Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

"Young Master, calm down." Qing Lan saw Tang Ling's gloomy and angry face and quickly made him another cup of hot tea. "Young Master, don't pay any attention to that brat. No matter what he says, just pretend you can't hear him. If he dares to come again next time, let Ye Huai beat him out."

Qinglan was indignant and spoke more rudely, which made Tang Ling's face look even worse. However, Tang Ling was upset today and was too lazy to reprimand Qinglan.

Ye Huai stepped forward and scolded, "What did Master Su Ri teach you? How dare you say such a thing?"

Qing Lan was stunned. His outspokenness was truly incurable. He could only bow his head and admit his mistake: "Qing Lan knows he was wrong. Please punish me, sir."

Tang Ling shook her head slightly: "I'm tired, go out."

"Master..." Qinglan was often scolded by Tang Ling for his nonsense, but this time, Tang Ling unexpectedly didn't reprimand him. Even if he was dumb, he knew that Tang Ling was extremely angry. Qinglan was naturally flustered. "Master, I know I was wrong... I just feel sorry for you and I'm angry for you..."

"That's enough." Ye Huai winked at Qing Lan, "Young Master is tired."

Ye Huai took Qinglan out, finally leaving Tang Ling alone to have some peace and quiet.

There was one thing Qing Lan had said that was actually true: no matter what Qi Xiao said, Tang Ling could ignore him. No matter how eloquent Qi Xiao was, as long as Tang Ling ignored him, what could he do? This move could be the first move; if Tang Ling didn't respond, she would immediately become a useless piece.

But... Tang Ling couldn't just ignore it.

Tang Lingxie leaned back in her chair, her left hand covering the wound on her forearm.

Did Qi Xiao say he felt sorry for Tang Ling, so he copied the chess game for him to save him from having to do it himself and re-injure his wound? Did Qi Xiao say he felt guilty, so he confessed everything, and if Tang Ling wanted to blame him, he would take it all? He also said he would give Tang Ling whatever she wanted… even if it meant his life?

Tang Ling recalled Qi Xiao's expression when he said those words. It didn't seem like a show. When Qi Xiao hesitated for a moment, he had truly thought carefully before agreeing. If it were fake, he would have agreed immediately. Why would he have seriously considered Concubine Lin first?

The more sincere Qi Xiao was to him, the more afraid Tang Ling suddenly became. She was afraid that she would take it seriously, really believe in him, really like him, and thus be controlled by Qi Xiao. She would forget her identity and why she came to Chen State in the first place.

Tang Ling felt a pang of grief and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Qi Xiao was too smart and knew his thoughts better than he even knew himself. Otherwise, why would he say those words and do those things?

Qi Xiao was no longer testing him, but forcing him!

hateful!

Tang Ling's eyes swept across the gift box on the table, causing him to sigh softly. He reached out and took it, opened it, and took the chess game inside in his hand.

The first one was the game between Tang Ling and Qi Xiao. It was also the only one among the three games that Tang Ling did not put much thought into, because Qi Xiao saw through his moves clearly and played according to his intentions. It would be more accurate to say that Qi Xiao set up a game for Tang Ling rather than a game of chess.

Tang Ling couldn't help sighing, unable to hide the bitterness in her heart. Suddenly, "telepathy" didn't seem to be a good word anymore.

***

On the other side, after Qi Xiao returned, he was stared at by Bai Xiqiao.

Bai Xiqiao had a lot of curses in his heart, but when he saw Qi Xiao's nonchalant look, he was so angry that he couldn't utter a single word. He could only wait for Qi Xiao to explain to him.

"Brother, please let me go and stop staring at me like that."

Qi Xiao slumped down on the couch and let out a long sigh. He knew what Bai Xiqiao was thinking, but he didn't care. His entire attention was on the next room. Just now, in Tang Ling's tent, he'd been terrified, more than a battle. He was constantly worried that he'd act rashly, lose his composure, and push Tang Ling away from him, putting her at odds with him.

