Ye Chen completely ignored the strange looks from the people around him. He casually munched on sunflower seeds while unabashedly casting glances at Zhou Qiao'er and Li Shiyun.
Tang Ao was truly a lucky man!
Both Zhou Qiao'er and Li Shiyun were first-class beauties. Especially Li Shiyun—while she usually came across as fierce and intimidating, like a tiger ready to pounce, in front of Tang Ao... she showed a rare softness and gentleness!
As for Zhou Qiao'er, at this very moment, she was holding up a cup of tea to Tang Ao's lips. "Darling~ Open your mouth~ Ah..."
She was about to feed Tang Ao tea!
A tingling sensation ran from the soles of Ye Chen's feet all the way to the top of his head!
"You shameless woman! You're not even married yet, and here you are calling him 'husband.' Tang Ao would never marry someone as shameless as you!" Li Shiyun said jealously, her eyes locked on the cup Zhou Qiao'er was offering to Tang Ao.
Tang Ao suddenly found himself at a loss. Whether he drank the tea or not, he was in trouble...
[God, someone save me! This is worse than choosing whether to save my mother or my wife if they both fell into the water! ]
[This dilemma is way beyond my comprehension! ]
Sensing Tang Ao's discomfort, Zhou Qiao'er took matters into her own hands. She grabbed Tang Ao's right hand, placed the teacup in it, and even leaned over to blow on the tea to cool it down. Then, she took a delicate sip. "It's not too hot now. You should drink it while it's warm. This is a tea personally brewed by the birthday girl, Li Shiyun. You have to finish it!"
Tang Ao couldn't help but notice the faint lipstick mark on the cup and glance at Zhou Qiao'er's delicate red lips. He swallowed hard.
[Does this count as an indirect kiss? ]
[Wow, Zhou Qiao'er really knows how to play her cards. This is so intense—what man could possibly resist this? ]
Just as Tang Ao was about to take a sip, Li Shiyun suddenly cried out and snatched the cup from his hand. "Oh no, I'm sorry! There was a little bug in the tea. You can't drink this!"
As she poured the tea over the white swan tea pet, Li Shiyun explained while glaring at Zhou Qiao'er.
Zhou Qiao'er's face turned pale as she clutched her chest, spitting twice on the ground in disgust.
Then, Li Shiyun dumped out the remaining tea leaves from the teapot and quickly added, "Oops, my mistake. It wasn't a bug—it was just a leaf that looked like one!"
With that, she refilled the pot with fresh tea leaves and poured a new cup for Tang Ao, all the while changing his teacup without drawing attention.
Zhou Qiao'er glared at Li Shiyun, while Tang Ao could feel the tension in the air. It seemed like he had unwittingly been dragged into a battle between these two women.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen, watching from a distance as Zhou Qiao'er and Li Shiyun vied for Tang Ao's attention, was drowning in envy, his whole body soaked in jealousy.
He couldn't help but be envious—how could he not be?
Two absolute beauties competing to serve one man, and even from several meters away, Ye Chen could smell the faint fragrance of the tea, which was undoubtedly of the highest quality!
Even as the mighty Dragon King, Ye Chen had never enjoyed such a privilege!
Feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, Ye Chen found that his sunflower seeds suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.
At the same time, Li Yifeng, the head of the Li family, returned with the other family members, greeting the guests while slowly approaching Li Shiyun's table.
When Li Yifeng saw Li Shiyun dumping out his treasured tea leaves after a single brew without even taking a sip, his heart clenched painfully!
Li Shiyun!
How high and mighty you are!
Those were premium tea leaves, the kind that money couldn't buy. Normally, Li Yifeng would secretly weigh them on a scale before brewing, and he'd only discard them after dozens of brews when there was no flavor left!
If it weren't for how highly the family elder regarded Tang Ao, Li Yifeng would never have taken out this tea today!
And now, it was being wasted. Absolutely wasted!
You two can fight over Tang Ao all you want, but my tea leaves are innocent!
Watching Li Shiyun carelessly grab a whole handful of tea leaves and toss them into the teapot, Li Yifeng's heart bled.
