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Several people got off the Carriage. Yun Kexin asked Feng Yinxiao if she wanted to come in for a while, and Feng Yinxiao agreed. She took him to the Attic located in the Duke of E State Mansion's North Courtyard, where many were still waiting.
As soon as Fu Yihang saw Yun Kexin appear at the Attic door, he wanted to wave and call her over, but he noticed that she was accompanied by Feng Yinxiao—this Young Lord again! He frowned, displeased and silent, only Yun Ran understood Fu Yihang's feelings and smiled wryly without saying anything.
"Where have you two been? You've been out for quite a while," Wei Qing said with a smile. "Young Lord, what birthday gift have you prepared for Seventh Sister? You're being so mysterious."
Yun Yan nudged Wei Qing at the elbow, signaling him to keep quiet. Wei Qing immediately understood and chuckled, "You've been out for so long; you must be tired. Please sit down."
"Nothing much," Yun Kexin naturally wouldn't mention where they had been or her 'adventure' with Water Lily. She casually said, "The Young Lord just took us around the market."
She cleverly used "we" instead of "I."
"Greetings to Fu Shizi and Young Master Tong," Feng Yinxiao stood beside her like a guardian angel, hands clasped behind his back. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Young Lord, you're really too inconsiderate," Tong Zhichen joked. "Going out with Seventh Sister and not inviting us along."
"Ah, with such a beauty by your side," Fu Yihang said without even looking at Feng Yinxiao, coldly mocking, "the Young Lord is busy playing Protector of Flowers; how could he care about others? Even if we sit here until tomorrow, Seventh Sister would probably remain indifferent."
Indeed, even if you sat here waiting for me, I wouldn't bother to glance your way if I died here. Yun Kexin's eyes flashed as she thought bitterly!
"Fu Shizi, I'm early," Yun Ran was delighted to see Fu Yihang's stern expression towards Yun Kexin for the first time. She added fuel to the fire with schadenfreude, "Seventh Sister hasn't been lonely in the capital; she has the Young Lord and Young Master Tong keeping her company."
"That's right; I do have many companions in the capital. Not only do I have the Young Lord and Young Master Tong, but I also visit my grandmother and Fourth Uncle's shop," Yun Ran's actions no longer stirred any emotions in Yun Kexin; she treated her like a foolish stranger mocking her. "Unlike Elder Sister Five, who stays cooped up in Third House waiting for her cousin." Yun Kexin paused slightly and quickly glanced at Fu Yihang with a cold smile. "I suppose her cousin is thinking about Elder Sister Five too..."
Yun Ran's face immediately flushed red as feelings of insult and harm enveloped her, making her feel ashamed. She couldn't imagine how Fu Yihang would rebut this; it was truly embarrassing. Fu Yihang suddenly turned to look at Yun Kexin with a wounded expression.
"Seventh Sister, you know I—" Fu Yihang's eyes reddened as he spoke almost in a growl but suddenly stopped short, awkwardly interrupting himself. "Why do you still want to hurt me like this?"
Hurt? Fu Yihang, how dare you talk about hurt?! Compared to the 'poisonous' wine you gave me in my past life, this is nothing! Yun Kexin's heart roared with fury. She found it strange that Fu Yihang could still provoke her emotions and make her angry; perhaps she truly felt unwilling!
"I'm sorry, cousin, I didn't mean anything by it," Yun Kexin said, realizing she had truly annoyed Fu Yihang. With so many people present, it was better not to make things too awkward. She apologized insincerely, "I just feel really sorry for Elder Sister Five. There aren't many companions to play with, and she always thinks of you."
Yun Ran was so angry that her head felt hot and her body cold. Yun Kexin's words seemed to be flattering her in front of Fu Yihang, but in reality, they highlighted her poor social standing. Not to mention the Duke's Residence; even within the family, with more than a dozen siblings combined, not a single one wanted to play with her. Wasn't that sad and a failure?!
Hearing Yun Kexin's gentle apology, the sharpness in Fu Yihang's eyes vanished without a trace. He thought he must have misheard her. However, when he saw the slight smile at the corners of her lips, the anger that had been building up inside him was unexpectedly extinguished by her momentary "gentleness."
"It's fine, Seventh Sister, just don't misunderstand," Fu Yihang said, his gaze fixed on Yun Kexin as if it were glued there. He reverted back to his previous arrogant self, no longer submissive as the Heir Apparent of Han Wangfu. "In the future, don't mix Fifth Sister and me together..."
The disdain and contempt in his tone, along with the clear distinction he made between Yun Ran and himself, made it seem as if Yun Ran were worthless. This left Yun Ran feeling deeply humiliated and desperate. She couldn't understand why, aside from her status as a Concubine Daughter, she was any less than Seventh Sister! Her jealousy towards Yun Kexin deepened further. Unintentionally, she cast her gaze towards Feng Yinxiao behind Yun Kexin and suddenly had an idea. She pretended to be indifferent and sat quietly while plotting.
