Chapter 292

Yan Shuang'er gazed at Qianqian with a gentle smile and said earnestly, "Qianqian, looks are merely a skin bag. What matters is that a person be upright, kind, and ambitious — only then do they count as a truly good person! We must not judge a person's worth by appearance alone."

Hearing this, Qianqian couldn't help but purse her lips, and though she replied aloud, "Got it, Third Elder Sister,"

in her heart she secretly grumbled, "Hmph, I'll definitely find a good-looking one from now on — absolutely no ugly ones!"

Not long after, Yan Shuang'er quickly finished tidying up. Then the two of them boarded the carriage together. The carriage traveled on, and before long it arrived in front of Qi Xi's home. As it turned out, they had agreed to pick up Qi Xi and go out together.

Speaking of Qi Xi, it had been quite a few days since she last saw Qianqian. Only because when Yan Si held his wedding, Qi Xi happened to be away visiting her maternal grandmother's home.

The elderly lady was advanced in years and missed this granddaughter dearly, her mouth never ceasing to speak of her. So the filial Qi Xi stayed at her maternal grandmother's for an extra stretch of time. It was only the day before yesterday that she finally returned home.

Sure enough, just as the carriage carrying Qianqian pulled up to the entrance of Qi Xi's home, she saw Qi Xi already waiting there. Because the sun was bright and the weather especially pleasant today, Qi Xi had tidied herself up early, brought out a chair to sit at the doorway, and while basking leisurely in the sunshine, waited with a heart full of joy for Qianqian to come fetch her.

Meanwhile, Qi Yu stood to one side, his face dead serious as he admonished Qi Xi, "Xi Xi, when you're out you must remember to eat more and talk less. Especially today — your Sister Shuang'er is going on a blind date with someone else, so you absolutely must not make trouble. Be a good, obedient child, understand?" And just like that, he rambled on and on, saying a whole long string of words.

Right then, an exquisitely decorated carriage from the An Wang Fu could be seen approaching slowly from the distance. Qianqian, sitting inside, peered through the window from afar; seeing they were about to reach their destination, she excitedly lifted the carriage curtain.

Sure enough, at a glance she spotted Qi Xi standing at the doorway, craning her neck in eager anticipation. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, she immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, "Xi Xi——!!"

Hearing this call, Qi Xi responded with equal warmth and fervor, "Qianqian——!!"

In an instant, it was as if the whole world had been filled with their joyous voices.

Not long after, the carriage finally came to a steady halt in front of the door. The impatient Qianqian couldn't wait a moment longer and leapt straight down from the carriage with a bound.

Immediately, the two little girls embraced tightly like close friends reunited after a long separation, spinning around happily together.

At the same time, Yan Shuang'er also descended from the carriage with graceful, unhurried steps. After greeting Qi Yu, and once the two girls had laughed to their hearts' content, Yan Shuang'er smiled at Qi Yu and said, "Young Master Qi, it's about time. We'll take our leave now."

Qi Yu hurriedly nodded with a smile, "Mm-hm, alright. You'd best get on the carriage quickly, don't keep them waiting too long — that wouldn't be polite."

The words barely fell before Yan Shuang'er led Qianqian and Qi Xi onto the carriage together. Qi Yu, still uneasy, once again bombarded Qi Xi with endless instructions, his words pouring into her ears like a machine gun.

Qi Xi listened until she truly couldn't bear it anymore, feeling her ears were about to grow calluses from the wear. She couldn't help but blurt out, "Elder Brother, if you're this worried, why don't you just come with us?"

Hearing this, Qi Yu hastily waved his hands and chided, "What nonsense! Your Sister Shuang'er is going on a blind date — what would a grown man like me be doing tagging along for the excitement? How improper! Hurry up and set off, the sooner you go the sooner you return." With that, he waved his hand, signaling them to leave quickly.

Qi Xi nodded helplessly and said no more. Then the three of them boarded the carriage in turn, and once settled, the driver flicked his whip and the carriage set off slowly.

Inside the carriage, Qi Xi let out a long breath and grumbled, "Ah, finally don't have to listen to my brother nag anymore!" Qianqian, sitting to the side, covered her mouth and laughed softly, saying gently, "That's just how Qi Gege is — he loves to fuss, but it's because he cares about you."

And so, the three chatted and laughed all the way, the atmosphere very harmonious. Before they knew it, the carriage had already arrived at their destination — the Lingyu Jiu Lou.

Qianqian stepped down from the carriage nimbly, followed closely by Qi Xi who also hopped down. Last, Yan Shuang'er alighted from the carriage with elegance.

The moment the three entered the wine tower's main gate, the sharp-eyed shop assistant saw at a glance that their bearing was extraordinary and their clothing luxurious — definitely people of wealth or nobility.

So he hurried forward, beaming, and asked, "Three guests, may I ask if you have a private room reserved in advance?" Qianqian said, "Yes, Liu Yi, Young Master Liu reserved the private room."

Hearing this, the shop assistant's face instantly filled with smiles, and he said attentively, "So it's Young Master Liu's reserved room! Guests, this way please — second floor, turn left, the third room. Young Master Liu has been waiting inside for quite a while!" With that he made an inviting gesture.

Upon hearing this, Yan Shuang'er knew in her heart that keeping Young Master Liu waiting too long would not be proper, so she hurriedly said, "In that case, let's go upstairs quickly, we mustn't keep them waiting anxiously." The words barely fell before she took the lead, striding toward the stairs.

Before long, the three reached the room's doorway. Qianqian's eyes were sharp — she saw at a glance that the door wasn't closed, and without a second thought she reached out and shoved it open.

In an instant, the scene inside the room lay completely exposed before everyone. First to meet the eye was a man. He looked slightly flustered, hurriedly set down the object he was holding, and quickly stood up.

Qianqian sized up this man calmly in secret. His build was about the same as her Second Brother's; as for his looks, they could only be called ordinary — the type that, thrown into a crowd, would be hard to pick out again.

Right then, Liu Yi seemed to recover from his initial surprise, and he hurriedly stood and asked, "May I ask who this young lady is…?"

Before he could finish, Qianqian answered crisply, "Today I'm accompanying my Third Elder Sister here for a blind date!" As she spoke, Qi Xi behind her also entered the room and called out sweetly, "Elder Brother, hello!"

After that, the two of them found two adjacent seats a short distance from Liu Yi and sat down on their own.

At this moment, Yan Shuang'er, who had entered last, finally walked slowly before everyone.