Chapter 224 - Penny for Your Thoughts? (1/2)
As they stepped outside, Xiao Ting saw An Hao standing in the corridor and gave him a little wave with a bright smile. An Hao simply looked from her to Lei Xing and Tung Mei and knit his brows. He hesitated for a moment and then moved to the side with his head bowed for them to pass.
Lei Xing raised her eyebrows as they came closer and wondered why he was suddenly being polite. He looked ready to fight when they saw him at the entrance earlier and now he was suddenly being demure, it was weird. Lei Xing then lightly glanced at Xiao Ting walking beside her and smiling in his direction and she understood.
{...Ah, it's the girl -_-)'...}
An Hao kept his head down and did not even glance up as they passed. Xiao Ting wondered why he was behaving weirdly, he did not even smile or wave back. He pretty much ignored her and it made her feel odd.
Xiao Ting pouted. It bothered her but her parents and the guests were following behind them, so she could not stand around to talk to him at the moment. So she had no choice but to keep walking.
Lei Xing observed Xiao Ting's pouting face and then asked, ”Do you like him?”
Xiao Ting went wide-eyed and then immediately lowered her head with her cheeks turning red as she mumbled, ”Jiejie, what are you saying?... It's not like that...He's just a nice person.”
Lei Xing snorted and inwardly rolled her eyes.
{...Sure...nice to you at least, because you apparently bring out the polite in him, while I keep getting glares -_-)'...Not that I care, but if they're both clueless how could they possibly make any progress?... How sad clueless is...}
Lei Xing inwardly sighed and then glanced at the other pouting face next to her, the now gloomy Tung Mei, ”What's wrong with you?” Her mood had become weird since they were outside the main hall and now she was in full-blown pout mode.
Tung Mei simply shook her head and did not speak. Xiao Ting glanced over and then said, ”Ying jie, don't be upset. Great aunt's eyesight really isn't good and her mind has also been...She also thought I was Xing jie yesterday...”
{...Yep, I knew it...Everyone is Xing er' to her, perfectly normal explanation here...Nothing else to it, just a weathered mind...I've had enough craziness today to last me a lifetime or two already. Normal is nice ≖_≖)...}
When Tung Mei still did not respond, Lei Xing raised an eyebrow and asked, ”You can't seriously be offended by that...are you?”
{...If I'm condoning your lies, you better not be offended by an old lady's mistake or we will need to rethink your situation -_-)'...}
Tung Mei glanced at Lei Xing and put on a smile, ”No, no, no, definitely not that...I'm just tired is all...”
”Oh, do you want to go rest for a bit then?” Xiao Ting worriedly asked and Tung Mei shook her head, ”I'll be okay.” She stretched her smile even more and then lowered her head again.
Lei Xing scrutinized Tung Mei for a bit and then inwardly sighed. She was also feeling tired from dealing with Tung Mei's ”godfather teacher”, and honestly, she did not have the energy to try to decipher Tung Mei's mood at the moment. Moreover, her mood was not Lei Xing's business.
They arrived at the garden where tables had been set up for the occasion with a platform in the center for performances. Musicians were sat on the side with performers of different sorts, all ready to entertain.
Defense minister Lei offered Lei Xing the main seat but she politely declined and opted to sit with Xiao Ting. Since Lei Xing, the highest-ranking person there declined the seat, the other princes and princess present had to sit in the seats below as arranged.
The formality of the whole event was tiring to Lei Xing and she was glad that at least Xiao Ting was behaving normally around her. The festivities began and Xiao Ting's mood quickly bounced back and she forgot An Hao's weirdness. It was her party and she was also very happy to have Lei Xing back at home with her and expressed as much, making Lei Xing feel bad for never stopping by before.
Lei Xing smiled and indulged her in conversation. She covertly glanced around as she sipped some wine and realized that a lot of people were looking their way. Although she was not sure if it was her or Xiao Ting, or perhaps the brooding Tung Mei, who was sitting on her other side indulging in the wine and picking at her food that garnered the attention.
Ideally, Tung Mei was not supposed to be sitting with Lei Xing, but no one in the Lei family complained and so there she sat.
Lei Xing then froze for a moment when she directly met Prince Yi's eyes during her sweep. He was sitting almost directly across from them to Lei Xing's annoyance. Lei Xing's noticed his lips move up in a slight smile and she almost rolled her eyes.
{...Who the hell do you think you're smiling at? -_-)... And moreover, what the hell are you even doing here?!...}
Lei Xing resisted glaring at him and promptly face Xiao Ting, plastering a smile on her face. Her smile masked the feelings of anger and irritation meeting his eyes had stirred up in her...What was worse was the feeling of embarrassment that made her want to bury her head in the sand.
”He's looking at her again...Shouldn't we do something?” Bi Lo asked glaring at Prince Yi from their obscure corner. He had learned from the last event to be proactive now.
”He's a prince and he can look where he wants. If Noble consort Lei isn't complaining, then we cannot interfere.” Bi Lu calmly responded, he was also not pleased with Prince Yi's behavior here. He had been looking at her since the moment she arrived. A normal person would have avoided her after that incident. Doesn't he care about his life? It was as if he had no regard for the Emperor and it was infuriating to watch.
”Tch, well she wasn't complaining when he had his arms around her...” Bi Lo mumbled under his breath, he honestly had some reservations about Lei Xing's character.