Chapter 415
This is disrespectful to Miss Shi, and also to Wu Liang.
After all, Wu Liang is no longer the rascal he was five years ago. She can't judge a person's current character based on trivial matters from the past.
But she still couldn't accept the marriage agreement with Wu Liang, after all, she and Wu Liang only had a childhood friendship.
She and Wu Liang are completely strangers; they are complete strangers and know nothing about each other.
Asking her to marry a stranger two years later was Qiao Xinying knew she couldn't do, and she didn't want to do something so absurd.
"Are you serious, Miss Qiao Xinying?"
Yao Shi's face turned cold when she saw Qiao Xinying's resolute and uncompromising attitude.
His entire demeanor was much colder than before; his previous gentleness had vanished, leaving only pure chill.
Her hands, resting on the edge of her thighs, clenched into fists involuntarily, her anger rising from the depths of her heart, making her extremely displeased.
"Miss Shi, breaking off an engagement is not a trivial matter. I know you will be unhappy with my abrupt actions."
"But I hope you can put yourself in my shoes and think about it from my perspective. Wu Liang and I haven't seen each other for five years or even longer."
"I have had little contact with him since I grew up, and my knowledge of him is limited to my childhood. Back then, he was an arrogant and domineering brat who liked to bully others."
"Don't you think it's a mistake to ask me to marry a complete stranger I only have childhood memories of two years later?"
"Besides, what are Wu Liang's own thoughts? Is he willing to be with me? Have you asked him about his wishes? After all, my past..."
Speaking of this, Qiao Xinying couldn't help but recall the scene when she was young, when she trampled Wu Liang underfoot and gave him a good scolding.
Yeah, I was such a fierce woman back then, yet I managed to completely subdue that jerk.
Wu Liang seemed to hate him back then, constantly saying that when he grew up he would pin him down to prove that he was the real boss.
Judging from the current situation, with my skinny arms and legs, I'm really no match for that little rascal.
"Young Master's thoughts..."
Listening to Qiao Xinying's careful explanation, Yao Shi's anger dissipated considerably.
What the other party said does make some sense, after all, Qiao Xinying and the young master lost contact a very long time ago.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the two of them are complete strangers now, and it's understandable that the other would be troubled by the existence of the engagement.
"You probably have never heard Wu Liang talk about me, right? Maybe he has already forgotten about me, his nominal fiancée, hasn't he?"
"If he truly cared about me, how could he have never contacted me or talked about me with you all these years?"
"Actually, neither of us felt any attraction for the other, and we weren't even friends, so what reason did we have to be together? Was it just because my mother mentioned it casually back then?"
Qiao Xinying picked up her water glass and smiled faintly at Yao Shi's cold and pretty face.
It wasn't that she had no feelings for Wu Liang on her own; in fact, Wu Liang felt the same way about her.
Wu Liang had no feelings for her whatsoever; no one would fall in love with a girl who had bullied him since childhood.
Even though Wu Liang has now become an outstanding young man, just as his mother said, the other party won't feel much about him.
After all, no matter what, he and Wu Liang were just strangers who had had some contact with each other.
"Young Master... Young Master, he..."
Hearing this, Yao Shi was also at a loss for words when asked by Qiao Xinying.
Although she wanted to speak up for the young master, she couldn't find a suitable reason to defend herself.
Especially since Qiao Xinying acted so naturally, it left her feeling somewhat helpless.
"Miss Shi Yaoshi, I know that Wu Liang has become very outstanding now."
"But I don't think that talking about marriage is something that needs to be taken seriously."
"Besides, Wu Liang and I are only seventeen or eighteen years old now. No matter how outstanding he becomes, he is still a young and impetuous teenager, isn't he?"
Qiao Xinying shook her head and said calmly, "What can an eighteen-year-old boy do?"
They are too young, both she and Wu Liang are far too young.
Even if it's two years later, he'll only be about twenty years old. At that time, the boy will still just be a child.
They lack a sense of the bigger picture. Twenty-year-old men should be playing games and dating, not getting married, having children, and wielding power.
"No, you misunderstand. Young Master is definitely more outstanding and mature than you think."
"I am the young master's personal maid, and no one understands him better than I do."
"If you could have a conversation with the young master, you would definitely have a completely new perspective on him."
Upon hearing Qiao Xinying question Wu Liang's abilities, Yao Shi stood up abruptly and looked at Qiao Xinying with a serious expression.
The young master's abilities are beyond question; if only the other party were willing to get to know him properly...
"Ah..."
Suddenly realizing something, Yao Shi froze, her face turning extremely pale.
No... what was she just saying... why was she speaking up for the young master in front of Qiao Xinying like that...?
In that case... wouldn't Miss Qiao Xinying be unwilling to annul the engagement?... Wouldn't her plan to prevent the other party from getting close to the young master completely fall through...?
"What exactly did I do...?"
Thinking this, Yao Shi rubbed her forehead and sat back down on the sofa. Had she gone mad...? She was practically begging to find another wife for the young master...
Chapter 70: It's Time to Take the Initiative
Sitting on the sofa, Yao Shi sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead, her beautiful face pale.
She was already very concerned about the engagement between Qiao Xinying and the young master, and now she had to deliberately speak well of the young master in front of Qiao Xinying.
Even though the other party came back intending to break off the engagement, she managed to persuade them to temporarily abandon that plan.
Yao Shi, is your head filled with water? Why did you have to deny Qiao Xinying's idea?
Why didn't you just tell her to obediently break off the engagement with the young master as she wished...? Look at what you've done now...
"I can't control my emotions whenever the young master is mentioned..."
Looking up at the snow-white ceiling, Yao Shi put her hand to her forehead and whispered.
She's really trying to tie a couple who went their separate ways back together. She's just being nosy and looking for trouble.
