Back in the corridor, after QingQing had pulled XiaoRue out of the dining room, XiaoRue finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Miss QingQing... why did you refuse Prince Li's invitation? Wasn't that rather impolite? For an ordinary person like us, being invited to dine with a prince is quite an honor!"
"I just didn't want to disturb their family dinner."
QingQing answered casually as she continued walking. She was so busy replying to XiaoRue that she barely paid attention to what was in front of her.
BUMP!
"Ouch! Hey! Watch where you're going!"
QingQing was about to lose her temper, but the moment she recognized the person she had bumped into, her expression immediately changed.
It was ManQi, who had been waiting for Prince Li to finish dinner.
"Ahh! Handsome guy! What a pleasant surprise! I'm so glad we meet again!"
Without wasting a moment, QingQing stepped closer to him.
"Since I'm going to be staying here too, why don't we take this opportunity to get to know each other better?"
She deliberately moved closer, making her interest in him quite obvious.
XiaoRue, who was standing nearby, couldn't help feeling irritated by how close the two had become.
ManQi raised both hands and placed them on QingQing's shoulders, gently pushing her back to create some distance.
"My name is ManQi, not 'handsome guy'. Please don't keep calling me that, Miss QingQing."
After clearing his way, ManQi turned toward XiaoRue. Noticing her unhappy expression, he became slightly concerned.
"What's wrong, XiaoRue? You look upset. Did something happen in the dining room?"
XiaoRue was still feeling annoyed, so she simply gave him a short answer.
"Nothing."
She then walked toward QingQing, grabbed her arm, and pulled her away rather forcefully.
"Come on, Miss QingQing! Aren't you hungry? Let's go eat!"
"What?! Ahh... Wait!"
QingQing was caught completely off guard by XiaoRue's sudden action. She barely had time to react before being dragged away.
"Bye, handsome! We'll talk later, okayyy!"
ManQi could only stand there, watching the two women disappear down the corridor.
He looked rather puzzled.
Women... I'll never understand them.
With that thought, he shook his head and headed straight toward the study room, following Prince Li's earlier instructions.
Meanwhile, in another room, XiaoRue was arranging the dishes and food for QingQing. Although she tried her best to hide her displeasure, her expression didn't escape QingQing's notice.
After observing her for a moment, QingQing suddenly smiled mischievously.
"Ah... I think I know what's going on. XiaoRue, are you interested in my handsome guy too?"
She pointed it out so directly that XiaoRue nearly jumped.
"W-What are you talking about, Miss QingQing? No! I'm not!"
Her sudden stammering only made QingQing more certain.
"Oh, stop pretending, XiaoRue! It's perfectly fine to have feelings for him. He's handsome, after all! And I'm not against a little competition. In fact, it makes things even more exciting! You know, it makes me want to win him over even more!"
XiaoRue frowned.
She really couldn't understand what was going on inside QingQing's head. The woman seemed to be enjoying the situation far too much.
Maybe I can't compete with this woman... She's so confident about everything!
But then another thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Wait! Why should I compete with her in the first place? I don't need to compete with anyone! Because I don't like him... I mean... he's kind, and brave, and...
"XiaoRue!"
QingQing's loud voice suddenly pulled her out of her thoughts.
"What are you waiting for? Let's eat! Don't just stand there staring into space!"
XiaoRue blinked, realizing that she had been lost in her own thoughts.
"I'm not hungry, Miss QingQing..."
Just then, a loud rumbling sound came from XiaoRue's stomach.
Both of them froze for a moment.
Then QingQing burst into laughter.
"See? Your stomach is much more honest than you are!"
She smiled warmly at XiaoRue.
"Come on, let's eat together. I hate eating alone. And please, stop calling me Miss! Just QingQing!"
XiaoRue could only surrender.
It was difficult to refuse such a warm and friendly invitation, especially when QingQing seemed so determined to become her friend.
Finally, XiaoRue sat down and began enjoying the meal with her new companion.