What a wasteful child!
She was using more leaves in one brew than Li Yifeng typically used in two months!
At this rate, the entire package of tea leaves would be gone in three days!
Li Yifeng had a strong urge to rush over, snatch the tea leaves from Li Shiyun's hands, and hide them away!
But with so many guests present, as the family head, he had to maintain his composure and couldn't afford to lose face.
As Li Yifeng watched in agony, another cup of freshly brewed tea was placed in front of Tang Ao. Before handing it over, Li Shiyun imitated Zhou Qiao'er's earlier move, gently blowing on the tea and taking a small sip. "Tang Ao, it's not too hot now. Drink it while it's warm!"
Seeing the eager look in Li Shiyun's eyes, Tang Ao couldn't help but swallow nervously.
But before Tang Ao could drink the tea, Zhou Qiao'er picked up a small pebble and discreetly dropped it into the distilled water container holding the tea utensils.
After everything that had happened, Tang Ao was actually feeling thirsty.
However...
Zhou Qiao'er's gaze pierced through him like needles, making Tang Ao feel inexplicably guilty, as if drinking this tea would be a betrayal of Zhou Qiao'er.
But Zhou Qiao'er wasn't even his girlfriend!
Still, feeling the pressure, Tang Ao took the cup and prepared to drink, only for Zhou Qiao'er to suddenly speak coldly. "No, you can't drink it!"
"Huh? Why not?" Tang Ao asked, completely puzzled.
Zhou Qiao'er pouted slightly and pointed at the bowl containing the clean tea utensils. "The utensils aren't clean."
Sure enough, a small pebble sat conspicuously in the bowl of water.
"It's fine. If it's not clean, drinking it won't kill me. I'm really thirsty, and the hot tea should be safe."
Tang Ao lifted the cup again, but Zhou Qiao'er forcefully stopped him.
Some things can be compromised on, but when it comes to principles, Zhou Qiao'er wasn't budging!
"You can't just drink it! What if you end up with a stomachache?"
As Zhou Qiao'er took the cup from Tang Ao's hand and dumped the tea over the white swan tea pet, Li Shiyun furrowed her brows.
Something didn't feel right.
She had carefully inspected everything before brewing, and there hadn't been any pebbles or dirt in the utensils!
Though frustrated, Li Shiyun forced a smile. "Sorry about that, Tang Ao. It was my mistake."
With that, she dumped the remaining tea leaves and water from the pot.
At that moment, a cry of disbelief came from behind them.
Li Yifeng, realizing his outburst, quickly composed himself, though his face twitched. "Tang Ao, how's the tea?"
"It smells good, but..."
"Good! It's my finest tea, though I'm sure it's nothing compared to the treasures in the Tang family's collection. I won't embarrass myself any further."
Without another word, Li Yifeng quickly snatched the tea box from the table, closed it tightly, and slipped it into his pocket. Judging by the lighter weight of the box, his heart bled.
This tea would never see the light of day again—not even if the Emperor himself asked for it!
Li Shiyun glared angrily at Zhou Qiao'er.
If it weren't for Zhou Qiao'er, Tang Ao would have already tasted the tea she had personally brewed!
But Zhou Qiao'er wasn't backing down either, meeting Li Shiyun's glare with one of her own.
Neither woman was willing to give an inch.
"You all carry on," Li Yifeng said suddenly. "I just remembered I left some candles burning in one of the rooms. Excuse me."
As Li Yifeng hurried off, Li Shiyun frowned. "The Li family has had electricity for years, and there's a strict rule against using candles to prevent fires, right?"
Li Mao chuckled, pulling a dark green tea box from his pocket and handing it to Li Shiyun.
Li Shiyun took a sharp breath as she looked at the tea box. "Isn't this the tea personally crafted by the former princess of the Eagle Nation, the one that's locked away in eight different safes?"
Li Mao's smile grew wider. "That tea earlier might have been good enough for ordinary guests, but for my future brother-in-law, only this tea will do. I'm sure the family head will be delighted when he finds out about this!"