Chapter 160: Two Women Face Off

The morning mist had not yet dispersed.

Three graceful figures stood together by the lake, drawing many glances that drifted toward them, whether intentional or not.

Yan Lingqing adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses, her gaze filled with interest as she watched Lu Qinger walk up to greet them; she had seen this young girl back in Tianshu Prefecture, and it was clear the other party held deep affection for Li Luo.

This was not surprising, however; given the conditions of that fellow Li Luo, it would actually be strange if no young girl had feelings for him.

This Lu Qinger was actually quite excellent; the very act of taking the initiative to come forward and greet Jiang Qing'e, having just seen her, was enough to prove the pride within her heart.

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

Furthermore, logically speaking, Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo had an engagement; given their respective statuses, Lu Qinger, who had feelings for Li Luo, should have felt somewhat guilty, yet Lu Qinger had still bravely come forward—this alone was enough to make Yan Lingqing feel a bit surprised by her.

Yan Lingqing's gaze flicked toward Jiang Qing'e, a smile of ambiguous meaning appearing on her lips; it seemed there was a special show to watch today.

"Did Junior Sister Qinger go to see Li Luo?" Jiang Qing'e's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Lu Qinger nodded slightly; Jiang Qing'e appearing here was clearly no coincidence, and she had likely even seen her and Yu Lang enter the small building where Li Luo and the others were staying.

"I went to see Li Luo and his teammates," Lu Qinger said.

Jiang Qing'e smiled faintly: "Does it seem like you are in a bad mood? Is it because Li Luo is as dense as a wooden fish? Actually, it is quite normal; he is, after all, still a young man, and those involved are often blind. Sometimes, if it is not pointed out directly to his face, it is likely hard for him to imagine that you would have romantic feelings for him."

Yan Lingqing's brow twitched; as expected of Jiang Qing'e, she went straight for the big move, completely laying bare Lu Qinger's intentions.

If the other party were of a lower caliber, their face would likely have turned pale with fright at this moment.

She looked at Lu Qinger and found that the other party was indeed stunned, but fortunately, she did not lose her composure too much, which made her nod slightly—hmm, not bad; this Lu Qinger was qualified to trade a few blows with Jiang Qing'e.

"Senior Sister Jiang, what are you trying to say?" Lu Qinger asked slowly.

Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes fixed on Lu Qinger, and she said: "Shouldn't it be what you want to say to me?"

Lu Qinger shook her head and said calmly: "I have nothing to say. If Senior Sister Jiang wants to tell me that you have an engagement with Li Luo and want me to retreat in the face of difficulty, then I am sorry, but I cannot agree."

Yan Lingqing's slender fingers clenched tight, her heart racing; this Lu Qinger was even more formidable than she had imagined—facing Jiang Qing'e, the primary wife, she actually dared to counterattack directly?

How thrilling!

"Oh? Why?" Jiang Qing'e asked, appearing interested.

Lu Qinger looked directly into Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes, which gave off an unusual sense of oppression, and said: "Because this engagement has no emotional basis. How much of this engagement is due to gratitude and appreciation for Li Luo's parents, perhaps you know best in your heart."

"I am not saying that Senior Sister Jiang has no feelings for Li Luo; on the contrary, perhaps he is extremely important in your heart, important to a degree that even surpasses a romantic relationship."

"You have no blood relation to him, but you view him as an indispensable family member; you would be willing to do anything for him, and perhaps even I cannot compare to that."

Lu Qinger paused for a moment and 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, for now."

Beautiful!

Yan Lingqing cheered in her heart; this Lu Qinger was truly no pushover, striking precisely at the vital point. As Jiang Qing'e's best friend, she knew best that Jiang Qing'e viewed Li Luo as more important than her own life, but... as she was now, she might truly not have been moved by Li Luo, not in that way of romantic heart-fluttering.

This could not be blamed on Jiang Qing'e, but rather that she had likely never thought of this point; perhaps it could be said that she was somewhat disdainful of such romantic emotions.

