Zong Yanxi was jolted out of her trance by his voice, and it only further convinced him that the man yelling at her had been her ex-husband.
Why is she still so troubled over him?
Zong Yanxi cleared her mind and grinned. “Apologies. What were you saying?”
“Nothing,” Tawan answered.
“Oh,” Zong Yanxi said, thinking back to how desperate Jiang Youqian had looked.
She had lost all hope in Jiang Mohan, and she wanted to cut him out of her life completely. Jiang Youqian’s appearance made her worry for her parents’ safety.
She pinched her brows together and took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Jiang Youqian’s appearance ruined the atmosphere in the car completely, and they spent the rest of the trip in silence.
Even the beautiful scenery outside the windows did nothing to alleviate the tension in the air.
After a while, the car pulled into the courtyard of a lavish palace.
Buddhist elements were imbued in every aspect of the architecture, and its grandness resembled Tawan’s mansion greatly. It was obvious that the palace had stood strong against the test of time.
After the car slowed to a halt, the chauffeur alighted first and opened the door on Tawan’s side.
Tawan alighted and walked over to Zong Yanxi’s side to help her out of the car.
She looked up at Tawan when she emerged from the car. “Where is this place?”
“The Grand Palace.”
The Grand Palace was the official residence of Thailand’s royal family.
The King was hosting a birthday party for his daughter that day, but everyone knew that his true intention was to search for a suitable son-in-law.
One third of the young men invited to the party that day had caught the King’s attention in one way or another, and Tawan was one of them.
The other person was Pongsom Tubthong, who held a high-ranking position in the military, just like Tawan.
In Thailand, the King was regarded as the president of the country, the head of the military, as well as the religious leader. The King had the authority to enact laws through the parliament, conduct administrative duties through the cabinet and maintain order through the court.
In fact, the members of parliament were directly appointed by the King, and the King’s signature is required for a newly-elected Prime Minister to assume office. The Prime Minister was required to get down on his knees should he meet the King or any member of the royal family.
From a practical point of view, being the head of the military would bestow one with the highest control over the country. Although the King held the highest position in the military according to the Constitution, the higher-ups in the military held on to the most power.
The current King was well-respected by the military, though Thailand’s history was not free from military coups and attempts to overthrow the monarchy.
In order to keep the military under his control, the King treated the military like his family members, which had worked well so far.
“Tawan!” Amp exclaimed as she rushed over, looking dazzling in her fiery red gown and makeup. Her smile froze the moment she saw Zong Yanxi emerging from the car. “Why did you take her along?” she questioned.
Tawan simply ignored her and extended one hand to Zong Yanxi, who accepted it gratefully.
They exchanged glances before Tawan helped Zong Yanxi out from the car.
Amp’s eyes were going to fall out from staring at them in disbelief. “Tawan! I’ll kill myself if you don’t stop doing that!”
“Whatever. Suit yourself,” Tawan huffed.
“You…you jerk!” Amp screamed, stomping her foot angrily.
“Amp!” a voice called from behind. Pongsom walked over and grabbed his sister’s arm before she could do anything rash. “What the hell are you doing?”
As he spoke, he studied Zong Yanxi from head to toe. He understood why his sister would be so jealous of her, since her crush on Tawan was an open secret among their family members. Unfortunately for Amp, Tawan had no feelings for her whatsoever.
Tawan was a gentleman, but also a stubborn one. No one would ever be able to force him into doing things he did not enjoy.
As a result, Amp’s family tried to get her to give up on Tawan and find herself another man to marry, but she adamantly refused to do so.
“Who would this fine lady be?” Pongsom asked Tawan with a smile.
“Meet Ms. Zong Yanxi, a good friend of mine,” Tawan answered. “This is Pongsom Tubthong and his younger sister Amp Tubthong from the noble Tubthong family.”
Amp and Pongsom’s father was a marquis just like Tawan. While Tawan’s father had already passed away, Pongsom’s father was still alive and well, and therefore Pongsom had yet to inherit his father’s title as marquis.
Even so, he held a high position in the military, and the King held him in high regard.
However, Tawan was simply miles ahead of him. Not only did he hold a high position in the military, but he also had a marvelous reputation and the title of marquis, despite his solitude.
After all, his ancestors have long been revered by the people of Thailand.
Zong Yanxi nodded and grinned in silence.
She had yet to master the Thai language, and Tawan had introduced Pongsom and Amp to her in Mandarin.
She decided to speak as little as possible to prevent herself from getting misunderstood.
Amp had yet to find out about the meaning of the accessories Zong Yanxi had been wearing, but Pongsom knew about it. He sighed inwardly and asked, “She seems to be much more than just a friend…”
Tawan simply smiled, and Pongsom took it as a confirmation of their relationship status.
Zong Yanxi had no idea what they were bantering about, so she stood by in silence.
“It’s going to start soon. Shall we go in?” Tawan asked, gesturing to the door.
Amp glared at Zong Yanxi, and Pongsom tugged at her arm urgently. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he warned.
“But…”
“Now’s not the time!” Pongsom chided.
Amp feared her brother’s wrath, and she had no choice but to shut up and follow her brother into the palace.
“Let’s go,” Tawan whispered.
“Alright,” Zong Yanxi said.
She held on to Tawan’s arm as they passed through two layers of security and entered the palace grounds.
“Just hold on to me, and you’ll be fine,” Tawan told her.
He was actually pretty reluctant to bring Zong Yanxi over, since she might get overwhelmed. However, the alternative was to be forced to marry the princess, which was the last thing he wanted.
He had no choice but to bring Zong Yanxi in the end.
However, Zong Yanxi did not seem to realize his true intentions. He might just be in need of a female companion! she had thought.
All the guests that day were the youths from the noble families, and the older ones chose not to come to give the spotlight to the potential suitors.
Every guest, be it man or woman, dressed extravagantly for the occasion. Most of the female guests wore shiny silk dresses lined with lace, which made them look more cute than sexy.
Zong Yanxi was the only woman of East Asian descent amongst all the guests, and she carried herself with the air of a noblewoman. As she walked, her long, pale legs played a game of hide-and-seek with everyone’s eyes beneath her black gown, making her even more attractive than she already was.
The fact that she stood next to Tawan for the whole event made her the center of attention wherever she went.
