Ran Min stared at Chen Wei’s blushing face and graceful pose.
Under his stare, her eyes shimmered with the shyness and joy of a young lady about to be married away, both enough to soften any man’s heart.
She was full of hope as she looked at him.
But he did not extend his hand.
Eventually, Chen Wei’s hands couldn’t control themselves from trembling; her small blushing face was also gradually turning white.
Slowly, tears brimmed her lashes when she looked up at him. Her pallid face and eyes that were filled with longing and adoration all depicted a sort of deliberate preparation and an immaculately made-up beauty.
Ran Min merely gave her a glance before quietly lifting his head.
His gaze turned to the corner of the room as his lips curved into a smile: “Isn’t there another young lady in the Chen estate called Ah Rong?”
His words caused Chen Gongrang to widen his eyes while Chen Rong turned sideways to glare at him with a complicated look.
Chen Wei’s lips started to quiver, but her pose of ceremony remained every bit as beautiful as it had been. She bit her lips. Her face resembled a fragile pear blossom, yet a faint stubbornness was flickering in her eyes: Sure enough, this is still happening. But it might as well. With Chen Gongrang here, he will give Ran Min an explanation. Chen Rong’s also here, and she will be made to understand that she should never attempt heedless things to take what doesn’t belong to her.
While Chen Wei and Chen Rong hadn’t been acquainted for long, she felt that she knew this cousin of hers well enough. She had always felt that though Chen Rong appeared straightforward at first sight, she was rather taciturn in her conducts. After discovering that Ran Min was interested in Chen Rong, Chen Wei had constantly feared that one day, while she had her back turned, her humble yet beautiful cousin would quietly climb onto General Ran’s bed and make him agree to marrying her.
He may very well be the only great man who wouldn’t mind the world’s disapproval to marry her lowly cousin. And as such, he makes too great of a temptation.
In her mind, both General Ran and Chen Rong were smart people. For smart people like them, keeping things out in the open was always better than hiding them.
As expected, Chen Gongrang frowningly turned to Ran Min and carefully chose his words: “Ah Rong? She is in Wang Qilang’s good favor.”
Normally, such explanation should be enough.
But Ran Min apparently didn’t care. He smiled, stared into the dark at Chen Rong, waved and called, “Chen Rong, come out.”
Intimacy was heard in his voice.
Instantaneously, Chen Gongrang’s face soured while Chen Wei’s blanched to another shade of white.
Chen Rong slowly walked out.
She kept her head down, neither looking at Ran Min nor Chen Gongrang.
She came before Ran Min and dropped into a curtsy.
When she was within reach, he outstretched his hand to draw her arm.
Even Chen Gongrang, who was as good-natured as they came, could not stop from indignantly shouting: “General Ran, please watch yourself!”
His reprehension was very severe.
Ran Min’s hand paused in mid-air. He glanced askance at Chen Gongrang and lazily dropped it.
He lifted his wine, had a slow sip and said, “Don’t be alarmed, sir. I will talk to Wang Hong. Ah Rong is the only one in the Chen estate whom I find to my liking.”
Chen Wei was as white as a sheet of parchment by this point. Her lip had unwittingly bled from being bitten. Her posture of ceremony was starting to tremble: Ran Min and Chen Rong had barely met a few times. He’s also not the type to care about women and love. Why? Why is he so persistent this time?
Not only Chen Wei, but even Chen Rong was feeling her legs weakening, her heart drumming. Being so close to this man was bringing a rush of complicated emotions out from the forgotten depths of her soul. She almost blurted back at him: I don’t love you, I want revenge!
Luckily, Chen Rong had vowed to live well this time. She thus suppressed the hatred creeping up from her heart as well as the impulsive thought that could ruin the rest of her life.
Ran Min’s seriousness caused Chen Gongrang to withdraw his ire. He, too, began to carefully consider the matter.
He turned to Ran Min, asking: “Why would a man of talents such as yourself like Ah Rong?” His eyes then glanced toward Chen Rong with wary, his voice turning chilly: “Or, have you and Ah Rong also decided your future together?”
He used the word “also”.
Athough he had said it lightly enough, it had made Ran Min knit his brow.
He slowly placed his wine down.
Raising his head to look at Chen Rong, he saw that she was still bowing her head and not looking at him. He sighed in reply: “I heard from Sun Yan that this young lady had risked her life for her friends by going all the way to Mo’yang to die with them.”