Their identities were different, their positions were opposite. Bai Xiqiao was right. Tang Ling was someone Qi Xiao shouldn't like, but since he did, no one could stop him. As long as Tang Ling was interested in him, that was enough. His only concern was that Tang Ling didn't like him. So Qi Xiao had to know the answer, right now. He couldn't wait.

Bai Xiqiao pulled Qi Xiao up and sat down next to him, still staring at him.

Qi Xiao held his forehead and sighed: "Brother, you heard everything I said to him."

"Xiao'er, you...what can I say about you? No matter how much you like someone, you shouldn't mention Lu Fangjin, right?"

"Brother, there are some things I don't need to tell him, he knows them very well in his heart. But there are some things that if I don't tell him now, there will be no future for him and me in the future."

There shouldn't be any future in the first place!

Bai Xiqiao's head hurt. He didn't know what else to say. Qi Xiao had a wild nature, perhaps because he'd spent too much time in the palace as a child, and had been raised in Fenglin Mountain, he'd become a wild mountain beast. It was completely unreasonable. Once he made a decision, he wouldn't change it, there was no turning back, and he was determined to succeed.

Bai Xiqiao was feeling depressed when Lu Fangjin suddenly came and slipped in quietly.

"Why do you two look so bad?" Lu Fangjin didn't know anything yet. He took a pear from the fruit plate on the table and started to eat it.

"Why are you here again?" Bai Xiqiao saw that Lu Fangjin was a little embarrassed. Should he tell Lu Fangjin that Qi Xiao had just sold him out for her beauty?

Lu Fangjin finished the pear in three or two bites, poured himself a cup of tea, and glanced at Qi Xiao: "Come and have a free meal."

"Tell me, what's the matter?" The relationship between Qi Xiao and Lu Fangjin is secretive. If there is nothing important, Lu Fangjin would never come here secretly.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask what's going on between you and Tang Ling."

Bai Xiqiao looked at Lu Fangjin and breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Lu Fangjin was neither stupid nor blind; he had immediately noticed the unusual situation between Qi Xiao and Tang Ling. It would be best if he could come and question them. At least he could have an ally! Zong Sheng's single-minded support for Qi Xiao was truly useless.

"Nothing, I like him."

"Puff!" Lu Fangjin spat out all his tea, nearly choking himself to death. "What do you mean by him?!"

Qi Xiao poured a cup of tea and took the empty cup from Lu Fangjin's hand: "Drink your tea."

"No, no, no, no, what did you just say? I don't think I heard it clearly."

Qi Xiao snorted and ignored him.

Bai Xiqiao patted Lu Fangjin's shoulder and sighed, "Please try to persuade him. I can't persuade him. I've worn my lips out."

"No way? Are you serious?" Lu Fangjin stared at Qi Xiao in amazement for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahahahahahaha!"

Bai Xiqiao was shocked. Did Lu Fang take the wrong medicine?

Lu Fangjin patted his shoulder, imitating Bai Xiqiao's previous gesture. "Why are you trying to persuade me? There's always someone to conquer you."

Bai Xiqiao was completely stunned: "With their status, you're still laughing?!"

"Have some tea." Lu Fangjin handed the teacup back to Bai Xiqiao and said with a smile, "Is this your first day meeting this kid? You can't persuade him. Don't waste your energy."

"But..." Bai Xiqiao was extremely anxious, and when he saw that Lu Fangjin was not in a hurry, he became even more annoyed.

"Have some tea." Lu Fangjin comforted Bai Xiqiao while glancing at Qi Xiao, almost unable to hold back his laughter.

Bai Xiqiao slammed the teacup onto the table and said angrily, "Lu Fangjin, we are friends for life and death after all, and you're just going to watch Xiao'er act like that?!"

Lu Fangjin shook his head. "I treat him like a brother, so there's no need to persuade him. He's so smart, the only one who'll suffer is Tang Ling. What are you worried about?"

"You fought with Tang Ling on the banks of Taihua River for several months. Is she an easy person to deal with?!" Bai Xiqiao was almost mad with anger.

Lu Fangjin continued to shake his head, "You're wrong. Tang Ling is scheming and cunning, but ultimately, he's a gentleman and a Confucian general. Your junior brother, huh, is not like that."