inspire-indiana Chapter 149 Listening to My Sister Tell Stories
Chapter 149 Listening to My Sister Tell Stories
He Mingning smiled gently, her gaze falling tenderly on her younger sister. Her sister's eyes gleamed like a hungry wolf's, her face filled with eagerness and anticipation, as if she were about to pounce. This sight was truly amusing. He Mingning shook her head slightly and teased, "Look at you, so anxious! You're just like an ant on a hot pan, running around in circles."
After speaking, He Mingning cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and slowly recounted the events of the previous day. "Early yesterday morning, I overheard news that Lord Fan had been impeached by Lord Yang. Upon hearing this, my heart clenched instantly, and I became anxious. You see, Lord Yang is my third brother's maternal uncle! However, the reason Lord Fan attacked his cousin was entirely because of me. For both moral and legal reasons, I absolutely could not stand by and watch Lord Fan be punished for this! So, without hesitation, I took Lan'er with me, and the two of us rushed to the palace, eager to find out what had happened. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was already too late, and the morning court session had long ended. Just as we were feeling utterly disappointed, we suddenly saw Eunuch Liu, who was beside Father Emperor, walking towards us from afar. We hurriedly went up to him and, after some questioning, learned that Lord Fan had already returned to the Dali Temple."
At this point, He Mingning picked up her teacup and took a sip, while He Mingyan noticed the fruit on the table and grabbed the bright red apple that emitted an enticing aroma. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and took a large bite, the sweet, juicy flesh instantly filling her mouth. Because she ate so quickly, she mumbled indistinctly, "So, sister, are you going directly to the Dali Temple to find him?"
Sitting beside her, He Mingning nodded slightly, her movements gentle and elegant, a gesture of affirmation for her younger sister. Upon receiving this response, He Mingyan's already bright and captivating eyes shone even brighter, like twinkling stars in the night sky, impossible to ignore. She was so excited she almost jumped up from her seat, eagerly asking, "And then? After you went to the Dali Temple, did he enthusiastically show you around? I really want to know what mysterious and interesting places there are!"
Hearing her younger sister's innocent words, He Mingning couldn't help but find it amusing. She raised her hand and gently tapped He Mingyan's head, a faint smile playing on her lips, and softly explained, "Silly girl, that's an important place for handling major cases, not some random market where anyone can just wander in and stroll around! How can you just take people there like that!"
Startled by her sister's question, He Mingyan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. She tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and then spoke again, "Hmm...that seems right! But even if you can't go sightseeing, you two should at least do something together, right? You can't just sit there like two lifeless wooden stakes, sitting there motionless!" She blinked her big eyes, staring at He Mingning with curiosity, hoping her sister would give her a satisfactory answer.
He Mingning turned slightly to the side, gracefully and elegantly picking up the delicate teacup in front of her. She gently lifted the lid, and a faint aroma of tea instantly filled the air. She parted her lips slightly, carefully sipped the tea, then nodded in satisfaction and said softly, "Hmm, it is indeed as you said, just sitting here like this."
Hearing her sister say this, He Mingyan, who was sitting next to her, was so surprised that her eyes widened and her cherry-like mouth formed a big "O" shape. She exclaimed incredulously, "Huh? Just sitting like this? How boring! What's the point of this?"
He Mingning couldn't help but find her sister's exaggerated expression amusing. She raised an eyebrow and deliberately asked, "Oh? Otherwise, in your opinion, what interesting things should we do?"
Upon being asked this by her sister, He Mingyan deflated like a punctured balloon, her spirits drooping. She listlessly hung her head and muttered weakly, "Hmph, then why did you come back so late? And he even brought you back. Sister, could it be... you really sat in the Dali Temple all day?"
Hearing her sister's words, He Mingning couldn't help but laugh out loud, her laughter as clear and melodious as silver bells. Then, a slight smile played on her lips, like a delicate flower swaying gracefully in a breeze, as she softly explained, "Oh dear, you little girl, what nonsense are you thinking! How could I possibly waste a whole day at the Dali Temple? Not only would I find it boring, but it would also interfere with his important official duties! Actually, I only sat there for a short while. After he finished his busy work, he took me to a nearby restaurant for a delicious lunch! After lunch, I went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in the afternoon. Xiao Ran, Xuan'er, and I happily embroidered in Yao Yao's beautiful and enchanting room, which was like a fairyland!"
He Mingning elegantly picked up his teacup, took a small sip of the fragrant tea, and then slowly set the cup down, continuing his story with a smile: "In the evening, we were invited to a sumptuous banquet at the Duke's mansion. Lord Fan was also present, and the atmosphere was very harmonious." He paused, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face, "After dinner, I originally planned to return with Xuan'er, but who would have thought that this mischievous little girl only had eyes for her beloved. As soon as she saw Qin Zeyu, she dashed over like a joyful little bird, disappearing into the vast night in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a trace. There was nothing I could do but trouble Lord Fan again to take me home."
Upon hearing this, He Mingyan frowned slightly and asked, "That's it? Nothing else happened?" He Mingning nodded and answered affirmatively, "Yes, that's exactly it."
