Chapter 168: Eldest Brother Doesn't Speak, Second Brother Does

 Chapter 168: Eldest Brother Doesn't Speak, Second Brother Does

After their visit to the ancient South Wind Pavilion and secretly teaching Xiao Yeyang's enemies a lesson, Daohua found the experience quite special and exciting. Her steps were lighter, and she walked with a newfound sense of energy. 

Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua, who was walking and skipping, leisurely admiring the street lights, unbothered by the events at South Wind Pavilion. He felt utterly frustrated.

What kind of brain does this person have?

Why is it that when it comes to her, nothing follows normal logic?

If it were another young lady who had witnessed what happened just now, she'd probably be too embarrassed to show her face.

But not this one—she’s strolling down the street as if nothing happened.

"Wow, the lanterns are being released at Chong Lou!" Daohua suddenly pointed to the sky where the Kongming lanterns were rising.

Xiao Yeyang glanced at them without much reaction.

They had been out for a while, and the flower carts should have already arrived at Chong Lou.

"Hurry, let's go back. We can't waste the lanterns we've bought! We should set them off and make a wish!" Daohua grabbed Xiao Yeyang’s hand and started running toward Chong Lou.

Xiao Yeyang let out a helpless sigh and allowed her to pull him along.

Soon, the four of them arrived in front of Chong Lou.

"Hey, where are my elder brother and Brother Dong?"

Daohua looked around upstairs and downstairs but couldn’t spot anyone familiar.

Xiao Yeyang calmly replied, "If we’re not here, they must be looking for us."

Daohua furrowed her brows, a hint of worry in her expression.

She wasn’t concerned about others, but she did worry about her cousins.

Xiao Yeyang gave her a sideways glance. "It’s too late to worry now. Why didn’t you think about all this when you left with me just now?" 

Daohua pouted. "I thought you only brought Defu with you. What if something happens, and there's no one to help?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang’s expression softened, and he reassured her, "Don’t worry. Who is Dong Yuanxuan? He’s the eldest son of the Minister of Revenue. With him around, your brother and cousins will be fine."

Daohua relaxed, nodding in agreement. "Then should we go look for them?"

Xiao Yeyang shot her a displeased look. "How are you going to find them among so many people? If they can’t find us, they’ll naturally come back." He then took the two newly purchased lanterns from Defu. "Let’s just set off our own lanterns."

Daohua took the lanterns and glanced around at the street.

Seeing this, Xiao Yeyang signaled Defu to call the guards to search the streets for their group. "Alright, now we can peacefully set off the lanterns."

Daohua smiled and took the matchstick from Xiao Yeyang to light the lanterns.

Just as they were making their wishes while watching the lanterns slowly rise into the sky, Dong Yuanxuan and the others returned.

"Your Highness, Miss Yan, where did you go? We’ve been looking for you everywhere!"

Dong Yuanxuan’s face was filled with worry and concern as he approached them, giving them a quick once-over. When he saw they were unharmed, his tense expression finally relaxed.

Daohua saw her elder brother Yan Wenxiu looking at her with a stern face. Realizing she was at fault, she shrank her neck and hid behind Xiao Yeyang.

Seeing her timid behavior, Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but feel speechless.

Where did that bold attitude from earlier go?

At the crucial moment, she’s still relying on him.

"You’re asking us where we went? I should be asking you! I only took Daohua to see some other lantern displays, and when I turned around, you all disappeared!"

Hearing this, Daohua suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Xiao Yeyang with admiration.

What does it mean to lie without preparation?

What does it mean to strike back with force?  

This guy, Xiao Yeyang, had just perfectly demonstrated it in front of her. 

Dong Yuanxuan and the others froze, their expressions filled with guilt.

Yan Wenxiu, feeling self-blame, stepped forward: "It's all my fault. In my excitement, I got caught up in guessing lantern riddles and forgot about everything else." 

Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang wave his hand with an expression of indifference, so she immediately said, "Big Brother, it’s not your fault. We were also so enchanted by the lanterns that we got separated from you."

"Hehe~"

As soon as the sound of her voice faded, a sweet and melodious laugh rang out.

Daohua looked up and saw a young man standing behind Dong Yuanxuan, someone she had never seen before but appeared to be of a similar age to her.

From the laugh and the young man’s demeanor, Daohua quickly recognized that this was actually a girl dressed as a boy.

"Yuan Yao greets His Highness," the girl said, bowing to Xiao Yeyang before walking straight to Daohua. With a fan in hand, she tilted her head and looked Daohua up and down.

She then gave a mischievous smile and said, "So, this is the sister Yan Wenxiu always talks about?" As she spoke, she lightly raised Daohua’s chin with the fan.

On the side, Dong Yuanxuan saw his younger sister teasing Daohua in a bullying manner and felt the sky was falling.

However, Daohua’s next reaction made him question his life. 

"Yo, where did this handsome young man come from? How come he’s so good-looking?" Daohua moved her chin away from the fan, smiling and approaching her, linking arms with Dong Yuanyao, and gazing at her face with sparkling eyes, full of admiration and infatuation.

"Look at this little face, so smooth and tender. I want to touch it!" she said, quickly reaching out to pat Dong Yuanyao's face a couple of times.

"Wow, so smooth! I really like this young man! My family’s in Xingzhou City. How about you come home with me? I promise I’ll treat you well."

Her manner and expression were like a wolf seeing a little rabbit, filled with pure joy!

Boom~

Daohua’s reaction stunned everyone present, all of them staring in shock.

Even Dong Yuanyao, the subject of Daohua’s affection, stood frozen, looking as if she didn’t know where she was.

Seeing this, Daohua secretly laughed.

Heh, you wanted to mess with me, but now you’re scared, right?

Do you all feel scared now? 

Xiao Yeyang was stunned for a while before snapping out of it. Then he began to cough, looking at Daohua as if he had just met her.

He suddenly realized that Daohua had actually been pretty nice to him.

At least she hadn’t used any aphrodisiacs or tricks to prank him like she did to Dong Yuanyao.

Dong Yuanyao snapped out of it from the sound of the cough, her cheeks turning red.

She had often heard her brother speak about the clever and mischievous Yan family’s eldest daughter, and upon meeting her today, she had decided to play a prank, but unexpectedly, her usual tricks had failed, and she was the one who got pranked. 

Seeing Daohua smiling at her with a smug and pleased look, Dong Yuanyao was furious.

"Don’t get too proud. I saw where you went earlier!"

With that, she looked at Daohua, seemingly waiting for her to beg for mercy.

Daohua’s expression indeed changed for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and blinked, asking, "Little brother, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You!" Dong Yuanyao was so enraged by Daohua’s denial that she couldn’t speak.

Daohua raised her eyebrows in satisfaction, tiptoed, and whispered into Dong Yuanyao's ear, "If you really knew where we went, then you were also there. You went too, so how dare you say anything about us!"

Dong Yuanyao was stunned, pointing at Daohua, speechless with rage.

Daohua smiled and grabbed Dong Yuanyao’s hand, even taking the chance to touch her face. She exaggerated her shamelessness and said kindly, "We’re both the same, big brother never says anything bad about you, so don’t you think so, little brother?"

Dong Yuanxuan, watching his sister’s face change from red to blue, felt helpless in his heart.

The Yan family’s daughter wasn’t someone who’d be intimidated by anyone—not even the Young Prince! How could his sister possibly deal with her? Why bother getting into trouble?

(End of this chapter)