Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Confession
Translator: 549690339
At two-thirty in the afternoon, Luo Ziling and Yang Qingyin arrived one after another at a tea house about a kilometer from the school called “Qingxiang.”
After getting a private room and sitting down opposite each other, Luo Ziling asked Yang Qingyin with a smile, “What tea would you like to drink? Anything you’d like to eat? Don’t be shy, just pick something expensive.”
After chatting with Yang Qingyin for a bit, he went to ask the instructor for leave and surprisingly, the instructor granted it without even asking for a reason.
This took him by surprise, and he thought that maybe the instructor assumed he was going to help treat someone again, so he didn’t dare to ask further.
“Junior Brother, let me treat you to tea today to calm your nerves,” Yang Qingyin playfully looked at Luo Ziling sitting in front of her, “You can treat me to a big meal in the evening.”
“That sounds good,” seeing Yang Qingyin’s radiant smile, Luo Ziling didn’t argue with her and readily agreed.
The two ordered a pot of West Lake Longjing, along with some fruits and pastries.
“I don’t know what happened with yesterday’s issue; we had to turn off our phones during the morning military training, and I saw several missed calls.” After the waiter left, Luo Ziling whispered to Yang Qingyin, “It might have been the police looking for me, but I didn’t feel like returning the calls.”
“Ouyang Feifei personally got involved. If she couldn’t handle even this small matter, you’re really underestimating her.” As she spoke, Yang Qingyin pursed her lips and smiled, “It’s the first time I’ve seen her so enthusiastic about a man. Looks like your relationship is not so simple!”
Luo Ziling knew Yang Qingyin was joking and after laughing embarrassedly, he took a deep gulp of tea as if bracing himself and then stared at Yang Qingyin very seriously, his voice low as he said, “I won’t hide it from you, we were once engaged!”
“What?!” Hearing the unexpected revelation from Luo Ziling, Yang Qingyin was taken aback, her smile disappearing instantly.
“But we’ve already called off the engagement,” Luo Ziling hurried to explain, “My coming to Yanjing was for school, but also to fulfill my grandfather’s order to break off the engagement with the Ouyang Family. Our engagement has been dissolved.”
Yang Qingyin didn’t say a word, just looked at Luo Ziling with a strange expression.
Luo Ziling felt even more embarrassed and quickly added, “My grandfather once saved Sir Ouyang’s life, and when Ouyang Feifei was little, she had a stubborn disease which he temporarily cured. The two old gentlemen were old friends; for some reason, they arranged the marriage between me and Ouyang Feifei. But before coming here to study, my grandfather instructed me to call off the engagement after arriving in Yanjing, saying we were not suited for each other.”
“Why are you not suited?” Unable to help herself, Yang Qingyin blurted out a question.
“She’s two years older than me, plus, we’re not familiar with each other. There are also some reasons I’m unaware of, so there’s no possibility of an engagement between us anymore. Now, we’re no longer engaged, but… we’re still friends, I guess.” Seeing Yang Qingyin’s still somewhat odd expression, Luo Ziling felt compelled to explain further, “Actually, both of us were against the engagement. Young people like to pursue the feelings they have for someone they like.”
“Do you not know that many people call her ‘Yanjing’s Number One Beauty,’ and the assets in her name could be described as ‘wealthy enough to rival nations?’ Such a beautiful and wealthy woman, and you’re willing to let her go? You may not know, but inside Yanjing City, there are countless wealthy and noble young men who want to pursue her!” Yang Qingyin looked at Luo Ziling with a teasing smile, “And yet you’re willing to break off the engagement? Are you crazy?”
Luo Ziling met Yang Qingyin’s gaze unflinchingly and said seriously, “If it were you, would you be willing to accept a marriage arranged by someone else?”
“Why are you turning the question on me?” Yang Qingyin shot Luo Ziling a sidelong glance, “It’s not me who’s engaged to someone else; it’s none of my business.”
“How does the saying go, ‘Out of the abundance of waters, I only take one ladle’?”
“So where is your ladle?” Yang Qingyin followed up on Luo Ziling’s words, then realizing something wasn’t quite right, she couldn’t help but blush, yet ultimately didn’t avert her gaze and locked eyes with Luo Ziling, a slightly mischievous expression on her face.
Luo Ziling chuckled mischievously and said, “Definitely not with the Ouyang Family, I’ll tell you about it later.”
“It seems she’s not willing to break off the engagement with you; otherwise, she wouldn’t be so concerned about you. Ouyang Huihui wouldn’t keep seeking you out!” Yang Qingyin said this with her lips pursed in amusement.
“I’m just a country bumpkin from the Northwest,” Luo Ziling self-deprecated, “I’ve been to the Ouyang Family’s villa at Xiangshan, a house as exquisite as a garden in the South, worlds apart from my family’s humble home in that small mountain village in the Northwest. I also know that the Ouyang sisters and I are from two different worlds, so there’s no possibility between us.”
“If the news that you took the initiative to cancel the engagement with Ouyang Feifei gets out, you might be drowned by the spittle of those Yanjing men,” Yang Qingyin leisurely sipped her tea and smiled happily, “Maybe Ouyang Feifei never dreamed that she, having turned down so many men’s advances, would end up being rejected by a little guy like you.”
“Can we not talk about this, please?” Luo Ziling felt a bit awkward.
“I believe that she won’t take it lying down, and if it were me, I wouldn’t either,” after saying that, Yang Qingyin swiftly changed the subject, “You really don’t need to worry about last night’s incident. You won’t have any issues; it’s the others who will.”
Had it not been for what happened at noon today, Luo Ziling might have had doubts about what Yang Qingyin had just said, but now he had no doubts whatsoever.
His mother, whom he had never met, had personally intervened, and Ouyang Feifei also got involved. Since he hadn’t done anything wrong in the first place, the outcome should be quite satisfactory.
Although Luo Ziling wasn’t very experienced in the ways of the world, he held a firm understanding of the situation. He felt he had acted impulsively yesterday, but he hadn’t done anything wrong. He shouldn’t be punished for it; those who should be punished are the others, not him.
He really wanted to know how his mother, Ling Ruonan, would resolve the situation after getting involved.
Thinking of Ling Ruonan, he suddenly felt a bit gloomy, regretting not asking for that woman’s contact information today.
He had neglected to ask for her contact details or even her name. The main reason he hadn’t asked was that he was somewhat dazed at the time, his mind foggy, and he hadn’t considered these practical issues. What he thought most about was that the woman was sent by Ling Ruonan to check on him, she had personally taken care of the matter, meaning she still cared and loved him.
“Junior Brother, what’s wrong?” Luo Ziling’s deep thought surprised Yang Qingyin, who couldn’t help but ask, before joking, “Are you regretting calling off the engagement?”