng Shuping’s voice. "I just wonder if he has any major flaws. After all, no one’s perfect. Maybe he's impotent?"

Jiang Cihe: "..." We can test that later.

A short while later, a young man and a young woman strolled to a spot not far away. The young man said, "Miss Chen, I made this lantern myself. It’s not worth much, and it’s not very well made, but I spent a long time on it. I hope you won’t mind."

The woman addressed as Miss Chen replied, "Of course not. I like it very much."

The young man sounded delighted. "Really?"

Miss Chen nodded. "Naturally. This is the first time I’ve received a lantern made by someone else!"

The young man seemed overjoyed. "That’s great! I was worried you might not like it. Miss Chen, you’re really different from other young ladies."

Miss Chen asked curiously, "How so?"

The young man praised, "Miss Chen, you have such noble character. You never look down on someone like me who comes from a poor family. Other young ladies I’ve met aren’t like you."

Miss Chen seemed pleased by the compliment and said shyly, "You flatter me too much."

The young man immediately replied, "How is that flattery? I truly mean it. Ah, back in my hometown, I once knew a woman, but... her family was wealthy. Later, she looked down on my poverty and married a young master from a better-off family."

Meng Shuping hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but since they weren’t far away, the young man’s words naturally reached his ears. He couldn’t help but think, "That choice... doesn’t seem unreasonable? Her family was well-off to begin with. It’s understandable that she wouldn’t want to lower her standard of living. Besides, relationships between people from different social backgrounds rarely end well. If she didn’t break up with him, would she just string him along?"

"Why does he make it sound like the girl was materialistic? Badmouthing her after breaking up—his character doesn’t seem great either."

The young man paused and quickly looked around. Seeing his reaction, Miss Chen asked, "What’s wrong?"

The young man shook his head, "Nothing much."

He carefully observed Miss Chen's expression but found her attitude unchanged. Did she not hear what was said?

He continued, "I told her I would marry her after passing the imperial examination, but her family disagreed, and she wasn't willing to wait for me. Alas, I guess we just weren't meant to be."

Meng Shuping was even more speechless. "How can he be so sure he’ll pass? What if he fails? Should he have her waste her whole life waiting?"

"Even if he does pass, who can guarantee he won’t go after someone from a better family? Why should she gamble her future on such uncertainty? It happens all the time for men to abandon their wives and marry someone else."

"Her parents were right to object. The girl might be young and easily swayed, but her parents aren’t necessarily foolish!"

The young man was speechless. Who says I won't pass? How could someone speak like that? But in front of Miss Chen, he held back and said, "Miss Chen, if your family also objects to us..."

Miss Chen comforted him, "Don't you worry, my father dotes on me. He listens to everything I say. If he objects, I’ll just plead with him, and he’ll surely agree."

Meng Shuping couldn’t help but think to himself, "That’s not necessarily true. Precisely because he dotes on his daughter, he wouldn’t want her to suffer. Honestly, this man seems irresponsible. If there’s opposition, he should work to earn their approval instead of putting the burden on the girl. Is he thinking of eloping with her?"

The young man was furious. He shot up from his seat. Why did this person keep interrupting while he was speaking?

Miss Chen also stood up quickly. "Young Master Dong, what’s wrong?"

Suppressing his anger, the young man said, "Miss Chen, let’s go somewhere else."

Miss Chen rubbed her legs and said, "But I’m really tired. I’d like to rest here for a while."

Seeing that Miss Chen didn’t want to leave, the young man couldn't very well insist. "Then please sit down for now."

However, after this, the young man couldn't bring himself to keep talking. As things quieted down on their side, Meng Shuping, with nothing else to do, started looking around. Soon, several couples nearby began to leave one after another. Puzzled, Meng Shuping whispered to Jiang Cihe, "Why are they all leaving?"

Jiang Cihe chuckled under his breath, "Maybe they think there are more interesting places elsewhere."

Meng Shuping said, "Alright, shall we go too?"