Chapter 50: I want to marry you (1/2)

[Trigger the Villainess Side Character Mission: The host must publicly say “I want to marry you” to Duan Ling on his birthday this year. Since Duan Ling’s birthday is at the end of this month, the deadline is also the end of this month.]

[Mission failure results in elimination; this is the sixth Villainess Side Character Mission, and success will earn six points. According to statistics, the host’s current accumulated points are fifteen, ten points away from unlocking the “Grand Reward Package.”]

Lin Ting was stunned.

Publicly say 

“I want to marry you” to Duan Ling on his birthday? 

Ask him to marry her? 

In front of everyone?

Although Lin Ting remembered that in the original story, after forcefully kissing Duan Ling, she had shamelessly declared in public that she wanted to marry him, the original story had glossed over it, mentioning that he had publicly rejected her. 

She hadn’t paid much attention to it, thinking the plot would take a different turn.

But she hadn’t expected this!

Out of all the possible villainess subplots in the original story, why did it have to be the “public proposal”?

Lin Ting felt this mission was challenging her thick skin because the consequence of a “public proposal” would inevitably be a public rejection from Duan Ling. 

Of course, she didn’t actually want him to accept, but this would only deepen the misunderstanding.

Most importantly, Duan Xinning would also find out about this. 

How would she explain it then? 

Say, “Actually, I’ve liked your second brother for a long time”?

Lin Ting didn’t care much about what others thought, but she cared about the opinions of her family and friends.

Still, this wasn’t without its benefits. 

The upside was that her mother, Li Jingqiu, and Lady Feng would realize that Duan Ling didn’t like her, and they would no longer try to arrange a marriage between them.

But Lin Ting still had a headache.

She felt she couldn’t bring herself to say the words “I want to marry you” to Duan Ling.

Lin Ting raised her eyes to look at Duan Ling, only to see his thin lips moving. 

Her mind was occupied by the system’s voice, and she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

After a while, Lin Ting slowly began to hear Duan Ling’s voice, low and gentle, pleasant to the ear, like a faint electric current that flowed into her body, subtly spreading throughout her:

“Miss Lin, what are you thinking about?”

Thinking about how to “publicly propose” to you, she thought to herself, but instead said, 

“I just suddenly thought of something… What did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly. What does this jade bracelet mean?”

His tone gave nothing away: 

“This jade bracelet is for my future wife.”

Lin Ting gasped and quickly explained, 

“I… I didn’t know. Lady Feng said she wanted to give me a gift, so she gave it to me. She also said Lingyun has an identical one, but she never mentioned it was for your future wife.”

She had genuinely thought it was just a “friendship bracelet.” 

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have accepted it. 

Who would have thought that after only meeting her a few times, Lady Feng had decided to give her this jade bracelet meant for her future daughter-in-law?

It was so careless. 

Lin Ting was astonished.

Duan Ling glanced at the jade bracelet on her wrist again: 

“Lingyun does have one, but this one is indeed for my future wife.”

Lin Ting felt like she was being roasted over a fire: 

“I think Lady Feng misunderstood our relationship and that’s why she gave it to me.” 

He didn’t respond.

She looked around, afraid someone might see, and reached under the table to take off the troublesome bracelet: 

“I’ll return it to you now.”

Duan Ling still didn’t speak, his gaze falling under the table as he watched her eagerly try to remove the bracelet.

After a moment, the bracelet remained on Lin Ting’s wrist. 

She couldn’t get it off-perhaps she had gained some weight recently: 

“Lord Duan, it’s not that I don’t want to return it to you now, but I can’t take it off.”

He simply said, “No rush.”

Lin Ting tried a few more times, but the result was the same. 

She said sincerely, 

“I’ll find a way to take it off when I get back. Don’t worry.”

Duan Ling’s gaze lingered on Lin Ting’s wrist, which had turned red from her efforts to remove the bracelet. 

How much she wanted to take it off was evident. 

He looked away and said, 

“As you wish.”

Lin Ting lowered her slightly lifted sleeve, covering the bracelet that she couldn’t remove for the time being.

When she returned to the Lin residence, she could apply some lubricating ointment or oil to her wrist and try to take the bracelet off. 

But at the banquet, it was inconvenient to leave to find ointment or apply oil to her wrist.

Duan Xinning came over: 

“Leyun, what were you whispering about with my second brother?” 

She had been chatting with other noble ladies sitting beside her and hadn’t paid attention to their conversation.

“Just chatting casually.”

Lin Ting looked at the jade bracelet in Duan Xinning’s hand, still unable to understand what Lady Feng had been thinking. 

Did she and Duan Ling look like they were in love? 

What had given Lady Feng that impression?

Duan Xinning didn’t press further and poured her a cup of fruit tea: 

“This is delicious. Try it.”

Xia Zimo, sitting across from them, kept glancing over, but Duan Xinning never met his gaze. 

She was either chatting with the noble ladies at the table or turning to look at Lin Ting, keeping herself busy.

Duan Xinning was conflicted. 

On one hand, she was happy to have grown closer to Xia Zimo, but on the other hand, she didn’t know how to face him.

Lin Ting noticed the undercurrents between them but didn’t intervene. 

Although she was Duan Xinning’s close friend, she couldn’t interfere too much, especially in matters of romantic feelings.

Still, Lin Ting couldn’t help but feel like a well-tended cabbage in her garden had been nibbled by a pig.

She glanced at Xia Zimo a few more times, with the look of someone whose cabbage had been nibbled by a pig. 

But to others, it seemed different. 

