173: Chapter 173: Qian Renxue: You agree?

The morning sun, carrying a hint of warmth, shone through the open window lattice, illuminating the dining room brightly.

A steaming breakfast had already been laid out on the dining table, emitting an enticing aroma.

Qian Renxue, Lu Jing, and Xiao Wu were already seated at the table.

Qian Renxue, with an elegant posture, sipped her clear porridge, though her gaze would occasionally dart toward the door.

Xiao Wu, appearing a bit impatient, poked at the steamed bun in front of her with her chopsticks, her eyes darting toward the door as well.

Finally, Qian Renxue set down her spoon and looked at Lu Jing. With a hint of imperceptible concern and confusion in her tone, she asked softly, "Xiao Jing, where is Wang Donger? Why didn't she come over with you?"

Xiao Wu also immediately cast her gaze toward Lu Jing, her large pink eyes filled with curiosity, "Yeah, that's right! Isn't Sister Donger usually with you? What's up today? And Senior Snow Empress, I don't see her either."

Lu Jing was picking up food in a leisurely manner; upon hearing this, his movements paused slightly.

When he woke up this morning, his side was already empty, leaving only a faint, lingering fragrance by his pillow.

He naturally knew where Wang Donger had gone last night, and his heart remained troubled by the ripples left after his conversation with Qian Renxue the night before, as well as his worry about Wang Donger's reaction.

Asked now, his expression remained normal, and he replied in a calm tone, "She went to find Snow Empress. She went last night, and now... she should still be with Snow Empress, I suppose."

"Find Senior Snow Empress?"

Xiao Wu blinked her eyes, even more curious. With half a bun in her mouth, she asked indistinctly, "The two of them... were together since last night? What for? Did they chat all night?"

Lu Jing did not answer, simply picking up his bowl and silently taking a sip of porridge.

He did not know what they had talked about, nor did he know what the outcome was.

But for some reason, the tight string in his heart did not seem to relax because Wang Donger had taken the initiative to find Snow Empress; instead, it felt even more taut due to the unknown outcome.

On the other side, when Qian Renxue heard Lu Jing say that she had gone to find Snow Empress and was likely still there, her hand holding the chopsticks trembled imperceptibly!

That pair of violet eyes instantly flashed with a clear understanding, followed by even more complex emotional fluctuations.

Was it for that matter... In the end, Wang Donger had still taken the initiative to face it.

She went to find Snow Empress, what would she say?

Was it a confrontation?

A showdown?

Or... something else?

How would Snow Empress respond?

A panicked denial?

A dejected concession?

Or...?

Qian Renxue's heart also tightened along with it.

This matter, to some extent, was something she had pointed out and pushed forward.

Although she was considering the future of Snow Empress and Lu Jing, she could not predict Wang Donger's true reaction.

If Wang Donger developed a rift with Snow Empress because of this, or even caused a greater conflict, wouldn't she have done a bad deed with good intentions?

Thinking of this, she felt that no matter how exquisite the breakfast in front of her was, it had lost its flavor, tasting like wax.

Her gaze couldn't help but cast toward the door again, carrying a hint of tension and anticipation she hadn't even noticed herself.

Xiao Wu looked at the silent Lu Jing, then at Qian Renxue, who had suddenly become somewhat restless.

Although filled with doubts, she also sensed the subtle atmosphere and obediently did not ask any more questions, simply burying her head to continue battling her breakfast, though her ears were pricked high.

Just in this slightly stagnant and subtle atmosphere, faint footsteps came from the entrance of the dining room.

Two figures appeared at the doorway, one after the other.

The morning light gilded their silhouettes with a soft golden edge.

On the left was Wang Donger; she wore a goose-yellow long dress, which made her skin look fairer than snow.

Her stunningly beautiful face carried a faint yet exceptionally bright smile.

Although her eyes were slightly swollen, they were startlingly bright.

On the right was Snow Empress, still in her cold, white robes, her silver hair like a waterfall.

However, her ice-blue eyes, which were usually calm and waveless, even carrying a hint of aloofness, were now slightly lowered, long eyelashes concealing the emotions within her gaze.

On her stunning profile, a faint, almost suspicious flush spread from her cheeks to her earlobes, adding a rare, heart-stirring shyness to her ethereal temperament.

Most striking of all was the posture between them.

Wang Donger was affectionately hugging one of Snow Empress's arms, her body leaning slightly against Snow Empress, her movements natural, even carrying a hint of reliance.

And Snow Empress, although her body appeared somewhat stiff, as if she were not quite used to such intimate contact.

Yet she did not refuse, allowing Wang Donger to hug her, though her slightly reddened profile and lowered eyes betrayed the lack of calm in her heart.

The two of them walked into the dining room just like that, in an unprecedentedly intimate posture.

This scene caused the three people at the dining table to freeze for a moment.

Lu Jing's hand holding the chopsticks stopped in mid-air, his gaze landing on Wang Donger's hand hugging Snow Empress's arm, then looking at Snow Empress's slightly red cheeks and lowered eyes; the complex and difficult-to-understand emotions in his heart instantly churned.

What... is the situation?

They finished talking?

The result... doesn't seem to be any of the ones he had anticipated?

Qian Renxue's pupils shrank even more, and a clear look of surprise appeared on her stunning face.

She had anticipated many possibilities.

Arguments, cold wars, estrangement, or even the worst case of Wang Donger leaving in anger...

But this scene before her, as intimate as sisters, even carrying a hint of an indescribable harmony and a calmness as if the dust had settled, completely exceeded her expectations.

Wang Donger... not only was she not angry, but she was actually so close to Snow Empress?

That shy yet compliant posture of Snow Empress...

This... could it be...

In Qian Renxue's heart, an incredible yet seemingly logical guess quietly took shape.

She couldn't help but put down her chopsticks, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Wang Donger and Snow Empress, and with a hint of probing and disbelief, she asked softly, "Wang Donger, Snow Empress, what is this...?"

Her question voiced the confusion in the hearts of Lu Jing and Xiao Wu.

Hearing Qian Renxue's question, Wang Donger raised those azure eyes, which were still somewhat red and swollen but filled with smiles, and looked at Qian Renxue. She even playfully blinked, the corners of her mouth curling into an arc that was slightly cunning and relieved, and answered in a crisp voice, "It's just as you thought, Xue'er."

"Just as I thought?"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue's heart jumped violently, and the look of surprise on her stunning face grew even more intense.

She almost subconsciously asked in pursuit, her tone carrying a hint of urgency and need for confirmation, "You... you agreed?"

She asked directly, her gaze tightly locked on Wang Donger.

Wang Donger did not answer immediately, but the smile on her face brightened a little more.

She did not look at Lu Jing, but instead tilted her head slightly and looked at Snow Empress beside her.

And Snow Empress, upon hearing Qian Renxue's words, "You agreed?", lowered her already bowed head even further, as if she wanted to shrink into her collar.