After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

After putting on a bamboo hat to cover himself completely, Baili Ce quickly got off the carriage.

"Young lady!!" Seventeen, who was being controlled, tried her best to do something, but she was no match for the overwhelming number of people.

Seeing how desperately Seventeen was trying, Baili Ce felt a pang of sympathy for him.

I feel bad that if he were to die like this, I would never be able to find such a hardworking, obedient, and easy-going employee again.

This is a huge loss for capitalists!

So she quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, the Wang family head means no harm. You wait here and don't move around. I'll be right back."

After saying that, he turned to Wang Qingyan to confirm, "Right, Patriarch Wang?"

"Just call me Qingyan," Wang Qingyan didn't answer her question directly, but looked at the restaurant on his left and gestured for her to enter.

"What bad luck! I'll never come out for a banquet this early again." Bai Li Ce bowed slightly and entered the restaurant.

You don't know until you go in that the entire restaurant has been booked by Wang Qingyan.

And even though it's only a short distance of two wooden staircases to the second floor, they've arranged forty or fifty guards to protect it.

Good guy!

This guy seems to want everyone to know he comes from a wealthy family.

Of course, their clothes were much more normal, all black, and not flashy at all.

Therefore, it seems that Wang Qingyan did indeed deliberately drag her into making a fool of herself outside.

After "inviting" someone to a quiet and spacious room, Wang Qingyan once again behaved very politely.

Bah! Polite my foot!

If someone were truly polite, they wouldn't have stopped people on the street.

"Okay," Baili Ce said as he went in and sat down without standing on ceremony.

The banquets of wealthy families are always held on auspicious days.

Therefore, at this moment, the room appears even brighter and more spacious because of the exceptionally intense light coming from outside the window.

Looking through the light veil hanging from his bamboo hat, Baili Ce was surprised to find that Wang Qingyan was radiating a soft, gentle light, and he couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"What kind of tea would you like, young lady?" Although he was asking for her opinion, Wang Qingyan had already poured two cups of tea.

"You've already poured it for me, why are you asking me?" Bai Lize politely replied, "I don't want to drink, I'm not thirsty."

To be fair, the voice was clear, warm, and not thin, giving one the impression that the person was quite nice.

However... Baili Ce was sitting a bit too far away.

"Young lady...aren't you going to take off your hat?" Seeing her unapproachable demeanor, Wang Qingyan's eyes grew even colder.

Bai Li Ce, failing to detect anything amiss in Wang Qingyan's tone, readily interpreted Wang Qingyan's words as, "I'm already so good-looking, and you don't even take a good look at me."

Being good-looking can certainly put food on the table, but she's not hungry right now.

So she smiled, and gave a polite but distant nod in Wang Qingyan's direction, "After all, the Wang family head is an outsider; it's already presumptuous for him to be in the same room with someone else. If..."

"Young lady" Wang Qingyan interrupted her directly, but her face showed no impatience whatsoever. "In your letter to me, didn't you say that you often associate with outsiders for a living and don't care about details?"

Um... I have to admit, she couldn't respond to that.

Wang continued, "Or is it that the young lady simply disdains to show me her true face?"

Wow, this is starting with moral blackmail, isn't it?

“Then…” Wang Qingyan subconsciously looked outside.

What could she say when she thought of the dozens of people downstairs?

He simply took off his straw hat and put it aside, then gave a fake smile, saying, "Please excuse my poor performance."

“…” Wang Qingyan was indeed smiling at first.

A smile that is both ironic and playful, yet also incredibly charming.

But the moment he saw her eyebrows and earrings, he couldn't laugh at all.

All the satire and banter vanished without a trace.

He just stared at her without blinking, as if he could see someone through her.

There was even a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by other emotions.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to utter a single word...

Baili Ce, who had taken in the changes in his expression, felt a little uncomfortable.

That's it... her defenses were breached?

"Ugly...ugly enough to make you feel uncomfortable?"

"No," Wang Qingyan clearly avoided her gaze, and his aloof and unapproachable demeanor fell firmly to the ground.

But the compliments were rather perfunctory: "The young lady...is very beautiful."

"......" Irony, huh? You're something else.

Gritting his teeth, he thought, "The Wang family head is truly humorous and witty!"

