Yan Jiaojiao smiled without speaking, her gaze fixed on Yan Ruoxue.
Yan Ruoxue, feeling uneasy under the scrutiny, sat in silence for a moment before speaking again, "Alright, let's assume what Jiaojiao says is true. Since Second Madam isn't here either, I'll apologize on her behalf for yesterday's events as well. I believe Second Madam didn't truly mean any harm."
Yan Ruoxue's perfunctory apology revealed how humble Yan Jiaojiao's past life must have been.
In the past, she was nothing more than a tool for Chen Wenyu and her daughter, ordered around and treated carelessly.
"I can overlook it," the current Yan Jiaojiao, no longer a pushover, said slowly.
Yan Ruoxue was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Yan Jiaojiao continued, "However, there must be some compensation, right? I can teach myself to play the zither; you don't need to trouble yourself with it."
Yan Ruoxue visibly stiffened, surprised that Yan Jiaojiao would refuse, and even more so that she would haggle, "What do you want?"
"I heard Second Madam withdrew my invitation to Gōnnan Academy. However, I am quite interested in attending. An apology must have some sincerity. You can handle this small matter, can't you?"
Yan Ruoxue's smile became even more rigid. "This, I've heard some whispers... Second Madam also mentioned..."
Yan Jiaojiao's gaze swept over her, and Yan Ruoxue's words caught in her throat.
At this point, Yan Ruoxue was the one in need of Yan Jiaojiao's favor. The matter of Yan Jiaojiao replacing Yan Ruoliu for enrollment was no longer a pipe dream.
Yan Ruoxue nodded decisively, "Alright, I will have the steward handle this matter."
Yan Jiaojiao continued to smile.
Yan Ruoxue then signaled with her eyes, and Cui Lian immediately summoned the steward. In front of Yan Jiaojiao, she instructed him, "Prepare a new invitation to Gōnnan Academy for Jiaojiao."
The steward appeared troubled. Gōnnan Academy was a prestigious institution; how could an invitation be withdrawn and then reissued so casually? It was like a joke.
"If I recall correctly, the deadline for submitting invitations to Gōnnan Academy is today," Yan Jiaojiao said with a smile. "It's best to hurry. Only when I see it done will I feel at peace and accept your reconciliation."
Yan Ruoxue frowned and looked at the steward, "Please put in some extra effort."
The steward had no choice but to write out a new invitation in front of Yan Jiaojiao.
Yan Jiaojiao then asked, "Do I need to ask a cultivator to activate the direct delivery channel?"
Typically, invitations were sent by mail to Gōnnan Academy. However, as a major institution, Gōnnan Academy also had a dedicated teleportation magic channel. Once sent, the invitation would directly reach the academy's reception point. This required a significant amount of spiritual energy to activate the array, so ordinary people wouldn't use this channel for sending invitations.
Now, Yan Jiaojiao was determined not to give Yan Ruoxue any room to maneuver and naturally wanted to see the steward send the invitation with her own eyes.
Knowing that Yan Jiaojiao was resolute, Yan Ruoxue held her breath, her chest heaving violently before she slowly said, "Steward, please trouble yourself again."
The steward cast a sympathetic glance at Yan Ruoxue. In his opinion, Yan Jiaojiao was clearly being unreasonable, forcing the kind Miss Xue'er to do such difficult things for her, and making him suffer along the way.
Yan Jiaojiao saw the steward's thoughts but didn't care what he thought. In fact, she didn't care how anyone in the Yan family perceived her.
However, he was merely a subordinate. He had no choice but to follow Yan Ruoxue's instructions and grudgingly expend a large amount of spiritual energy to send the invitation to Gōnnan Academy via a small teleportation array.
As he slowly retracted the array, the steward bowed, "Misses, please allow me to withdraw. I must also prepare some more gifts to apologize to the head official responsible for receiving invitations at Gōnnan Academy this time."
"The steward is indeed thorough in his work," Yan Jiaojiao praised with a half-smile, having gotten what she wanted.
The steward seemed not to hear her, remaining bent over.
Yan Ruoxue appeared a bit tired and waved her hand. Only then did the steward withdraw.
Yan Jiaojiao also rose, patting her skirt. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
"Wait," Yan Ruoxue immediately called out, a hint of hesitation on her face. "I have one more thing."
Here it comes.
Yan Jiaojiao stopped. She knew Yan Ruoxue's true intentions weren't as simple as they seemed. After all the coaxing and appeasement, and such a lengthy performance, it was definitely not just about her letting go of the matters concerning Chen Wenyu and Yan Ruoliu.
"It's nothing else, just that yesterday Jiaojiao you said you didn't want to marry Young Master Sheng..."
Yan Ruoxue indeed did not disappoint Yan Jiaojiao's speculation. She put on a righteous expression, said half a sentence, then paused, as if making a difficult decision, and continued, "I have also thought about this matter deeply last night. You are only fourteen now, and it is indeed difficult for you to get married. If you can get along harmoniously with Second Madam and Liu'er in the future, I, as your elder sister, am willing to marry in your stead."
This statement was truly touching. Yan Jiaojiao almost burst out laughing at Yan Ruoxue's self-sacrificing demeanor.
Anyone who didn't know would think the Sheng family was an extremely wicked household, and Yan Ruoxue was saving her from dire straits!
Little did they know, Yan Ruoxue herself was eager to marry Sheng Mobai and become the honored Madam Sheng of the Sheng family.
Yan Ruoxue, still lost in her own performance, even got up and walked over to Yan Jiaojiao, taking her hand and patting it. "Jiaojiao, I am doing this for your own good."
"I know," Yan Jiaojiao suppressed her laughter with great effort and nodded cooperatively. "Order of seniority, and a woman's youth is fleeting. It is indeed right for the elder to marry first."
The gentle smile on Yan Ruoxue's lips froze.
Yan Jiaojiao then pointed at herself and Yan Ruoxue. "However, our identities are well-known. You are Yan Ruoxue, and I am Yan Jiaojiao. Even if we can deceive Young Master Sheng for a while, we cannot deceive him forever, can we?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Yan Ruoxue replied with a confident smile. "This engagement is merely a childhood promise. He has no feelings for either you or me. Moreover, I believe the Sheng family only wants a daughter of the Yan family. As long as Young Master Sheng ultimately chooses me, what does it matter who marries him?"
No wonder Yan Ruoxue had rushed to find Sheng Mobai so urgently last night. It turned out she had planned to capture the leader first, to win over Sheng Mobai and make changing the bride a much easier task.
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but sigh inwardly. At first, she thought Yan Ruoxue was simply infatuated, but she didn't expect her to have already made her plans and taken action.
These girls in their teens were truly something, with more schemes than a sieve.
"Jiaojiao, I have already agreed to your terms. Will you also promise me to get along harmoniously with Liu'er?" Yan Ruoxue asked, her eyes nervously fixed on Yan Jiaojiao as she remained silent for a long moment.
This was not concern for sisterly affection, but rather fear that the plan to marry in her stead would be jeopardized.
Yan Jiaojiao smiled and her gaze fell on the spiritual jade on Yan Ruoxue's waist. "You are so devoted to me, I will naturally not hold a grudge against Yan Ruoliu anymore. However..."