Friendship is Blooming

Unfortunately, those words did not calm Han Qingshan down at all. In fact, they just made him even more sullen.

He glanced at the woman who had spoken. She clammed up like an oyster, not even daring to breathe loudly afterwards.

The other women were also hesitant now. They all wanted to bring some clarity to the situation, but none of them seemed to understand why Han Qingshan was furious.

Was it because they had called his friend a commoner? It could not be, she was clearly a commoner, so saying this should not be considered an insult.

Was it the tone they had used? Although it had been slightly overbearing and arrogant, they were all noble born misses, while this commoner was born out of normal citizens. The fact that they had even mentioned her should already be an honor for her.

So what could it be? They could not figure it out, and since they could not figure it out, they decided to just keep quiet.

He Yuyan was uncomfortable when she saw that Han Qingshan was truly unhappy with her. Her aim was to get married into the Han family, as only then would she be the most revered and respected woman in the entire country. So right now she needed to ensure that the anger that Han Qingshan was carrying for her would be removed.

Gnashing her teeth and glaring at Jiang Yingyue for the umpteenth time, she pretended to be a pitiful white lotus as she clung onto Han Qingshan's arm, pressing her breasts on him and tearing up, albeit making sure she did it without destroying her heavily applied makeup.

"Brother Shan... Young Master Shan, I didn't mean to insult your friend," she said pitifully. Although she was speaking like this, she was forcing the words out unhappily, and it was plain as day that there was no sincerity behind them.

She had never wanted to acknowledge any mistake, as she was an honorable young woman, someone who multiple men looked up to and adored. But now she was forced to lower herself in front of a mere commoner. This was the most humiliating thing she had ever experienced. But to ensure that Han Qingshan was not angry with her, she had no other choice.

Jiang Yingyue was rather surprised when she saw that Han Qingshan was mad on her behalf, and she could sense that it was not a pretense on his part; he was in fact very upset at how the woman had referred to and treated his alleged friend.

She had expected that Han Qingshan would be like every other noble-born son, arrogant and whimsical, but now she started to realize that he really meant it when he said that he wanted to treat her like a friend. She could not help but flash a genuine smile at him.

Han Qingshan was surprised when he saw that Jiang Yingyue suddenly had a change in her opinion of him. Although he was still feeling indignant, his mood improved drastically.

He looked seriously at Jiang Yingyue, before he focused on the woman who was pressing her bosom on his arm. He once more withdrew his arm from her grasp and almost pushed her away, before he remembered his manners and steadied her on her own seat.

"Jiang Fengmian is my friend," he said seriously as he looked at the woman. "His origins have nothing to do with who he is, and I feel rather pleased having him as my friend. Now that you are insulting him, is it not the same as insulting me and my taste in friends?"

Han Qingshan was taking a strong stance. He was not happy, and everyone could feel his unhappiness from the words he had spoken.

The entire cafe had gone quiet, and everyone was listening in on the conversation. This was a place for the rich and affluent, so when they heard the woman mention the name 'Young Master Shan,' alongside his response, all of them were filled with curiosity towards this person who he was protecting.

Jiang Yingyue had never been close to anyone before, and this was also the first time that someone had stood up for her like this. She could not help but feel a bit of warmth in her heart when she heard him refer to her as his friend. Right then, she wondered if it would be okay having just one friend.

Even though Jiang Yingyue had that thought, she was still quite uncertain. She would like to have a friend. She would like Jiang Fengmian to experience having a friend instead of just being alone all his life. But if she got too close to this man, was it not rather risky? Could he realize that the real her was not a man but in fact a woman?

Han Qingshan saw that Jiang Yingyue was deep in thought, but he did not interrupt her. Instead, his steely gaze was focused on He Yuyan.

"I will let you be because of the longtime friendship between our two families," Han Qingshan said coldly, "but don't question my taste in friends ever again. Now please leave and let me continue my conversation with my friend. Also, don't hang onto my arm. It is not fitting for a young, unmarried woman to hang onto a man like this. One might think you are desperate for company."

His words were harsh, and they tore away He Yuyan's face. Having been told that she was desperate for company made her seem cheap. Her face alternated between blood red and sheet white.

She staggered to her feet. With a last hateful glance at Jiang Yingyue, and a pitiful glance at Han Qingshan, she turned around and ran out of the cafe with tears falling from her eyes.

Her friends also glared at Jiang Yingyue before they rushed after her. They all felt that it was his fault that things had escalated so badly. Who had permitted such a tasteless person to be near their Young Master Shan?

"Sorry about that," Han Qingshan said, a genuine expression of being sorry written all over him.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Jiang Yingyue did not dwell on the apology but instead asked him about what he had said earlier.

"What do you mean?" Han Qingshan asked with a frown on his face. He was sure that he had meant everything he said, but what did Jiang Fengmian refer to?

"Are you sure that you want to be my friend?" she asked hesitantly, her voice rather low.