CHAPTER 1090: CHAPTER 222: WISHFUL THINKING AND COLLUSION (PART 7)

If there was any fear before, now she wasn’t afraid at all. "Mm-hmm, I know, Brother Yan."

Yan Song smiled and ruffled her hair, causing Yun Ya to scrunch her little nose: "You’ve messed up my hairstyle."

The two walked out of the Plum Forest, and Yun Ya shook off Yan Song’s hand: "We should pay attention to appearances in front of others."

Yan Song chuckled and let her be.

Zhuang Xiyue and Yan Nanmo had not yet come out. Yun Ya decided to wait by the entrance of Rongju Garden for them to emerge. At this time, Yan Hua approached, first glancing at Yan Song and calling him Big Brother, to which Yan Song acknowledged with a faint nod.

Yan Hua came to Yun Ya and said with a smile, "I’m Yan Hua, the second daughter of my uncle’s, I’m seventeen this year. Can I call you Sister Ji?"

Turns out she was Meng Shujing’s daughter, and the sister of that Yan Xing who opposed her. Yun Ya didn’t have a good impression of either of them, but this girl seemed different—delicate and frail, like a lotus in the wind, exuding a gentle resilience.

"There’s not much age difference, just call me Yun Ya," Yun Ya replied with a smile.

Yan Hua wasn’t pretentious and directly called her Yun Ya, "I saw the news about you. I recognized you the moment I saw you—two years ago during that typhoon incident in Jiangzhou, you saved an old lady. I watched the live video and admired you so much back then. You’ve done things I couldn’t do. I never thought I’d meet you in person—you’re even more beautiful than in the photos. It’s hard to believe someone as beautiful and kind as you exists in this world."

Kind? Yun Ya felt like laughing, but seeing the sincerity in Yan Hua’s eyes, she couldn’t.

Because in Yan Hua’s eyes, there was pure sincerity, no false words or flattery—she genuinely thought so and spoke it.

Confident she wasn’t mistaken about people, Yun Ya sighed inwardly, developing a fondness for Yan Hua.

"You’ve said so much, I’m embarrassed."

Yan Hua grasped Yun Ya’s hand with a smile: "Can we become friends in the future? We didn’t have the chance before, but now we do, and I definitely can’t pass it up. If you don’t want to be friends with me because of Xingxing, I’d be heartbroken."

Yun Ya shook her head with a smile: "You’ve said so, what else can I say?"

"That Xingxing is just too spoiled. Don’t take her words to heart. I’ll talk to her later."

"It’s really nothing, I didn’t take it to heart from the beginning."

Yan Hua, holding her hand, liked her even more: "You have such a good temper."

Yun Ya smiled.

"By the way, let me take you to the front hall. There are many socialites here today. I’ll introduce you to them. If you plan to stay long-term in the Capital City, you need a social circle."

Yun Ya glanced into the courtyard, not knowing how long Aunt Zhuang would take to come out.

"Big Brother, I’m taking Yun Ya to the front hall to play. Do you want to come with us?"

Yan Song frowned slightly: "A bunch of girls, what would I do there?"

Yan Hua covered her mouth, laughing sneakily, and gave Yun Ya a sidelong glance: "Big Brother, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Yun Ya and won’t let her be bullied."

Yan Song cast a cold glance at her, "Remember your words, if she loses a single hair, I’ll pluck ten from you."

Yan Hua shivered suddenly: "Big Brother, you’re so fierce." She turned to Yun Ya, winking: "He’s so fierce, how do you put up with him?"

Yun Ya’s cheeks blushed slightly—it was probably obvious even to a blind person now that she and Yan Song had some "romantic tension." This was awkward.

Yan Hua laughed as she pulled Yun Ya away, running.

"Yun Ya, why is your face red?" In a quiet place, Yan Hua looked at Yun Ya’s face, flushed like rouge, her gaze slightly dazed.

To be like this, it’s no wonder that her usual cold-hearted big brother bent to her.

Yun Ya touched her cheek: "Is it?"

Yan Hua giggled, "I don’t know what past grievances and affections are between you and Big Brother or Second Brother, but I do know this— you and Big Brother are fond of each other. The way he looked at you just now gave me goosebumps. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly believe it."

Well, Yun Ya had no words for that.

The two talked and laughed as they walked towards the front hall, when suddenly, Yun Ya’s gaze sharpened, landing on a figure ahead.

The person walked beside an old man, who was in military uniform, in his fifties or sixties, but seemed in good spirits. The young girl with short, ear-length hair next to him was lively and playful, saying something to the old man that made him laugh heartily.

Suddenly, as if sensing Yun Ya’s gaze, the girl turned her head to look over.

The snowy day’s sunlight suddenly became glaring.

From across the courtyard, Yun Ya saw provocation in those eyes.

Slightly narrowing her eyes, Yun Ya’s lips curved into an almost imperceptible gentle smile.

"Huh, who is that girl? How come I’ve never seen her before? That old man beside her does seem somewhat familiar though..." Growing up in such a family, it wasn’t surprising Yan Hua recognized some prominent figures.