Chapter 160: Two Women Face Off

Morning mist had not yet dispersed.

Three graceful figures stood by the lake, drawing numerous glances that came and went like faint whispers.

Yan Yan Lingqing adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses, her gaze filled with interest as she watched Lu Lu Qingmei approach and greet her; she had seen this young girl before in Tian Shu Commandery, and the other party clearly held strong affection for Li Luo.

Yet this was hardly surprising; given Li Luo's conditions, if no young girl felt affection for him, that would truly be strange.

This Lu Lu Qingmei was actually quite outstanding; just her initiative in approaching and greeting Jiang Jiang Qinge upon seeing her was enough to prove the pride within her heart.

After all, Yan Yan Lingqing knew very well how powerful Jiang Jiang Qinge's aura was.

Moreover, by all rights, Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo were engaged; under such identities, Lu Lu Qingmei, who harbored affection for Li Luo, should have felt somewhat guilty, yet Lu Lu Qingmei still bravely stepped forward; just this point alone was enough to make Yan Yan Lingqing slightly surprised at her.

Yan Yan Lingqing glanced at Jiang Jiang Qinge, a hint of ambiguous meaning curling at the corners of her lips; it seemed today would feature a special show.

"Junior sister Lu Qingmei went to see Li Luo?" Jiang Jiang Qinge's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Lu Lu Qingmei nodded slightly; Jiang Jiang Qinge appearing here was obviously no coincidence, and she had likely even seen her and Seeing Yu Lang enter Li Luo and his team's small building beforehand.

"Went to see Li Luo and his teammates," Lu Lu Qingmei said.

Jiang Jiang Qinge smiled faintly: "Seems you're in a bad mood? Because Li Luo is as unenlightened as a wooden fish? Actually, that's quite normal; after all, he is still a youth, and those involved are often blind; sometimes, unless someone directly points it out to his face, he probably finds it hard to imagine you have romantic feelings for him."

Yan Yan Lingqing's eyebrows twitched; indeed, Jiang Jiang Qinge was Jiang Jiang Qinge, launching a major move right from the start, laying Lu Lu Qingmei's thoughts bare.

At this moment, if the other party had been of lower caliber, her face would likely have turned pale with fright.

She looked at Lu Lu Qingmei and found the other girl indeed stunned, but fortunately not overly losing her composure; this made her nod slightly; hmm, not bad; this Lu Lu Qingmei was qualified to exchange a few moves with Jiang Jiang Qinge.

"Senior sister Jiang, what do you wish to say?" Lu Lu Qingmei asked slowly.

Jiang Jiang Qinge's golden eyes fixed on Lu Lu Qingmei as she said: "Shouldn't it be you who wants to say something to me?"

Lu Lu Qingmei shook her head, speaking calmly: "I have nothing to say; if Senior sister Jiang wishes to tell me that you and Li Luo are engaged, so I should retreat in the face of difficulty, then I'm sorry, but I cannot agree."

Yan Yan Lingqing's slender fingers clenched tightly, her heart racing; this Lu Lu Qingmei was even more formidable than she had imagined; facing Jiang Jiang Qinge, the main wife, she actually dared to counterattack directly?

Truly thrilling!

"Oh? Why?" Jiang Jiang Qinge asked, seemingly intrigued.

Lu Lu Qingmei looked straight into Jiang Jiang Qinge's golden eyes, which gave an unusual sense of pressure, and said: "Because this engagement carries no emotional factor; Senior sister Jiang, how much of this engagement stems from gratitude and thankfulness toward Li Luo's parents, perhaps you know best in your heart."

"I am not saying Senior sister Jiang has no feelings for Li Luo; on the contrary, perhaps he is extremely important in your heart, so important that it even surpasses the relationship between man and woman."

"You share no blood ties with him, yet you regard him as an indispensable family member; you would do anything for him; this point, perhaps even I cannot match."

Lu Lu Qingmei paused briefly, then continued: "But... this is not what an engagement requires; Senior sister Jiang, you like Li Luo, but you also do not like Li Luo; at least, not for now."

Beautiful!

Yan Yan Lingqing cheered inwardly; this Lu Lu Qingmei was truly no pushover, striking directly at the vital point with precision; as Jiang Jiang Qinge's close friend, she knew best that Jiang Jiang Qinge valued Li Luo more than her own life, but... at present, she might truly not have fallen in love with him, that fluttering of the heart between man and woman.

This was hardly Jiang Jiang Qinge's fault; rather, she probably never considered this point, or perhaps she simply disdained such emotions between man and woman.