Wang Qingyan wasn't oblivious to the sarcasm in her words, but he had no time to dwell on it. He simply nervously placed his slightly sweaty hands under the table. "You flatter me. If you like it, young lady, I..."

The inexplicable change in the atmosphere, conveyed by the phrase "I would be so unworthy to presume," made Baili Ce hesitant to utter another word.

“…” Wang Qingyan remained silent for a long time.

Just when Baili Ce thought he would be angry and might call the people downstairs to come up and beat her up—

Wang Qingyan simply asked, "Why?"

At the same time, he slowly loosened his fist, which had been lying unnoticed under the table.

"Then why does the Wang family head insist on arranging a marriage between us?"

"Don't talk about love at first sight or long-standing admiration. I'm sure Patriarch Wang has already investigated how I stood out from my family and how I gained a foothold in the capital."

As the head of a powerful family, maintaining a high level of awareness of information from other families is a fundamental quality.

"So if it's all just useless clichés, then please don't waste our time."

Under normal circumstances, Wang Qingyan would definitely have taken such a tough and sharp attitude to heart, but...

After thinking for a while, he said indifferently, "It's an arranged marriage."

噫~

That's all there is to it~

After waiting for a long time, she thought Wang Qingyan would have some new explanation.

What does it mean to be exceptionally talented and learned?

At most, it's a private school diploma, which was bought with money. "The Baili family and the Wang family did have an agreement, but it didn't mention me."

"Moreover, the agreement made with the head of the Baili family at that time was with the previous head of the Wang family."

"If a marriage is to be arranged, shouldn't it at least be with the son of the former head of the Wang family?"

"Furthermore, at that time, the head of the Baili family already had two daughters."

"Later, several more daughters were added."

"Whether it's in terms of etiquette, social status, character, or appearance, this marriage shouldn't fall to me, a daughter from a branch of the Baili family, right?"

In short, Wang Qingyan's insistence on marrying her was definitely for reasons other than liking her.

She just doesn't know that yet.

"..." Wang Qingyan stopped arguing.

He just stared at her, not knowing what he was looking at.

Seeing this, Baili Ce, thinking himself victorious, got up, patted his straw hat, put it on, and left.

He still acted very arrogantly.

They practically tiptoed and twirled as they walked.

Ah......

Wang Qingyan glanced at the untouched tea across from him, then slowly picked up his own cup and took a sip. "What if I insist on marrying you, young lady?"

As Baili Ce reached the door and was about to pull it open, he paused...

He tilted his head slightly, his voice laced with sarcasm, "Does the Wang family head think he can force a marriage?"

She turned around and lifted the veil of her straw hat to look at him. Although she didn't want to offend him at all, she had already offended him today, so she might as well offend him a little more.

"In terms of power, the Wang family is indeed superior to the Baili family."

"But I, Baili, am not to be trifled with either."

Wang Qingyan raised an eyebrow and looked in Baili Ce's direction, his gaze calm as if stating a fact, "What if we add the He family and the new emperor?"

"..." This time, Baili Ce was speechless.

Slowly pouring another cup of tea, Wang Qingyan said, as if threatening, as if reminding, "How do you think the rebellion in the northern frontier was quelled overnight?"

"And how do you think the mere power of the He family could erase the past of the youngest daughter of the He family, and prevent the ministers and the Empress Dowager from opposing it anymore?"

Wang Qingyan rarely spoke so bluntly and directly; after he finished speaking, he even felt that he had gone a bit too far.

Seeing the disgust on Baili Ce's face, he was unwilling to make a fool of himself any further.

"..." To be honest, she really wanted to go over and punch him twice.

WTF.

But considering that I'm most likely to be the one who gets beaten up in the end, I decided against it.

"Squeak-"

Bai Lize opened the door and left as usual.

Wang Qingyan's threats had no effect whatsoever, and a voice could be heard from outside:

"How do you know that He Yao entering the palace is not what I expected?"

......

"Phew~" Baili Ce breathed a long sigh of relief as he sat back down in the carriage.

She finally understood why some people needed dozens of guards when they went out; it seemed she would also need a large entourage from now on.

"Young lady, I..." Seeing Baili Ce's still-shaken expression, Seventeen immediately knelt down in the street, "Please punish me, young lady!"

After speaking, he raised his sword above his head with both hands.

