World's First Traitor System (399)

Chapter 399 - When Hearts Align

The scent of melon was thick in the air, but Fan Li had no appetite for it. He wanted to escape.

However, under the watchful gaze of so many women, it wouldn't befit his status as Duke Jin to flee like a scolded schoolboy.

Fortunately, he was merely collateral damage; the eye of the storm wasn’t focused on him.

“Shishi, let me explain? I…”

Fan Chun’s face had turned crimson. The more he tried to explain himself, the stranger the women's expressions became.

Suddenly, Qin Hongyu spoke, "We have honored guests. It would be impolite to talk at the door. Please, come into the main hall.”

She then said to the visiting courtesans, “Thank you for today. Shall we meet again another day?”

“Hehehe, yes, we'll visit again soon.”

The courtesans, experts in social graces, knew Fan Chun’s embarrassment all too well. Although it was a rare chance to gossip, they were also wary of the Fan brothers' status. They couldn’t make fun of them so blatantly. They'd just have to come back another time to catch up and fill in all the gaps of this unfolding drama.

The group of beautiful women departed, leaving only the three mistresses of the Courtesan's Mansion and the Fan brothers.

Free from prying eyes, Fan Chun finally seemed to breathe easier.

He said to Qin Hongyu gratefully, “Hongyu, I knew you were the most sensible. Thank goodness for you.”

What a fool!

Fan Li cursed silently.

“Fang’er? Shishi? Hongyu?”

He was calling each by their given names so affectionately, and doing it all publicly!

What an idiot!

How could you praise one woman for being sensible in front of the other two?

He was creating his own personal love triangle to revel in!

"Duke Jin."

Su Qingfang and Chen Shishi walked up to Fan Li, smiling enchantingly.

"Please."

"Oh, yes, please," Fan Li said, nodding and following them towards the main hall.

As for Fan Chun, he stood there, dumbfounded, unaware that he had been completely ignored by the two women.

...

Inside the main hall of the Courtesan’s Mansion, Su Qingfang, with her elegant hands, began preparing tea.

Chen Shishi picked up a pipa and gently plucked at the strings, instantly filling the hall with a beautiful, tranquil melody.

“Duke Jin, please, have a seat," Qin Hongyu said, before turning her gaze towards Fan Li. The look in her eyes seemed… different.

“General Fan, please sit as well.”

Fan Li smiled wryly. Ignoring his brother’s awkwardness, he sat down.

Silence.

An unsettling silence descended upon them.

One woman was brewing tea, one was playing a pipa, and one sat there, smiling quietly.

Fan Li was able to sit there calmly enough, but Fan Chun, who had military training, couldn't tolerate the stillness.

He abruptly stood up, pacing back and forth, like a cat on a hot tin roof.

If they had been at the Fan manor, Fan Li would have kicked him for his foolish behavior.

But in someone else’s home, Fan Li could only sit there quietly.

"Fang'er, Shishi, Hongyu, please, hear me out!"

Fan Chun suddenly exclaimed.

The three women instantly looked up.

And then, the man faltered.

Fan Chun nervously swallowed, then fidgeted with the hem of his clothing, as if it had suddenly become too tight.

"You...don't look at me like that...I..."

Fan Chun suddenly felt as if he would rather be on the battlefield, facing thousands of enemies than in this strange scenario.

“Ahem!”

Seeing his brother’s pitiful state, Fan Li, as the elder brother, had no option but to stand up and break the silence.

"Ladies, do you remember a few days ago, during the war, when I hastily made a marriage agreement between my brother and the three of you?”

Fan Chun looked at his brother gratefully. At this crucial moment, a brother was like a father.

“We remember.” The three women said in unison.

Fan Li nodded. “Regarding this…”

But before he could finish, the three women spoke first.

Su Qingfang said, “Empress Yao Guang tried to force us to join the Great Ci Dynasty, and it was thanks to Duke Jin’s quick thinking.”

