Chapter 37 The more I recall that scene…

Chapter 37 The more I recall that scene…

The more Xiao Yanhui recalled those moments and carefully considered Su Mingyue's words and actions, the more certain she became of her guess: Su Mingyue was deliberately trying to sow discord between Wang Heng and Liang Zhao.

I had only caught a glimpse of this person from afar, across the flower wall by the lake, and I was marveling at how pleasing their appearance was, how refined and elegant they seemed, almost as if they were on a completely different level. But now I have to admit that appearances can be deceiving.

However, upon hearing that this person came from a prominent family in the capital, it's not hard to understand why he seemed to have a deep and calculating mind.

Thinking back to how she almost fell into this person's trap, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel grateful that she had such a quick-thinking mind. She had cleverly found another way to escape, otherwise, who knows what would have happened to her now.

"Xiao Yan Hui, Xiao Yan Hui, how dare you daydream!" Xiao Que Xian was so angry that she was about to push the person in front of her when she saw that he was still lost in thought when she questioned him.

But her outstretched hand was blocked by the maidservant beside Xiao Yan, which made her even angrier.

She was furious, and Xiao Yan was still feeling annoyed.

"What, Second Sister, are you here to thank me or to apologize? You sold me out quite easily just now. If it weren't for the fact that we're both from the Xiao family, and that I would lose face if something happened to you, I wouldn't have helped you out today. No need for thanks, I'll be going back now if there's nothing else."

Having already made a sarcastic remark, and seeing Xiao Quexian's clearly erratic behavior, Xiao Yan Hui had no interest in investigating the reason behind Xiao Quexian's unusual behavior. However, a smart person wouldn't walk into a powder keg, so she decided to take the first step.

After all, Xiao Quexian's bloodshot eyes and ferocious expression at this moment were quite terrifying.

"Xiao Yan Hui, you stop right there." Unfortunately, Xiao Que Xian had no intention of letting her off so easily.

In her view, Xiao Yan Hui's evasive attitude was a sign of Xiao Yan Hui's complete disregard for her.

This appalling look was like pouring a bucket of oil on Xiao Quexian's already raging anger. It's no exaggeration to say that Xiao Quexian was ready to explode at any moment.

"What exactly do you want?" Xiao Yanhui, who had already taken a step, stopped and looked at Xiao Quexian helplessly.

"Second sister, think carefully about where we are right now. You just received a glorious title of talented woman. Are you trying to create a scandal by spreading rumors of sisterly discord and fighting between the sisters? Let me tell you this: if you dare to make the first move, I will not let you off the hook. Besides, there are three of us on my side."

Xiao Yan pointed to the left and right, indicating that Xiao Quexian was still accompanied by two maids, while Xiao Quexian was alone. If they really fought, it was obvious who would suffer.

"You...you..." Tears suddenly welled up in Xiao Quexian's reddened eyes, and she wiped them away forcefully.

"Xiao Yan, I'm not done with you yet!" After saying that, she turned and ran away crying!

"This, ah... what happened to her?" Xiao Yan was dumbfounded as she watched Xiao Quexian's retreating figure, still wiping away tears. She had thought she and Xiao Quexian were about to have a fierce conflict, but she just ran away like that.

She made him cry with just a few words! It was just a normal argument, is Xiao Quexian really that fragile?

"It's obvious that the Second Miss couldn't win either by scolding or by hitting, after all, you still have us two lackeys with you, so she ran away after you scolded her until she cried." Qingfu's slightly helpless voice rang softly in Xiao Yan Hui's ear.

It must be said that she sometimes has a dry sense of humor.

"......" Am I really that powerful and arrogant? Faced with this sudden change, Xiao Yan felt a little doubtful about life and was even more shocked by her own "fighting power".

"Xiao Quexian wasn't this weak before!" Xiao Yanhui murmured.

......

"Pfft!" Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Qin Ji couldn't help but burst out laughing. He himself was somewhat caught off guard by his own reaction.

