NOVPUB"It’s tasty; give it a try."
"Crazy," she said, but Li Xiaoyu still took a small sip.
And she found it quite good.
Tang Xian didn’t mind and continued:
"It’s like the women on Decay Street, who, no matter the client, are willing to smile and flirt. But even if they could stay young forever and do this job for life, most would choose to settle down with a decent man when they have enough money."
"The Li family and the Song Family have indeed done many face-losing things, all the dirty jobs, but that’s all behind the scenes. When it comes to matters in public, they never lose face."
Li Xiaoyu probably understood.
"Your metaphor is really… vulgar."
"The Song Family wants face, the Li family wants face. If I’m not mistaken, the son of the Song Family should be taking home a grand slam, right?"
Li Xiaoyu nodded and said irritably:
"Yes, the hero of all humanity."
"You seem unconvinced?" Tang Xian found it amusing. 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
"I just know it’s not that simple."
"Actually, it’s that simple. What you’ve heard might be slanted from the truth, but Song Que is indeed a decent person, no, a very outstanding person."
Tang Xian continued:
"Song Que has earned his merits; he truly deserves to be the strongest huntsman at the hunting festival. Now, marrying you is a face-giving matter for both families. If you were to call off the marriage now, it would be terribly embarrassing. Li Wanye might still be the lord of the strongest fortress, but he wouldn’t do something to dampen the spirits of people across all fortresses."
Li Xiaoyu furrowed her brows, sensing something was off:
"This isn’t what I thought."
"Tsk, how did you imagine it? Me, making a grand entry at your wedding, ’if God stands in the way, kill God; if Buddha does, kill Buddha,’ and peak the event as the crowd cheers nonstop, then leave behind a Cataclysmic Boss Creature Soul Crystal saying, ’I fancy this little lady; this king shall take her!’ and departing amidst the stunned silence and laughter?"
Tang Xian was clearly jesting.
But Li Xiaoyu seriously said:
"I think that’s not bad. Why don’t we do just that?"
"Idiot."
"Why do you always curse me with those two words?"
Tang Xian decided to skip this question. Expecting Li Xiaoyu to think straight was like hoping Dong Ran could increase her IQ without hiding her chest, which, of course, had no effect on IQ.
He paused before continuing:
"Life is life, a story is a story. Even stories must abide by some basic rules. The last person who wholeheartedly believed her destined one was a world-saving hero coming to rescue her on a rainbow cloud has already fallen to her death. And her man is living like a dog."
Li Xiaoyu had not seen movies from over a thousand years ago; she couldn’t catch Tang Xian’s references.
Indeed, she had thought about Tang Xian boldly whisking her away at her own wedding.
But every time she entertained the notion, it ended with a forlorn, wry smile.
Because in reality, she had to consider saving face for her father and brother, as well as the reputation of the Li family. She might be the willful Miss Li, but she still had to follow the rules of high society.
Most importantly, the person she liked… would not do such a thing for her.
After a few seconds of silence, Li Xiaoyu looked at Tang Xian and said:
"I don’t want to marry Song Que. You promised me. Now you should keep your promise; you have the ability to do so now."
Tang Xian nodded and said:
"What I’m going to talk about next is the solution. We don’t need me to intervene. The Li family can’t afford to call off the marriage, but the Song Family can."
"What do you mean?"
"This is for you." Tang Xian produced the Soul Crystal.
The Soul Crystal emitted a purple glow that made Li Xiaoyu, who had seen plenty of treasures, gasp for a second.
"Is this the Cataclysmic Boss Creature Soul Crystal?"
"Yes, it is. Pretty, isn’t it? It’s yours now, but you’d better give this thing to Song Que before your wedding arrives."
"Why give it to Song Que?"
"The Li family can’t call off the wedding, but the Song Family can. If the Song Family calls off the wedding, they need to give the Li family an explanation, showing up with a dowry but not marrying off is considered giving enough face."
Tang Xian tossed the Soul Crystal to Li Xiaoyu, unconcerned. He then began to mess around with the bitter melon again.
Li Xiaoyu looked at the bead, thoughtful, and said,
"You mean to persuade Song Que not to marry me?"
