Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 12

The ancestral grounds of the Cui family, an open-air venue for a snow-watching event.

Xing Yuanzhi handled the conversations with numerous fifth-grade family scions around her, maintaining a cool and composed smile. It was neither deliberately distant nor overly arrogant.

Meanwhile, Xing Shuhe was chatting amiably with the higher-ups of other families, constantly introducing Xing Yuanzhi to everyone, winning waves of compliments and recognition.

Reciprocal flattery is a tradition among noble families; if you don’t like it, don’t participate.

Finally, when one round of conversations ended and the next group had yet to arrive, Xing Yuanzhi looked around, trying to spot where Cheng Jinyang might be.

She didn’t find Jinyang but saw his cousins, Cheng Yuexian and Cheng Huaiyan, along with Xing Junmo, laughing and talking around a long table laden with food and drinks.

Not far away, she noticed Chu Qingqing, smiling brightly as she accompanied her father Chu Jiye, engaging in casual chats with fourth-grade family scions. Their group was even larger than this one.

Then, Miss Qingqing also looked up as if searching for someone, and their eyes met.

Both understood the meaning in the other’s eyes:

Oh, you’re here too… Hmm, nothing more to say.

They both envied Xiao Wangshu.

As the top tier of the fourth-grade family, the Hongnong Yang family’s surrounding crowd was no less than the Yangdi Chu family’s, but Yang Wangshu wasn’t among them, as the Yang family wouldn’t let her wear a mask and type away on a keyboard while conversing with everyone.

So, who knows where she had sneaked off to now. How annoying.

The surrounding noise suddenly quieted down. The two girls were slightly stunned and followed everyone’s gaze toward the entrance of the Cui family grounds, where the Nankang and Luling Princesses, surrounded by their clan’s younger members, were entering the venue.

The taller one was Princess Sima Xingnan, Princess Nankang. Her golden hair was elegantly tied in a sophisticated bun adorned with intricate hairpins. She wore a loose, classical palace gown, slightly cinched at the waist, subtly revealing her graceful curves.

Why this Highness was still unmarried in her late twenties was well understood by everyone.

In terms of virtue and capability, the Princess was highly valued by the late Emperor, and many noble families held her in respectful awe, making the lower-grade families hesitant to approach her and the higher-grade families wary of her dominance.

In terms of appearance and figure, she was undoubtedly exceptional. It was said that in the lower classes, Princess Nankang was nicknamed “Baizhixi” (White, Straight, Slim), a pun that referred to her as “Your Leg Highness,” so everyone understood what it meant.

However, the noble families had two main concerns: First, her lineage. Her paternal Sima family lacked supernatural bloodlines, and her maternal Yuling Yu family had a trait of “physiological tolerance.” Although she inherited her maternal bloodline, its grade seemed not very high, potentially affecting the offspring.

Second was her golden hair, which genetic analysis suggested was an unstable hereditary trait, meaning her descendants might or might not have golden hair. Which noble family could accept their children’s hair “possibly” not being black? Such exotic features were still subject to discrimination nowadays.

Ignoring the curious glances, Princess Nankang calmly chatted with the head of the Cui family who came to greet her. Beside her, the younger Luling Princess couldn’t contain her cold stare at everyone.

Princess Luling was said to be only 17, looking like a younger version of Princess Nankang but without inheriting (or perhaps not yet awakened) the Yu family’s supernatural bloodline, making her figure more petite, likely unable to replicate the long legs.

However, compared to her sister’s mature allure, the innocent charm of the “Golden-haired Princess” also had its unique appeal.

When the sisters appeared together, their combined charm exponentially increased their attraction to the opposite sex.

Those who can understand, understood…

After a brief conversation, Princess Nankang’s gaze drifted over to Xing Yuanzhi and Chu Qingqing, intersecting in the air.

Her meaning was clear too: Where is Jinyang?

Behind the ancestral grounds, by Tianyin Lake.

Li Qingwan sat in a small boat, staring at the egrets walking by the lakeshore, momentarily lost in thought.

Suddenly, she looked up and saw Cheng Jinyang landing beside her, holding the sleeping Cui Jinqi in his arms.

Cui Xiaoniang’s face was flushed, eyes closed, eyelashes trembling, breathing lightly through her small mouth, with her arms wrapped around Cheng Jinyang’s neck, looking weak from the alcohol.

“How did it go? Did you get it done?” Li Qingwan asked with a smile.

“Are you asking if I got her or if she got me?” Cheng Jinyang replied.

“It’s the same, isn’t it?” Li Qingwan’s smile remained unchanged, “Judging by your look, you at least got some benefits.”

Cheng Jinyang laughed loudly to cover his embarrassment while his mind raced to find an excuse.

Teacher Li had guessed correctly. After flying around for a while, he returned to find Cui Xiaoniang completely drunk. Just as he was about to offer some comfort, she threw herself into his arms, hugging, kissing, and even biting him, completely losing herself.

After much effort, he managed to push her away, only for her to collapse onto the table in a drunken stupor. Naturally, he couldn’t leave her in the pavilion, so he had to carry her out and hand her over to Teacher Li for care.

Unexpectedly, Teacher Li had seen right through him. He thought to himself: And I even wiped the saliva off my face before coming here…

Putting on a façade of frustration, Cheng Jinyang said, “Don’t mention it. Look at how drunk she is. Do you think I would take advantage of her?”

“But I don’t think she would mind,” Li Qingwan replied.

“It’s not about whether she minds or not,” Cheng Jinyang sighed. “She didn’t eat and drank a lot. I’m worried about her health. Do you have any soup or medicine to sober her up?”

“No, we’ll need to ask the Cui family’s attendants,” Li Qingwan said as she took Cui Xiaoniang from him. “I’ll take her back.”

“Alright, I’ll leave now,” Cheng Jinyang nodded.

Being with a drunk Cui Xiaoniang and encountering the Cui family’s attendants would be hard to explain. It was best to let Li Qingwan handle it.

So, he left the way he came, relying on his memory.

Watching Cheng Jinyang gradually walk away, Li Qingwan gently patted Cui Jinqi’s back and said with a smile, “Stop pretending; he’s gone.”

Cui Xiaoniang wobbled as she propped herself up and vomited over the side of the boat, feeling much better.

“I’m not pretending; I really feel a bit dizzy,” she said, lifting her head and wiping her mouth with a handkerchief. “Jinyang… Jinyang is so mean, pretending to leave me alone in the pavilion, making me drink so much…”

“And then he came back for you?” Li Qingwan immediately guessed the outcome.

“Yes,” Cui Jinqi laughed, “I bullied him fiercely.”

“What kind of bullying is that?” Li Qingwan laughed and shook her head. “Most people would consider that a ‘reward.'”

“No,” Cui Jinqi said mysteriously, leaning closer and putting her hand on Li Qingwan’s shoulder, grinning, “You know what? I even stuck my tongue in.”

“You should have seen his expression at that moment, tsk tsk tsk…”

She laughed softly and lay back, stretching her body lazily like a satisfied cat, with a dreamy smile on her face.