Chapter 167

You say, is there a possibility? I mean, you're the toad?" Gao Yang said languidly.

Oh~ like that.

Chen Yan showed an embarrassed yet polite smile: "Sorry, I shouldn't have hit you back then."

Gao Yang: "......"

She felt her punch landed on cotton, causing no harm to Chen Yan.

Sigh~

Forget it, so much time has passed; we're now husband and wife sharing a bed, talking about this is useless.

After hesitating a moment, she asked softly: "Can you tell me how you and that woman got together?"

"Who is that woman?" Chen Yan feigned confusion.

Don't play dumb, you know who I mean!" Gao Yang gritted her teeth.

She had said before that she would never mention Li Lizhi's three characters again, and she kept her word.

So she had to use "that woman" as a substitute.

But Chen Yan still played dumb: "I really don't know, Zhao Tang. If you have something to say, just say it—between us husband and wife, what's there we can't say in private?"

"You..." Gao Yang, seeing Chen Yan's innocent expression, knew that if she didn't speak up, this guy would definitely keep pretending.

Hmph, that Li-surnamed woman!

Surname Li? That's you, my dear wife,

... surname Li, a bit older than me, also a princess like me—that woman." Gao Yang took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to bite Chen Yan, and spoke coldly.

Huh? If you're both princesses, aren't you all surnamed Li?" Chen Yan looked surprised, then resigned: "Zhao Tang, didn't you forget? The imperial family has many princesses."

His Majesty has many sisters who are princesses, all surnamed Li, and many are older than you—I really don't know who you mean.

Gao Yang: "......"

She painfully closed her eyes, having no way to deal with the man beside her.

After a long while, her angry voice sounded: "Li Lizhi! Li Lizhi, is that okay?"

Speak, how exactly did you get together with Li Lizhi?!

Oh oh oh, Lizhi." Chen Yan laughed: "If you'd said so earlier, I wouldn't have kept guessing wildly and failed to get the right answer."

... Alright, I don't want to argue with you—just answer my question." Gao Yang looked weary.

I really can't understand how there could be such shameless, thick-skinned people in the world.

Really annoying.

Answering the question..." Chen Yan smacked his lips, "Let me think."

From when he crossed mountains and seas, he felt Gao Yang was a bit off.

It seemed she hid some thoughts in her heart.

But Chen Yan now couldn't be bothered to think more.

"A woman's heart is a needle in the sea"—this saying fits Gao Yang perfectly.

So he chose to joke, liven the atmosphere, not expecting Gao Yang to keep pressing.

Also fine, my affair with Li Lizhi is already settled; this is a good chance to have a proper talk with Gao Yang.

Otherwise, if Gao Yang truly couldn't accept Li Lizhi, living under the same roof would inevitably breed resentment.

Given Gao Yang's temperament, who knows what she might do.

Several thoughts flitted through his mind; Chen Yan pondered a moment, "Before answering your question, let's first discuss a topic related to it."

First, what do you think about me and Li Lizhi... getting together? Since we are together, have you ever wondered why we could get together?

Why would we get together?" Gao Yang, hearing this, blinked slightly, thought carefully, then said: "She likes you?"

Mm, you're right." Chen Yan nodded, "Between a man and woman normally being together, liking is a very important point."

As you said, Li Lizhi likes me, so she, despite knowing I'm engaged to you, still used various actions to show her feelings for me.

For that, she even didn't hesitate to oppose you, never yielding when facing His Majesty and the Empress.

But have you ever wondered why she likes me?

What else could it be?" Gao Yang scoffed, "She's loved music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, and greatly admires poetry; you write good poetry, so her liking you isn't strange at all.

That's indeed an important aspect." Chen Yan nodded in agreement, then slowly explained: "But actually, her liking me has three aspects; you only mentioned one."

Three?" Gao Yang frowned, "Then what are the other two?"

One is that I can make money, two is that I can save her sister.

Having gotten the answer, Gao Yang froze, for a moment not knowing how to react.

Make money? Save Xiao Sizi?

She hesitated: "No way?"

How? You don't believe me?" Chen Yan wasn't surprised by her reaction, and turned the question back.

It's not that I don't believe, it's just... this...

The words were on her lips, but she didn't know how to put them.

Chen Yan: "Pretty shallow, right?"

Gao Yang didn't speak, but from her silent attitude, she thought the same.

Zhao Tang, don't think it's shallow; this is actually what liking, or rather love, is about." Chen Yan explained patiently:

Men and women are attracted to each other because they are drawn to the value the other intentionally or unintentionally shows, making you unconsciously want to know that person better, to learn more of their value.

And as you get to know them, if you find their value beneficial to you, liking will arise from that.

This is our human instinct; it's hard to control.

Gao Yang nodded thoughtfully, rubbed his chin—Chen Yan spoke at length: "To be honest, I didn't used to like you, of course I didn't dislike you either, but I consider myself not a philanderer."

At first I only imagined a lifetime together as a pair; even if the person I was betrothed to wasn't as good as I had hoped, I never thought of courting other women.

But as I, for various reasons, came into more contact with members of your Imperial Family, the value I unintentionally displayed deeply attracted Li Lizhi.

Let's go over it carefully; after hearing, you should understand why Li Lizhi likes me.

Chen Yan pulled Gao Yang's hand out from the quilt, pinching one of her fingers, and said, "First, you used to have a good relationship with Li Lizhi. After our first fight, you must have complained to her."

From that moment on, she formed her first impression of me.

Of course, given how you were back then, Li Lizhi's first impression of me was probably not good.

Gao Yang pursed her lips, neither confirming nor denying.

But later, something happened that changed her impression of me; you should remember it.

Chen Yan again pinched another of Gao Yang's fingers and said, "That was when I cured the little Sizi, whom the imperial physician was helpless to treat, and persuaded Li Shimin and Empress Changsun to let Xiao Sizi reside at Weinan Bo Fu."