The meal was finished, and after a stroll through the beautiful courtyard, the important matter that Meng Xiao had yet to mention remained.
She hadn't forgotten.
Hearing this, Meng Xiao's smile faded slightly, and he looked at Qin Yiqing with a somewhat serious expression.
Qin Yiqing was momentarily stunned by his sudden seriousness. Then, as if struck by inspiration, she asked tentatively, "Is it that the person you like doesn't want to see you get married? And… you haven't explained to him that even if I get married, I might not live here in the future? I might roam the world and only return occasionally, or perhaps not at all."
Aren't men supposed to be generous?
Why was the man Meng Xiao liked so petty?
However, if it were true love, it would indeed make one petty.
Could this matter be falling through? Qin Yiqing suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. Were there no more people in this world who fit both their criteria besides Meng Xiao?
If she missed Meng Xiao, her marriage wouldn't happen.
Qin Yiqing felt that she and marriage were destined to be at odds.
Perhaps she wouldn't get married in this lifetime. Never mind, now that she calmed down and thought about it, deciding to marry Meng Xiao suddenly seemed rather impulsive.
Seeing that he was still staring at her, seemingly hesitant to speak, Qin Yiqing immediately adopted an indifferent attitude, "Oh, it's fine, I understand! Even if you can't be a nominal couple, we can still be good friends!"
More friends meant an easier path. When she came to Xixia Kingdom in the future, she would find Meng Xiao for a drink.
It was just a pity that they couldn't be a pretend couple.
Meng Xiao felt even more helpless after Qin Yiqing's two successive statements.
She still believed he liked men.
However, he knew he couldn't let her misunderstand. Ever since she brought her friends, he knew she had someone in her heart, someone who had integrated into her life and met her friends before him.
Therefore, he needed to make her truly understand one thing.
Even though it might be a bit risky, he knew he had to say it now.
"I don't like men," Meng Xiao said, his dark eyes deep, as if they could only hold Qin Yiqing before him.
Qin Yiqing was stunned.
Didn't like men?
Then her gaze met Meng Xiao's deep, fathomless black eyes that seemed to contain everything.
Qin Yiqing's smile became increasingly stiff. "Did I misunderstand?"
Later, Qin Yiqing didn't know how she left the Meng residence. She was absentminded the entire way, almost forgetting to buy things for the three little ones as promised.
She was in a daze.
In an empty alley, she asked herself, "On what grounds did I assume he liked men and not women?"
"Damn it, how embarrassing!"
Upon returning, she gave the things to the three little ones and then became preoccupied.
Yun Shu noticed that Qin Yiqing seemed lost and dejected. She had returned from the Meng residence looking so dispirited, as if burdened by something. Could something have happened between her and Meng Xiao?
She walked over.
And asked softly, "Is something wrong?"
Qin Yiqing nodded, then shook her head. She looked quite troubled, and finally, she whispered to Yun Shu, "I don't know how to say it, but Meng Xiao said he likes me and wants to marry me."
Yun Shu raised her eyebrows slightly. "Didn't you decide to marry because he likes you?"
"I… I…" Qin Yiqing's eyes darted away. She suddenly didn't know what to say. She had previously made a rash assumption while concealing some facts, only to discover that she had been utterly mistaken.
Keeping these things bottled up was truly uncomfortable.
Finally, Qin Yiqing hesitated, not daring to meet Yun Shu's eyes, and told her everything that had happened before and just now.
After pouring it all out, she let out a long sigh. "I feel much better now that I've said it! I want to state upfront that I didn't deliberately hide it from you. I was afraid you wouldn't agree, especially since you are friends with Ji Rong as well as me. And at the time, I thought Meng Xiao definitely wouldn't want anyone to know his secret, only to discover that the secret was something I fabricated myself."
Yun Shu playfully tapped Qin Yiqing's nose. "You're quite bold!"
She even gambled on something as significant as marriage!
Without considering the consequences at all.
Qin Yiqing pouted and defended herself, "I didn't think that far. I just wanted someone to marry, and I felt Meng Xiao was sent by heaven for me to marry, who knew…"
"Who knew that he not only doesn't like women but has also fallen for you?" Yun Shu's lips twitched.
While the situation sounded somewhat bizarre, it was indeed something Qin Yiqing would do.
She acted without considering the repercussions.
Qin Yiqing said guiltily, "Yun Shu, what should I do now? I really don't know how to face Meng Xiao."
"Since he told you he likes you at this moment, it means he is very serious about you and is telling you that after your marriage, you will not be a fake couple but a real one," Yun Shu said solemnly.
Qin Yiqing's expression changed drastically upon hearing the words "real couple."
"Can you completely forget Ji Rong and be a real couple with him?" Yun Shu asked.
Qin Yiqing became even more flustered. "I… I… I haven't thought about it carefully yet."
"Think about it carefully. It's a matter of a lifetime," Yun Shu added.
Qin Yiqing nodded, looking a bit lost. "Okay, I'll think about it. But… Yun Shu, what do you think I should do? It's impossible with Ji Rong, but if I have to marry Meng Xiao and be a real couple with him, I feel… I feel like I don't have that romantic love for him."
She knew what it was like to love someone.
It was like how she loved chasing Ji Rong.
When Ji Rong was happy, she was happy. She loved being with Ji Rong all the time. No matter what Ji Rong did, she found it impressive. Even in her dreams, Ji Rong often appeared.
But with Meng Xiao…
It felt like the kind of feeling one has for a friend.
But…
For a moment, Qin Yiqing's mind was a complete mess. She had no idea what to do or how to proceed.
Yun Shu handed Qin Yiqing a cup of tea. "Follow your heart in this matter. As long as you know the answer yourself, no one can make the choice for you."
Though she said this, her heart leaned towards Ji Rong. Based on the timeline, Ji Rong should be arriving soon.
His willingness to abandon everything to find Qin Yiqing showed his feelings.
These two truly had been through many separations and reunions.
Even the most passionate love wouldn't be more than this.
Qin Yiqing's mind was in turmoil, and she gulped down the entire cup of tea.
Finally, she stood up abruptly. "I won't think about it for now. Maybe I'll figure it out someday. It's not urgent anyway. I'm going to play with Xiao Jing and the others!"
The more she thought, the more her head ached. It was better not to think about it!
…
Pingyang Prince's Mansion.
A room filled with terrifying silence.