This attracted the attention of the surrounding residents.

Bai Li Ce looked around, completely numb.

"Punishment?" Logically speaking, it should be a reward.

"Yes!" Seventeen answered firmly, but kept his head buried tightly.

It felt like I had really made some terrible mistake.

"If it weren't for my lack of skill, young lady wouldn't be so wronged today, much less..."

Seventeen didn't dare say what was coming next; her eyes welled up with tears of frustration and anger.

"..." Bai Li Ce looked at him thoughtfully.

I think his little brain must be thinking about something unhealthy.

But she had only been inside for less than a moment, and the nobleman's clothes were so complicated that even if she just tore them off and put them back on, there wouldn't be enough time.

However, most people would say in this situation, "Oh, it's not your fault, don't blame yourself, it's so-and-so's fault."

But a ruthless capitalist like her wouldn't.

So, Baili Ce, looking disappointed in Baili Ce, turned the tables and said, "You actually know that!"

"Do you know how troublesome and outrageous that Wang Qingyan is? If I didn't have some status, I would have been bullied by him long ago!"

With a sigh of exasperation, she slapped the armrest. "Sigh! I always tell you to balance work and rest, but you never listen. See, the bad effects of overdoing it are showing now?"

This guy practices martial arts like he's risking his life. He's been following her for years, and she's never seen him sleep in.

"If you had rested well and improved your martial arts skills, would I have to put myself through this?"

"And to be honest, he can't really do anything to me, since I have the Baili family backing me up."

"But what about you? What do you have?" She put on a show of concern for him.

"If it weren't for you today..."

Bai Li Ce paused for a moment, then pointed at the coachman, "And you, you'll both end up in Wang Qingyan's hands and be tortured beyond recognition. I'm not going on that trip."

"I..." Seventeen was even more heartbroken by what was said, and she almost burst into tears.

"Young lady, I was wrong..." The coachman felt guilty. If his driving skills were more proficient, this wouldn't have happened.

Seventeen felt ten times more ashamed, "It's all my fault! I'll apologize to the young lady right away!"

Hey, hey, hey, no!

Seeing him draw his sword, Baili Ce quickly bent down and pressed it down!

Unexpectedly, he almost fell, then suddenly leaned back, achieving perfect balance between his waist and stance!

Buckle up!

Then he calmly continued to reason with me, "It's good that you know you were wrong. I'll spare your life for now. When you become a top-notch expert in the future, you can repay me tenfold or a hundredfold."

Seventeen's cheeks trembled slightly, overwhelmed with emotion.

Inside, she was crying her heart out, sobbing uncontrollably, wailing... The young lady is truly... truly too kind and benevolent!

He was a million times better than anyone he had ever met before!

How lucky he is to have met such a wonderful employer as this young lady!

How could there be such a gentle and kind person in the world who...who doesn't blame him at all?

He must protect her with all his might from now on, so as not to be worthy of the young lady!

"Alright, alright, with people coming and going, what kind of scene is this? Get up right now."

Seventeen stood up, her eyes even more determined than before, her resolve to protect Baili Ce growing stronger.

"Young lady, are we still going to the He family?" After such a commotion, the coachman was still shaken.

"Go, why wouldn't you go?"

If I don't go, I'll have lost face for nothing today.

Seventeen was puzzled and worried, "But everyone probably knows about this now. The He family is not what it used to be. What if..."

To embarrass her?

"Heh, it's not certain who will embarrass whom yet." How could Wang Qingyan happen to appear on her only way to the He family?

It was the He family who informed on them.

Since the He family wants to fight, then let them fight to the bitter end.

"I want to see just how different the He family has become from what it used to be."

However, just because He Yao was granted the title of concubine and gained Wang Qingyan's favor, he dared to mess with her?

Alright, once we get to the He family, she'll show them what a powerful, century-old family is all about, how they can bully the emperor!

......

The second floor of the restaurant.

Wang Qingyan sat alone in the room, eating tea and snacks, occasionally glancing at the scenery outside the window, creating an eerily quiet atmosphere, until the guards began to doze off.

It wasn't until his subordinates couldn't hold on any longer and reluctantly came forward to ask for instructions.

He smiled faintly, looking at the teacup opposite him, which was tinged with a pale golden light, his gaze becoming increasingly meaningful.

......