Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Kiana stared at the handsome boy, speechless, hardly believing her ears.

What's going on? How could that perpetually aloof and arrogant landlady say something like that? "Can I be with Pandora?" And she's using the third person to refer to herself?

Kiana couldn't imagine how far Shen Liang would have to go to disguise himself as the perfect young boy that every girl dreamed of.

You've never acted this cute towards me before!

Amidst countless envious, jealous, or bewildered gazes, countless noisy voices, and scattered figures, Anna stared blankly up at the black-haired boy through her fine hair. His fair ears had turned a beautiful pink because he was so ashamed of what he was saying.

But he was meticulous in his movements, and his outstretched hand still made a gesture of inviting her to come down to the stage, showing no sign of awkwardness.

It's not just not cramped; it's downright imposing!

He was clearly just a boy who only reached her chin, but at this moment, in Anna's eyes, he was as dazzling as the Morning Star described in the New Testament. A lighting technician, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, shone his light on him and Anna, bringing the world into focus. It was as if lightning had pierced through the clouds, sweeping away all the noise and chaos, leaving only him in Anna's vision.

She sniffled, trying to hide her tears by laughing.

"Ok."

A perfect handshake, and the music began anew. A relieved Kiana casually grabbed a tall girl away from the center of the dance floor, and the guests spun around the two new protagonists, the girls' flowing skirts billowing like blooming flowers.

But some people still noticed the man standing in the shadows. Night Owl seemed to hear the suppressed laughter around him, one soft laugh after another, no one knew who it was.

The owl looked around but couldn't see anyone watching him. He didn't know what expression to make, so he simply remained expressionless.

—This is the second time already. Both invitations have been interrupted without reason, warning, or any way to stop them. It's supposed to be a ball for two newlyweds, but Anna has been repeatedly deprived of her invitations. He stood there, motionless, without a single ray of light shining on him, only the ever-present chuckles, or rather, mockery.

--clown.

If Night Owl had listened carefully, he would have realized that no one was laughing. To outsiders, it was just an ordinary dance party, and no one really cared how many times Night Owl had been rejected. No one should think too highly of themselves in other people's eyes. Besides, everyone has basic manners and wouldn't laugh maliciously at others; that would be too low-class.

However, people with an unbalanced mindset will also have unbalanced thinking.

Raven, who was dancing the female steps with Kiana, looked at Night Owl, who was leaving the stage expressionlessly, with some worry. She had a feeling that things were about to get out of control.

As the music faded, the dance partners bowed to each other.

Then more applause erupted. The Valkyries of the various families in the chanting hall put down their wine glasses, the political elites of Bavaria stood up, and the representatives of Shenzhou raised their glasses to Shen Liang and Anna.

"Here's my room key card." Anna gracefully bowed while slipping a card into Shen Liang's hand, then added without further ado, "Listen to me today, you promised, don't ask any questions, be good."

Shen Liang put away the access card, feeling puzzled but unsure who to ask.

Anna clearly had no intention of explaining and walked away with a smile. Shen Liang shrugged. Theoretically speaking, after lunch and the dance, it should be the priest who announces the engagement.

As Anna's cousin, he was also there to witness the event.

However, it's hard to say whether this process can continue.

After all, Anna and Kiana wouldn't allow that to happen.

"You've already pushed them to this point, tsk... They're quite innocent, coming all this way only to be subjected to your public displays of affection." Shen Liang poured himself a glass of champagne and downed it in one gulp.

"Thinking about it carefully, it feels like we're the villains in a typical storyline..."

But Shen Liang thought about Anna's cool smile and her gentle, beautiful appearance, and remembered how she pitifully begged him to hold her hands, so he drank another cup.

"Forget it, being a villain is pretty fun."

Chapter 225 Can't You Learn to Say No?

It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and the solemn Wedding March had been playing for several minutes. The loudspeaker system repeatedly played the chorus of the Shaniat Choir, which was dedicated to the wedding. The singing echoed throughout the Alps Hotel and could even be heard by the eagles circling above the snow-capped peaks at the foot of the mountain.

Inside the hotel, in the solemn recitation hall, guests clinked glasses and laughed continuously.

"I think Princess Anna of the Shaniat family seems to have some problems." (The voices were talking.)

"Anyone can see it, but if you want to marry a Valkyrie, you have to face this problem. Schicksal's data shows that nearly 40% of Valkyries are willing to marry a woman, and unfortunately, Princess Anna seems to have this inclination as well."

“The Shaniat family does not allow marriage outside the family, but only allows marriage into the family. In fact, even though Princess Anna followed Chen Tianwu to the World Serpent for the wedding after the engagement, she still had to return to the Shaniat family frequently after the marriage.”

"Men are not allowed to enter Neuschwanstein Castle. Princess Anna and Princess Kiana will be undisturbed in the castle. Heh... Is this marriage with Night Owl or with the Second Miss?"

"That's how big families are—undisguisedly unfair. Chen Tianwu could certainly refuse, but wasn't he just trying to get in touch with the Shaniat family?"

"Too."

“Young people these days can endure anything for power and status, even such humiliation. But it’s enough, after all, it’s just to make connections—at least Princess Anna is a top beauty.”

Ah.

For power and status?

Endure everything?

How laughable! How could these elders from cold, calculating families and powerful groups possibly understand the fiery, ruthless will of the younger generation? His belief—that he crawled out of hell, willing to sacrifice even his humanity to survive, to see Anna—was so strong.

