Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 15

In the banquet hall, Wang Maohong had a bit too much to drink and excused himself to a quiet room for some rest.

In the serene chamber, he poured himself a cup of tea, lit an incense stick, and quietly sat down, clearing his mind. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door from outside.

“Wang Gong,” the voice of Cui Congyan, the head of the Cui family, sounded. It was evidently a well-planned visit, timed during his resting period.

[T/N: Gong means Lord or Duke. It’s a respectful way of addressing the higher ranking official.]

“Do you have something to discuss, Congyan?” Wang Maohong asked with a smile.

In the side hall outside the banquet, Wang Wanrou stared coldly at Cheng Jinyang, who laughed heartily, frantically turning over his prepared lines in his mind.

“Wang Wanrou!” suddenly came the voice of Cui Jinqi from outside the door, sounding rather unfriendly.

“Hmph,” Wang Wanrou sneered.

Inside the quiet room, Cui Congyan and Wang Maohong sat facing each other.

The former looked serious while the latter remained composed. Tea rippled in the cups, and incense wafted from the stove.

In the side hall, Cui Jinqi and Wang Wanrou faced each other.

The former gritted her teeth while the latter smiled back. Cheng Jinyang pretended to remain calm, while Qingqing and Ah Zhi observed coldly from the sidelines.

“… The Zhongshu has long suspected Su Zigao,” Cui Congyan slowly began, “When the court hurriedly crossed south in the past, the late Emperor left Su Zigao in Liyang north of the river to block demons, assist refugees, but only as a temporary measure.”

“However, for decades, there has been peace between the north of the river and the demons. The Zhongshu suspects Su Zigao is in collusion with the demons, not to frame him, but…”

“Are you asking whether Su Zigao is really colluding with the demons?” Wang Maohong asked leisurely.

“Exactly.”

“However, that’s not important,” Wang Maohong said with a smile, “As long as the Zhongshu chooses to act, Su Zigao will have only one path to take, regardless of whether he harbors rebellious intentions or not.”

“Nowadays, Jiankang City cannot withstand a second war,” Cui Congyan sighed.

Wang Maohong remained silent, understanding Cui Congyan’s implication: if the Zhongshu continues in this stubborn manner, it will inevitably trigger a full-scale conflict between Jiankang and Liyang.

Yet, in today’s political climate, Yu Yuangui, supported by the Empress dowager, is closer to imperial power than Wang Maohong. To defeat Yu Yuangui in politics under the imperial structure is impossible.

Unless breaking away from imperial constraints, leading all the clans with the prestige of the Five Great Families against Yu Yuangui’s control, which is a direct challenge…

However, that would be no different from destroying imperial authority by one’s own hand, so what sets it apart from Wang Chuzhong?

Seeing Wang Maohong’s continued silence, Cui Congyan also understood his meaning and disappointedly got up and bowed lightly.

“Are you just jealous of me?” in the side room, Cui Jinqi shouted, “Aren’t you and I supposed to be investigating Jinyang’s secrets together?”

“But you fell for him first and didn’t tell me. Wouldn’t it be normal for me to be curious about him?”

“Are you worried you can’t compete with me?” Wang Wanrou asked lightly.

“Of course not!”

“Then what are you talking about?” Wang Wanrou sneered, “You pointed your spearhead at me as soon as you came in. You are bluffing and cowardly. Who are you acting for?”

“You don’t need to provoke me,” Cui Jinqi muttered, “Nor do you need to change the subject. Just admit whether you’re jealous or not!”

Wang Wanrou remained silent. She understood Cui Jinqi’s implication: jealousy itself isn’t a big deal; it’s her attitude that matters.

The battlefield is already chaotic; Cheng Jinyang remains ambiguous and unclear in attitude, Cui Jinqi and Xing Yuanzhi are already struggling, while Chu Qingqing lurks on the sidelines, watching like a hawk. If Wang Wanrou joins the fray, Cui Xiaoniang doesn’t know how to handle it at all.

Sometimes, Cui Xiaoniang really wanted to ignore it, no matter what this scumbag promised or guaranteed, just tie him up and carry him back to the Cui family to get married… However, there are more problems with forced marriage, the family, Jinyang, and those rivals, how to deal with it?

Seeing that Wang Wanrou never said a word, Cui Jinqi also understood what she meant. She stood up in despair and bit her lower lip.

So, Wanrou…

Are we going to be enemies?

Xing Yuanzhi looked sideways, her gaze falling on Wang Wanrou’s face, her expression somewhat ambiguous; Chu Qingqing held onto the chair back, wearing a smile that seemed both smiling and not.

Cheng Jinyang sighed and stood up:

“What are you arguing about?”

The girls all turned their gaze in unison, looking at him in disbelief.

Why are we arguing, don’t you have any idea, scumbag?

“First of all, I’m very happy to have your favor.” Cheng Jinyang said sincerely, “But, marrying into the family is definitely impossible.”

“Our future is definitely bright. As for why I say that, everyone understands. It’s only a few years anyway. How can I agree to marry into the family now? If it were you, would you be willing?”

“Although the future is promising, the reality is full of twists and turns. Our family no longer has fifth-grade supernaturals, and the sixth-grade ones, the elders, have no growth potential. In recent years, there’s no hope for our family’s revival, and everyone can see that.

“So for all of your families, not to mention marriage, even establishing a romantic relationship, is it possible? Would your families allow it? When it comes down to it, there’s only the path of marriage by merger. However, as I mentioned earlier, personally, I find it hard to accept.

“In summary, it’s too early to talk about love, engagement, and marriage. You can’t make the decision at home, and I also need time…”

“Wait,” Xing Yuanzhi interrupted him, “we all understand the practical difficulties; there’s no need for you to emphasize it again. We just want to know, purely from a personal perspective, who do you like more?”

Cutting through the complex rhetoric to the heart of the matter, Xing Yuanzhi made Cheng Jinyang feel a chilling sensation.

But of course, he wouldn’t be caught off guard by this. He simply smiled and said, “Is this important?”

“It’s very important,” Xing Yuanzhi replied.

“Alright then,” Cheng Jinyang sighed, “I like all of you.”

The girls: ???

“Don’t rush to accuse me of being a scumbag,” Cheng Jinyang cleverly diverted, “when I say ‘like,’ I mean I have a favorable impression, that’s all. As for deeper feelings of love, I haven’t reached that point yet.”

“In fact, I’ve always felt that such things should naturally fall into place. Until we reach that point, no one knows what will happen. Once we do, relationships will naturally develop.”

His gaze swept over everyone, and he chuckled, “As for confession, it’s just a way to accelerate towards that point.”

Cui Jinqi blinked, suddenly showing excitement: I understand!

In other words, rather than love being like a transaction—where whoever secures it, wins—it’s more like a marathon.

Yuanzhi, you’ve known Jinyang for a long time, but what’s the use? It’s just starting earlier, that’s all. The one who can endure till the end is the victor. Just as Jinyang said, once you reach that ‘finish line,’ relationships naturally form, winning the victory…

“Hmph.” She stood up, filled with fighting spirit, “Since Jinyang says so, let’s compete fairly!”

Xing Yuanzhi and Chu Qingqing looked at her speechlessly.

Is this girl really so easy to deceive?