"Eh, amulet?" Yang Xi Ying tilted her head in confusion.

"It's something Li Xin gave me for protection," Lory said.

​​

Master Gu stared at Yang Xi Ying and Lory and started to believe it was a genuine misunderstanding.

"Xi Ying, she is General Su's granddaughter and he pampers her very much. Your friend hurting her it would make the old general furious."

Yang Xi Ying snorted in contempt, "Don't easily shift the blame, Gu Lian Fu. You know part of this is your fault."

Lory felt the tension between them. She leaned towards Yang Xi Ying and asked, "You know him?"

"Not anymore. We should leave now," Yang Xi Ying scoffed and ignored Gu Lian Fu's stare.

Lory, Yang Xi Ying, and the Mong brothers walked past Gu Lian Fu but he grabbed Yang Xi Ying's wrist. Yang Xi Ying swung her hand from his grip in surprise.

"Master Gu, please respect yourself! I'm a woman with a fiancée!" Yang Xi Ying glared at him as her maid handed her a handkerchief which she used to wipe her wrist in disgust before tossing it back to her maid, "Throw it away!"

"Yes, young miss," The maid bowed courteously.

Gu Lian Fu's face turned dark. A smile that didn't reach his eyes touched his face, "I heard your fiancée is unwell. I'm just worried for you as your old friend."

"My fiancée is alive and well so I don't need your concern. You should stop acting like we are close, Master Fu. We have not been friends for a very long time," Yang Xi Ying flicked her sleeves and walked away without waiting for his response.

Lory saw Gu Lian Fu's expression turn from upset to angry to sadness before it became cold once again. It happened so quickly for others to notice, but the Princess who loved soap operas noticed it easily.

'I smell DRAMA! Where is that old bird?'

Yang Xi Ying didn't say anything until they reached Xiling tea house. The waiter welcomed them with a big smile and led them to a private room on the second floor. Lory realized everyone started to gossip when they saw Yang Xi Ying. Lory glanced at Yang Xi Ying who ignored this feign ignorant of what other people said, Yang Xi Ying remained calm and composed as an elegant noble lady should.

Their attention then shifted to Lory who was walking with Yang Xi Ying. Lory's beautiful dress astonished them and the young women stared at her dress with envy as they tried to guess Lory's background. Although Lory was not as beautiful as Yang Xi Ying, a few young men gazed at Lory as there was a shooting air around her that made her comfortable to look at.

Mong Ki stood beside Lory to block the men's view. He was already afraid to think of how his Lord would punish them because of the weird girl at the shop who attacked the young miss, so they didn't want to make a second mistake.

The waiter closed the door carefully once they reached the private room. Mong Ki and Mong Yi stood outside to guard the door while Lory, Yang Xi Ying, and her maid remained inside the room. Yang Xi Ying sighed with relief but looked at Lory with remorse, "I'm sorry! This is all because you are with me. It seems the bad rumor about me hasn't stopped."

"Don't worry about it. I used to stares at being around Zhao Li Xin so this is nothing," Lory joked.

Yang Xi Ying giggled and her mood lifted a little. Lory was a mysterious woman and it was so comfortable talking to her. One would easily let their guard down and it was honestly not easy to pretend in front of her as her clear big beautiful eyes seemed to stare deep into one's heart.

The waiter returned to serve them the food before he bowed courteously and left the room once he was done. Lory who was sick and tired of eating white rice shifted the bowl of rice away and focused on the dishes on the small plates.

"I knew Gu Lian Fu when I was seven years old," Yang Xi Ying suddenly said. Lory only glanced at her for a second before she started to eat her food. Lory's casual reaction calmed Yang Xi Ying. She took a deep breath and continued, "We were quite close when we were kids. He was always nice to me… He was like a big brother to me but when we got older, he started to keep his distance from me, not only he started to avoid me he also became mean as well. I never knew the reason…"

Lory lamented to herself, 'Ahh, youth…'

"And the crazy woman we met before, Su Qin Qin, is General Su Xin Tao's favorite granddaughter. I also knew her when we were kids and she is also the reason I had a relationship with the trashy man, Han Yuan," Yang Xi Yin gritted her teeth when she said Han Yuan's name.

