Chapter 55: A Little Bump part 1
When Ning Yunyi and the others entered the palace, they immediately saw many men and women dressed to the nines. Sure enough… it was a mixer, and an official one at that.
Big Brother Ning exchanged a glance with Ning Yunyi. Ning Yunyi touched the stubble on his face and smiled at his brother. “Brother, guess who the top three most popular men will be tonight?”
Meeting his teasing gaze, Big Brother Ning said helplessly, “I don’t know about others, but Marshal Zong will definitely be number one.”
Ning Yunyi was surprised. “It’s spread to the military?”
Big Brother Ning: “How could it not? Privately, many are calculating just how many assets the Zong family has. Although the news of Marshal Zong going missing and returning was suppressed and didn’t spread, the aristocratic families know. It’s bound to be lively tonight.”
Ning Yunyi gave an affirmative sound. “Brother, you be careful too. Someone might set their sights on you.”
As for Ning Yunyi himself, although he was a hot commodity, with Marshal Zong present, he might not be significant enough.
Big Brother Ning also thought of a point. “I’m just afraid… Marshal Zong might not necessarily appear.”
Ning Yunyi looked at a spot and shook his head slowly. “No, he will come.”
He had personally watched the notification. Why else would that person run out of the Ning house at this juncture?
However, since the Crown Prince agreed to this so-called matchmaking event, what was his hidden agenda behind it?
He was allied with the Herman family through marriage. Did he want the Herman family to marry Marshal Zong too, creating a relationship of brothers-in-law? With shared interests, they would be reliable and inseparable.
He just needed to ask Yus later to find out. Before long, Yus appeared, still with that arrogant and gloomy appearance, surrounded by low pressure. Everyone avoided him wherever he went until he walked straight toward Ning Yunyi.
Duke Clay, who had intended to come over from the other side, was a step too late. His eyes widened, and he silently chose to take a step back, exchanging a look with Ning Yunyi across the air: Brother, take care.
Ning Yunyi: “…” That ‘Brother’ didn’t feel very sincere.
When Yus arrived, he stood beside Ning Yunyi and looked around, his eyes gloomy and extremely menacing, which stopped anyone who wanted to approach Ning Yunyi in their tracks.
Big Brother Ning had just been called away by a colleague, so now only Ning Yunyi and Yus remained. Yus looked around, frowning as he asked Ning Yunyi, “Why did you come? This banquet is obviously fishy. Now that you’re here, don’t think about running.”
“What, can they force a match? It wouldn’t happen to be someone from your Herman family, would it?”
“Since you know, you shouldn’t have come.”
Yus grew more irritable the more he thought about it. But then he heard Ning Yunyi laugh and ask, “Are only the ladies from your family here?”
Yus gave a confirmation sound. “What else?”
Ning Yunyi stared at him steadily, then said slowly, “But… I like men. So, does your family still have time to prepare something else?”
Yus stared blankly at Ning Yunyi. It took a long while before he managed a dazed, “What did you… say?”
Ning Yunyi looked at him with a smile. “How about…”
Yus quickly retreated three steps. “No, don’t even think about it.”
He could sell his life, but he couldn’t sell his body.
On the other side, the late-arriving Ichi stood in a corner accompanying Marshal Zong, who was clad in armor and a mask. Ichi watched Yus and Mr. Bai not far away, then cast a strange look at Marshal Zong, who was also watching them. “Marshal, is it hard to choose?”
Zong Hao frowned and glanced at him. “What?”
Ichi rubbed his hands together, his expression growing weirder. “Marshal, don’t hide it from me. I know everything.”
Zong Hao: “??” What did I hide from him?
Ichi sighed, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, “Marshal, you’re still hiding it. I’ve figured it out. You have a close relationship with Mr. Bai… but you also had an unusual relationship with Mr. Zong in the past. So after separating, Mr. Zong adopted a nephew—who is actually an adopted son—that looks remarkably like the Marshal, gazing at the cat to mourn the person. Boohoo, it’s truly moving heaven and earth! Mr. Zong even uses the Marshal’s surname as a handle, ‘Sect’s (Zong’s) First Blade,’ missing the past. A devoted ex versus an uninhibited, passionate current lover. It’s too hard to choose!”
