mtlumby2d Chapter 148 Listening to Stories (2)
Chapter 148 Listening to Stories (2)
Upon hearing these words, He Mingyan felt as if a door to memories had suddenly been opened in her mind, and the scenes of their intimate time together at the Princess's residence uncontrollably flooded back. Those tender words, those affectionate gazes, and the electrifying sensation of their gentle touches played out before her eyes like a movie.
In an instant, she felt a rush of heat to her cheeks, her once fair face turning a deep red, like a ripe apple. Her bright eyes began to flicker, as if trying to escape the embarrassing situation before her. Then, somewhat flustered, she lowered her head and stammered, "No...nothing else!" However, her nervous tone and unnatural demeanor had already betrayed her true feelings.
He Mingning, who was standing nearby, keenly noticed these subtle changes in her younger sister and secretly speculated that there must be some unknown secret hidden behind them. So, she deliberately leaned closer, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, revealing a half-smile, and asked softly, "Really nothing?"
He Mingyan looked up, meeting her sister's suspicious yet slightly mocking gaze, and immediately felt a pang of guilt. She opened her mouth, about to explain something, but swallowed the words back. Just then, He Mingning suddenly sat up straight, crossed her arms, and said mysteriously, "Since you won't tell me, how about I tell you my own story?" Before she finished speaking, she winked playfully at He Mingyan, seemingly provoking her.
He Mingyan thought to herself, after all, He Mingning was her own sister, so even if she told her the truth, she probably wouldn't be ridiculed or mocked. With that thought, she took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say to He Mingning, "Actually... something did happen." Although she had already admitted it, the thought of having to recount the whole story in detail made her cheeks flush with embarrassment again.
She lowered her head slightly, her pearly teeth gently biting her delicate lower lip, as if she had accepted her fate. She slowly opened her cherry-like mouth and whispered, "It was in that room that he suddenly hugged me." As she spoke, a faint blush instantly rose on her cheeks, like peach blossoms blooming in spring, shy and charming.
Hearing this, He Mingning's eyes lit up with excitement, and she couldn't wait to ask, "That's it? Was it just a hug?" He Mingyan seemed a little embarrassed by her sister's question, and her voice became as soft as a mosquito's buzz, almost inaudible: "And then... accidentally..." She suddenly stopped speaking, as if she had something difficult to say.
However, the clever and quick-witted He Mingning immediately guessed the reason why her sister was hesitant to speak. Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed with surprise, "Oh my, could it be that he kissed you?" This sudden exclamation made the already shy He Mingyan even more embarrassed. She lowered her head, like a frightened deer, and nodded timidly, her movements as gentle as a chick pecking at rice.
Seeing her younger sister admit to the truth, He Mingning became even more excited. She grabbed He Mingyan's arm tightly and eagerly asked, "And then what happened? What happened next? Tell me about it, sister!" Faced with her sister's eyes, which gleamed like those of a hungry wolf, He Mingyan had no choice but to sigh and answer truthfully, "Well, after that, we left the princess's residence together, and then he personally escorted me home."
At this moment, He Mingyan slightly raised her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her gaze, slightly teasing, swept over He Mingning as she said coquettishly, "Sister, do you think we did something we shouldn't have?" He Mingning couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's words. She gently flicked He Mingyan's nose and replied with a laugh, "Haha, how could that be! My dear sister and that young master are both well-mannered and know their place. Of course, they know to keep their boundaries! I just felt that since I accidentally kissed you, how could I let you off so easily!" He Mingyan gripped her teacup tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force. Her lips trembled slightly, pressed into thin lines, and she remained silent, her gaze silently shifting elsewhere.
Seeing her younger sister's expression, He Mingning found it increasingly amusing. A slight smile played on her lips as she teased, "Oh, little sister, why are you so nervous? Did I guess what you're thinking? Tell me, what a wonderful feeling a kiss is!"
Upon hearing her sister's words, He Mingyan's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe shrimp. She hurriedly lowered her head, her hands fidgeting unconsciously with the hem of her clothes, stammering for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence. At that moment, she felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat, completely unsure how to deal with her mischievous older sister.
Just as He Mingyan was feeling extremely embarrassed, He Mingning suddenly chuckled softly, then lowered her voice and said gently, "Alright, alright, my dear little sister, I won't tease you anymore. Look how scared you are, your little face is all red!"
Hearing that her sister had finally given up, He Mingyan breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling much lighter as if a heavy burden had been lifted. However, when she looked up at He Mingning, she found him smiling at her, a hint of mockery still lingering in his smile, which made her lower her head in embarrassment.
After a while, He Mingyan calmed herself down a bit, picked up the teacup on the table again, and took a small sip. The tea flowed slowly down her throat, bringing a faint fragrance and warmth. After putting down the teacup, she composed herself and mustered her courage to say, "Well... now it's your turn to say something, sister!"
He Mingning slightly parted her cherry-red lips, gently picked up the delicate teacup, her movements light and elegant. She slowly raised her hand, brought the teacup to her lips, and carefully sipped the tea. As the warm liquid slid down her throat, she deliberately blinked her large, bright eyes, feigning an innocent and adorable look, and said in a soft voice, "Yan'er, what are you saying! Didn't I already finish my story?" As soon as she finished speaking, she playfully smiled sweetly at He Mingyan, like a blooming flower, beautiful and charming.
