Jinglian pressed tightly against the wall.

Today, he must protect his master’s hard-won love here at all costs!

As he leaned against the wall, his ears gradually pressed tightly against the wooden door.

Why is it so quiet?

Could it be that the conversation is over and things are heating up now?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

Jinglian took a sharp breath, his usually gentle face turning red.

All of this was actually very illogical. He sighed, thinking, is this what love is?

No logic, no warning signs.

If this was a dream, then it must be a big one.

At this moment, the room was indeed quiet.

Sang Yao hadn’t turned around yet, but she could feel Xie Yun staring at her, as if his gaze was tangible, making her shiver.

Xie Yun did indeed call her just now.

Yao Yao, these two words really didn’t match Xie Yun!

Could it be that Xie Yun was possessed by someone?

Sang Yao couldn’t think of any other possibility. It couldn’t possibly be that Xie Yun liked her!

Xie Yun took two steps forward and said in a calm voice, “Turn around.”

Sang Yao subconsciously obeyed his words and stiffly turned around.

She had called him that too often, it wouldn’t be easy to change it now.

But it didn’t matter. Since the words were spoken, he didn’t intend to hide anymore. After all, if he relied on slowly and meticulously creating opportunities to be close and rationalizing his intimacy with her, who knew how long it would take?

He leaned against the table, contemplating for a moment under the girl’s startled and puzzled gaze, then said, “There is indeed something I need to tell you.”

Sang Yao raised her eyebrows lightly and asked slowly, “What is it?”

Xie Yun looked calm as he said slowly, “Miss Sang, I’ve liked you for a long time.”

…

The wine bottle in Sang Yao’s hand slipped from her grasp and fell straight down.

Xie Yun reached out at the right moment and caught the bottle steadily.

The exquisite wine bottle was placed on the table by Xie Yun, emitting a faint sound.

The girl’s face visibly blushed, her eyes filled with astonishment.

She stared at Xie Yun’s cool and handsome face, preferring to believe that she was sleepwalking rather than believing that Xie Yun was confessing his admiration to her.

His intense gaze made her feel pressured, and she was somewhat incoherent for a moment. She confirmed, “I didn’t… didn’t hear clearly, what did you say?”

She was asking seriously, but there was a hint of amusement in Xie Yun’s gaze, and Sang Yao didn’t know what he was laughing at.

Xie Yun stared into Sang Yao’s eyes and repeated as she wished, “I’ve liked you for a long time.”

Oh no, she didn’t hear it wrong.

Seeing her expression, Xie Yun knew what she was thinking. He couldn’t help but add reassuringly, “I’m not joking.”

Sang Yao remained silent for a long time. She really couldn’t understand.

“Why though…”

She was forced to examine herself. Although she was unwilling to admit it, she wasn’t someone who attracted much attention.

In this city filled with nobility, her background could only be considered ordinary. In terms of appearance, she wasn’t as ethereal as her sister, but rather more alluring.

In terms of abilities, she didn’t have much either. And in terms of personality, her cousin always said she wasn’t assertive enough, didn’t know how to argue, and was prone to tears…

Thinking about it, was there something wrong with Xie Yun’s eyes?

Xie Yun had been with Sang Yao for nearly six years, and he knew her like the back of his hand. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she was thinking about some messy stuff again.

He said calmly, “Because you’re very cute.”

Was he complimenting her?

In Sang Yao’s eyes, cuteness was often associated with chubby figures, like chubby kittens or chubby dolls, even chubby caterpillars were cuter than skinny ones.

And she did look a bit plump. Did Xie Yun mean she was fat?

She was somewhat dissatisfied, but Xie Yun calmly added, “Don’t you know? You’re so beautiful that I can’t take my eyes off you.”

Sang Yao: “…” What on earth!

Her face reddened even more.

Upon hearing this, she unconsciously touched her own face, wondering if she was really that beautiful. Well, she did… okay, she was indeed a bit pretty, but was she really so captivating to him?

“Simple and kind, never seeking the limelight, with pure intentions.”

How did Xie Yun manage to turn her flaws into virtues in a different way?

“And very smart.”

Finally, someone noticed! Sang Yao’s expression changed slightly, and she immediately felt a bit more favorable towards Xie Yun.

These words Xie Yun said, even though he had said similar things to Sang Yao before, were not too many. But now, the situation was special. He recalled the words of affection he had said to Sang Yao before and continued, “Speaking gently, I really like how pure you are.”

“But these things aren’t actually important.”

Sang Yao blinked blankly.

