Chapter 400

Chapter 400: How about we elope?

Ming looked at the young girl in front of him and felt something was off.

Even though the Eastern Sea adored its only princess immensely,

it shouldn’t be this overly protective, right?

Ao Yiner wasn’t some frail girl who couldn’t stand the wind; there was no way she wouldn’t even be allowed to step onto an island.

There had to be a reason for this.

“Could it be that this girl holds some special significance for the Eastern Sea? And she herself isn’t even aware of it?”

Ming thought this was the only plausible explanation.

Otherwise, he couldn’t understand why this little girl wasn’t allowed to go to the mainland, and why the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea got so angry over this matter.

This just didn’t make sense.

“Ming, how about we elope?”

Just as Ming was feeling sorry for this girl and pondering the reasons behind all this, Ao Yiner suddenly spoke up.

“Cough… cough…” Ming had just taken a sip of tea when he choked on it.

Ming looked at her incredulously. “What did you say, Miss Ao?”

“I said, let’s elope together.” Ao Yiner’s eyes curved like crescents, as if she were talking about something perfectly normal.

Ming rubbed his eyes. “Miss Ao, may I ask if you know what eloping means?”

How could she just bring this up out of nowhere? We haven’t even talked much, and do we even know each other that well? This isn’t even about familiarity!

Ao Yiner nodded. “Of course I know! I’m not stupid. I’ve read about it in books. Elope means two people who like each other run away together, far, far away where no one can catch us.”

Ming stared at Ao Yiner speechlessly, thinking to himself, you do know that…

“If you know that, why do you still want to elope with me?” Ming asked curiously.

“Why not?” Ao Yiner pouted, acting as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. “You like me, and while I don’t particularly like you, I do have some feelings for you. Why can’t we elope? Don’t worry, I know money is needed for elopement, but I’m rich. Even if I weren’t, it’s fine; we’re both so capable, we could just rob someone if we had to!”

Ming: “???”

Ming felt his head spinning.

Ah, wait…

When did I ever like you?

We’ve only met twice, and this second meeting was initiated by you.

I don’t think I’ve done anything to give you the wrong impression, have I?

“Miss Ao, are you mistaken about something?” Ming gently rubbed his eyes and said tactfully.

“Mistaken about what? No, I’m not.” Ao Yiner tilted her head. “Don’t you like me?”

Ming: “…”

“Why do you think I like you?” Ming asked. He was genuinely curious now.

What exactly did I do to make you think I like you? Ao Yiner explained confidently, “When you were fishing before, there were so many spots available, but you didn’t sit next to my cousin or Zhu Cici. You sat next to me instead. If that’s not liking me, then what is it?”

So it’s because of that, huh?

Isn’t it possible that I sat next to you because your cousin Ao Jin had people sitting on both sides, and I couldn’t fit in anywhere else, so I ended up sitting next to you? Ming sighed and patiently explained, “Miss Ao, I think you might have misunderstood something. The reason I sat next to you was simply because it was a good spot for fishing. I didn’t mean anything else by it. If I did anything to give you the wrong impression, please forgive me.”

“You…” Ao Yiner’s cheeks turned red instantly. “You really don’t like me?”

Ming thought carefully about how to respond without hurting this innocent girl’s feelings. “Miss Ao, you are very beautiful, but in my heart, I already have someone I like. My previous actions were indeed impolite, sitting next to you without your consent. Please forgive me for that.”

“This…this…”

Ao Yiner was utterly flustered, lowering her head tightly, her blush spreading all the way to her ears. She clenched the hem of her skirt nervously.

This huge misunderstanding left Ao Yiner unsure of what to do. She was embarrassed beyond measure.

She had thought Ming liked her, but it turned out everything was just her own misinterpretation.

He only sat next to her because it was a good spot for fishing. Do you really love fishing that much? Is it that interesting?

At this moment, Ao Yiner wished she could find a hole to crawl into. This was too embarrassing.

“But even if we don’t elope, if Miss Ao wishes, I can take you to the mainland.”

Ming, seeing how embarrassed the girl was, smiled and said.

“Really?” Ao Yiner immediately looked up, her eyes twinkling as she gazed at Ming.

Her eyes sparkled with hope.

“Of course it’s real.” Ming nodded. “However, the timing isn’t right now. I have some things to attend to currently, and I’m quite busy. Plus, there’s something I don’t have with me. When I visit the Eastern Sea someday, I’ll take Miss Ao to the mainland.”

Ming was the master of Baiwa Scroll, a miniature real world similar to the mainland. In a sense, visiting it would be akin to going to the mainland.

“When will you come to the Eastern Sea?” Ao Yiner’s eyes shone with anticipation.

“Hmm…” Ming thought for a moment. “Within three years. I should visit the Eastern Sea within three years.”

“You mustn’t deceive me! Let’s pinky swear!”

Ao Yiner extended her delicate fingers.

“If you deceive me, I’ll bite you!”

…

…

[Today’s daily quota is ten thousand words, though it’s not fully edited yet. Don’t worry, once I finish editing the rest, I’ll definitely post the ten thousand words before 12 PM.

For now, I’ll keep posting daily quotas for a while. If there’s a day I don’t meet the quota, it might be because I’m slacking off. If I stop doing daily quotas for a long time, it’s likely because I’ve gone job hunting.

Let’s see if I can scrape by. If not, I’ll return to my hometown to farm.

I still owe my relatives 130,000 yuan. I need to pay them back within the next two to three years, otherwise, I won’t be able to face them during the New Year back home.]