Exchanging Information 2

"Nonsense, where do you get such a ridiculous idea, really?" He snorted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "What I mean is, you, Your Highness, should act as my eyes and ears in the palace. In the other word, be my spy."

Ouyang Xueqing was dumbfounded. "Spy?" She mumbled. "Spy on…who?"

The corner of his lips lifted into a mirthless smile. "Who do you think? The person who has the highest guard in the entire mainland. Furthermore, the only one who can make him strip all his defense was you. Ah, such a perfect job for you, don't you think so?"

An image of golden robe with majestic crown on his head smiling gently toward her with his stern face popped out on her mind.

Instantly, Ouyang Xueqing flared up. "I will never sell Imperial Father out! I will never betray him in my life! You can kill me and I will never do it for you!"

"Hey hey, calm down!" Ling Wenfu raised both his hands helplessly. This little beast had really sharp claws ah! "I never wanted you to betray him ah!"

Ouyang Xueqing's chest puffed up and down. She glared. "Then what?!"

"You just have to tell me what he's doing everyday, his schedule, who he has been meeting with, things like that. I don't really expect you to steal imperial secrets." He sneered in a mocking tone. "Don't you understand? We are just exchanging information. You told me about him, and I will find out all about Mo Yujian for you."

Ouyang Xueqing turned her face away grumpily. "Even if that's just exchanging some kind of information, I will never do it! Do you think I'm the kind of person that can put my legs on both camps[1]?"

Ling Xiaochen interjected: "You are not cheating on him."

Ling Wenfu and Ouyang Xueqing: "Shut up!"

Ling Xiaochen: "…" Okay, I would just eat my sweets obediently.

Ouyang Xueqing was pissed off. "You can ask me to spy on anyone, as long as he's not a person I'm close to!"

Ling Wenfu's temple twitched. Excuse me, who was the one that needed my help? Why did you order me around? Could someone please explain to me what was going on?

He sighed, his face tired as if he's aged ten years more. "Then our business transaction is over, as simple as that."

Ouyang Xueqing blinked rapidly. Her round black eye was filled with trepidation and anxiety. Why is it not going as she had planned? What should she do? She couldn't go home empty handed ah!

Ling Wenfu shook his head regretfully. "Such a pity. If your Imperial Father is a no-no, then I am planning to ask you to spy on An Zhengnan. Such a pity you said that you would never—"

"I will do it."

"Betray those—wait what?" Ling Wenfu was stunned. "What did you say?"

Ouyang Xueqing nodded and said cheerfully. "An Zhengnan right? I will spy him for you!"

Ling Wenfu: "…" What happened to never betray those closest to you even at the cost of your life?

Ling Xiaochen: "…" What happened to not being a person who put their legs in both camps?

The father and daughter pair was speechless but Ouyang Xueqing was estatic! So what? It was only An Zhengnan ah! He should be honored to be my sacrificial lamb this time around!

"Wait." She titled her head in confusion. "Why do you want to spy on An Zhengnan?"

Ling Wenfu lamented as he pointed at his daughter. "This girl had been spying on An Zhengnan like a dumbstruck fool every time he came."

"Daddy!" Ling Xiaochen widened her eyes. Her freckled face was dyed crimson as she cried in embarrassment. "When did I ever spy on him like a dumbstruck fool?!"

Ling Wenfu eyed her in disdain and exclaimed: "Do you dare to say that you're not deliberately hanging around him?"

Ling Xiaochen choked on her saliva and almost died of suffocation.

"Do you dare to say that you haven't been sulking everytime you saw him flirted with another women?"

"…"

"Do you dare to say that you are not in love with him for the last two years?"

Ling Xiaochen was so mortified that she wished that she could find a hole to hide in! It was so embarrassing ah! Her deepest secret had been exposed in front of the princess! She twisted the corner of her dress as the rims of her eyes reddened.

"Are you really my biological father?!"

Ling Wenfu blinked. "What a coincidence. I, too, have been asking the same question for a while!"

"I am certainly not your biological father!"

"You…!" Ling Wenfu clutched his chest as he could feel that his blood pressure was skyrocketing. He hollered in rage. "You damn brat! If I don't beat you up today, I will change my surname to yours!"

Ling Xiaochen barked back. "If I burn your beard today, you will have to call me grandfather!"

They both glared at each other as Ouyang Xueqing snapped back to her senses. She pressed on her aching temple as she asked the question that had been bothering her the most. "Wait, Ling Xiaochen, you…are in love with An Zhengnan?"

Ling Xiaochen blushed deeply as she declared fiercely: "So what? Am I not allowed to?"

"No, wait a moment, I think you are getting the wrong point here. You are in love with An Zhengnan?" Ouyang Xueqing stared at her with an incredulous expression. "THAT An Zhengnan?"

Ling Xiaochen rolled her eyes exasperatedly: "Is there another An Zhengnan in this mainland?"

Ouyang Xueqing gasped in disbelief. "The An Zhengnan that's always grinning evilly, flirting with ladies left and right, loves gambling and collecting dirty magazines? The An Zhengnan that's always ditch his work and play around? That An Zhengnan?"

"You!" Ling Xiaochen glared angrily. "How can you insult him like that!"

"Seriously?" Ouyang Xueqing acted as if she was looking at something unbelievable. "Why An Zhengnan? Why not Ren Yupei? Brother Ren is gentle, kind, strong and smart."

"Humph!" Ling Xiaochen turned her head away and snorted in disdain. "What Ren Yupei? That was one old cunning fox with a fake smile all day long, he could sell you and you would still have to help him count the money!"

Then her expression changed abruptly as she had that love struck fool look in her eyes. She batted her eyelashes demurely, her crude behavior just now vanished without a trace.

"Compare to him, An Zhengnan was soo cute and innocent! Even though he looks like a hooligan, but deep down inside he was so gentle and kind, warm and passionate. He was like an open book. All his thoughts were written on his forehead!"

Ouyang Xueqing felt the ground swaying under her feet.

Cute and innocent? Gentle and kind? An Zhengnan?

Did she accidentally stumbled into a parallel universe?

[1] expression of those that cheated on their partner