His pride, his face, where would that leave him?
Ling Mohan lowered his head, silent, his mind still stubbornly grappling with the riddle. He was determined to figure out what was going on today.
Was he too stupid, or was Feng Jin's riddle inherently flawed?
"Stop studying it. Once we're back at the mansion, I'll personally show you how to solve it," Feng Jin said helplessly. The main reason was that eating alone was too monotonous. Without anyone to share a meal with, the rice in her bowl instantly lost its flavor and tasted bland.
"Really!" Ling Mohan was overjoyed.
"Really. Let's eat!" Feng Jin solemnly promised.
"What a coincidence, meeting you here of all places." Gu Beichen had a feeling the figure at the doorway resembled Ling Mohan. He hadn't expected it to actually be him, and more surprisingly, that the ugly woman Feng Jin was still here.
Having already witnessed Feng Jin's capabilities, and knowing that Ling Mohan was the type to forget loyalty for beauty, with his heart set on Feng Jin, Gu Beichen dared not provoke Feng Jin lightly this time. He obediently stood beside Ling Mohan.
"Right, I got a riddle today and can't figure out the answer for the life of me. Could you help me take a look?"
Gu Beichen was stumped by the riddle. He couldn't fathom the answer and, after much thought, concluded that only Ling Mohan could solve it.
Why was it riddles again? Was he destined to deal with riddles today? Ling Mohan shook his head and sighed, lamenting his bitter fate. "You say it first, what is the riddle?"
As long as it wasn't Feng Jin's riddle, he was confident he could solve it.
However, the riddle Gu Beichen uttered next instantly petrified Ling Mohan. This was exactly the riddle Feng Jin had posed! Where had he seen it?
"Where did you get this riddle from?"
Gu Beichen answered honestly, "Zhang Family Restaurant is holding a guessing game, and I saw this riddle there. They said a master left it behind."
"A master." Gu Beichen had fallen for the innkeeper's skill at deception, and he looked utterly convinced.
"Don't just stand there saying nothing. Tell me, can you solve it or not?"
Seeing Ling Mohan's prolonged silence, Gu Beichen asked anxiously.
"I indeed cannot solve it, but I know the answer."
Gu Beichen was confused by his words. What did he mean he couldn't solve it but knew the answer?
"Just say it directly, don't beat around the bush," Gu Beichen urged, unable to decipher the cryptic remark.
"The answer is seven-eighths of wine. Feng Jin told me this answer. Just like you, I don't know how to solve the riddle."
Ling Mohan's words stunned Gu Beichen for a long time. He looked at Feng Jin in shock, unable to believe that Feng Jin could solve such a riddle.
"Are you just guessing randomly? Did you get lucky and hit the mark?"
Gu Beichen refused to accept the reality, desperately searching for excuses for someone else's excellence.
Feng Jin paid no mind to Gu Beichen's words. She was already accustomed to others' jealous remarks. In her eyes, those filled with envy were merely clowns, not worth her attention.
Engaging with them would only be a waste of time and an unnecessary source of vexation.
"I devised this question, so naturally, I know the answer. For you, it's a riddle that requires racking your brains to solve, but for me, it's a puzzle I solved in childhood. That's the difference between us."
Feng Jin's words, though seemingly spoken delicately, were laced with mockery upon closer listening.
"You... how dare you disrespect this prince! Do you believe I..."
"Young Master Gu, do not forget the saying 'trouble comes from the mouth'," Ling Mohan said, his face darkening as he stepped in front of Feng Jin, exuding a chilling aura.
Gu Beichen shivered involuntarily. He understood Ling Mohan's nature too well; he was truly serious this time. "You truly value your woman over your friend."
It was his misfortune to have befriended such a person. This was the greatest regret of his life.
"You're timid and fearful, unable to even utter a boastful word, truly despicable. Young Master Gu, you'd best hurry home and seek your father's protection. Be careful not to get beaten and have nowhere to cry."
Feng Jin's sharp tongue was unparalleled. In a few sentences, she had reduced Gu Beichen to nothing.
"You... you..." Gu Beichen trembled with anger, pointing a shaky finger at Feng Jin, his words stammering and incomplete.
"Don't let yourself become a stutterer, or you'll never even find a wife. If this gets out, the Gu family's reputation will be tarnished beyond repair."
Feng Jin, utterly unfazed, deliberately added fuel to the fire, further provoking Gu Beichen.
Ling Mohan, witnessing all this, struggled to suppress a smile.
"You're just standing there watching me get bullied by her."
Gu Beichen, no match for Feng Jin, shifted his target to the amused Ling Mohan.
"She's your wife, don't you have any control over her? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed if word gets out that you can't even manage your wife?"
Ling Mohan, completely unconcerned, shamelessly replied, "You're only just realizing I'm henpecked."
Like a thunderbolt striking Gu Beichen, his worldview was shattered. He could never have imagined such words coming from Ling Mohan's mouth.
In just a few short days, Ling Mohan had been molded into this state.
"You can even say such things. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?" Gu Beichen said with a helpless expression. The legendary God of War of Southern Chu had now become a henpecked husband.
If this got out, Ling Mohan's reputation would be utterly ruined.
Yet, the person concerned saw nothing wrong with it. Ling Mohan said calmly, "What I said is the truth. What's so funny about that?"
Feng Jin chimed in from the side, "What would you know, you single dog? This is what we call marital affection. I doubt you'd ever understand."
Gu Beichen nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Could such words really come from a woman's mouth?
He had never encountered someone so shameless. Did Feng Jin have no sense of propriety? Even more outrageous was that Ling Mohan looked at Feng Jin with a smiling expression, not finding anything improper about her words at all.
Having been severely force-fed a display of affection, Gu Beichen turned his head away, muttering about not being able to watch and indecent behavior.
"Considering your youth and ignorance, I won't argue with a single dog like you. Consider it free tuition."
Feng Jin wished she could infuriate Gu Beichen to death. Her words were like daggers to his heart.
Gu Beichen took two deep breaths, calming himself. "A true man doesn't argue with a woman. I... I won't argue with you."
Arguing with a woman would, if it got out, lead to a loss of face, a significant loss of face.