Chapter 106: Chapter 103: Can’t You Tell I Really Like You Right Now?
A head full of questions!
"Are we going back to the hall?"
Jin Jumo was slightly startled, propped herself up a bit, and looked at Rong Mochen, "Can we not go back?"
Rong Mochen stared at her, nodded lightly, "If you don’t want to go back, we can leave."
Jin Jumo’s brows shifted slightly with some emotion, but...
"Let’s go back." Jin Jumo said instead.
"Hmm?" Rong Mochen gazed at her hesitant eyes.
Jin Jumo looked at him, "Today is Little Yan’s birthday. Since I’m here, I should stay until the end and watch her cut the birthday cake."
Rong Mochen slightly raised an eyebrow, his thin lips curled slightly, "Since when did you and Mu Yan become so close?"
"Huh?"
Jin Jumo didn’t expect him to ask this.
Rong Mochen’s fair fingertips traced Jin Jumo’s lips, dark eyes swirling with hidden currents, his thin lips moved forward slightly but didn’t touch Jin Jumo’s lips, "Mu Yan hasn’t been back for long; you shouldn’t have known each other for long. I heard from Nan Qing that Mu Yan has a rebellious and difficult personality, but you two seem to get along well."
Jin Jumo didn’t understand why he was interested in this, she twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Little Yan is very nice, very well-behaved, and simple. I quite like her."
"Ying Jingyao is Little Yan’s uncle." Rong Mochen suddenly said.
Jin Jumo froze, looking at him, not knowing how to respond.
Rong Mochen lifted his dark eyes, staring straight at Jin Jumo, "Mu Yan likes you because Ying Jingyao likes you. She wants to set you up with Ying Jingyao. Or rather, Mu Yan likes you from the beginning, wants to be friends with you, and after learning that Ying Jingyao admires you, she likes you even more. She wants you to be her aunt."
Aunt...
Jin Jumo’s face turned red, feeling extremely awkward.
Mu Yan is fifteen, and she is only twenty, just five years apart.
Plus, she’s always called her Sister Jin, and she’s used to it.
Thinking of her calling her Aunt... Jin Jumo got goosebumps.
With an awkward tug of her lips, "Mr. Rong, you’re overthinking it."
"Does Ying Jingyao not like you?" Rong Mochen stared at Jin Jumo.
Jin Jumo felt a chill in her heart, her eyes hesitantly shifting as she looked at Rong Mochen.
"Does he like you?" Rong Mochen grasped her hand, playing with it in his palm, his voice neither cold nor warm.
Jin Jumo pressed her lips together, staying silent.
Rong Mochen lifted his eyes to stare at Jin Jumo, "And you? Do you like him?"
"..."
Jin Jumo’s eyelids tightened, her lips pressed, and she said softly, "Whether I like him or not is not important. The important thing is, I know there’s no possibility between him and me."
Rong Mochen’s dark eyes squinted, "So, you like him?"
Jin Jumo frowned, her large, black eyes staring straight at Rong Mochen, "Mr. Rong, in the past year, I wasn’t allowed to like anyone."
"Now, you are allowed." Rong Mochen looked at her calmly.
Jin Jumo looked at him for a while, suddenly laughed, and shook her head, "Mr. Rong, don’t joke around."
She is pregnant with his child now, what right does she have to like someone else?
Rong Mochen half-closed his eyes, his dark pupils seemed to be embedded with countless stars, looking at Jin Jumo, "You can like me."
"..." Jin Jumo was stunned, looking at him in confusion.
Rong Mochen curved his lips slightly, "Don’t you think I’m a pretty good object of affection?"
"..." Jin Jumo’s eye twitched slightly.
"You’re carrying my child, we’ll get married, when the child is born, you will be the mother, I will be the father, you can like me." Rong Mochen’s reasoning was so convincing that Jin Jumo felt like she had no reason not to like him!
Jin Jumo raised her chin, her bright Taohua eyes looking at Rong Mochen, "Then, Mr. Rong? Can you like me?"
This time, as expected, Rong Mochen still answered her just like last time, nodding without hesitation, "I like you very much right now, can’t you tell?"
Jin Jumo looked at Rong Mochen for a while, held her forehead with a somewhat helpless smile, and said, "Mr. Rong, let’s not discuss this topic anymore."
"Why not? Or, do you really like Ying Jingyao?" Rong Mochen stubbornly frowned and stared at Jin Jumo.
Jin Jumo shook her head with a smile, "I don’t like anyone now."
Don’t like anyone?
Rong Mochen’s thin lips pressed coldly, his dark eyes watched Jin Jumo with a faint agitation.
Jin Jumo’s heart sank, she looked away in a hurry, "We should go to the banquet hall."
Returning to the banquet hall, Jin Jumo immediately searched for Mu Yan and Jian Liangtong, but before she could find them, she ran into Tang Ruan and Rong Sinan first.
"The banquet had barely started, and you two disappeared. What were you up to?" Rong Sinan teased, looking at Jin Jumo.
Jin Jumo thought of the successive kisses, her ears warmed slightly, and she smiled sheepishly, "Nothing, just went to the restroom."
"Stayed in the restroom for an hour?"
Rong Sinan looked at Jin Jumo with an ambiguous gaze, "You and Mo Chen, you two?"
"..." Jin Jumo’s face warmed as she glanced at Rong Mochen, seeing him completely indifferent, calm as if he didn’t understand the hidden meaning in Rong Sinan’s words, she couldn’t help but admire his...thick skin!
Tang Ruan glanced at Jin Jumo’s injured arm, and upon seeing the slippery traces of ointment on her wounds, her gentle face couldn’t help but become stiff, and her eyes seemed to carry a trace of sorrow. She looked towards Rong Mochen with a lingering gaze.