How could it be for something so dishonorable?

Night Owl couldn't be bothered to listen anymore. He leaned against a blue-and-white porcelain vase at the corner of the corridor, gazing at the seventeen-year-old beauty in an evening gown appropriate for her age, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

Kiana looked at him with considerable surprise.

She had initially thought that Night Owl wouldn't be able to handle the fact that his beloved already had someone else, but the expected breakdown didn't occur. Even though she had gone to great lengths to provoke him, she could see the barely contained rage in Night Owl's eyes.

But he was still able to endure it.

However, all the demonstrations that were supposed to happen have already happened, and all the things that were supposed to be shown to him have already been shown to him.

Unless he has intellectual disabilities, he should have given up.

Knowing when to back down would be better for both sides. Kiana didn't want Night Owl to lose face in front of too many people, nor did she want their friendship to develop into a bitter rivalry.

Smart people know what to do; they've given you a way out.

Kiana, in her high heels, walked past Night Owl with an air of arrogance reminiscent of Sirin. As they brushed past each other, she whispered, "That's good. I advise you to give up."

The two then avoided each other.

The owl remained expressionless, but its gloves and mechanical fingers curled up, making a clear "click-click" sound.

----------

"I'm not drunk! Waaah... I'm not drunk! Pandora—"

In the third-floor corridor of the Alps Hotel, guests who were resting cast strange glances at the guests, and then couldn't help but smile.

Shen Liang felt somewhat helpless; he finally understood why Anna had given him the access card beforehand.

Is this guy... so intolerant of alcohol that he gets drunk after just two drinks?

"Sister Anna, don't pull my shoulder. You're so heavy, can you please stop moving around and let me take you back to your room?"

“Pandora—” the girl’s voice trailed off, almost like a coquettish plea, “I’m not heavy at all, I’m only… less than ninety pounds, I’m about the same weight as your Kiana sister…”

At this moment, Anna was completely drunk and unconscious. Her once fair and cool face was flushed with intoxication, and her beautiful pink eyes were both glazed and unfocused. She was still clutching Shen Liang's collar with one hand, completely lacking the elegant and demure demeanor of her former icy princess.

During the toasting and blessing session after the ball, she passed out drunk after only meeting two groups of guests, leaving Night Owl to handle the engagement ceremony alone. Helping her back to her room became the responsibility of her younger cousin, who held her room key.

"Senior sister weighs 96 jin, Anna sister, you weigh about 92 jin."

Shen Liang said irritably, "I didn't mean to say you're fat. I'm a head shorter than you and I still weigh 100 pounds."

"Boys are all muscle...of course they're heavy...We girls have a higher percentage of body fat, it's different..."

How can you be so drunk and still be able to refute me so methodically?

Shen Liang gave the surrounding guests an apologetic look, because at this moment, he and Anna were indeed very likely to cause misunderstandings. Anna was currently disheveled and drunk, and he was dragging and carrying her towards the room. To put it bluntly, it looked like a script for picking up a drunk woman in a bar.

Shen Liang was quite worried about being misunderstood. Although this was a hotel booked by the Shaniat family, and Anna was a newlywed engaged, no one would dare to do such a heinous thing.

However, there were too many reporters at this engagement ceremony. And reporters, you know, are capable of taking a few photos, exaggerating, and doing whatever they want. Especially the reporters from the "supernatural" category—most of them are entertainment reporters, and since they don't have to be accountable to the public, there are a lot of them who are just looking for amusement.

It was 1:30 PM, and most of the guests were still in the recitation hall. The wedding ceremony was scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM, and Shen Liang knew he had to let Anna get some rest. He walked to Anna's bedroom door, took out his key card, and prepared to open the door.

But then I heard a rather angry accusation in my ear.

"What do I lack compared to the Second Miss?!" Anna sobbed. "I'm just as good-looking as her, and I'm not fatter than her. We're even the same bra size... Do you really like white hair that much?"

With a sob in her voice, she pounded hard on Shen Liang's shoulder.

Shen Liang was stunned.

His first reaction wasn't to care about what Anna was saying, but to immediately turn and look at the guests lingering in the corridor. Sure enough, the older women stopped and stared at them from head to toe as if they were monsters.

After carefully observing and confirming Anna and Shen Liang's identities, they first showed a look of surprise and uncertainty, and then a knowing smile appeared on their faces.

"Don't worry, little Pandora, we won't go around telling everyone," someone said sweetly.

"You reporter over there, are you crazy! Making baseless accusations is one thing, the Shaniat family can tolerate that, but this time you've actually captured some real evidence and you still dare to publish it? Aren't you afraid Maria will storm into your editorial office?" Someone else immediately went to stop the dumbfounded reporter.

Meanwhile, someone else nodded knowingly, "Understood. Have fun, little Pandora, but Princess Anna still has an engagement ceremony to attend, so don't go too far."

"Oh dear, I thought Princess Kiana was already... Oh dear, your kind of big family is really... a waste of resources."

The guests smiled, and many of the female warriors even licked their lips, their knowing smiles revealing a knowing look. Several elegant women in their late twenties even took out business cards and stuffed them into Shen Liang's pockets, then gave him a flirtatious look before leaving.

"The sisters will be staying at the hotel for several days this time. If Little Pandora is interested, you can keep in touch."

Oh no, I've been completely misunderstood.

That drunk woman is so clueless!

Shen Liang lowered his head and was surprised to see a hint of a smile in Anna's beautiful, slightly drunken eyes.

Wow!