mtl008 Chapter 172 Doubling the Bet
Chapter 172 Doubling the Bet
Qin Yaoyao's lips curled up slightly, revealing a playful smile. Her voice, clear and melodious like a nightingale's, chuckled, "Hehe, that's right, that's how it is between Sister Ning and Ayu!"
Upon hearing this, He Mingfeng, who was standing to the side, immediately showed a look of doubt on his face. His sharp eyes were fixed on Qin Yaoyao, as if he wanted to see through her eyes to see what she was thinking, and he waited quietly for her to continue.
Qin Yaoyao noticed He Mingfeng's reaction and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, her laughter as melodious as silver bells. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she said with a charming smile, "Oh dear, you lot should think about it carefully. How exactly do Ayu and Sister Ning usually get along?"
At this moment, Qin Yunji, who had been silent all along, suddenly stretched out his right hand, gently lifted his chin, and after thinking for a moment, slowly said, "Hmm... I naturally don't know how they got along before. However, judging from what we saw when we entered that room just now, it seems to me that the eldest princess is really delighted with A-Yu!"
Hearing Qin Yunji's words, He Mingfeng frowned slightly, looked at him with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Where did you get that from?"
Seeing this, Qin Yunji couldn't help but roll his eyes at He Mingfeng, replying irritably, "Hey, He Laowu, how can you be so dense? When we went in just now, didn't you see those two sitting side by side?" He Mingfeng's lips curled up, and he continued to retort without backing down, "Qin Laowu, in my opinion, the truly foolish one is you! You know, they're engaged, their relationship is intimate, sitting together is perfectly normal, what's so surprising about that? Do you expect them to be separated by a hundred and eight thousand miles like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?"
Qin Yunji snorted coldly, then said, "Fine, even if sitting close isn't anything special, how do you explain that head-patting gesture? Isn't that an intimate act?" With that, he stared intently at He Mingfeng, as if trying to find a flaw in the other's face.
Upon hearing this, He Mingfeng was slightly taken aback, then met Qin Yunji's gaze, but he did not respond immediately, remaining silent. Seeing this, Qin Yunji secretly rejoiced, and pressed his advantage, saying, "What, speechless now? Don't forget, when we went in, at that dining table, A-Yu gently stroked the eldest princess's hair in front of everyone. If the eldest princess truly had no affection for A-Yu, how could she have allowed A-Yu to stroke her head so intimately?"
These words struck He Mingfeng like a hammer blow, jolting him awake as if from a dream. His already furrowed brows tightened even more, and he muttered to himself, "Indeed… patting someone's head is certainly an intimate gesture." A long while passed, as if time itself had frozen, before he slowly raised his head, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. His eyes were somewhat dazed, seemingly still lost in his own thoughts, but suddenly, like a flash of lightning, something crucial came to mind. His expression tightened, and he hurriedly continued his rebuttal: "A-Ning has always been timid and cowardly, like a frightened little rabbit. When Fan Junyu patted her head, she was definitely too scared to resist in the slightest!"
Qin Yunji was also extremely agitated at this moment, his voice unconsciously rising eight octaves as he argued forcefully, "You actually say that the eldest princess dared not resist? That's utter nonsense, completely absurd! You must know, you are her biological brother, and Yanxi is her uncle! With such a close relationship, how could she not even have the slightest courage to resist? Even if we take a step back and assume that the eldest princess did not dare to openly resist Ayu's actions for some reason, deep down she must have been filled with extreme reluctance and resistance. My Fifth Prince, did you see even the slightest hint of reluctance on the princess's beautiful face?" At this point, Qin Yunji paused slightly. He slowly raised his hand, leisurely picked up the exquisite teacup in front of him, gently blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface, and then carefully brought his lips to the rim of the cup, taking a small sip of the fragrant tea. The fragrance of the tea instantly filled his mouth, and he couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly, as if he was savoring the taste.
After slowly swallowing the tea in his mouth, Qin Yunji spoke again and continued, "I observed her very carefully at the time, and I really didn't see the slightest bit of unwillingness or displeasure on the princess's face! On the contrary, the princess I saw, apart from that shy look, I couldn't find any other dissatisfaction!" After saying that, he deliberately winked at He Mingfeng, as if to emphasize that what he said was true.
Then, Qin Yunji continued to talk at length: "Ah Feng, you're a man with a fiancée now! I'm sure you understand very well that when a person is with the one they love, all their actions happen naturally and spontaneously! There's no need to force it at all!"
At this point, Qin Yunji paused, then emphasized slightly, "Moreover, I can guarantee that these actions were absolutely not something deliberately staged to attract attention! On the contrary, if the princess truly harbored even the slightest reluctance, then A-Yu would certainly not have acted in this way! He is an upright and kind person, how could he force someone to do something they don't want to do? Especially not when it's about the woman he admires?"
Listening to Qin Yunji's eloquent words, He Mingfeng fell into deep thought. After a while, he slowly nodded, thinking to himself, "Hmm... just as Aji said, when I'm with Aying, I often can't help but do some intimate things." But he didn't show it on his face.