Chen Shishi continued, “Empress Yao Guang is narrow-minded and vicious; she is bound to seek revenge.”

Finally, Qin Hongyu added, “Duke Jin’s kindness saved us. We owe him our sincere gratitude.”

With that, the three women rose in unison, bowing deeply to Fan Li.

Well, this was awkward!

Fan Li, by bringing up the past, had intended to talk about marriage.

But now the matter was about their salvation. Wasn’t this a polite way of saying “no”?

Were the three women innocent in this, or had they done this deliberately?

Fan Li couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

How bold!

In front of Duke Jin, no less, they were intentionally cutting him off and denying him the chance to discuss marriage.

Was it their way of showing no fear of power?

Or were they simply bold and cunning?

Fan Li smiled wryly.

He set aside some of his arrogance as a superior and looked carefully at the three women before him.

He noticed that their eyes were unwavering, showing that they were all strong-willed individuals.

A forced marriage?

Fan Li inwardly sighed.

He had clearly underestimated these people. Even though they came from humble beginnings, he couldn't simply treat them as if he could have them at will.

Whether Fan Chun married them or not, that was something he couldn't decide.

What should he do?

Should he leave?

Or stay and continue this farce?

Frankly, Fan Li was ready to give up. As he was about to take his leave, an idea flashed through his mind.

The three women’s attitude had clearly demonstrated they didn’t want to be forced into a marriage.

But what if there was no forced marriage?

What if it was based on mutual affection?

What if he had simply misunderstood and wrongly ruined a possible romance?

Having reached this conclusion, Fan Li finally made up his mind.

“Ahem!”

"I just remembered I have some official business to attend to, I’ll take my leave."

When Fan Li said this, Fan Chun’s expression changed immediately.

What? Was he leaving already?

The marriage hadn't been discussed!

He was getting anxious, and the women’s expressions had also shifted slightly.

Fan Li glanced at their faces and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Fan Chun, you stay. Chat with the three ladies.”

He then left without waiting for his brother’s reaction.

Once he was outside the mansion, he slowed his pace.

So, it seemed like they were attracted to each other after all, and they just didn't want to be forced into a marriage. They wanted to have free will in choosing their partner, how strange.

…

Inside the main hall.

Fan Chun discovered that after his brother left, the way the three women looked at him had changed.

They became more direct, more relaxed, without the previous sense of distance.

“Right!” Fan Chun suddenly found a topic, asking anxiously, “You used your strength to enhance our two hundred thousand soldiers, and you lost a lot of blood. How are you feeling now?”

The three women looked at each other in annoyance.

What was wrong with him?

Was he still looking for a topic to initiate conversation?

Finally, Su Qingfang’s kind nature won out and she replied gently, “We are fine now. After that day, the Fan Trading Company sent us top-quality blood-nourishing pills, and we recovered fully after only two days of rest.”

“Oh, oh, that’s good.”

Fan Chun thought of another topic, asking proudly,

“Have the people of Great Ci Dynasty come to cause you trouble? If so, just tell me, and I will be your strong backer.”

Qin Hongyu asked back, “Backer? General, aren’t you going to stand in front of us?”

Fan Chun was embarrassed. He was just about to correct himself when Chen Shishi interrupted him.

“General, you only have one body, if something were to happen, would you stand in front of Qingfang, in front of Hongyu, or in front of me?”

With those words, Fan Chun blushed crimson.

The three women were immediately moved by his shyness.

Especially Chen Shishi, who stepped forward and held Fan Chun’s hand.

"I’m just joking, General."

"I’m not seeking to possess you all for myself, I’m simply afraid of being abandoned.”

Women with such pasts, despite their worldliness, were still vulnerable at heart.

When they fell in love deeply, they feared abandonment.

Chen Shishi then recited softly, “A spring outing, apricot blossoms fill the air. On the road, who is the young gentleman so full of charm? I wish to marry him and spend my life with him. Even if he should cruelly abandon me, I will never be ashamed."