C20 Hopefully

Rong Qi watched Feng Xueyao for a moment, his expression as if he had... forgotten.

The anticipation in Feng Xueyao's eyes began to fade, and she spoke up anxiously, "It was the day you visited the South Suppressing Marquis Mansion. Later, when you left, I gave you an embroidered handkerchief, and you said you liked it."

"Oh!" Rong Qi suddenly remembered, "That handkerchief?"

Feng Xueyao nodded emphatically, "If you liked it..."

"It wasn't me who liked it; it was Prince Wei Zixuan who did." Rong Qi glanced at the group of princes walking ahead and leaned closer to Feng Xueyao. "Wei Zixuan mentioned before how much he admired your embroidery. That day, when you kindly offered the handkerchief, I just passed it along to him..."

Rong Qi felt grateful to Feng Xueyao for that handkerchief. If not for it, he didn't know how long Wei Zixuan would have pestered him.

As for why Wei Zixuan had him ask for the handkerchief in the first place, according to Wei Zixuan, "With your looks, it's rare for a woman to turn you down..."

At that moment, Feng Xueyao followed Rong Qi's gaze. Among the group ahead, there was indeed a young man in a black fur coat looking her way with a flattering smile.

Feng Xueyao turned her gaze away indifferently, barely managing to keep her disappointment from showing. "Is that so."

"Are you upset?" Rong Qi asked apologetically. "I was wrong in this matter. If you blame me, it's only fair."

"No, it's just a handkerchief..." Feng Xueyao replied, though she couldn't hide her disappointment. The handkerchief was embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water.

"That's a relief!" Rong Qi smiled, visibly relaxing. "I heard you submitted your application to the Wen Mansion. Work hard, and I hope to see you there in two weeks."

"Absolutely!" Xueyao's eyes lit up with determination. "I will top this year's Wen Mansion exams. I won't let you down, Prince Rong."

Rong Qi gave a gentle smile. "I hope so."

Even as Rong Qi walked away, Xueyao's gaze lingered on his retreating figure, captivated. She admired Rong Qi; who wouldn't be drawn to a man with such an ethereal presence? But her feelings went beyond admiration—she wanted to be with him for a long, long time...

Meanwhile, in a private room at the Drunken Immortal Tower, Dugu Jin watched from above, his eyes cold as they followed the slender figure below before shifting to Rong Qi. His fists clenched tightly. He hadn't believed Feng Tiange when he said it was true, that his dear Xueyao had given a handkerchief to Rong Qi. How could a mere envoy from Chu Country be worthy?

Just then, Rong Qi spotted a familiar figure in the crowd as he was about to catch up with Wei Zixuan and the others, and he headed over.

Having promised to have dinner with Feng Qing, Feng Tiange stopped by the Nether Market on her way back from the palace to pick up some good wine.

Now, seeing Rong Qi blocking her path, Feng Tiange stood silently, her expression indifferent.

"Eldest Miss Feng, what a coincidence!" Rong Qi, with his strikingly handsome face, beamed at Feng Tiange. For a moment, it felt as if a flock of crows flew over his head, slowly dissipating the awkwardness.

"Ahem, where are you headed, Eldest Miss Feng? I'm familiar with the Nether Market. Want some company?" Rong Qi had a knack for easing awkward situations.

"Heading home," Feng Tiange replied, implying she didn’t need his company.

"What a coincidence, I'm heading home too," Rong Qi said, blushing at his own words.

Coincidence, indeed...

Feng Tiange ignored Rong Qi and walked past him out of the Nether Market. She wasn’t quite ready to figure out how to approach dinner with Feng Qing.

As Yueyao had told her, it had been two years since Feng Qing last visited the Silk Garden. In those two years, he hadn't inquired about his daughter's well-being, seemingly forgetting he even had a daughter.

With such a distant father-daughter relationship, she felt a tinge of resentment and a sense of injustice on Silver Mask's behalf.

Rong Qi, undeterred by Feng Tiange's cold demeanor, followed her with a spring-like smile. "Since you've enrolled in both the Wenn Mansion and the Martial Academy, you must be quite confident, Eldest Miss Feng?"

"No."

For Rong Qi, Feng Tiange wasn't overly silent. After all, if it hadn't been for Rong Qi's help on the day of the Imperial Academy entrance exam, she would have had to do a lot of explaining. Sometimes, it's better not to burn bridges.

Rong Qi's eye twitched involuntarily at her response. "Actually, Eldest Miss Feng, if you're having second thoughts, it's not too late with me around."

Feng Tiange stopped in her tracks. "Why would I regret it?"

A rhetorical question. If it weren't for propriety, Rong Qi would have asked back, "Why wouldn't you regret it? You know the answer!"

Whether it's the literary or martial path, you should know better!

Rong Qi held back. "It's fine if you don't regret it. I'm sure you'll do great, Eldest Miss Feng."

"How do you know?" Feng Tiange asked sincerely, causing Rong Qi to feel defeated.

"A guess," Rong Qi replied with an awkward smile. What else could he say?

As they reached the end of the Nether Market, Feng Tiange got onto the carriage first. Rong Qi followed, earnestly explaining the definition of 'coincidence' to her.

"In a moment, when the carriage leaves the Nether Market and crosses Black Tortoise Street, take a left for two blocks, and you'll reach the Prince Mansion. Eldest Miss Feng, if you take a right for three more blocks, you'll be..."

Before Rong Qi could finish, Feng Tiange's carriage had already sped off, leaving him in a cloud of dust.