He Mingyan remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, then suddenly looked up, her gaze sharp as she stared at He Mingning, and asked, "What about lunchtime? You went to the restaurant, it should have just been the two of you, right? It couldn't have just been a simple meal, could it? Didn't anything special happen?" He Mingning was somewhat bewildered by the question, and asked blankly in return, "Besides having a meal together, what else could have happened?"
Seeing this, He Mingyan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Then, deliberately lowering her voice, she teased playfully, "Oh dear, sister, how can you be so clueless! When a man and a woman are alone in a room, it's natural for them to do some intimate things, like hugging and kissing, or even something more romantic, like being lifted high above each other's heads..." As she spoke, she winked at He Mingning, her eyes full of mockery. Upon hearing this, He Mingning instantly spat out the tea she had just drunk, splashing it everywhere. Her eyes widened, staring at He Mingyan in astonishment, and she stammered, "You...you little brat, how could you say such shameless things! We absolutely cannot do such inappropriate things!" After saying this, He Mingning, as if burned, hurriedly grabbed the teacup on the table and quickly lowered her head to gulp down the tea, trying to hide her panic and embarrassment. However, despite her best efforts to remain calm, the scalding tea seemed unable to quell the turmoil in her heart. A faint blush gradually rose on her cheeks, like peach blossoms in full bloom in spring, delicate and beautiful.
Seeing her sister's shy expression, He Mingyan couldn't help but giggle, teasing her as she laughed, "Oh dear, my good sister, have you been in that temple for too long? Have you become so dull and stiff? This isn't transgressing any rules! Think about it, those hugging and kissing gestures, those intimate actions of gently lifting and putting someone down—for lovers, these are just little romantic gestures to add sweetness. Besides, these small intimate interactions are often the perfect touchstone for testing each other's feelings and determining whether they truly like each other!"
He Mingning slowly raised her head, her large, watery eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment as she stared intently at He Mingyan. He Mingyan wore a faint smile, her gaze gentle yet firm as she looked at her sister, seemingly understanding her innermost thoughts.
Seeing her sister's expression, He Mingyan knew she hadn't fully understood what she had just said. So, she sighed softly and patiently continued to explain, "Sister, think about it carefully. If you truly fall in love with someone, and that person is eager to kiss you, can you really bring yourself to refuse them?"
He Mingning listened quietly to her sister's words, but her thoughts drifted away like a kite with a broken string. Gradually, a handsome face appeared in her mind—it was Fan Junyu, the man who had captivated her heart and haunted her dreams. At this thought, He Mingning's heart skipped a beat, as if gently squeezed by an invisible hand.
If that person were Fan Junyu, if he gazed at her tenderly and slowly drew closer, wanting to give her a sweet kiss… He Mingning dared not think any further, because even the mere thought of it made her heart pound and her face flush. However, the next second, reason prevailed again, and He Mingning suddenly realized that she had such shameful thoughts, and couldn't help but condemn herself in her heart.
"He Mingning, how could you be so shameless! To have such an absurd thought is truly inappropriate!" He Mingning silently berated herself while covering her burning cheeks with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment and shame. At that moment, she felt as if her face had been roasted on fire, making her wish she could disappear into the ground.
He Mingyan's bright eyes darted around and landed on her beautiful older sister, whose face was flushed and who looked shy and charming. A playful smile crept onto her lips as she teased, "Oh dear, my good sister, tell me quickly, which young master are you thinking about right now? Are you thinking about our handsome and dashing Lord Fan? Look at your pretty face, it's as red as a shrimp that's just been pulled out of the pot and is fully cooked!"
Upon hearing this, He Mingning panicked and quickly took a deep breath, trying to calm her somewhat chaotic emotions. Then, feigning composure, she denied it outright, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about! I wasn't thinking about anyone! I wasn't thinking about anyone at all, okay? My blushing is purely because I was frightened by your earth-shattering nonsense just now!" However, her flickering eyes betrayed her true thoughts.
Seeing this, He Mingyan's suspicion deepened, her expression clearly saying, "Hmph, sister, don't think you can fool me like this. I won't believe a word you say!" He Mingning, seeing her sister's expression, felt a wave of helplessness. She gently rubbed her forehead and continued to defend herself, "Oh dear, dear sister, we really only had a meal together. And even including our meeting at the villa, we've only met twice in total. How could there have been any intimate behavior like you described? Don't overthink it!"
To everyone's surprise, He Mingyan wasn't buying it at all. She pouted and said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? Qin Zejun and I met for the first time too, didn't we? And what happened? We still had some intimate moments, didn't we? So why can't you and Lord Fan do it, sister?" She then winked mischievously at her sister.
After hearing his sister's innocent words, He Mingning felt a complex mix of emotions, a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He narrowed his eyes slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips, and then gently touched He Mingyan's smooth forehead with his right index finger.
“Silly girl,” He Mingning said gently, “how can you compare the two? You and he have known each other since childhood, you could say you’re childhood sweethearts, inseparable since you were little. Although you haven’t seen each other all these years, that affection is like aged wine buried deep underground. With the passage of time, it has not only not dissipated, but has become more mellow and fragrant. However, it’s very different between me and Lord Fan! Before that, we were complete strangers. We had never even heard of each other’s names, let alone met. That meeting at the manor was truly the first time we ever met in our lives!”