Although Jin Jumo was conversing with Rong Sinan, she was observing Tang Ruan out of the corner of her eye, not missing the fleeting sadness and grievance in her eyes, nor the reproachful yet resentful look she cast towards Rong Mochen.
With a secret twitch of her lips, Jin Jumo smiled at Rong Sinan, "Brother Rong, I see a friend, excuse me."
"Go on, go on," Rong Sinan said with a gentle smile, waving his hand.
Jin Jumo did not look at Rong Mochen and was about to walk towards Jian Liangtong and Mu Yan at the corner.
However, her waist was suddenly wrapped from behind, warm breath scattering at her ear, "I’ll accompany you."
Jin Jumo was about to say no, but upon catching sight of Rong Sinan’s attentive gaze and Tang Ruan’s stiff face, she squinted slightly and gave Rong Mochen a soft smile, "Alright."
As soon as Jin Jumo spoke, Tang Ruan’s lashes trembled and lowered, while Rong Sinan laughed cheerfully, pointing at Jin Jumo and Rong Mochen, "You two hurry up and go, stop showing off your love in front of me."
Jin Jumo glanced at Tang Ruan, pursed her lips and gave Rong Sinan an embarrassed smile, indeed carrying a hint of shyness.
Rong Mochen squinted at the hint of bashfulness on Jin Jumo’s lovely face, his thin lips curving slowly, and his long arm tightened more, his voice soft, "Let’s go."
Jin Jumo nodded obediently.
Rong Sinan watched Rong Mochen and Jin Jumo with a smile, his voice rich and clear, "The more I see, the more I think Momo and Mo Chen are a perfect match. Look at Mo Chen, usually cold as ice, who knows anything about being attentive and gentle? In front of Momo, he seems like a different person, not only more gentle and considerate, huh, quite clingy too."
"..."
Fingertips suddenly dug into her palm, Tang Ruan lowered her head, silent.
Having waited a long time for Tang Ruan to speak, Rong Sinan’s eyes narrowed slightly, he lowered his gaze to Tang Ruan, his eyes falling on her tightly clenched fist, his two elegant eyebrows furrowing slightly, silently staring at Tang Ruan.
After a while, Tang Ruan slowly raised her head, her eyes meeting Rong Sinan’s probing yet melancholic gaze, her pupils tightening, "Sinan, I..."
"Hungry?" Rong Sinan interrupted.
Tang Ruan paused, her eyes waveringly and softly looking at him.
Rong Sinan glanced at her then led her towards the area with the food.
Tang Ruan stared at Rong Sinan’s slightly cold back, her heart lowering continuously.
Jin Jumo approached closer, only to find Mu Yan’s face troubled, her beautifully shaped eyebrows almost connected to her nose, puzzled, "What’s wrong?"
Jian Liangtong carefully glanced at Rong Mochen, shook her head, "Nothing."
Seeing her like that, Jin Jumo knew she wasn’t telling the truth, looking to Mu Yan, "Little Yan, what’s happened? You seem very unhappy."
"Can’t feel happy!"
Mu Yan pouted, depression written all over her face, glanced sideways at Rong Mochen, but didn’t disclose what was making her unhappy.
Jin Jumo raised her eyebrows, roughly guessed both were concerned about Rong Mochen, pursed her lips, and did not ask anymore.
Rong Mochen squinted slightly, paused, lowered his gaze at Jin Jumo and said in a flat voice, "I’m going to find Nan Qing and the others."
"Mm," Jin Jumo nodded.
Rong Mochen stared at her, "Don’t wander off."
Jin Jumo’s mouth twitched, but she still nodded.
Rong Mochen brushed her hair before turning to leave.
Jin Jumo watched his tall and straight back, her eyes lowered slightly, turned back to Mu Yan and Jian Liangtong, "Now can you tell me?"
"Makes me angry."
Jian Liangtong waited for Rong Mochen to walk away before she couldn’t hold it in any longer and revealed her true self, placing her hands on her hips angrily, "You weren’t here and didn’t know what happened. If you were, you’d definitely feel the same as me."
"..." Jin Jumo was even more puzzled, frowned at Mu Yan, "What exactly happened?"
Mu Yan pouted, muttering, "It’s nothing but Grandpa’s own decision. At first, I didn’t quite understand it. I’m only fifteen, not even eighteen, why would Grandpa want to throw such a grand birthday party for me? Now I finally get it. Grandpa had planned to do that thing at my birthday party."
"What thing?"
Jin Jumo was confused, why did Grandpa Xiao get involved?
Mu Yan wrinkled her nose, almost crying, "Without my consent, Grandpa announced my engagement to Xiao Nanqing at the banquet. I really didn’t expect...plus I’m only fifteen, Xiao Nanqing is already twenty-five, are we suitable?"
Jin Jumo was stunned, although she had heard from Ying Jingyao that Xiao Nanqing and Mu Yan were engaged from childhood, both parents were actively trying to make it happen.
But she didn’t expect Grandpa Xiao to be so impatient, Mu Yan was only fifteen, and they already ’locked’ the young girl into the Xiao Family!
"Not suitable, definitely not suitable!"
Jian Liangtong shook her head, expressing strong discontent towards the pairing of Xiao Nanqing with Mu Yan, staring at Jin Jumo, "You saw the situation in the restroom earlier, the third young master’s attitude towards Little Yan is more than just bad, his temper aside, there’s also plenty of scandals. Little Yan is only fifteen, young and tender, playful and cute, her beautiful days have just begun! She’ll definitely be a heartthrob as she grows older. Just think, a flower would have to be planted in...okay, from looks alone, Xiao Nanqing really doesn’t have a single flaw."