Everyone was watching Ling Qingwan and He An, which attracted Xiang Sining's attention.
Ling Qingwan was about to speak up to respond to He An's pressure when Xiang Sining suddenly came and walked between the two of them.
"Today is my coming-of-age ceremony. I think it's a rare opportunity for us all to get together, so it's best if we are happy. But Mr. He and Miss Ling, please give me some face and stop arguing, so as not to affect our mood." Xiang Sining said to the two.
Ling Qingwan was too lazy to argue with He An any further. He An saw two girls standing in front of him. He knew that if he continued to argue, he would only get himself into trouble and be scolded by his father when he returned home. So he stopped nagging and left with a cold voice.
Watching He An's figure disappear into the distance, everyone present dispersed, turned back to Xiang Si Ning, and gently comforted Ling Qingwan.
"You may not understand, but Mr. He is just like this, he is very slick and annoying. Just don't take it to heart."
"I know." Ling Qingwan felt warm in her heart.
Having experienced so much malice, Ling Qingwan was flattered to suddenly feel kindness.
It seems that Tan Hongbo has a good vision and Xiang Sining is truly an excellent woman.
This thought only flashed through Ling Qingwan's mind for a moment. She was very cautious and didn't trust anyone except those close to her.
"Thank you, Miss Xiang, for helping me out just now." Ling Qingwan thanked Si Ning.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that He An was being aggressive and threatening Ling Qingwan. Xiang Si Ning came out to smooth things over, naturally to help Ling Qingwan.
"It's just a piece of cake." Xiang Sining smiled gently.
"By the way, I just saw the gift you gave me, the pair of cloisonné and red coral earrings. I really like them."
"As long as you like it." Ling Qingwan smiled back.
Today's banquet revolved around Xiang Sining, and Xiang Sining was the protagonist. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ling Qingwan, she was busy greeting others. Ling Qingwan stared at Xiang Sining for several times, with a smile on her face.
"Miss Xiang is such a nice person." Qiao'er, standing next to her, couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes." Ling Qingwan agreed.
"The young master of the He family is so arrogant and domineering. If the young lady hadn't come to his rescue in time, I'm afraid she would have had to deal with him for a while." When Qiao'er mentioned He An, her expression changed and her words were full of complaints.
Ling Qingwan smiled.
"Not only did she help me out, she said she had just seen the earrings I gave her and told me she liked them very much, also to reassure me."
That's why Ling Qingwan had a better impression of Xiang Sining.
"Miss, I don't understand." Qiao'er scratched the back of her head helplessly. She also thought Xiang Si Ning was a good person, but praising Ling Qingwan for the beautiful gift had nothing to do with making Ling Qingwan feel at ease.
Qiao'er thought about it again and again, but just couldn't figure it out.
"The Marquis's Mansion has fallen into decline, and the family wealth is not as good as before. Among the people who came today, Ling Chuchu and I are probably of the lowest status, so naturally, the gifts we gave are not as valuable as theirs. I said this to the young lady because I was afraid that after listening to He An's criticism, I would feel that the gifts I gave were not good enough, and thus feel inferior and guilty."
Ling Qingwan had nothing to do and was very idle, so she patiently explained it to Qiao'er.
After hearing this, Qiao'er suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.
After today's events, Ling Qingwan picked a time and went to the Taifu Mansion in person.
Tan Hongbo happened to be away, so Ling Qingwan went to visit Tan Jiao first.
After falling down the slope, Tan Jiao was seriously injured and had to lie in bed for a long time before recovering. When she saw Ling Qingwan, Tan Jiao's face was full of anger, and she immediately pointed at the door and asked Ling Qingwan to get out.
"My brother is not here, so there's no need for you to pretend here." Tan Jiao snorted coldly and ordered Ling Qingwan to leave in a firm tone.
"I'm not here to visit you." Ling Qingwan told Tan Jiao. She seemed not to hear what Tan Jiao said and walked in front of Tan Jiao. "I have something to tell you."
"I know, you are here to show off how much Brother Wei Xun likes you." Tan Jiao turned her head to the side, not even looking at Ling Qingwan. "Yeah, even if I fell down the hillside, he wouldn't even look at me, let alone believe that you pushed me down. Even my brother..."
Tan Jiao became more and more sad as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes. She choked twice, feeling embarrassed, and simply stopped talking.
"I never thought of competing with you. It was you who treated me as an enemy." Ling Qingwan stood beside Tan Jiao and looked at her.
"You are not competing with me? From childhood to adulthood, Brother Wei Xun has never been close to any woman except me and An Yi. Until you appeared, he threw all his attention on you. Obviously, he and I are childhood sweethearts, a perfect match made in heaven. If it weren't for you, my father would have proposed to the emperor and betrothed me to Brother Wei Xun."
"If you ask your father to propose to the Emperor, will the Seventh Prince really marry you?"
Ling Qingwan asked a question, and instantly Tan Jiao was speechless. Although it was not pleasant to hear, it was indeed the truth.
But Tan Jiao couldn't swallow this.
"No one in this world can control their own feelings. You said you don't like the Seventh Prince anymore, can you really not like him? Similarly, if the Seventh Prince likes me, even he can't decide, how can I control it?" Ling Qingwan said softly to Tan Jiao. "No matter what, you blamed me for the mistake, and I am wronged."
"I know Brother Wei Xun. As long as you don't have any secret feelings behind his back, it's impossible for him to like you." Tan Jiao still refused to listen and insisted on blaming Ling Qingwan.
"Let's not talk about the fact that I have never secretly thought about winning the favor of the Seventh Prince. Even if I have, I have never harmed anyone. I just used my brain a little to make the man I like like me. Can this be considered wrong? If this is wrong, then you have repeatedly harmed me in order to snatch the Seventh Prince, and you have instigated discord in front of An Yi, and you jumped off a cliff to frame me. Can you say that your sister has thoughts?"
"Does that prove that you were wrong, too?"
Ling Qingwan was very eloquent, and she was in the right anyway, so after hearing what she said, Tan Jiao was dazed. She wanted to refute, but she couldn't say anything.
"There are so many love affairs in this world, and unrequited love is not rare, and you are no exception. But not everyone who is unrequited love will blame others. I hope you understand." Ling Qingwan said earnestly. "You like the Seventh Prince, and the Seventh Prince is not married. You can pursue him openly, and even do what you said about me, and make the Seventh Prince like you. As long as it does not harm others."
Tan Jiao frowned and stood there in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
Suddenly, the door opened and Tan Hongbo rushed in. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ling Qingwan and Tan Jiao were both safe and sound.
"Just in time for you to come back, I have something to tell you."