CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 309: UNEXPECTED "LITTLE SWEETNESS" 2

Si Mingjing supported her and helped her into a chair.

"Si Yuan, don’t cry. What happened?"

Tears welled in Ye Siyuan’s eyes.

She said, "Mingjing, I was halfway through my song when Crown Prince Lisao left his seat. He didn’t return until I had finished. Was my singing that bad? Does he disdain to listen to it?"

Si Mingjing: "..."

After thinking for a moment, Si Mingjing consoled her, "Perhaps he had something urgent to deal with and needed to step out. Think about your brother; he often has to leave for a phone call and doesn’t return for a long time. They’re powerful people with many matters to attend to daily."

Concerned as she was, Ye Siyuan managed to hold back her tears upon hearing Si Mingjing’s explanation.

"Mingjing, thank you for comforting me. I shouldn’t be like this; it’s so embarrassing. Go ahead and tease me."

Si Mingjing embraced Ye Siyuan.

"You’re just caught in feelings that seem hopeless to you; no one has the right to blame you. Si Yuan, as long as you don’t do anything against your conscience or moral principles for these feelings, you are worthy of respect. Don’t be sad. But if it truly is hopeless, you must pull back in time, or you’ll be the only one hurt. Think about Song Pianlan, think about Yang Wanling..."

Ye Siyuan clenched her fists. "I won’t be like them, resorting to any means to get a man. Mingjing, I’m going to the restroom to calm down."

"Alright. Do you want me to accompany you?"

Ye Siyuan shook her head. "I’ll be by myself for a while to calm down. Where’s my brother?"

"I sent him to the front to watch the performance."

Ye Siyuan nodded.

She lifted her skirt and left the backstage area, heading for the restroom.

At the sinks outside the restroom, Ye Siyuan washed her face, trying to cool down, when she faintly overheard people mentioning her.

The voices came from the men’s restroom. Two people were talking.

"OW, that hurts like hell! Today has been the worst luck, getting on Crown Prince Lisao’s bad side. We’ve got grievances but nowhere to air them! Why did he beat us up? What did we even do to provoke him into thrashing us like that? I think my arm is broken..."

"Could it be because we were gossiping about Ye Siyuan?"

"That can’t be it, right? Crown Prince Lisao likes Ye Siyuan?"

Standing at the sink outside the restroom, Ye Siyuan happened to hear these words. What happened?

She held her breath and listened intently.

"Weren’t we just discussing in the row behind him how Ye Siyuan has an attractive figure, is a rare beauty, and how if one could just receive her enchanting kiss... Then he suddenly turned, gave us a cold look, called us into the restroom, and started thrashing us, right?"

"What? Just because we ran our mouths, he beat us that harshly? Could they be having an affair?"

"I don’t know if they’re having an affair, but we definitely provoked him with that. Otherwise, we’ve never even seen Crown Prince Lisao before. He wouldn’t just beat us up out of the blue, would he?"

"Who would have thought Crown Prince Lisao, known for his disdain for women, actually fancies Ye Siyuan, the Mermaid Princess."

"Stop talking about it! If I had known, even if I had a hundred times the nerve, I wouldn’t have dared discuss Ye Siyuan behind his back..."

Ye Siyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she stood stunned for a long moment.

Instantly, warmth enveloped her heart, replacing her sadness.

Could this be true? Ye Siyuan couldn’t believe it.

Ye Siyuan tried hard to remember... When she was singing on stage, two people had indeed followed Crown Prince Lisao out after he stood up.

So, Crown Prince Lisao didn’t leave because he didn’t want to listen to her sing, but because someone had slandered her, and he went to defend her honor?

Ye Siyuan felt dazed, fearing she was overthinking things and being delusional. She took a deep breath, then another. Calm down!

A moment ago, she had felt like a wilted eggplant after a frost, but now she was revitalized, as if infused with a love potion.

Ye Siyuan lifted her skirt and hurried back to the dressing room.

She changed out of her performance costume into a beautiful everyday outfit, stood before the mirror to assess herself, and reapplied her makeup and lipstick.

Then, she went to the VIP viewing area.

Mo Yinhe’s seat was separated from Crown Prince Lisao’s by seven or eight people.

Ye Siyuan sat down beside her brother, her gaze stealthily drifting towards Crown Prince Lisao.

Thinking about the conversation she had overheard by the restroom, a thrill rose in her heart. It was as sweet as if she had been fed ambrosia, warming her to her very soul.

Mo Yinhe tapped her shoulder. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing." Ye Siyuan was all smiles.

The slight curve of her lips betrayed her mood.

Ye Siyuan leaned her head against Mo Yinhe’s shoulder, her mood as bright and cheerful as a sunny day after rain.

"Brother, I’m really happy today."

Mo Yinhe raised an eyebrow but didn’t probe further. He merely shot a cold glance towards Crown Prince Lisao from across the room.

Crown Prince Lisao returned a cold look. Their eyes met, and a mutual aversion flickered between them before they both quickly looked away.

Two more acts finished, leaving only the final performance.

The host announced, "Next, please enjoy the dance ’Heavenly Auspices,’ presented by the Mu Continent delegation! ’Heavenly Auspices’ is the most mystical and sacred dance of the Mu Continent, embodying its rich, ancient culture passed down through the ages..."

Ye Siyuan immediately sat up straight. "It’s starting! Sister-in-law’s moment to shine."

Mo Yinhe replied, "When is your sister-in-law not having her moment to shine?"

"Wow! Jingjing’s coming out!" exclaimed Ye Nianbai. Sitting next to Ye Xinguang, he had been eagerly waiting, and now, finally, Jingjing was appearing on stage. It was super exciting!

The audience in the outer sections was even more thrilled, everyone craning their necks, trying to glimpse the face of the mysterious veiled dancer.

"HERE SHE COMES! IT’S STARTING! Who’s dancing? It’s too far, I can’t see clearly!"

"I heard the Mu Continent’s High Priest praised this dance to the skies, saying that even Bai Jiusi’s ’Dragon Dance’ pales in comparison!"

"Heh, is it necessary to build one up by tearing another down? Our Commandery Princess Bai’s ’Dragon Dance’ is the most dazzling!"

"I despise these schemers who try to climb by stepping on the shoulders of giants. Never mind whether she actually has the skill to outperform Bai Jiusi in dance; just using Bai Jiusi to hype herself up is disgusting!"

In reality, Bai Jiusi had criticized the High Priest, only to be rebuffed by him. This led to netizens hyping ’Heavenly Auspices’ to new heights. Yet now, in the eyes of the fans, it seemed as though this dancer was the one using Bai Jiusi’s fame to climb.

Regardless of who the dancer was, most people watched the performance with arrogance and prejudice.

Some even hoped the dancer on stage wouldn’t perform well, so Bai Jiusi could regain face, and they, in turn, could help her do so.

But... one minute, then two, then three passed.

My god! They were shocked to find the dance on stage was unbelievably spectacular.

Though they had watched with prejudiced eyes, they were unwittingly captivated!