The woman, who didn't seem to have heard the first half of what he said, finally froze at the last part. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "What did you just say?"
"Hmph!" Qiu Ling harrumphed. "I told you to get lost! I'm not interested."
"No, no. After that!" The woman dropped her hands but still stared at him.
Qiu Ling shifted on his seat. Being stared at like that didn't feel good. "Isn't that enough?"
"No, no! What did you say about the crown prince?"
Qiu Ling tilted his head. "The crown prince? Of course, you can't compare to him!" He appraised the woman in front of him and snorted. "Have a look at yourself! In the mortal world you might be a beauty, but how could you compare to Jing He's godly looks?"
"Oh, so you aren't the crown prince …" The woman's shoulders drooped. She had been so sure that she had found the right person this time!
Qiu Ling nodded, but then jerked up. "What did you just say?"
The woman blinked in surprise. "I said what you said."
"No! You didn't!"
"I did!"
The two of them stared at each other, both unwilling to back down.
Qiu Ling, who was still drunk, finally tilted his head. Maybe he had really said what she said? Wait … What was it she said? "You … What was it you said?"
"The same as —"
"Then what did I say?"
"You said, you're not the crown prince!"
"Of course! Why would I be him? I wouldn't fall in love with myself, would I?" His head tilted to the other side and he considered the possibility for a bit. "Well, I am really handsome."
"Pft!" The woman laughed. "How are you handsome?"
Qiu Ling looked up at her, completely flabbergasted. "What's wrong with your eyes, woman? I'm the most handsome man in the dragon realm! Even that demon king who is rumored to be able to ruin a mortal kingdom with one glance isn't better looking than me!"
The woman lifted her brows, clearly not believing him. Qiu Ling leaped to his feet.
"What is not handsome about me?"
She looked him up and down and her lips formed a straight line. "Everything?", she said but it sounded a bit like a question.
Qiu Ling staggered backward. I'm … not handsome? My love, did you kiss that man because I wasn't handsome enough? Qiu Ling hid his face behind his hands and sat back down.
"Wuwu … No wonder he kissed someone else! So I'm just not handsome enough!" His shoulders shook, but then Qiu Ling jerked up once again. "I need to do something! How to become more handsome?" He turned around to the woman.
"Uh … Well, you could stop frowning!"
Qiu Ling tilted his head and still frowned. After he had ascertained that this mortal face was the most handsome while frowning he had never forgotten to frown even once. Oh, no, when he kissed his beloved, he had stopped frowning and instantly smiled. But that was to be expected, so one couldn't really count it as a slip-up, right?
Thinking about frowning, Qiu Ling finally had a revelation. "No wonder you said I wasn't handsome! Of course, this appearance can't compare to my true one. Have a look at this!" He lifted one hand and changed back to his true face.
"Whoa!" The woman was instantly dumbfounded. How had that average looking man transformed into such a beauty?! She hurried over to the table and sat opposite him. "You really look more handsome like this! What kind of trick is that?"
Qiu Ling smiled smugly. "Little goddess, what are you talking about? This isn't a trick. It's a measure of defense! If I went out in the mortal realm looking like this wouldn't men and women alike be all over me? I have to make sure nobody can try to take advantage of me, so of course, I have to wear a disguise. My beloved certainly wouldn't stand for it if I didn't."
Mn, this solved his problem. It certainly wasn't because he lacked in handsomeness. He had just worn the wrong appearance! His beloved had missed him so much so he probably mistook someone else for him. Hadn't he himself also gotten confused when talking to his mother-in-law? It was perfectly normal.
Qiu Ling nodded to himself. Yes, yes, perfectly normal. He had no reason to fret.
"He must be very much in love with you!" The woman looked at him with shining eyes.
Qiu Ling narrowed his own. "What are you looking at me like this for? I already told you nobody but the crown prince can touch me."
The woman frowned. "So the crown prince is your lover?"
"Mn, he is!" Qiu Ling smiled with satisfaction. Finally, he had met someone knowledgeable.
"How can a handsome man like you have such bad taste?"
Qiu Ling froze. What was that about knowledge? That woman definitely had none of it! He leaped to his feet and pointed at her with a furious expression. "What are you saying, woman? Jing He is perfect in any way there is! Have you even seen him? He's such a beauty! And he has such a good character, too!
