Wang Wanrou's expression remained calm as she sat down on the sofa next to Cheng Jinyang, casually picking up a box from the coffee table to examine it.
"What's this?" she asked, tilting her head towards Cheng Jinyang.
"A cake Cui Jinqi brought," Cheng Jinyang replied.
"That…" Cui Jinqi's face turned pale before she could say more. Wang Wanrou had already turned the box towards her and opened the lid.
"Boo!" A ghost model sprang from the bottom of the box and hit Cui Jinqi directly in the face. Caught off guard, she fell back, toppling the chair with her.
"So, it's a prank box," Li Qingwan mused.
Climbing up from the floor in a somewhat embarrassed state, Cui Jinqi felt slightly awkward. This box was meant to prank Cheng Jinyang, but she hadn't expected Wang Wanrou to open it.
"Ahem," she cleared her throat and said, "I must have grabbed the wrong box when I left. This prank box was supposed to be a gift for my cousin, and I accidentally switched it with the cake box."
"Your cousin is really unlucky, then," Cheng Jinyang commented sarcastically.
"It's fine." Cui Jinqi waved dismissively and lied again with a smile, "My cousin is very sweet and won't get mad at me."
"Alright." Wang Wanrou stood up. "You've seen me now."
She turned to look at Cheng Jinyang, clearly signaling, "Time to see the guests out."
"Ahem." Cheng Jinyang cleared his throat, "It's getting late…"
"We should be going then," Li Qingwan said sensibly, standing up to pull Cui Jinqi by the hand.
"It's only a little past 7, how is it late?" Cui Jinqi protested, smiling.
"We have important matters to attend to, so please leave," Wang Wanrou said impatiently.
Cui Jinqi: ???
Her face immediately turned red, and she stammered, "Important matters... at this hour? Isn't that sort of thing supposed to happen after midnight, when two people sneak into the bedroom? I didn't think you were that type of man."
This little girl from the Cui family is obviously extremely shy, but she still forced herself to act knowledgeable. Meanwhile, Li Qingwan, who had been indifferent next to her, her eyes lit up this time:
"Oh, so you two are a couple?"
"No, not at all," Cheng Jinyang quickly clarified. "If anything, it's more of a landlord-tenant relationship."
"Oh…" Li Qingwan said in a long voice, her expression clearly unbelieving. "A beautiful tenant and a handsome landlord—sounds like a romance novel."
Cheng Jinyang was speechless, and Wang Wanrou, uninterested in further explanations, raised her eyebrows coldly, signaling once again, "Why are you two still here?"
Li Qingwan pulled at Cui Jinqi again, saying, "Come on, they want some privacy. Why are you still here?"
"That's not true!" Cui Jinqi retorted, looking around. "They don't seem like that kind of relationship. Also, Cheng Jinyang has a fiancée from the Xing family, Xing Yuanzhi. Why isn't she here?"
"Yuanzhi had something to take care of and went back," Cheng Jinyang thought, I'm being patient only because you're a friend of Wang Wanrou. Otherwise, I would have kicked you out for barging in and saying weird things.
"So, do you two have any other business?"
"No, nothing." Li Qingwan smiled apologetically and dragged Cui Jinqi out the door.
Once they had left, Cheng Jinyang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Wang Wanrou:
"Is it okay that they know you're staying here?"
"It's fine," Wang Wanrou replied indifferently.
Since the young lady said it was fine, Cheng Jinyang decided to believe her. After all, if their relationship were misunderstood by others, it would cause considerable trouble for both of them. As a member of the Five Great Families, Wang Wanrou would face even more significant repercussions.
Wang Wanrou would never leave any evidence behind, and Cheng Jinyang had complete trust in her in this regard.
Outside the door, Li Qingwan looked helplessly at Cui Jinqi, who was still lingering and had pressed her ear against the door, trying to eavesdrop.
"Hey! This isn't right," she urged.
"Don't rush. If you want to leave, go ahead," Cui Jinqi said impatiently, waving her away. "I want to hear what they're up to."
Speaking of 'up to,' she suddenly blushed and said, "I can't believe Wang Wanrou, who seems so pure, would actually...with Cheng Jinyang... How disappointing."
"Please don't make up such indecent stories about people," Li Qingwan sighed. "Why do I have to watch you do such sneaky things?"
"Shh, be quiet!" Cui Jinqi signaled for silence. "I hear them talking about sleeping!"
"Sleeping?" Li Qingwan widened her eyes and quickly joined Cui Jinqi, pressing her ear against the door.
Inside the living room, Cheng Jinyang, bored, put down his phone and said, "How about we go to bed early tonight?"
"Why?" Wang Wanrou asked.
Outside, the two girls held their breath.
"Because there's nothing else to do," Cheng Jinyang replied.
"Heh," Wang Wanrou chuckled coldly. "Going to bed because there's nothing to do? Didn't someone say last time that I was too delicate? You can sleep alone this time."
"Well…" Cheng Jinyang hesitated.
The idea of spending the night with Su Lili, which meant no time for training, made him wary. In peaceful times, taking a break was fine, but with war imminent and personal strength crucial, he couldn't afford to slack off.
While he struggled with his thoughts, the two girls outside were shocked speechless.
Explosive news!
Wang Wanrou talking so shamelessly implied not just cohabitation but likely a lost virtue. If this got out, the Taiyuan Wang family would be a laughingstock.
"This… this…" Li Qingwan finally reacted and sternly warned, "Jinqi, if you don't want to offend Wang Wanrou or the Taiyuan Wang family, you must keep this to yourself and not leak a word!"
"Of course," Cui Jinqi said, feigning confidence. "I'm good at lying; don't worry."
"It's not about lying!" Li Qingwan urged. "Not a word must be mentioned! If anything leaks, you might find yourself silenced!"
"Silenced?" A voice suddenly came from behind the door.
The two girls were struck as if by lightning.
The door slowly opened, revealing Wang Wanrou's grim face. Though beautiful, to the girls, she looked like a vengeful ghost.