In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

Ye Ling'er bent her fingers, and the veins on the back of her hand bulged out, as she pinched her neck in a hook shape.

Tao Jingyang raised his right hand, and felt a gust of wind suddenly blow, swiftly interrupting Ye Ling'er's attack. He then forced her forearm back to Ye Ling'er's lower right abdomen.

Then they quickly attacked her lower body, disrupting Ye Ling'er's offensive rhythm.

While Ye Ling'er took a moment to catch her breath, he swiftly pointed two fingers at her neck.

Seeing that victory was within his grasp, Tao Jingyang stopped in time to ensure that he would not actually hurt Ye Ling'er.

The latter knew that the outcome was already decided, so he stopped his actions.

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"I lost." Ye Ling'er broke out in a light sweat and calmed her breathing slightly.

"Miss Jingyang, I have never seen your moves before. I am truly impressed."

"In the end, she is not of high rank and only knows how to take shortcuts. She is not as good as Miss Ling'er."

Ye Ling'er shook her head upon hearing this: "Martial arts skills cannot be judged solely by rank."

It's common to see fifth-rank officials defeated by third-rank officials, and eighth-rank officials defeated by sixth-rank officials. On the battlefield, victory or defeat isn't determined by rank.

After saying that, he cupped his hands to Tao Jingyang and said, "Miss Jingyang, your martial arts are truly superb. I regret not having met you sooner."

"It's not too late to get to know each other now. In the future, I will need Miss Ye's guidance."

Tao Jingyang exchanged some polite words and handed his handkerchief to Ye Ling'er, indicating that she could use it to wipe her sweat.

Ye Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then accepted it with both hands: "Thank you."

Lin Wan'er, who was hiding far away, felt a little relieved when she saw that the two of them had finished their sparring so quickly.

Fortunately, this exchange didn't cause much of a stir. Although it was just a "sparring match," it wouldn't sound good if word got out.

Lin Wan'er returned to the tea table and quietly sat back down in her seat.

After wiping away her sweat, Ye Ling'er carefully folded the handkerchief and returned it to Tao Jingyang.

After thinking for a long time, she finally asked the question she wanted to ask:

"Miss Jingyang, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

[Tao Jingyang]: Dude, you've already opened your mouth, and now you're asking whether it's appropriate to say it or not.

"Oh, it's alright, Miss Ling'er, just tell me. There's no 'shouldn't be said' or 'not said' about it."

Tao Jingyang poured Ye Ling'er a cup of tea. After pouring it for her, he downed his own cup in one gulp and then poured himself another.

Lin Wan'er watched Tao Jingyang drink his tea and secretly thought to herself:

[Do all martial artists drink tea like this? Ling'er, Fan Xian, and Miss Jingyang all drink it this way...]

So she quietly grasped the teacup and said to Ye Ling'er, who was hesitating at the moment:

"Ling'er, say whatever you want to say."

After saying this, Lin Wan'er imitated the way Tao Jingyang drank tea that she had just seen:

The way to drink tea is by "raising your forearm and tilting your head back slightly".

Before she could even take a sip of tea, Ye Ling'er spoke up:

"Miss Jingyang, what made you fall for that Second Prince?"

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"Pfft! Cough cough cough cough cough cough cough..." Lin Wan'er spat out the tea she hadn't drunk along with Ye Ling'er's words.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong with Miss Wan'er?" Lin Wan'er's vomiting terrified Tao Jingyang.

She rushed over to pat Lin Wan'er's back, while carefully examining whether the spray on the ground was "water" or "blood".

Ye Ling'er was also startled. Almost reflexively, she wanted to go over and search Lin Wan'er's clothes to find the medicine for her.

Tao Jingyang: O_o

What is this doing right in front of me...?

Under Tao Jingyang's shocked gaze, Lin Wan'er covered her chest with one hand and stopped Ye Ling'er's hand with the other.

He then coughed twice more, expelling some of the water that had entered his lungs, and said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"It's alright, I just choked a little while ago."

"Oh, Wan'er, you scared me! It's just tea, why are you in such a hurry?"

Like Tao Jingyang, Ye Ling'er also carefully observed the color of the water stains on the ground. After confirming that everything was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's still that question you asked..." Then she exchanged a glance with Tao Jingyang and fell silent.

[Ling'er is really something, actually asking Miss Tao that question...]

"What's wrong with this question? Miss Tao said it was okay to ask..."

After saying this, Ye Ling'er lowered her voice somewhat guiltily.

Tao Jingyang watched this scene with some curiosity, then nodded in agreement, following Ye Ling'er's lead:

"Yes, I told you it's okay." After saying that, she secretly winked at Ye Ling'er.

Ye Ling'er was immediately amused, but soon she let out a deep sigh.

Tao Jingyang found it strange, so he rested his chin on his hand and asked her:

"Miss Ling'er, why are you sighing?"

Ye Ling'er looked back at her, some thoughts swirling in her mind.

Whether to say it or not, it's something we really need to think about carefully.

For some reason, Ye Ling'er felt an instant connection with Tao Jingyang.

Looking into Tao Jingyang's deep, bright, and clear eyes, she sighed sincerely for him:

"Miss Jingyang, it's really... a bit of a pity."

"How so... should I put it?"

Tao Jingyang's eyes were filled with great doubt.

Lin Wan'er, who had caught her breath, moved closer to the two of them with some interest.

Ye Ling'er lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then raised her head, looked at the tightly closed door, shook her head and sighed:

“Miss Jingyang, if you and the Second Prince can like each other, perhaps it is fate between you two.”

If this sentence were translated as Ye Ling'er's "inner thoughts," it would be:

There are countless heroes in the world, so why did this Miss Tao take a fancy to the Second Prince?

Perhaps this is what they mean by "different strokes for different folks"...

I just don't understand it, just like I still don't understand how Wan'er could have fallen for Fan Xian.

Ye Ling'er sighed again whenever she thought of Wan'er and Fan Xian.

Then he turned his head to look at Lin Wan'er, and after looking at her, he sighed.

Lin Wan'er was puzzled by the look, so she turned her head to look at Tao Jingyang.

As expected, Tao Jingyang's eyes were also full of doubt.