Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Seeing the silence, Xia Yifei quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "It's already lunchtime. Would you be so kind as to invite the Princess to dine with us?"

Ling Yan smiled warmly and said, "Of course."

The group then found a nicely decorated restaurant nearby and went into a private room on the second floor.

Of course, the door to the private room was left open, just in case something unpleasant might get out.

Although Lingyan didn't care, she only regarded these people as children.

However, there are always some people in the world with wicked intentions and ulterior motives who will think of some ridiculous things.

Therefore, her upright and open demeanor can be seen as a way to prevent others from smearing her.

After ordering food from each other, the group started chatting.

Xia Yifei first turned to Ling Yan and thanked her, saying, "Thank you very much, Your Highness, for helping my cousin this time."

Ling Yan smiled slightly and said, "You're welcome."

Jin Yuhuan, who was eating pastries nearby, asked with a curious and puzzled look, "What did the Princess Consort do to help the Seventh Princess?"

Lingyan looked at her and smiled, replying, "It's nothing, I just helped the Seventh Princess matchmake with Lord Meng Huai'an."

Xia Yifei knew that the matter of the marriage alliance could not be announced at the moment, so he nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Jin Yuhuan's eyes widened in surprise. "So their marriage was arranged by the Princess! No wonder they're such a perfect match."

Lingyan smiled but remained silent.

To some extent, she was indeed their matchmaker, and it was she who brought them together.

He Jin'an was aware of this matter, but he did not point it out.

As the dishes were presented one by one, the group naturally became immersed in the atmosphere of enjoying the food and chatting, completely disregarding the traditional rule of "not talking while eating".

The main problem is that the three of them always talked while eating at the academy.

In addition, they all enjoyed chatting with Princess Rui, feeling that they benefited greatly from each conversation.

Therefore, the group finished their lunch in a lively and joyful atmosphere.

The three also asked her about the opening of her shop, saying they would definitely bring their classmates to support her.

Jin Yuhuan kept asking what surprises were in store.

Lingyan did not reveal anything, only telling him to wait patiently.

They also said that since that incident, the three of them have become inseparable best friends.

Xia Yifei said his grades had improved a lot, and although he was still in second place, he was already very happy.

Because he surpassed his former self.

Of course, Kim Woo-hwan has always been at the bottom.

Lingyan was also happy for Xia Yifei.

As for the chubby boy...

She said, "As long as you're happy."

Xia Yifei and He Jinan are not only partners who inspire each other, but also indispensable competitors.

Lingyan felt that this kind of healthy competition was quite good, and it would undoubtedly be of great benefit to each other's growth.

The three of them had been out for quite some time, so Xia Yifei and Jin Yuhuan took their leave.

He Jinan, however, did not leave with them.

Instead, he looked at Lingyan and asked with a smile, "Does Your Highness have any time right now? I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

Ling Yan smiled and nodded, "Of course I have time."

Jin Yuhuan and Xia Yifei bowed to Ling Yan and then left.

At this moment, Lingyan and He Jin'an sat facing each other.

He Jin'an then said with considerable distress, "Your Highness, someone is chasing after me and trying to please me every day, but this person is of such high status that I cannot offend her. She hasn't done anything excessive, so I can't be too harsh on her either. But she keeps bothering me every day. What should I do?"

After hearing his explanation, Lingyan understood who this person was.

Princess Wenyi, Jiang Muxue.

This is because conquering He Jingchuan is too difficult, so we took a roundabout approach.

He Jin'an continued, "I'm sure the princess has guessed who this person is. She follows me around every day when I go to and from school, always smiling and trying to please me. But she is also very tactful and never takes up a second of my time. She speaks and acts appropriately and has never done anything excessive."

"In addition, she would bring me different kinds of food every day, saying that she had specially learned how to cook them from the cook and then made them by hand. She also cared about my studies and my mood. She would also give me clothes, shoes, jade pendants, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, books by famous authors, etc., as if she wanted to give me all the good things in the world."

He took a sip of tea and then put it down.

He then said with some doubt, "I know why she did this, it's all because of my brother, but she has never mentioned my brother once, nor has she asked me about anything related to him. It's as if she only cares about me as a person, but I know that's not the case. She did this because of my brother."

After saying that, he looked at Lingyan and frowned, saying, "Your Highness, what do you think I should do? I can't hit her, I can't scold her, I can't drive her away, but I'm so annoyed. Can you give me some advice?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Yan asked softly, "Your brother should know about this, right? Didn't he tell you what to do?"

He Jin'an gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "My brother told me to solve it myself, but I can't think of anything right now, so I can only ask the Princess for help."

Lingyan glanced at his expression and smiled inwardly.

I'm afraid it's not that you don't know how to solve it, but that you can't bear to.

Otherwise, would she still come to see you every day?

This precocious and shrewd young man clearly had a way to solve the problem, but he couldn't bear to hurt her.

Lingyan lowered her eyes gently, sighed deeply, and said, "After hearing you talk about all this, I know how foolish and infatuated Princess Wenyi is. I feel a little disappointed in her, but also a little sorry for her."

He Jin'an asked, puzzled, "Pity?"

Lingyan said wistfully, "Yes, how pitiful! A princess of noble birth waited for a man for many years, enduring so much ridicule and criticism from the world, yet she remained devoted and unwavering. Even though this man was cold and heartless to her, she still did not give up."

"For this, she could put aside her pride, dignity, and respectability. She could learn to cook for him, try different ways every day to please this man's younger brother, collect everything he wanted, and painstakingly and carefully try to please him. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, just hoping to leave him with a good impression."

"She clearly had this man on her mind, but she didn't dare to ask him, for fear of ruining everything. She also didn't dare to waste even a little bit of your time. So she could only greet you with a smile at the same time every day, suppressing all her bitterness to please you, just to win your favor."

She sighed again, her gaze distant, and said, "How could I not pity her? It's really foolish to do this for a man who is destined never to like her. That's why I'm so disappointed in her. There's nothing wrong with liking someone, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to please his family, but I just feel that she shouldn't be this kind of woman."

After listening to her, He Jin'an felt, for some reason, that even though he felt he had done the right thing by being extremely cold to her these past few days.

He did feel sorry for her, but at this moment, that feeling was even stronger.

Seeing his expression, Lingyan knew what he was thinking, so she continued softly, "Princess Wenyi is a smart woman. After trying to please you for so long, she must already know your attitude and thoughts, and understand that you cannot be moved."

So she'll probably give up on her own in a few days. Therefore, even if you feel bad for her, you should maintain the same attitude towards her for the next few days, otherwise she'll give up hope again.

He Jin'an nodded and replied, "I understand, thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

Then Lingyan looked at him and smiled, "Actually, you don't dislike her, right? She's so attentive to you, so caring and warm towards you. You must be happy and touched, right? If your brother hadn't been so indifferent to her, you probably would have been moved long ago."

He Jinan did not refute after hearing this.

The princess is right, that is indeed the case.

He didn't dislike her at all; in fact, he liked her and wanted to be close to her, just like he did with Princess Rui.

But he could only treat her coldly.

He simply hoped she could find her own happiness, rather than wasting her youth and emotions on someone unattainable.