32 Ancient Fox (2/2)
Xueyue stepped into the room, and when she saw the guest, she politely curtsied.
Duke Li Shenyang gestured for Xueyue to sit down on the vacant couch near him. When Xueyue sat down, Li Chenyang also sat down.
Li Chenyang pretended to be tired from standing so long and never let his eyes stray from the book in his hand.
'What were these old geezers thinking by requesting Xueyue's presence?' he asked himself, not once realizing he hadn't turned a page within the fifteen minutes he was reading the book.
”Duke Wen here wanted to see the face of the girl who rescued his son.” Duke Li Shenyang nodded to Duke Wen Xuan who gave Xueyue a polite smile.
”When I heard of a girl, I didn't expect her to be this young,” Duke Wen mused, leaning his face on his propped up arm. He turned to her, ”How old are you, child?”
”I'm sixteen this year, Duke Wen,” Xueyue neutrally responded.
He pleasantly replied, ”Sixteen this year? My third son is your age. My second son, my future heir, is also close to your age, he's seventeen.”
Duke Wen scratched his chin with a face that was deep in thought. ”Would you like to meet my sons? They're quite handsome, a bit too energetic, but most young men are like that.”
Duke Wen Xuan wanted to have something that could strengthen the bond between the Lis and the Wens. A marriage would be ideal, especially when he planned to make his second son the heir. It was something his second wife wanted, despite his concubine's protests. His one and only concubine wanted her only son to be the heir, but that was an impossible dream considering he was Duke Wen's third son.
Li Chenyang's fingers tightened around his book. He didn't miss the fact that though his best friend, Wen Jinkai, was the eldest son of Duke Wen Xuan, yet he wasn't even considered the heir.
”What did I say about this marriage nonsense, you senile fool.” Duke Li Shenyang feigned reluctance, but his eyes flashed with interest at the opportunity.
”Well, Ancient Fox, there's nothing wrong in early marriage talks. Saves both parties the trouble of having their heart broken,” Duke Wen Xuan retorted, rolling his eyes.
Xueyue raised her brows in surprise.
They were talking so eloquently and formally just a moment ago, she didn't expect the sudden shift of behavior and the exchange of insults. One glance at the amusement in their eyes, she knew this was a common occurrence.
'It seems they're friends…' she realized.
”Besides, my sons are not that bad, especially my youngest. My third son is quite the softy and enjoys the presence of capable women like Xueyue.” Duke Wen Xuan smiled.
Duke Li Shenyang distastefully pointed out, ”He's incredibly gullible and naive, despite his age. A boy like that won't do Xueyue any good. If you want a match, I want the heir.”
When he saw Duke Wen Xuan's raised brow, he added on, ”Besides, my wife is quite attached to her. She'll want the best for her niece.”
”All of my sons are the best of the bunch. Also, our house is very close to the Capital. I think Duchess Li Qixing can always visit whenever she wants if she's that attached,” Duke Wen Xuan coyly said.
”I think not,” Duke Li Shenyang deadpanned before taking a sip of the tea.
His eyes trailed to Xueyue who was sharing the book with Chenyang. He knew his son was secretly eavesdropping and wasn't even aware that Xueyue was holding the other half of his book.
Chuckling to himself, he found it amusing that the twins were so protective of her… Oddly enough, Li Chenyang was never like this with Li Minghua… And the thought intrigued him more than it bothered him. Why exactly was Li Chenyang so closed off to Li Minghua?
'Is there something that I don't know about?' Duke Li Shenyang asked himself, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He decided that after this talk, he'll have Ling investigate the situation.