Duan Ling picked up his teacup and took a sip: 

“Do you have something to say to Lord Xia?”

Lin Ting was momentarily confused: 

“Huh? No, why would you think I have something to say to Lord Xia?”

He averted his gaze, absentmindedly watching guests approach to toast Lady Feng, and said gently, 

“I saw you looking at Lord Xia for a while, so I thought you might have something to say to him.”

Lin Ting made an excuse: 

“You’re mistaken. I wasn’t looking at Lord Xia. I was looking at Miss Wang behind him. Her hairpin is beautiful, and I was wondering if I should ask her later where she bought it.”

Miss Wang, sitting behind Xia Zimo, had met Lin Ting once before, but they weren’t close.

Whether Duan Ling believed her or not, he calmly commented, 

“That hairpin does look nice, but it doesn’t seem to suit Miss Lin.”

“Doesn’t suit me?” 

Lin Ting hadn’t paid close attention to what hairpin Miss Wang was wearing, but upon hearing Duan Ling’s remark, she looked carefully and saw it was a simple wooden hairpin.

Lin Ting agreed with Duan Ling that it didn’t suit her.

She preferred gold and silver jewelry.

Like that gold hairpin.

Duan Ling slowly ran his finger along the rim of his cup: 

“Lord Xia intends to propose to the Duan family, wishing to marry Lingyun. Has Lingyun mentioned this to you?”

Lin Ting felt like he was subtly warning her not to set her sights on Xia Zimo: 

“Lingyun just mentioned it today.”

Duan Xinning happened to overhear and lowered her head, her cheeks flushing. 

She shook Lin Ting’s hand: 

“Second brother, Leyun, why are you talking about this? Be careful not to let others hear.”

Since the person involved didn’t want to discuss it, Lin Ting naturally wouldn’t bring it up again and quietly focused on her meal.

The saying “No talking during meals, no speaking during sleep” didn’t apply to banquets.

Guests were often preoccupied with their own agendas, and many would seize the opportunity to create a network. 

Few people were truly focused on eating, and Lin Ting was barely one of them.

The reason she was only barely focused was that the Duan family had invited a famous opera troupe from the capital to celebrate Lady Feng’s birthday. 

They were performing not far away, so Lin Ting watched the opera while eating, not entirely focused on her meal.

As for the mission, she decided to set it aside for now. 

After all, thinking about it all day wouldn’t help. 

Life was short, and it was best to enjoy the moment. 

That was the truth.

Halfway through her meal, Lin Ting suddenly heard Lady Feng call her softly: “Leyun.”

She looked over.

The guests who had been fawning over Lady Feng had already been dismissed, and now only Lord Duan sat beside her. 

Lord Duan resembled Duan Ling somewhat. 

Even though he was older, time hadn’t left many marks on his face. 

He still had a handsome appearance, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

Lord Duan was a low-key person. 

Even on a relatively festive day like today, he dressed modestly, wearing a dark brown brocade robe with no accessories at his waist except for a belt.

He was also a member of the Imperial Guard, the current commander of the Imperial Guard, the leader of the Imperial Guard.

Lord Duan had one thing very different from Duan Ling: he was serious and never smiled, always expressionless, as if he was born without the ability to smile.

Lin Ting had only met Lord Duan twice.

Once at the funeral of his eldest son, Duan Lisheng, and the second time was now.

Duan Xinning rarely mentioned her father to Lin Ting, so Lin Ting didn’t know much about him.

 Regardless, she had to greet her elders: 

“Lady Feng, Lord Duan.”

Lady Feng smiled at Lin Ting and introduced her to Lord Duan: 

“This is the seventh daughter of the Lin family, Leyun, whom I’ve mentioned to you.” 

Lord Duan followed Lady Feng’s gaze and nodded slightly at Lin Ting, saying nothing.

Lady Feng’s smile faded a bit.

He finally spoke, his tone fairly normal: 

“I’ve heard you’re Lingyun’s close friend and have known each other since childhood.”

Lin Ting, standing farther away, didn’t notice the change in their expressions and replied respectfully, 

“Yes, I’ve even visited your residence when I was young.”

Lord Duan didn’t ask Lin Ting anything else and let her sit down to continue her meal, telling her not to be too formal.

At this moment, the opera ended. 

After sitting down, Lin Ting kept her head down and ate the rest of her meal. 

After greeting Lord Duan, she inexplicably felt like she was meeting her boyfriend’s parents and was quite uncomfortable.

Lord Duan called out to Duan Ling: “Ziyu.”

Hearing this, Duan Ling put down his chopsticks and looked at his father, smiling faintly with the demeanor of a proper gentleman. 

He said calmly, “Father.”

Lord Duan asked indifferently, 

“It’s been several months. Any news on the Xie family fugitive?” 

It was no secret that Duan Ling had been ordered to capture the Xie family fugitive, so there was no fear of others overhearing. 

Besides, he only asked if there was any news on the fugitive, not for details.

Lin Ting stopped eating. 

The Xie family fugitive-wasn’t that the fifth son of the Xie family, Xie Qinghe?

She pricked up her ears to listen.

“Not yet.”

Duan Ling glanced imperceptibly at Lin Ting, who had immediately stopped eating, thinking she was truly concerned about news of Xie Qinghe. 

Upon hearing his name, she had even stopped eating.

Lord Duan’s gaze was sharp and pressing: 

“In the past, there was no case you couldn’t solve or a person you couldn’t capture. What’s going on now? It’s been several months, and you still can’t catch a defenseless fugitive from the Xie family. What will the Emperor think of you?”