At this moment, Qin Yaoyao, who had been quietly listening to the two's conversation, saw that although He Mingfeng still wouldn't admit it, he finally stopped arguing. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, saying coquettishly, "Look at you two, arguing back and forth like this. Aren't you tired? Actually, to find out whether Sister Ning is in love with Brother Ayu, why go to so much trouble? What's so difficult about it?" Qin Yunji hurriedly stepped forward, his face full of urgency, and asked impatiently, "Little sister, tell me quickly, what brilliant plan do you have to get out of this predicament?"
Qin Yaoyao smiled slightly, her lips curving upwards like a blooming, beautiful flower. With a clear, melodious voice, as sweet as a nightingale's song, she replied playfully, "Hehe, brother, don't be impatient! Of course, there's a way! And this wonderful method is none other than setting the crucial wedding date!"
As soon as she finished speaking, He Mingfeng and Qin Yunji, as if they were on the same wavelength, repeated in unison, "Wedding date?" Both of them looked puzzled and turned their eyes to Qin Yaoyao.
Qin Yaoyao's beautiful eyes were gazing at the two of them with deep affection. Her cherry-red lips parted slightly as she slowly continued to explain, "Isn't that right? Have you forgotten? Didn't Ayu say today that His Majesty intends to set a wedding date for him and Sister Ning?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yunji felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and suddenly realized what was happening. His face immediately lit up with a joyful smile, and he excitedly exclaimed, "Oh my, right, right! How could I be so stupid as to not have thought of this! Once the wedding date is set, won't the outcome of our previous bet be immediately cleared up?"
Having said that, Qin Yunji turned his gaze to He Mingfeng beside him, his eyes gleaming with confidence, and began to analyze with certainty: "In my opinion, if the wedding date has been set, it is enough to show that the eldest princess is definitely in love with Ayu. After all, if the eldest princess had no feelings for her at all, given her personality, she would have rejected him without hesitation, just like she did in the restaurant today. So, if their wedding date can really be set, it undoubtedly means that the eldest princess has fallen deeply in love with Ayu. All we have to do now is wait quietly and see if they will eventually be able to set a wedding date."
Qin Yaoyao smiled gently, revealing a captivating smile, and softly echoed, "Fifth Brother is absolutely right. We really only need to patiently wait for the wedding date to arrive." Qin Yunji nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with his sister Qin Yaoyao's statement, but then his face showed worry, and he frowned as he continued, "Then, little sister, in your opinion, when exactly will A-Yu and the eldest princess's wedding date be set? Are we really going to have to wait indefinitely like this?"
Just then, He Yanxi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. He said casually and nonchalantly, "No need to worry, you won't have to wait long. We should have a conclusion in the next day or two." Hearing this, He Mingfeng, who was already extremely anxious, could no longer contain his urgency. He quickly stepped forward and eagerly asked He Yanxi, "Uncle, how did you learn of this? Did Father perhaps reveal some inside information to you privately?"
Faced with He Mingfeng's rapid-fire questions, He Yanxi was first taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle. After laughing enough, he said to He Mingfeng in an annoyed tone, "Oh dear, I told you you're stupid, and you really are incredibly stupid! I wasn't wrong about you at all! Think about it, didn't Fan Junyu clearly state today that their two families will start discussing his wedding date with Aning tomorrow? As long as Aning doesn't have any objections, then the wedding date discussion will definitely proceed smoothly and in an orderly manner tomorrow. In that case, won't the final result be clear within the next day or two?"
He Mingfeng frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then nodded in agreement, saying, "Hmm, thinking about it carefully, what you said makes perfect sense! That's a good approach. So let's just wait patiently for good news and see if they'll actually set a wedding date. In my opinion, even if they do set a date, they might not announce it to everyone in the next couple of days. So, if they can finalize the date in these two days, hehe, I'm willing to increase my bet tenfold; but if there's no definite news about the wedding date in these two days, then Yao Yao, you lose this bet, and your bet will have to double accordingly. So, are you brave enough to take this bet with me?"
Qin Yaoyao's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a captivating smile, as beautiful and charming as a flower blooming in spring. She let out a clear, melodious laugh, responding coquettishly, "Hehe, what's there to be afraid of betting on? Since Fifth Prince is so generous as to offer me more money, how could I possibly refuse? Alright, then it's a happy decision, and no one can go back on their word! A promise is a promise!"
Hearing Qin Yaoyao's straightforward answer, He Mingfeng nodded in satisfaction and replied with a smile, "Haha, what a good deal! Let's wait and see who will ultimately win this bet!"
As soon as they finished speaking, He Mingfeng and Qin Yunji stood up, preparing to leave. Just then, Qin Yunji slowly turned his gaze to Qin Yaoyao and said softly, "Little sister, it's getting late, let's go back to the manor." However, before Qin Yaoyao could respond to her brother's words, He Yanxi suddenly interjected coldly, "I will naturally escort Yao'er back myself, so you don't need to worry about it." Hearing this, Qin Yunji refused without hesitation, "Let's forget about this kindness. I have to go back to the manor anyway, so it's better to go with Yaoyao, which will save us a lot of trouble."
Faced with Qin Yunji's ungrateful and persistent behavior, He Yanxi felt a surge of intense urge to beat him up. He gritted his teeth and said to Qin Yunji with venomous hatred, "I'm sorry, Yao'er can't go back to the manor with you for now. We have other important matters to attend to, so you should go ahead!" As soon as he finished speaking, He Yanxi gave Qin Yunji a cold glance.