“Who can blame Big Sis for always saying one thing and meaning another, especially when it comes to Cousin Yan Zhen?”
Yan Meng’er blinked her eyes and lobbed out a bombshell:
“The truth is, Big Sis likes Cousin Yan Zhen, doesn’t she?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Yan Ruyu’s face flushed beet red, and she shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“Nonsense! H-how could I possibly like that little scoundrel? That’s utterly ridiculous… Meng’er, if you keep this up, I’m going to get mad!”
“It doesn’t matter if Big Sis won’t admit it. For my part, I really like Cousin Yan Zhen.” Yan Meng’er confessed openly. “And it’s not just the fondness of a little cousin for her big cousin—it’s the kind of liking between a man and a woman.”
Yan Ruyu shot her cousin a glance and huffed.
“You’ve been stuck to him like glue ever since you were little. Anyone could see that much.”
“Isn’t Big Sis the same? You’ve always been secretly watching Cousin Yan Zhen, which is how you could show up the instant he started acting like a bully and drag him off for a good spanking.”
“I-I was supervising him,” Yan Ruyu explained. “You know as well as I do how arrogant that little scoundrel was as a kid. If I didn’t keep an eye on him, he’d bully all the other children.”
“That’s not true at all. Cousin Yan Zhen was just a bit mischievous—he rarely bullied anyone else. There were plenty of kids more arrogant than him, but I never saw Big Sis go after them. You only ever had eyes for Cousin Yan Zhen. And you still say you don’t like him?”
Yan Meng’er pouted.
“Everyone can tell, Big Sis. You’re different with him.”
“I already said I don’t—”
“—still won’t admit it?” Yan Meng’er frowned. “Fine, then. I’ll just go tell Cousin Yan Zhen everything we’ve said. That way, he’ll know Big Sis likes him.”
What?
The moment Yan Ruyu heard that, a terrifying image flashed through her mind:
Yan Zhen digging in his nose with a sleazy grin. “Oh? I heard you like me? Awesome! ‘Cause I don’t like you—your butt’s too big. Hahaha!”
It was pure hell. Yan Ruyu didn’t dare imagine it any further.
“You wouldn’t dare, Yan Meng’er!”
“Of course I would.” Yan Meng’er shrugged indifferently. “It’s not me who’d be embarrassed anyway.”
Seeing her cousin gearing up to follow through, Yan Ruyu panicked. Half aggrieved and half threatening, she said, “Meng’er, what’s gotten into you? I just got back, and you’re already saying all these annoying things. If you don’t want to hang out with me, then go find your precious Cousin Yan Zhen. I won’t talk to you anymore!”
With that, she hurried into her courtyard.
“Aww, Big Sis~” Realizing she’d actually upset her, Yan Meng’er chased after her at once and looped her arm through Yan Ruyu’s in a show of affection. “Just admit it already, okay? Any fool with eyes can see you have feelings for Cousin Yan Zhen. You’re the only one who thinks you’re hiding it well. How embarrassing is that?”
“You little brat, are you asking for a beating? Do you even have any respect for your big sis anymore?”
Yan Ruyu swatted at Yan Meng’er’s hand in disgust, striking a pose that said, “Don’t touch me, we’re not that close.”
Yan Meng’er sighed wearily.
“Does Big Sis think Cousin Yan Zhen doesn’t shine as brightly as he used to, and that no other girls besides me would like him? That’s why you figure you can take your time?”
“Only you would be blind enough to fall for that little scoundrel. Any other girl wouldn’t even bother looking at him.”
Perhaps she’d been provoked too much, but Yan Ruyu vented her frustration by badmouthing Yan Zhen out of spite.
“Sigh, Big Sis, you’re wrong about that. Cousin Yan Zhen is super popular. Take Huangfu Wenqing, for example—she hasn’t called off the engagement. In fact, she wants him to become a live-in son-in-law at Cloud Heaven Palace.”
Yan Meng’er’s tone was full of melancholy.
Yan Ruyu froze, a flicker of panic stirring in her heart.
“Huangfu Wenqing? You mean…?”