"Let me guess…" Lory swallowed her food, sipped tea, and continued, "The Su woman was the matchmaker between you and Han Yuan. She did this to have Gu Lian Fu to herself."

Yang Xi Ying's face turned red with shame. She felt more stupid when Lory put it that way. How could she didn't realize Su Qin Qin's cheap trick? It was also possible Su Qin Qin knew Han Yuan's bad intentions so she deliberately matchmaking her to that trash to make her life difficult. Yang Xi Ying feel like a fool, she clenched her hands until her hand became pale.

"And what did that Gu-something say about this?" Lory placed a chicken thigh on her plate and casually asked.

"He didn't say much other than pointing out how stupid I was," Yang Xi Yin sighed and pursed her lips. Her maid placed a bowl of soup in front of her with a concerned look.

"I was angry because it is possible he knew Han Yuan wanted to harm me but he never warned me. If only he said something, I might not have fallen this far. I always respected him as an older brother but he…" Yang Xi Ying's expression became downcast but she continued, "And when Han Yuan spread nasty rumors about me, my father tried to save my reputation by arranging an engagement between me and Gu Lian Fu. My father did this behind my back because he was scared I would reject this, and I would have if I knew about it as if I can't marry someone I consider my own brother!"

Lory who already full wiped her mouth with a clean cloth, "Then what happened?"

"He suddenly came to my place and accused me of taking advantage of his good reputation after being fooled by Han Yuan. He told me I was a selfish woman who only thought about myself and not caring about others. He claimed I wanted to ruin his future…" Yang Xi Ying's eyes turned wet. Her chin trembled as she tried to hold back the tears. "…he said many hurtful words..."

Yang Xi Ying wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes before she swiftly drunk her tea to calm herself.

"But then you met Master Li Mo Zhen. It is not a bad thing, is it?" Lory raised her eyebrows.

When Yang Xi Ying heard Li Mo Zhen's name, her face immediately lit up with a bright smile, "You are right! It ended well…" Yang Xi Ying's mood recovers, Lory was right if not because of what happened with Han Yuan and Gu Lian Fu she might never have the chance to meet a good man like Li Mo Zhen.

"See, sometimes you need to be wrong to be right," Lory toasted with her teacup.

"I cheer to that..." Yang Xi Ying giggled, raised her teacup, and drunk the tea in a happy mood.

"If you don't mind, tell me what happened after the two of you fought."

Yang Xi Ying elegantly wiped the corner of her lips with her finger. "After that, I told my father I would rather die than marry Gu Lian Fu. My father had no choice but to stop his plans. I then visited my family villa near Hung Zi Mountain to take a break from all the nasty rumors after a few months… It is when I met brother Li Mo Zhen."

Yang Xi Ying's mouth curved unconsciously as good memories filled her.

"Aww…that's how you met? How sweet…" Lory propped her chin with her hands.

"The first time I met him, I thought he was a ghost so…I threw a knife at him," She revealed shyly.

"So passionate from the first meeting. Aww…it's so romantic," Lory's eyes sparkled. She felt giddy as she imagined it as a scene from a soap opera.

Yang Xi Ying turned red like a ripe tomato and Lory suddenly clapped her hand, "That Master Gu seemed to know about Master Li illness."

"Not just him but everyone. Some people already said I'm a harbinger of bad luck," Yang Xi Ying sighed again. She pounds the table with her palm. "What I don't understand is why Gu Lian Fu suddenly came to my place to ask to be engaged to ME! Can you believe this?"

"When brother Li was in a dire situation, Gu Lian Fu asked me to leave brother Li and marry him! He even said it is for my own good. He said he wanted to save me and mend my reputation. Is he crazy! What kinda woman does he think I am to leave my fiancée to fight for his own life alone?"

Lory scoffed and shook her head helplessly. Although she could guess the ending, she had to ask, "Then what happened?"

"I burned all the gifts that he bought to my family in his face!!" Yang Xi Ying scoffed in disgust.

Lory laughed dryly, 'What a stupid Man'