"Alright, alright, let's stop this," Tong Zhichen said, having sensed the invisible tension hanging over them like a sword ready to strike. He had tried several times to interject and mediate but could never find the right moment. "Today is Seventh Sister's birthday; let's have some fun... Yun Kexin, where do you want to go? We can all go out together."
Yun Kexin smiled: this was Tong Zhichen for you; he didn't like arguments or noise. In the past, whenever she had disputes with the Crown Prince, he always stepped in as the peacemaker.
"No need; I'm already very happy today," Yun Kexin replied gratefully with a smile. "None of you are absent and you even brought gifts for me; this is truly the happiest birthday I've ever had."
Feng Yinxiao stood silently behind Yun Kexin. Hearing her sometimes soft and gentle words and other times cheerful exclamations lifted her spirits too. But why was Seventh Sister particularly cold towards Fu Yihang and spoke harshly?
"Alright then, Yun Kexin, I've been at your residence for some time now," Tong Zhichen said as he stood up to take his leave. "I promised Father and Mother I wouldn't return too late..."
Before he could finish speaking, a chain reaction occurred—
"Yun Kexin, I should also return home now," Feng Yinxiao said slowly. "Uncle has something to discuss with me; I'll come visit again next time."
Then Wei Qing and Yun Yan also expressed their intention to return to the royal residence after bidding farewell to their mother. Thus, Yun Kexin decided to see them all off at the door as she watched them walk further away.
After dinner that evening, once she had dismissed everyone around her, Yun Kexin eagerly brought up the topic of Water Lily to Yun Yang. They were in the corridor of the Western Courtyard—one sitting and one standing.
"Father, do you still remember Shui Chengran?" Yun Kexin stood in front of Yun Yang, trying to calm herself down as she began the conversation lightly.
"I remember. Shui Chengran is an old friend of mine," Yun Yang replied slowly. "We met while I was helping to solve a case."
"What is your relationship with Shui Chengran like?" Yun Kexin asked cautiously, not wanting to overstep.
"Not bad. Shui Chengran is generous and open-minded, values friendship, and has a strong sense of justice, which sometimes leads him to offend others," Yun Yang said.
Yun Kexin seemed to have an epiphany as she nodded vaguely. After pondering for a moment, she suddenly blurted out, "What do you think of Shui Chengran's daughter?"
Yun Yang was taken aback. "Shui Chengran's daughter? Water Lily?" He hadn't thought much about why Yun Kexin suddenly brought up Shui Chengran, but her question made him "wake up" and he curiously asked back, "How do you know about her? Why are you asking these things?"
Yun Kexin glanced around the empty courtyard and got straight to the point. "To be honest, Father, I met Shui Chengran's daughter, Water Lily..."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yang immediately sat up straight. "What? Kexin met Shui Chengran's daughter? What happened? Tell Father!"
Yun Kexin was about to explain that Water Lily wanted to deliver a gift to her adoptive father when Yun Yang furrowed his brows and muttered unhappily, "When did Shui Chengran learn to send gifts in such a roundabout way? This shouldn't be like him."
Yun Kexin quickly waved her hands to clarify, "No, Father, Miss Water Lily specifically told me that the gift was her sincere intention and not a bribe—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Yun Yang interrupted her sharply. "What sincere intention? You're listening to her nonsense. If this wasn't Shui Chengran's instruction, how would Water Lily dare to do this!"
Yun Yang grew increasingly angry. He never expected that his old friend's child would behave like this; it truly disappointed him greatly.
When Yun Kexin whispered a few words in his ear, Yun Yang felt his ears heat up and his face turn slightly red. He incredulously said, "How is that possible? Water Lily... what nonsense."
"Whether she is talking nonsense or not, Daughter doesn't know," Yun Kexin said, standing still and gazing intently at Yun Yang under the moonlight, trying to find the answer in his expression. "But those are her exact words, and Young Lord and the three maidservants can testify to that."
Yun Yang still refused to accept this matter, and several times he tried to stand up to "argue," but each time he was pressed back down by Yun Kexin's hand.
"...But Kexin, I still don't understand how a young girl like her could take a liking to an old man like me..."
Yun Kexin laughed out loud. "Father, how exaggerated! Who are you calling an old man? You're only in your fifties and still look quite good." She seriously examined her adoptive father, noticing that he bore some resemblance to her biological father, Yun You, which made her feel a sense of closeness. "Water Lily is around twenty; she is quite compatible with Father."
"Compatible? There’s quite an age difference," Yun Yang weakly objected.
"Of course, when taking a concubine, one should look for someone younger," Yun Kexin stated bluntly. "It's not like you're marrying a main wife; there's no need to be so strict."
"I... I just worry," Yun Yang said helplessly, "that I might be wronging a good girl."
Yun Kexin chuckled to herself; it turned out that her adoptive father wasn't completely oblivious to Water Lily. He just hadn't thought deeply about it due to the age difference, but he likely had a decent impression of her in his heart, which made things easier.
"Father, Daughter heard that Water Lily is a Concubine Daughter; she probably doesn't have the fate of being a main wife," Yun Kexin said. "Since she happens to admire Father, why not take her into the Third House to serve you? It would be better than having her suffer in other wealthy families."
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