Let me open your eyes for you, you stupid thing: Jing He looks like he's been crafted by the heavens itself! He isn't tall for a man, but still taller than a woman. He's slender with a graceful charm. Even hugging his slim waist is a pleasure most people are unworthy of! Every limb of his is formed as if it was made to embody the word perfection. His skin is smooth and soft. Seeing that noble, creamy complexion of his, you can't help but want to touch him. And his face … Ah …" Qiu Ling sighed.
"How could you express its loveliness with simple words? His eyes are as dark as the deepest part of the sea. Looking into them is like looking into the deepest abyss, but one you are willing to fall into. No, not just willing!" He lifted his hand to reject such a silly idea. "You long to leap into it. You know that doing so will be the best decision you'll ever make in your life because you'll find absolute bliss at the bottom of that abyss." Qiu Ling closed his own eyes and remembered that gaze he loved so much. "The way he is looking at you … Ah, it's so peaceful. You feel your heart warming up and a gentle breeze caressing your soul when his gaze touches you."
The woman seemed like she wanted to inject something, but Qiu Ling lifted his hand and smothered her protests. "Ah, that's by far not everything! Saying it like this, you might imagine that you'll get this impression only from his eyes. But that's far from true! You know, there are also his eyebrows.
You might ask yourself what could be so good about eyebrows, but you're wrong! Eyebrows like Jing He's are just too beautiful to be true! They're formed in a graceful, slender arc that directs your gaze from that exquisite forehead of his to his gorgeous eyes. Ah, seeing the outer corner disappear below his magnificent hair, your fingers will itch to trace their course!
And let me tell you, little goddess! You can't claim to have lived if you have never seen his hair! Ah …" Speaking about his beloved's hair, Qiu Ling's mood lifted. His eyes had a special shine to them and his lips unconsciously lifted upwards, making his face even more breathtaking. "His hair … the words to describe it elude me. I could tell you how soft it looks and how much softer it feels when you touch it, but you wouldn't understand anyway and I certainly wouldn't let you try it out! Wearing the finest silk every day can't compare to the pleasure of being able to touch a strand of Jing He's hair even once. Though, running fingers through them is addicting. Just doing it once would probably leave you with regret if you can't do it again."
Ah, yes, he himself regretted a lot right now! He wanted to hug him right now, one arm holding that waist he had praised just now and the other stroking these glossy strands. Mn, he certainly wouldn't mind leaning in for a lingering kiss, too.
Qiu Ling's gaze grew absentminded while he thought about that. "Mn, mn. That hair of his … Those lips …" He just muttered on, not really thinking about what he said.
But by now, the woman was totally engrossed in listening to Qiu Ling. She still listened even though he seemed to have lost the thread. He has to be deeply in love to praise the crown prince like this! What a good guy!
Qiu Ling finally emerged from his thoughts. Seeing that he finally had an audience willing to listen to his praises about his beloved, he continued with newfound vigor.
"His lips, indeed, ah, they are just like the rest of him: They have that perfect form so that it always seems like he is slightly smiling. And that supple curve of his lower lip … isn't it just an invitation to kiss him? I feel like the heavens knew he should be mine, so they made him perfect to make me unable to resist him. Ah, they definitely wanted us to be together!"
"How romantic!", the woman injected.
Qiu Ling nodded earnestly. "It is, it is. But you shouldn't say that now. I haven't even started describing his character. Though, it doesn't make any difference. I could tell you how gentle and refined Jing He is, how beloved by everyone, but you wouldn't understand as long as you don't experience it yourself. You'd need to hear his soothing voice and be hugged by him when you're feeling depressed. Only then would you be able to acknowledge what a splendid personality he has."
"Mn." The woman nodded, but she couldn't help but think: Love really makes blind! He actually praised a bad person like the crown prince so much. "There is just one thing I don't understand: If the crown prince is so perfect and already your lover then why did he kiss somebody else?"
Her question struck a nerve and Qiu Ling's eyes instantly teared up. "What do you know? Isn't that all because of this damned trial they asked him to take on in the mortal world? My poor love is suffering so much. I can't watch it. And now they're even trying to break us apart!"
Yes, Qiu Ling had found his explanation for the whole mess. And somehow, he had even found someone willing to believe his nonsense.