Zong Hao: “……”
Zong Hao stared at Ichi and laughed in anger. If he wasn’t the cat in question, he might have actually believed this nonsense.
He’s so good at spouting bullshit; should I just let him be the Marshal?
Ichi was frightened by Zong Hao’s gaze. “M-Marshal? Is something wrong?”
He felt his suspicion was very reasonable and supported by evidence. Otherwise… how could it be such a coincidence that Mr. Zong just happened to have an aloof cat whose aura and eyes looked exactly like the Marshal’s?
You couldn’t tell him that the high-cold cat was the Marshal himself, right?
Besides, the Marshal wasn’t a shifter. So, choosing between the two, he definitely leaned toward the first guess.
Zong Hao evidently realized this too. He stared at Ichi in silence for a while, then slowly looked away.
Ichi got excited. Wow, the Marshal defaulted! He indirectly admitted it, right?
Tsk tsk, still denying it. Seeing Young Master Yus standing with Mr. Bai just now, could he be jealous?
Ichi climbed up the pole. “Marshal, didn’t you notice that quite a few people have been staring at you since you appeared tonight?”
Zong Hao had naturally noticed but didn’t care. “So?”
His gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward Ning Yunyi. Why are they still chatting? What does he have to talk about with that Yus?
And why does Yus look so strange… three parts embarrassment, three parts wariness, and four parts hesitation?
Ichi didn’t realize his Marshal’s mind was long gone from the conversation and shared the news he had gathered. “Although outsiders don’t know the Zong family’s situation, what happened at the Crown Prince’s engagement banquet has long spread among the aristocratic families and nobles. So tonight’s banquet was actually pushed strongly by the families and nobles, who petitioned the Crown Prince to prepare a… blind date banquet specifically for you, Marshal.”
Zong Hao’s attention finally returned to Ichi. “What did you say?”
His brows furrowed. Didn’t the Crown Prince know he didn’t plan to marry in this lifetime? Why would he suddenly agree to this?
Ichi scratched his head. “That’s what your subordinate found out. As for why the Crown Prince agreed, I’m not sure. Maybe he previously thought the Zong family had other heirs, but now that they are all outsiders, the Prince probably wants to try again to help the Marshal choose a suitable partner.”
“Many other people came this time too.”
“Since they’re hosting it, it can’t be too obvious. They probably feared you wouldn’t come, Marshal. So privately, I heard… the Herman family intends to… win over Mr. Bai.”
This was put euphemistically. The meaning was clear: they had eyes on Mr. Bai’s unique business and planned to let the family select someone to bring him into the fold through marriage.
Zong Hao’s face turned ugly. Clearly, he hadn’t expected a single banquet to be so flashy and full of hidden agendas.
Ichi rubbed his hands and chuckled. “So, isn’t your subordinate here to offer a plan?”
Zong Hao looked at him.
Ichi leaned in, lowering his voice even more. “Since the Marshal already has a close relationship with Mr. Bai, to avoid being disturbed in the future, why don’t you two… just announce it directly? Save both sides from being coveted by others.”
He felt he was truly a genius. If the old family head knew the Marshal’s marriage was solved just like that, he could finally rest in peace.
Zong Hao lowered his eyes but didn’t speak for a moment.
This was all Ichi’s imagination. Leaving aside that he didn’t have that relationship with Ning Yunyi, he didn’t plan to marry either. He was a shifter, currently attacked from all sides. He hadn’t even found out who wanted to harm him; how could he drag Ning Yunyi’s family into this?
Ichi watched him, sensing something was wrong, and sucked in a breath. “Marshal, don’t tell your subordinate that your care for Mr. Bai before was just… your one-sided wish?”
The Marshal is engaging in unrequited love at his age?
Zong Hao laughed angrily. “You won’t lose anything by saying a few words less.”
Ichi muttered strangely, “Then it’s over. I think Mr. Bai might have taken a fancy to Young Master Yus…”
Zong Hao was just about to tell him to stop brainstorming blindly when he saw Ning Yunyi suddenly reach out in the distance, hook his arm around Yus’s neck, and pull him down. Yus’s fair, feminine face instantly flushed red. He glared at Ning Yunyi in humiliation and anger, but strangely, he didn’t dodge.
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thank you for chapter!