“Yep, Cousin Yan Zhen’s fiancée. City Lord Grandpa and Grandpa Huangfu arranged the marriage themselves.”
“Isn’t Huangfu Wenqing the personal disciple of the National Advisor? And didn’t the king grant her the title of county princess? I hear all sorts of nobles in the Royal Capital are lining up to marry her. How could she still have eyes for that little scoundrel?” Yan Ruyu pursed her lips. “Did his talent recover? Or is it Old General Huangfu’s doing?”
“Cousin Yan Zhen’s talent hadn’t recovered yet when Huangfu Wenqing showed up. Old General Huangfu didn’t force his granddaughter into anything either—it was all Huangfu Wenqing’s idea. Who knows how she saw through Cousin Yan Zhen’s hidden potential, but she clung to him relentlessly. It’s so infuriating!”
Yan Meng’er got worked up just talking about Huangfu Wenqing.
That woman had the nerve to sneak a kiss from her Cousin Yan Zhen. They’d barely even met, and she was throwing herself at him without a shred of modesty!
She was just a fiancée, after all. For Cousin Yan Zhen, weren’t she—this cousin—and her big sis—better options?
“Huangfu Wenqing likes Yan Zhen… and wants to bring him into Cloud Heaven Palace as a live-in son-in-law… The National Advisor won’t allow that, surely?”
Yan Ruyu still hoped for a plot twist, but Yan Meng’er shook her head.
“That’s the National Advisor’s decision, actually. They want to groom Huangfu Wenqing as the heir to Cloud Heaven Palace—recruit a husband, but no marrying out.”
Here, Yan Meng’er let out another long sigh.
“Get it now, Big Sis? If Cousin Yan Zhen really becomes a live-in son-in-law at Cloud Heaven Palace, we won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.”
A live-in son-in-law naturally wouldn’t be allowed concubines, which meant she and Big Sis couldn’t even be his mistresses.
That was why Yan Meng’er despised Huangfu Wenqing.
She’d blocked off all paths for the sisters, hogging him all to herself without leaving so much as scraps. It was outrageous!
Yan Ruyu’s fine brows knitted together, her pearly teeth nibbling at her red lips. She clearly grasped the severity of the situation, but she quickly recovered and doubled down stubbornly.
“What does that have to do with me? If he wants to go be a live-in son-in-law, let him. Meng’er, if you can’t bear to let him go, you can always ‘accompany him as part of the dowry.'”
“As if Huangfu Wenqing would agree to that. Big Sis, you have no idea how nasty she is. She deliberately seduced Cousin Yan Zhen… and even kissed him.”
“Kissed him!?”
Yan Ruyu halted in her tracks, her eyes widening slightly in disbelief. A heaviness settled in her chest.
Yan Meng’er kept needling her.
“Yeah, not on the cheek— a real mouth-to-mouth kiss.”
She even pursed her cherry-pink lips and made a “smack” sound, then added, “I think she even stuck her tongue in and slurped up a ton of Cousin Yan Zhen’s saliva.”
“Tongue… saliva…”
It was as if Yan Ruyu could picture it: under the moonlight, man and woman, kissing, slurp slurp slurp~
“How utterly shameless!” Yan Ruyu’s cheeks burned crimson with a mix of shame and anger. “Meng’er, y-you didn’t even try to stop them?”
“How could I? Huangfu Wenqing’s a Five-Star Mystic Practitioner. Cousin Yan Zhen couldn’t fight her off—he had no choice but to let her kiss him.”
Poor big cousin… sob sob sob~
“So you see, Big Sis, if you don’t act fast, that wicked Huangfu Wenqing will whisk Cousin Yan Zhen away to Cloud Heaven Palace. He won’t be happy as a live-in son-in-law either—you don’t want him mocked every day for marrying above his station, do you?”
Yan Ruyu began to waver.
“But… what can I even do?”
“Of course there’s something you can do.” Yan Meng’er coaxed her patiently. “Huangfu Wenqing’s so proud—she’d never share a man. If we sisters claim Cousin Yan Zhen first, she’ll back off on her own. Then everyone wins, right?”