With his back to Li Xiaoyu, Tang Xian nodded and said,
"I remember that the first time Song Que saw you was at the big stadium that day, right? In this world, what is love at first sight? It’s nothing but lust at first sight."
"So you can simply make your intention clear. Ask for Song Que’s help, and with my understanding of Song Que, he will agree to your request. After all, there’s no emotional attachment between you. Without emotion, it’s merely a transaction and nothing more than superficiality."
"Your marriage is just a way for both families to manifest a cooperative attitude and to jointly oppose Lincoln Fortress. And this matter can be resolved through a Cataclysmic Boss Creature Soul Crystal."
"These lords will easily guess where Song Que’s Soul Crystal comes from, and the younger generation’s ideas and tactics will also be recognized. After all, they are your parents and would not completely disregard your wishes."
"As a result, the Song Family will likely propose a compromise. Chances are they won’t directly call off the marriage but will say to wait until after the conflict on the Yuepela Plains is over. However, once the conflict is over, this matter can be eased down and considered in the long term."
Tang Xian turned around, looked at Li Xiaoyu with a smile, and said,
"As long as both families secretly understand each other’s thoughts, it’s settled, and there’s no damage to the relationship or loss of face. The Song Family offering a Cataclysmic Boss Creature Soul Crystal as compensation for breach of promise, Li Wanye will surely give them a way out."
Li Xiaoyu looked at Tang Xian’s consistently detached expression and said,
"I remember you once said that you didn’t want to get involved in my marriage because you regretted not being able to be friends with Song Que."
Tang Xian did not speak.
"So I’ve been thinking that maybe for my sake, you would offend Song Que. But during these days here, you’ve come up with a plan that offends no one."
Li Xiaoyu felt that the plan Tang Xian gave was the right one.
But it was not satisfying. After pondering for a while, she finally understood what was unsatisfying.
It was probably that the person in front of her would not do something impulsive for her. Although she had known this all along, it still made her heart ache.
Li Xiaoyu now understood why Tang Xian had said Song Que too would know his identity.
Because if she went and persuaded Song Que to retract the marriage proposal, Song Que, upon seeing the Soul Crystal, would be able to guess all of these things.
Tang Xian was still the same, speaking calmly,
"Song Que did indeed contribute a lot to all the hunters of the fortress at the hunting festival. Others don’t know what he’s going through, but I can somewhat feel it."
Li Xiaoyu asked in confusion,
"What do you mean? Is he injured?"
"No, it’s more complicated than that. In any case, I don’t want to be his enemy. Not because I’m afraid, but because that would result in humanity having two more enemies."
Tang Xian furrowed his brows, as if he had come across a difficult problem.
Li Xiaoyu did not understand, nor did she know how far into the future Tang Xian had calculated in that second.
She didn’t ask further, and Tang Xian did not offer more explanations.
Tang Xian said,
"If there’s nothing else, you can go back. When the eighth layer of the fortress is being developed, you can call me. Oh, right, are you into doing business? Instead of letting so many people pretend to be your besties and sell stuff through social media, you might as well join the fray yourself and help me sell cucumbers."
Li Xiaoyu felt that Tang Xian was talking all sorts of nonsense today. She didn’t mind; whatever he meant to say, he would make clear.
Today, by seeking Tang Xian, she got the clever plan she wanted.
But looking at Tang Xian’s nonchalant demeanor, she unexpectedly felt really annoyed.
Li Xiaoyu did not leave but said,
"Tang Xian, you miscalculated one thing."
"What is it?"
"What if Song Que likes me? What if there is such a thing as love at first sight in this world? What if he doesn’t want to cancel the marriage? What if I tell him the person I like is you, and he gets furiously embarrassed!"
Li Xiaoyu’s tone was charged with anger, and if her voice had been louder, it would have seemed like a hysterical questioning, likely a release of emotions built up over time.
Tang Xian looked at Li Xiaoyu and gradually realized why the girl was angry.
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His indifferent manner unchanged, yet he said something that stopped Li Xiaoyu in her tracks,
"Why the panic? When that time comes, I’ll just steal the bride. Life isn’t a story, but it can surpass stories, right?"
Li Xiaoyu was stunned and suddenly shut her mouth, no longer sure whether to be angry or amused.
It was so annoying, just when she was coming on strongly, she got made to laugh by this person again.