Xie Yun pondered for a moment and continued, “When I say I like your cuteness, your gentleness, your simplicity, and your intelligence, it’s because I like you and these characteristics come with it.”

“But liking you itself has no reason.”

Sang Yao: “…”

She was left in a daze by the string of affectionate words.

She couldn’t describe her feelings. In the past, there were many people who said they liked her, but most of them she found annoying. But Xie Yun was different.

On one hand, it might be because he was very good-looking, making him hard to dislike. On the other hand, there was always a special feeling she had towards Xie Yun, unrelated to liking, perhaps more akin to admiration.

And the regret she had from her childhood encounters with him had become insignificant and unmentionable in her life.

Moreover, Xie Yun was one of the few who praised her intelligence, which was more useful than complimenting her beauty.

She avoided Xie Yun’s gaze and asked, “Then… then why didn’t you…”

Xie Yun said, “I was always afraid you would reject me, so I never dared to express my feelings to you.”

“Today, it was accidentally discovered by you, so I decided not to hide it anymore.”

No wonder he could become a high-ranking official, he was really good at pretending before.

Xie Yun silently looked at her.

Everything seemed to return to the beginning.

The difference was that initially, she had misunderstood, but now, he had indeed confessed his feelings for her.

Xie Yun had actually regretted this before. He hadn’t expressed his feelings for her right from the beginning.

Their being together was somewhat accidental, perhaps a gift from fate, but this coincidence always left him dissatisfied.

Even if he hadn’t come across that list from Jinglian, he still believed that a year, or two, or even three years later, he would have noticed her.

But by then, he wouldn’t have known if Sang Yao had married someone else.

Reluctantly, he had to admit it.

That waste of space, Jinglian, had some uses after all.

Sang Yao clenched her sleeve.

What should she do? He seemed so sincere.

She had somewhat accepted it now, but the blush on her cheeks hadn’t faded in the slightest.

Under Xie Yun’s attentive gaze, she tried to calm herself down and said in a somewhat wooden tone, “I see.”

Xie Yun handed her the wine from the table and said, “However, Miss Sang, there’s one more thing.”

Sang Yao became alert. He must be about to ask about her feelings!

She wasn’t the type to just accept anyone. She couldn’t accept him just because he was more sincere or different from others.

But since he was being polite, she could politely decline.

But someone of Xie Yun’s status and power wouldn’t force her, right? And her father was so eager to gain favor with Xie Yun. What if he persuaded her to compromise?

No, that couldn’t be. Her father wasn’t that kind of person.

If she really couldn’t refuse, Xie Yun… should be okay, right? She heard he was passionate about his work, rarely came home, didn’t seem to be lecherous, and was kind-hearted.

Sang Yao was nervously pondering all this, when Xie Yun calmly said, “Please convey my regards to Lord Sang. I will personally visit another day—”

Sang Yao blurted out in frustration, “You can’t come to propose!”

Once again, silence fell over the room.

Sang Yao realized what she had just blurted out and silently closed her mouth, her clear eyes filled with incredulity.

What was she saying?

Was she crazy?

She must be crazy.

Xie Yun pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then said, “As for the proposal, it can be arranged as soon as tomorrow.”

He added very cautiously, “However, there are still many details to be prepared in advance, so there may be some shortcomings. My suggestion is to wait for two more days. Can you wait?”

Sang Yao almost felt like she had nowhere to hide. She shook her head and was about to speak when Xie Yun, as if not understanding, deliberately continued, “If you can’t wait, forget it. I’ll go home and arrange it now.”

As he stepped forward to leave, Sang Yao quickly grabbed his sleeve and said in a low voice, “Wait!”

She whispered, “You know… you know I didn’t mean that.”

“I just misspoke, no, I misheard.”

Xie Yun turned slowly, glanced at the sleeve she was holding, his eyes holding a smile as he remained silent.

There were still some things not going well.

If it were seven years later, he could hold her hand and even hug her.

But now he could only stand there and reluctantly say, “Alright, no proposal.”

Sang Yao felt like crying but had no tears. She let go of Xie Yun’s sleeve, picked up the wine jug, and said, “I’ll talk to my father about it.”

Despite Xie Yun being the one who liked her, it was her who felt embarrassed. Sang Yao lowered her head and said, “Thank you for the wine.”

“Then I’ll leave first.”

Xie Yun stopped her and said, “Miss Sang.”

Sang Yao turned back and asked, “Is there anything else?”

Xie Yun said, “Can I visit your house tomorrow?”

“Just to visit Lord Sang, not to propose.”