"Hah... You always love talking big, so we are not sure whether you are telling the truth or not!" One of the listeners said in a mocking tone. After all, the woman who said the gossip didn't have a great reputation, to begin with.

A pathological liar --- thus, when she told the truth, no one would believe her.

The woman stomped her feet in anger. "This news is the truth! My aunt never lies! She really worked there!" She really said the truth, but no one believed her and it made her angry. However, she couldn't blame her friends. The woman indeed loved to boast, hence her current predicament.

"Really? Unless you give us proof, we won't believe you."

"True... true..."

Where could she get any proofs? What she told them was a secret of the royal family. If her aunt didn't work there, how could she know about it too?

Because everyone was mocking her, the woman left in anger. The others only laughed at her. Even if what she said was the truth, they didn't care. Even if the one who was being gossiped was the princess, they got no benefits from it. So, why should they care?

Yao Ling shook her head, knowing that this news probably wasn't reliable. However, she glanced at the woman's eyes. She saw excitement and truth in her eyes, so she wondered about it. Well... at least she had a piece of news about Han Xiang.

"Young Mistress... Young Mistress!" Xiao Yu tried to gain Yao Ling's attention. She was deep in thought for a little while and didn't even realize that Xiao Yu had been beside her for a long time.

Yao Ling snapped out of her thought and grinned sheepishly at Xiao Yu. "Sorry..."

"What happened?" Xiao Yu asked in concern. Yao Ling didn't allow her to call her Young Mistress in this trip, after all, they needed to lay low.

"I will tell you later," Yao Ling answered. She didn't think that this was the right place to discuss Han Xiang because she thought the women must have been able to hear her too if she could hear them. However, when she looked around, all of the women had been gone. She was thinking too deeply and didn't notice their departure. The table behind her had changed into other customers.

Xiao Yu poured a cup of tea for Yao Ling and gave her the pastries. "Young Mistress..."

When Yao Ling glared at her, Xiao Yu grinned sheepishly. She almost forgot that she wasn't supposed to call her Young Mistress. Xiao Yu awkwardly called her, "Er... Ling-jie... please drink..."

Yao Ling nodded in satisfaction and mouthed 'good' to Xiao Yu. She needed to adapt soon, otherwise, other people would also notice Xiao Yu's awkwardness. Yao Ling drank leisurely and waited for Yao Ying to come and enjoy their time together.

When she was nibbling one of the pastries, she saw a movement in front of her. She thought it was Yao Ying, so she already prepared her sweetest smile. However, when she looked up, it wasn't Yao Ying but a handsome man in a bright red robe. The color of his robe really blinded her eyes for a little while due to its brightness. 'What kind of man dares to wear such a scandalized color?' She thought to herself. Her bright smile faltered halfway and it became a forced smile.

What surprised her more was the fact that the handsome man suddenly sat in front of her. "Gu niang, can this one sit here?" The handsome man asked her while smiling brightly and fanning his face leisurely.

Yao Ling, "..." Wasn't he supposed to ask her permission first before directly sitting in front of her? What kind of mannerism was this? Yao Ling wanted to directly reject him, but if the matter escalated, it would only bring more attention to them.

"But... gong zi... I don't know you, so I think it's inappropriate," Yao Ling politely said. She evaded his request by telling him that they were practically stranger and it was inappropriate for them to sit together. If she could, she would just kick the man out of the seat in front of her.

Yao Ling looked at the man and he was indeed a beauty. His piercing eyes had a hint of craftiness and although he was smiling lazily, his smile was a bit sly. All in all, Yao Ling knew that this man wasn't a simple man and not only that, he screamed a dangerous vibe all around him. The man probably thought he had masked his real self perfectly, but Yao Ling was also not a simple and oblivious woman. It wasn't that easy to deceive her.

People who were smart in business had learned to read people and Yao Ying also already taught her about this. In this regard, she knew that she wouldn't make a mistake. This man is dangerous.

The man smirked inwardly. 'Oh... playing hard to get, huh?' No women were able to reject his charm and he believed the woman in front of him would also be the same. He decided to change the tactic and appeared to be a bit pitiful, "But... the teahouse is currently full. I see that this table is the only place that's vacant."

Yao Ling looked around and true enough, the teahouse was currently full. Yao Ling frowned because it wasn't that full when she came here. If she rejected him, it would look like that she was petty. Yao Ling could only sigh, "Fine. Gong zi, you can sit here. But once there's a vacant table, you should probably change your table."

Yao Ling already made a compromise, but she really didn't want to talk or get closer to this dangerous man. Yao Ling could see from the corner of her eyes that Xiu was going to come to them, probably to chase away this unknown man. Yao Ling made a gesture for Xiu, telling him not to come. Yao Ling didn't want to attract any attention.

Xiu felt a little bit discontented, but he couldn't do anything. Yao Ling already gave her his order and he needed to follow his young mistress' order. The only thing that made him afraid was his young master's reaction. He was pretty sure that the man would eat vinegar if he saw this scene. A handsome man coveted his wife in a broad daylight, for God's sake! If he coveted Xiao Yu, he would choke that man to death! What more... his master?

Yao Ling sighed in relief when Xiu followed her order and the man didn't miss Yao Ling's move. It seemed like this woman wasn't so simple and it made him feel more intrigued. The handsome man lazily sat in front of Yao Ling and smiled, "Thank you, Gu Niang."

Yao Ling really wanted to scold the man. Thank you? He was basically forcing her to let him sit there!

Yao Ling only nodded but didn't really talk to the man. The handsome man silently watched Yao Ling but also didn't make a move. He wanted to gauge the woman's reaction, but the woman only drank her tea, ate the pastries, and talked with the woman beside her --- without giving him any attention.

The handsome man started to feel agitated because usually women tended to fall into his beauty and they were the ones who kept chasing him around, but clearly... the woman in front of him didn't seem to be interested in him. Interesting! At first, he was only entranced by her beauty and cuteness, but now... she piques his interest more and more.

He decided to lower himself first and talk to the woman. "Gu Niang, it seems like I never see you around before," He started to ask a question while sipping his own tea, disregarding the fact that Yao Ling was ignoring him.

"Hmmm..." Yao Ling answered neutrally --- she didn't say yes and didn't say no.

"Where are you come from?" The man asked curiously. 'Still playing hard to get, huh?' He thought inwardly. 'Let's this man play around with you!' The man laughed inwardly, but his outer appearance was still smiling softly. The more he looked at Yao Ling, the more he felt entranced by her.