Chapter 18 - The Elder And The Younger Sister
The butler of the house, Jin Guoqiang, had been standing there listening, going through countless emotional changes in such a short span of time.
He kept silent, and went outside after hearing the noise.
Soon, through the open window, Luo Ziling could see two ladies coming in from the garden outside.
The first one was the beautiful young lady he had met before. He could immediately recognize her just by seeing her outfit from afar. The other that was walking beside her was in a black business attire. Unfortunately for Luo Ziling, he could not see much of her as they walked through the bushes.
Ouyang Lingyun smiled all of a sudden.
“That must be Feifei and Huihui.”
“Huihui?” Luo Ziling repeated the name. That must be the name of the beautiful young lady that he had met earlier.
Their footsteps echoed through the house, getting closer. They entered the house, in a single file.
Luo Ziling noted the first one that entered the mansion was tall. She could easily be more than 172 centimeters tall. Her hair was neatly tied up high which complemented her tall figure. The sunlight behind was too bright so Luo Ziling could not properly see her face.
He immediately stood up.
The ladies walked closer and stopped when they were in front of their grandfather and Luo Ziling.
Only then, did he clearly see her face. And when he saw how she looked, Luo Ziling lost the ability to think.
She was beautiful. Like the brilliant colors of blooming summer flowers, as radiant as the autumn’s moon, gentle like a breeze, strong like a castle, clear winds brushing to the face, like the river that flowed clear, like the snow, like the morning sun… There was nothing he could think of to precisely describe the beauty of this young lady.
He had always thought that the woman in the picture was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. After seeing this young lady standing in front of him, his point of view began to change. There was a feeling inside of him that he could not express with words. At the same time, he felt a sudden, profound sense of regret. He had actually declined the engagement to this beauty of a lady, a lady that was so profoundly beautiful, with beauty that words could never describe.
Anyone would have scolded him for being as stupid as a pig for rejecting a marriage with such a lady. Maybe, ten thousand times stupider than that!
The two locked eyes but Luo Ziling lost the battle and lowered his gaze.
“Good day… Hello…” Luo Ziling greeted after he forced himself to smile. When he saw the young lady poking her head out in view, he bashfully said, “I’ve only just found out that your name is Ouyang Huihui. Do forgive me about what happened yesterday.”
The beautiful lady that had a quarrel with Luo Ziling pouted.
“Who I am is none of your concern.”
“Huihui! How could you say something like that?” Ouyang Lingyun barked. He gave her a glare, wanting her to return to her room.
Her pout turned into a sulk as she was immediately scolded by her grandfather when she had just returned home.
“Grandfather, you cannot give Sister away to this country bumpkin! He is not a good person! How could someone like him be suitable for Sister?
Ouyang Lingyun was embarrassed after Ouyang Huihui had mocked Luo Ziling. His glare turned deadlier, angrier.
“Go now, or expect punishment,” he threatened quietly.
Ouyang Huihui was clearly frightened. She kept her mouth shut, yanked her elder sister’s clothes lightly before running away.
“Please. Convey what you are here to her directly,” Ouyang Lingyun said as he gestured to the chair.
“Feifei is back and I’m sure she would be happy to talk with you about it. She had never expressed her objection to the engagement. But I know she was not happy about it.”
He turned to Ouyang Feifei and said, “Feifei, Ziling came here today, not to seek proceedings with the engagement but to decline it.”
Ouyang Feifei’s expression changed all of a sudden. She turned and looked at Luo Ziling in surprise but quickly restored herself to her usual calm self.
Still quiet, she walked across the living room and picked a chair opposite and sat down.
Her seating manner was eloquent and that made Luo Ziling instinctively glance to look; it was only due to his curiosity.
When he turned to look, Ouyang Feifei remained stoic as she met his eyes without any fear or hesitation.
Luo Ziling had felt immense pressure when he talked to Ouyang Lingyun and could feel the same as he looked at Ouyang Feifei.
He had not expected to see her today and worse, not expected Ouyang Lingyun to have him to speak about the elephant in the room directly to her. Awkward could not describe how he really felt.
As he awkwardly repeated what he had told Ouyang Lingyun, he failed to notice how Ouyang Feifei went through a plethora of expressions.
When he was done, Luo Ziling finally had enough. He stood up.
“Grandfather Ouyang, Miss Ouyang, I would have to excuse myself now. Military training will start tomorrow and I need time to prepare.”
“Very well. Come again soon for a meal. I will send a car to pick you up,” Ouyang Lingyun said as he turned to Ouyang Feifei. “Feifei, would you please send him out?”
“Mhm!”
She hummed before rising from her seat.
When the two of them stood side by side, Luo Ziling couldn’t help comparing his height with hers.
He was around 180 centimeters. In terms of height, he was above the average man. But when he stood next to Ouyang Feifei, he felt a little shorter. She was tall and with her high-heels increasing her height further, Luo Ziling felt even shorter when he stood next to Ouyang Feifei who was standing around 170 centimeters tall.
“Grandfather Ouyang, please forgive me again for my sudden arrival,” Luo Ziling apologized awkwardly before leaving.
Ouyang Feifei made no sound as she followed beside him, marching quietly, like she was Luo Ziling’s personal escort.
When Luo Ziling came into the mansion, he had walked through the walkways on the ends of the garden. Now that he was leaving with Ouyang Feifei, he took the bridge that spans across the pond.
There was a gazebo built in the middle of the bridge; probably used for koi-viewing in the pond. When she walked into the gazebo, she stopped and turned to look at Luo Ziling. He stopped as well as he looked at her awkwardly.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. So beautiful that he dared not look at her directly. The beauty in her eyes, made his head spin. The scent around her was so pleasant that it made Luo Ziling feel intoxicated.
“This is something you gave me fifteen years ago,” she said. Her voice, like the Yellow Warbler, rang in his ears. She reached her palm out to Luo ZIling. “I’ve always kept this with me.”
He immediately recognized it. He had given it to her when she came to the village with her grandfather, when he was just five years old. It was a small crystal rock he had found in the mountains behind the village.
He was surprised to know that she still had it with her after so many years.
Seeing as how Ouyang Feifei’s hand was still opened after he had seen it, Luo Ziling assumed she was going to return it to him. He hesitated but reached his hand out to take it.
Just as he was extending his hands, Ouyang Feifei withdrew her hand before she walked forward. Luo Ziling was stunned for a brief second but quickly followed along.