Bai Qingyue thought this to herself, but on the surface, she nodded, appearing to believe Xing Yuan's explanation.
During breakfast, before she had even taken a few bites, Bai Qingyue suddenly put down her chopsticks, a look of annoyance on her face, and turned to leave.
As Xing Yuan reacted and was about to follow, Bai Qingyue turned back, looking at her as if to warn her, and said, "I want to go out for a walk by myself. You are not allowed to follow me."
No, if I endure it now, I'll only get angrier later. Xing Yuan has actually learned to lie to her. Bai Qingyue didn't know whether she felt more angry or disappointed. But seeing Xing Yuan's innocent expression, she couldn't bring herself to get angry. She had no choice but to find a place to be alone for a while and calm down.
Xing Yuan had been by her elder sister's side for so long, and this was the first time she had seen her elder sister so angry. But there was nothing wrong with the food! Why was her elder sister acting so inexplicably, it was so strange!
Xing Yuan couldn't figure it out, but because of Bai Qingyue's stern warning earlier, she hesitated and still didn't chase after her. Anyway, her elder sister should be safe within the manor, so she might as well think of other ways to cheer her elder sister up.
On the other side, Bai Qingyue couldn't help but look back. Seeing that Xing Yuan had indeed not followed, she felt a pang of loss. Where was Xing Yuan's clingy demeanor from before! Couldn't she tell that she had been speaking sarcastically just now?
Bai Qingyue felt a bit calmer as she felt the cold wind. Xing Yuan was probably sincere towards her most of the time. Perhaps she had some personal matters that were inconvenient to tell her, which was why she had concealed them.
Bai Qingyue thought to herself that she really shouldn't be sulking over such a small matter! Where had her usual composure gone? Why did she feel like she was becoming a bit childish after spending so much time with Xing Yuan?
Bai Qingyue didn't want Xing Yuan to know that she had calmed down so quickly. After wandering around her own garden and finding it uninteresting, she decided to go and see her good friend Wen Xingyi.
Wen Xingyi had taken a liking to a few young men these past few days and was at home contemplating which one would be easier to control. She hadn't visited Bai Qingyue for some time. Upon hearing the servant's announcement, she quickly ordered Bai Qingyue to be invited in.
"Qingyue, why do you have time to visit me today?" Wen Xingyi said, rushing to greet Bai Qingyue as soon as she saw her.
"It's nothing! I heard you're busy with your own marriage preparations, so I came to take a look," Bai Qingyue said with a faint, elegant smile.
Wen Xingyi frowned in distress and pulled Bai Qingyue to sit beside her. She smiled and said, "Perfect timing! Qingyue, come and help me take a look. I've chosen two people and haven't decided which one to go with yet!"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Bai Qingyue's eyes. She had always known her friend was rather bold, but she truly hadn't expected her to start preparing for marriage before even confirming a partner.
"One of them is a scholar from this year's imperial examinations. I've inquired, and this person is usually very good in his studies. He has a high chance of ranking in the top three in this examination! So I'm preparing to invest early."
"The other is the legitimate son of a declining noble family. I've heard he has excellent character, and most importantly, his family is quite wealthy. If I marry him, I can at least live a life of prosperity." Wen Xingyi enthusiastically introduced the two candidates she had chosen.
Bai Qingyue couldn't help but say, "Didn't you say you wanted to find someone you like and who likes you? Have you given up?"
"Yes!" Wen Xingyi sighed. "Many things sound beautiful in theory, but they are very difficult to put into practice. Moreover, I don't have much time left."
"The Third Prince is holding a selection for consorts next month. If I haven't settled on someone by then, given my status, I'll at least have to become a secondary consort. My life and death will be beyond my control. I might as well find a suitable person to marry!" Wen Xingyi was very clear about when she could be willful and when she couldn't. Even if not for herself, she had to consider her family more.
Bai Qingyue's eyes held a trace of pity, a shared sorrow. She and Wen Xingyi were, in fact, not much different. Perhaps the only difference lay in their fathers' attitudes towards this matter.
Father Wen wished for his daughter to have a peaceful and happy life in her remaining years, while Father Bai merely hoped to use his daughter's marriage to elevate his own status.
"Do you think we will ever get the lives we want in the future?" Bai Qingyue asked, her gaze distant. She didn't particularly desire anything grand, but she absolutely did not want to be treated as a pawn in a game.
"We definitely will!" Wen Xingyi said this with a steady and powerful tone, unsure if she was comforting her friend or herself. However, after this question, Wen Xingyi felt a sense of realization, and her wavering heart suddenly calmed down.
"Qingyue, how about I choose the scholar? I've also had someone investigate his hometown. He has a clean background and no parents. He should be easier to control than the son of the noble family. If all else fails, I can divorce him. I won't wrong myself anyway."
"Alright!" Bai Qingyue strongly agreed with her young lady's decision. If it weren't for the suddenness of the situation, she might have done the same as Wen Xingyi and found a shield.
They didn't need to have feelings for each other; they just needed to get what they wanted. After what happened with her mother, Bai Qingyue had lost some faith in worldly affections. People's hearts were fickle, and how could she guarantee that the person she chose would always be the same as when they first met?
As the two sisters chatted, time seemed to fly by. Bai Qingyue also found a different way to tell Wen Xingyi about her own situation.
"What would you do if you had a friend who was exceptionally good to you! But then, one day, you discovered that she seemed to have hidden many things from you?"
Bai Qingyue thought carefully. She felt that it was not necessarily the first time Xing Yuan had done something like this when she wasn't looking. She worried that if she couldn't accept it one day, she might do something rash. After spending these days together, Bai Qingyue had already come to treat Xing Yuan as a friend.
As soon as Bai Qingyue finished speaking, Wen Xingyi knew she was talking about her new friend. After pondering for a moment, she replied seriously, "That depends on what she's hiding and how serious it is. If it's not too much, everyone has their little secrets, and we don't need to pry, do we?"
Bai Qingyue's thoughts were instantly opened. It seemed to make sense, but the problem was that she didn't know if it was too much or not!
Seeing Bai Qingyue's confused expression, Wen Xingyi sighed inwardly. She seemed so intelligent usually, why was she getting stuck on this matter?
She had to break it down for Bai Qingyue. "Look, what she didn't tell you should be something that doesn't concern you much. So whether you know it or not is naturally inconsequential. You don't need to ruin your friendship over such a small matter."
A glimmer of understanding appeared in Bai Qingyue's eyes. That's right! Xing Yuan's secret seemed to have nothing to do with her.
But as she came to this realization, Bai Qingyue felt a sudden sense of melancholy. However, she didn't like Xing Yuan hiding things from her. Was she so untrustworthy? Since they had agreed to be friends, how could she stand by and do nothing when a friend was in trouble?