After all, what relationship could be more stable and reassuring than the bond in her heart with Li Luo?

Yet, those involved were not only blind; even as wise as Jiang Jiang Qinge, she could not untangle the complex emotions between herself and Li Luo.

Jiang Jiang Qinge was likewise somewhat surprised by Lu Lu Qingmei's words, then said calmly: "So what?"

Lu Lu Qingmei said without hesitation: "So if Senior sister Jiang truly has Li Luo's best interests at heart, I think you should proactively dissolve this engagement with him."

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Qinge's lips curved into an inexplicable smile: "Junior sister Lu Qingmei, your calculations are far too favorable; if I dissolve the engagement, you would then have a legitimate reason?"

Lu Lu Qingmei did not deny it: "For Li Luo, this would be the best outcome."

Jiang Jiang Qinge nodded slightly, saying: "Actually, from certain angles, what you say does hold some truth."

Hearing this, Lu Lu Qingmei's heart instantly rejoiced; could it be that Jiang Jiang Qinge was truly moved by her words?

However, her joy did not spread; Jiang Jiang Qinge's next words fell like a bucket of cold water poured over Lu Lu Qingmei's head: "But dissolving the engagement is impossible..."

"This engagement is approved by both Master and Mistress; you need not concern yourself with how complex the emotions between Li Luo and me truly are; this engagement will never change."

Lu Lu Qingmei's small hands could not help but clench tightly, her small face turning red with anger as she said: "Senior sister Jiang, this is selfish!"

"You do not care at all about Li Luo's feelings; what if, what if in the future he truly falls for someone else? Will you make him sad and heartbroken just because of you?"

Yan Yan Lingqing nodded, indicating agreement with Lu Lu Qingmei's questioning.

Jiang Jiang Qinge, how will you counterattack?

Jiang Jiang Qinge tilted her head slightly, sized up Lu Lu Qingmei, chuckled lightly, and said: "You wouldn't be talking about yourself, would you? So confident?"

Lu Lu Qingmei felt somewhat ashamed and indignant, yet still gritted her silver teeth and asked: "Is that not allowed?"

"It is not entirely disallowed..."

Jiang Jiang Qinge leaned casually against the lakeside stone railing, turned her head slightly, and looked at Lu Lu Qingmei with an aura as powerful as a queen, saying matter-of-factly: "However, the Luo Lan Manor is very large; keeping one more person, I actually do not mind."

Upon hearing this, not only was Lu Lu Qingmei bewildered, but even Yan Yan Lingqing was left dumbfounded.

Jiang Jiang Qinge, have you gone mad?!

Lu Lu Qingmei also stared at Jiang Jiang Qinge with wide, beautiful eyes; after a long while, her small face flushed red as she said: "Senior sister Jiang, what, what exactly are you talking about?!"

"Why be so clear... if you truly possess that ability, I indeed do not mind," Jiang Jiang Qinge said calmly.

But I do mind!

Lu Lu Qingmei could not help but want to roar in her heart; she never expected Jiang Jiang Qinge to say such words, which utterly destroyed all her preparations.

Yet in the end, she did not speak those words aloud; instead, she shook her head and turned to run away directly.

Scared away.

"You are far too fierce," Yan Yan Lingqing said, watching Lu Lu Qingmei, who had been scared away.

Jiang Jiang Qinge ignored her.

"What you just said, it wasn't really true, was it?" Yan Yan Lingqing asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Jiang Jiang Qinge countered.

"I don't know..."

Yan Yan Lingqing shook her head and said: "But if you truly think this way, I can only say..."

"Add you to it?" Jiang Jiang Qinge said with a smile.

Yan Yan Lingqing punched her in annoyance: "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Then she said seriously: "Jiang Jiang Qinge, the way you were just now didn't seem like a fiancée treating her fiancé. On the contrary... it was more like an elder sister picking a wife for her younger brother."

"Doing it this way... Li Luo may not actually like it."

"Jiang Jiang Qinge, I know your feelings for Li Luo are too complicated—complicated to the point that outsiders can't sort them out at all. But the way you're acting, I feel... there'll be plenty of times in the future when you regret it."

Jiang Jiang Qinge fell silent, saying nothing for a long while.

Yan Yan Lingqing waited a moment, then asked: "Still going to find Li Luo for a meal?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge casually slapped a stone head atop the stone railing, smashing it to bits.

Then she turned and walked away, her faint voice drifting back.

"Not eating anymore. I'm afraid if I see him now, I'll make his head end up like that stone."