But she couldn't ignore the unrealistic opinions others had about the young master; she couldn't accept those harsh and uncritical comments.
She always felt compelled to refute and correct the opinions of those who made wrong comments without truly understanding the young master.
Especially Miss Qiao Xinying, who was the young master's childhood playmate and his only friend during his childhood.
She couldn't let Qiao Xinying continue to have the wrong impression of the young master; she needed to make Qiao Xinying truly understand what the young master was like now.
The young master is now very outstanding, and it would be a good thing for more people to know about his changed appearance.
"Her approach was indeed correct; it ensured that the young master's outward image wouldn't be damaged. However, the consequences of doing so were..."
"Losing both the wife and the army?"
While Yao Shi was still muttering to herself, Qiao Ranxin, who had been sitting quietly sipping red wine without saying a word, suddenly got up and walked to Yao Shi's side.
She raised her snow-white neck and drank the red wine in the glass in one gulp. She stuck out her small, fragrant tongue and licked the scarlet liquid from her lips with lingering relish. Qiao Ranxin tapped the glass lightly, making a crisp sound.
"What's wrong? Do you think we shouldn't tell Xinying the truth?"
Qiao Ranxin placed the empty wine glass on the table and sat down next to Yao Shi, her shoulder pressed tightly against Yao Shi's.
She crossed her full, plump, white legs and rested her chin on her slender hand, gazing intently at the icy beauty before her.
I didn't realize that Wu Liang held such a high position in this little girl's heart.
"Ms. Qiao's words were implied, but Yao Shi didn't quite understand."
Feeling the softness beside her, Yao Shi glanced at Qiao Ranxin's delicate body pressed tightly against her arm.
After hesitating for a moment, she subtly moved two inches to the side, creating distance between herself and the other person.
"Xin Ying is not a bad girl. She has no hostility towards Wu Liang, so you don't need to be too wary of her."
"The reason she broke off the engagement was simply because she didn't want to be tied down by family matters so early on. Besides, she really doesn't know Wu Liang very well right now. Moreover, Wu Liang's previous impression of her was indeed a bit awkward, so it's understandable that she would be worried about that."
Qiao Xinying smiled slightly at Yao Shi, and as if afraid that the other party would run away from her again, Qiao Ranxin moved closer to Yao Shi.
Her cherry-pink eyes reflected the other's image, and her delicate hands, like water snakes, wrapped around Yao Shi's right arm and held her tightly. She then leaned into Yao Shi's arms, and the two pressed close together.
"Yao Shi, the emotions you just expressed on your face were a bit too direct."
"Perhaps Xinying hasn't figured out your true thoughts, but don't think you can fool me."
Qiao Ranxin reached out and hooked her arm around Yao Shi's fair neck, speaking softly.
Having been through it all, she had long seen through Yao Shi's little schemes.
Indeed, Yao Shi is a cold beauty who usually gives people a sense of aloofness and rarely shows her true emotions on her face.
However, this girl has a well-known weakness: she becomes extremely sensitive whenever Wu Liang is mentioned.
"Ms. Qiao... what do you want to say...?"
Qiao Ranxin was holding her too tightly; if she tried to break free by force, she would definitely hurt her.
But if she didn't break free from his embrace, the oppressive feeling emanating from Qiao Ranxin made her very uncomfortable.
This was the first time she had felt this kind of pressure from someone other than Madam Mu Xinrou, which made Yao Shi extremely vigilant.
Ms. Qiao Ranxin is a dangerous person on par with the Madam.
"You like Wu Liang, don't you, my lovely little maid?"
"From the moment you learned that Xinying was Wu Liang's fiancée, to when Xinying planned to break off the engagement, and finally when you decided to observe her for a while, I could clearly see your emotional fluctuations."
"Don't try to hide anything from me, or I'll find out if you lie."
Qiao Ranxin lifted Yao Shi's chin and smiled seductively.
The plot of a maid falling hopelessly in love with her master, whom she is meant to serve, is a bit too melodramatic.
Moreover, it is obvious that Yao Shi is unconditionally protective of Wu Liang and genuinely loves him.
Otherwise, the child wouldn't have experienced such complex emotional changes in such a short period of time.
"..."
For the first time, Yao Shi felt helpless when facing a woman.
She couldn't lie to Ms. Qiao, nor could she find a suitable reason to avoid her questions.
The last time I felt so firmly held in someone's grasp and unable to move was when I was having a heart-to-heart talk with Madam Mu Xinrou.
"Thanks to you, Xinying is now planning to contact Wu Liang."
"The upcoming war is going to be a complete mess. Who will become his wife? If you don't step up your game, you might be overtaken."
Qiao Ranxin reached out and gently patted Yao Shi's head with a smile.
She stood up, stretched vigorously, and turned to look at Qiao Xinying, who was watering the plants with Yun Xi in the garden.
"Ms. Qiao, what kind of person do you think the young master is, and what are your thoughts about him?"
After a long silence, Yao Shi slowly raised her head, looking at the woman in front of her with a complicated expression.
Why would the other party deliberately point out that she has feelings for the young master? Is it just to tease her?
"Yao Shi, constant hesitation will only lead to stagnation. You can't continue to be so timid. Not taking the initiative will only result in ruthless elimination. As the No. 1 in this war, don't disappoint me."
Qiao Ranxin gave Yao Shi a thumbs-up and smiled slyly.
It's almost time for these children to express their feelings... and she, as an observer... will witness who the real winner is...
Chapter 71: Yao Shi Doesn't Want to Be Ignored
Three days have passed since the conversation with Qiao Ranxin and Qiao Xinying ended.
During these three days, Yao Shi's mind was filled with thoughts of the engagement between Qiao Xinying and the young master, as well as the last words Qiao Ranxin had said to her.