Upon seeing this, He Mingyan frowned, her originally curved willow-leaf eyebrows instantly standing on end, her face full of anger, and said, "Big sister, are you trying to renege on your promise? We agreed to explain things clearly!"
Seeing the anxiety on her younger sister's face, He Mingning's beautiful face faltered slightly, then a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on her lips. She calmly said, "Oh dear, my good sister, please don't wrong me! How could I possibly lie? It's just that there's really not much to discuss between Lord Fan and me! Thinking back to that day, when we set off from that tranquil mountain villa back to the bustling capital, Lord Fan and I barely exchanged any words along the way. Not long after entering the city, who would have thought we'd so coincidentally run into that reckless Yang Tian?" That scoundrel was utterly audacious, daring to openly harass me in front of everyone. Just as I was feeling helpless and at a loss, thankfully Lord Fan was there. Seeing this, he didn't utter a single unnecessary word; instantly, he flew into a rage and, with overwhelming force, mercilessly taught that despicable Yang Tian a sound lesson. Immediately afterward, Lord Fan tirelessly escorted me safely back to the palace. The whole affair was just that—simple and uneventful!
He Mingyan's lips curled into a playful smile, like a cunning yet adorable little fox. She tightly wrapped her arms around He Mingning's arm, leaning forward slightly, and spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Oh dear, sister, what exactly happened yesterday? Everyone heard that you rushed out of the palace early yesterday morning to find Lord Fan! And he personally escorted you back to the palace until nightfall! Did you two spend the whole day together like that?"
Upon hearing her sister's words, He Mingning's originally fair face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple. She lowered her head shyly, biting her lip gently, and scolded, "You naughty little brat, how dare you talk nonsense here! Lord Fan is a high-ranking official with many important duties; how could he possibly have so much free time to waste with me all day?"
However, He Mingyan clearly wasn't going to let the matter rest so easily. Her large, bright eyes blinked, sparkling with curiosity, as she relentlessly pressed on, "Hmph, sister, even if Lord Fan is busy, he must have some free time, right? Don't hide it from me, tell me quickly, what interesting things did you two do?" As she spoke, she gently shook He Mingning's arm, looking exactly like a child begging an elder for candy. He Mingning looked at her lively, adorable, and mischievous younger sister, her heart filled with joy and affection. She watched as her sister tugged at her arm, shaking it incessantly, muttering to herself, insisting that she tell her a story. Finally, He Mingning couldn't resist her sister's persistent pleading and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Okay, okay, my little darling, I'll tell you, just stop shaking me! You're shaking me so hard my bones are about to fall apart!" He Mingning pleaded with a laugh. Hearing this, He Mingyan immediately stopped what she was doing and nodded happily, "Okay, I won't shake you anymore, sister, tell me quickly!"
However, He Mingning didn't immediately begin telling a story as He Mingyan had hoped. Instead, she leaned down slightly, a gentle smile on her face, her eyes filled with tenderness, and softly asked, "Yan'er, are you full?" He Mingyan nodded rapidly like a well-behaved chick pecking at rice, and replied with a grin, "Yes, sister, I'm full a long time ago!"
After receiving an affirmative answer, He Mingning reached out and gently took He Mingyan's soft little hand, then said slowly, "In that case, let's go to my room and talk slowly." Upon hearing this, He Mingyan's eyes lit up instantly, and a bright smile bloomed on her face. She hurriedly agreed, "Okay, okay, let's go quickly!"
So, the two sisters, hand in hand, stood up and walked briskly towards He Mingning's bedroom. Along the way, He Mingyan was excitedly chattering away, while He Mingning, with a constant smile, said, "I thought only my third sister would talk so much; I didn't expect you to be so talkative too." He Mingyan laughed and said, "I'm different from my third sister. I'm selective about who I talk to, but my third sister can be this talkative with anyone." He Mingning nodded and said, "Yes, that's true."
Before long, the two women arrived at the warm and elegant bedroom with the lightness and grace of swallows in flight. A group of palace maids, like well-trained and disciplined soldiers, swiftly and skillfully served them steaming tea and fresh, brightly colored fruits with an enticing aroma. After these items were neatly arranged on the table, He Mingning slightly raised her head, her gaze gently sweeping over everyone present. Then, she parted her lips and spoke loudly to everyone in a voice as melodious as a nightingale's song: "You may all leave for now. There is no need for your service here. If you need any help, I will summon you." As soon as she finished speaking, the palace maids responded in unison, "Yes!" Then, one by one, they gracefully and orderly withdrew from the room, leaving only the two sisters sitting facing each other.
After the palace servants left, the sisters He Mingning and He Mingyan each extended their slender hands, gently picked up the exquisite teacups in front of them, and carefully brought the rims to their lips, taking a small sip of the fragrant tea. Just then, the slightly impatient He Mingyan could no longer contain her curiosity. She put down her teacup, her beautiful eyes fixed on her sister He Mingning, and eagerly urged, "Sister, dear sister, tell me about it!"