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

It was just that those involved were not only blind in Lu Qinger's case; even someone as intelligent as Jiang Qing'e could not sort out the complex emotions between her and Li Luo.

Jiang Qing'e was also somewhat surprised by Lu Qinger's words, and then she said faintly: "And so?"

Lu Qinger said without hesitation: "So if Senior Sister Jiang is truly thinking of Li Luo, I think you should take the initiative to dissolve this engagement with him."

Hearing this, a strange smile appeared on Jiang Qing'e's lips: "Junior Sister Qinger, your calculations are a bit too good, aren't they? If I dissolve the engagement, you would have a legitimate reason?"

Lu Qinger did not deny it: "This is the best outcome for Li Luo."

Jiang Qing'e nodded slightly and said: "Actually, from certain perspectives, what you said does have some logic."

Hearing this, Lu Qinger's heart was suddenly filled with joy; had Jiang Qing'e really been moved by her words?

However, before her joy could spread, Jiang Qing'e's next words poured over Lu Qinger's head like a basin of cold water: "But dissolving the engagement is impossible..."

"This engagement was approved by Master and Mistress. You don't need to worry about how complex the emotions between Li Luo and me are; this engagement will never change."

Lu Qinger's small hands could not help but clench, her little face flushed with anger, and she said: "Senior Sister Jiang, you are being selfish!"

"You are completely disregarding Li Luo's feelings like this. What if, what if he really likes someone else in the future? Do you want to make him sad and hurt just because of you?"

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

Jiang Qing'e, how will you counterattack now?

Jiang Qing'e tilted her head slightly, sized up Lu Qinger, and chuckled: "You aren't talking about yourself, are you? Are you that confident?"

Lu Qinger was somewhat ashamed and angry, but she still gritted her teeth and asked: "Is that not possible?"

"It's not impossible..."

Jiang Qing'e leaned against the stone railing by the lake, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Lu Qinger with an aura as powerful as a queen, saying nonchalantly: "However, House Luolan is large; I actually wouldn't mind raising one more person."

Once these words were spoken, not only was Lu Qinger left in disarray, but even Yan Lingqing was dumbfounded.

Jiang Qing'e, have you gone mad?!

Lu Qinger also stared at Jiang Qing'e with wide, beautiful eyes, and only after a long while did she say with a flushed face: "Senior Sister Jiang, what, what exactly are you saying?!"

"Why be so clear... If you truly have that ability, I really wouldn't mind," Jiang Qing'e said faintly.

But I mind!

Lu Qinger could not help but want to roar in her heart; she had not expected Jiang Qing'e to say such a thing, which simply destroyed all her preparations.

However, in the end, she did not say the words, but instead shook her head and turned to run away.

She had been scared off.

"You are too fierce, aren't you?" Yan Lingqing said, watching Lu Qinger, who had been scared off.

Jiang Qing'e ignored her.

"What you just said, it wouldn't be true, would it?" Yan Lingqing asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Jiang Qing'e asked in return.

"I don't know..."

Yan Lingqing shook her head and said: "But if that is really what you think, I can only say..."

"Add you to the mix?" Jiang Qing'e laughed.

Yan Lingqing punched her in annoyance: "Are you looking to die?!"

Then she said seriously: "Jiang Qing'e, the you from just now did not seem like a fiancée in the state of mind of treating a fiancé; on the contrary... it was more like an older sister picking a wife for her younger brother."

"If you do this... Li Luo might not necessarily like it."

"Jiang Qing'e, I know your feelings for Li Luo are too complex, so complex that outsiders cannot sort them out at all, but like this, I feel... there will be plenty of times for you to regret it in the future."

Jiang Qing'e was silent, saying nothing for a long time.

Yan Lingqing waited for a long while and asked: "Are you still going to find Li Luo for dinner?"

Jiang Qing'e casually slapped a stone head on top of the stone railing, smashing it to pieces.

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

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