“Alright, alright, you’re a handsome man!” said Athena. “But, even if she recognised you, she still shouldn’t act like that around you… You’re both enemies, not lovers! Her behaviour doesn’t match her personality at all. I don’t understand!”
This was where it got confusing. It didn’t matter if she recognised Ye Lang, she shouldn’t have behaved like that under normal circumstances.
If Ye Lang’s guess was right- Zhao Yarou was ‘mesmerized’ by his looks… but they were enemies, the kind where they both wanted each other dead!
Also, would Zhao Yarou ever turn dumb over a good-looking boy?
Only she would know. All they could do was to wait for the answer to reveal itself.
Athena did not want to dwell further either, there was no answer to be found. Turning to Ye Lang, she said, “The most important thing now is to settle the matter between you and Li Yue. You can still do the same thing you’ve been doing tomorrow. Eat breakfast with her, shoot some arrows. If you can, ask her out to do something else! Although both of you have gotten quite close, you’ve got to be closer! Don’t waste any time, make her hand you the Tianji Armour within ten days…”
“As long as you can do this in ten days, we don’t have to care about what Zhao Yarou is planning. You leave immediately!” said Athena. Like Ye Lang, she wanted to leave everything once the mission was completed.
“I know. Li Yue listens to me. Should I ask her tomorrow?”
“Absolutely not! Asking her directly and so suddenly would only make her suspicious!”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, I’ve asked her before. She said she’d give me the Tianji Armour if we get married!” said Ye Lang, clueless.
“If you get married… Why were you two talking about marriage? What does she think?” Athena did not know this. Ye Lang hadn’t told her about it, he didn’t think it was important.
Athena looked very anxious when she asked the question, either for the development of this mission or merely worried about both of them getting married.
“I don’t think she agreed, but, I don’t think she said no either,” said Ye Lang after a moment of thought. He couldn’t tell.
There is a saying: a lady’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean. Her thoughts are turbulent- plus Ye Lang was already a clueless person himself.
“It’s good she didn’t object. As long as she hasn’t refused, we’re halfway there! She must be shy… What if we pay the Li family a visit and propose marriage?” suggested Athena. Although this method seemed very aggressive, as long as they could confirm a marriage, Li Yue would let him see the Tianji Armour. Then it would be his to take.
At that point, Ye Lang would probably tell Li Yue, “I’m leaving, thank you!”
Next, Ye Lang would disappear from the Imperial City. When Li Yue and the rest fail to find him, they would realise he was a liar, here to cheat her of her feelings for the Tianji Armour.
It was still hard to predict if they would be able to find out Ye Lang’s true identity by then.
“Meet the parents? Maybe not. We’re just here to lie about our feelings but meeting the parents to propose marriage might be too much!” Ye Lang shook his head.
After giving him a long, hard look, Athena finally nodded. “You’re right!”
This was definitely going to hurt Li Yue, but the aftermath would still be manageable. However, if they went on to discuss marriage with the Li family, the consequences might be more difficult to deal with.
“No matter what, you have to go eat breakfast with Li Yue tomorrow morning. You cannot break this habit or she’ll be suspicious!” said Athena in the end. Once he agreed, she left discreetly.
On the second morning, Ye Lang went to the small stall once again but Li Yue never came. Ye Lang and Coldblood Five were both puzzled but did not dwell too much on the problem.
It was very normal for a person to change their habits for all sorts of reasons. Their decisions could be temporary, or it could be lifelong.
Ye Lang did not change his schedule with her absence. He went about his routine as usual, and soon received news.
Athena had sent her men to gather intelligence the moment she heard Li Yue did not arrive. They’d realised that she never even left the Li Residence- and that was because there was going to be a party at their house a few days from today.
It was very common for aristocrats to throw parties, including the Ye family, who often threw parties at their house to spend time with friends and family.
This time, the Li family seemed to be holding a party right before Zhao Yarou’s birthday party not just to spend time with each other– they planned to discuss matters relating to Zhao Yarou.
For example, they had to decide on what greetings and well-wishes they could say, gifts to bring, who sits where and a lot more!
Li Yue wasn’t supposed to be involved in this discussion. Usually, at Li family parties, she’d merely show up for a while during the party but not help with the preparations. No one was sure why she stayed home.
Athena could not find out the reason for Li Yue staying home. The only speculation she could make was that it had something to do with Ye Lang and Zhao Yarou but she needed more information to confirm.
Of course, Athena also thought Ye Lang didn’t have to ask, it was none of his business. Ye Lang naturally did not think to ask either.
In the days after, although he went to the archery range and all the places she usually went to, he never saw Li Yue.
Ten days passed, just like that!
It was the same every day. Li Yue wasn’t even there, how could he complete his mission within ten days? There was nothing they could do even if they had formulated the best plan!
On the fifth day, Ye Lang had already failed to meet Li Yue for four days. Athena was growing frustrated, she felt so helpless.
She almost bit him whenever she saw him being so relaxed. However, she did not do such a thing for she knew being anxious would not help the situation.
All they could do now was wait!
Very soon, the wait would be over…
“Excuse me, is Mr Fox here?” A servant from the Li family was brought in by a waiter at Zhu’s Soup House. A person from the Li family would never have much objection if he/she needed to look for a person!