Not only did he burst out laughing, but he even lost his grip on the teacup he was holding, nearly spilling it on the floor. Although Qin Ji reacted quickly, some tea still spilled out of the cup.

Looking at his hands, which were soaked, he simply placed the teacup on the table, a look of pleasure constantly appearing in his eyes and brows.

"..." The subordinate who brought the message was the same one who had previously given Su Mingyue the "token".

Although he stood ramrod straight and remained silent, behaving like a spy, a hint of a smile also crept into his eyes when he saw his lord's obvious pleasure at knowing the truth.

"Did she really run away after seeing the scene of Wang Heng and the other two's entanglement? And then she made Xiao Er cry when he came to question her?" Qin Ji asked this question, but he obviously didn't need his subordinates to give him an answer.

He himself then exclaimed, "It's something she's capable of doing."

"I never expected that the Third Miss would have such a fiery temper." The spy quickly glanced at Qin Ji. "What I didn't expect was that the Master actually admires this kind of woman."

Uninterested in the chaotic thoughts swirling in his subordinates' minds, Qin Ji was preoccupied with something else entirely:

"No wonder she's from the modern world. Her brain, which has absorbed a massive amount of information over the years, is really good. And that girl must have watched a lot of melodramatic dramas in the past. Look at how skillfully and smoothly she avoids pitfalls and argues!"

At this moment, Qin Ji felt a little regretful that he wasn't there. He wondered what his expression was when Wang Heng shouted out, but not only did no one come out, the person even ran away.

And her words didn't sound sharp enough to make someone cry, did they? Was her expression particularly terrifying?

What should have been an ordinary matter suddenly aroused countless curiosity in Qin Ji. And within these thoughts lay a certain resonance that transcended time and space, and a secret sense of pride.

Xiao Yan's seemingly illogical yet somewhat incongruous actions today allowed Qin Ji, who had just experienced a period of careful planning and scheming, to experience a sense of freedom from constraints.

Seeing his fellow townsmen so vibrant and lively in this ancient world filled him with an indescribable sense of pride.

"And then?" Qin Ji's voice had lost its usual calmness, but it carried a hint of...interest? He picked up his teacup again, took a small sip, and asked his subordinate.

"Later..." Later what? Later he came to report back, what else is there to say?

But since my lord has asked, as a subordinate, I naturally cannot answer that there is no follow-up story as my lord expects.

The spy carefully recalled the events and, with a forced smile, found another point that the master might be interested in: "Later, the Third Miss said to the Second Miss Xiao's back, 'You're a weakling.'"

He couldn't understand what "weak in combat" meant, but he intuitively felt that his lord would be pleased to hear it.

"A complete weakling?... Haha!" Qin Ji chuckled softly, the laughter short and pleasant: "That's a phrase... I haven't heard it in a long time, it's so apt!"

After he finished speaking, he nodded approvingly, as if he had heard not some strange word that was difficult for ordinary people to understand, but some great work by a literary master.

"You said Su Mingyue requested to see me again." After a while, Qin Ji finally stopped smiling and brought up the matter of Su Mingyue.

"Yes, my lord. Su Mingyue has once again requested a meeting. Judging from his actions today, the relationship between the Wang and Su families is merely superficial. My lord, would you like to meet with Su Mingyue?"

"In that case, I'll have him come to see me again tomorrow. Go now and go back to Third Miss's place to keep an eye on things, making sure nothing goes wrong before it's over."

"Yes." The spy vanished in a flash.

Sunlight streamed through the window, slowly moving across Qin Ji's face and body. After sitting alone for a while, he finally moved his lips slightly, letting out a soft voice: "In the end, it was still a bit reckless."

The voice was so soft it almost melted into the early autumn sunlight, carrying a subconscious admonition and a hint of indulgence that he himself was unaware of.

......

On the other side, Xiao Quexian, who had lost the argument and run away crying, covered her face with tears that smudged her delicate makeup. She wandered aimlessly along the path. Her maid had been quietly shunned when she went to meet Liang Lang, so no one could see her disheveled state, which was a good thing, albeit not entirely.

She walked straight ahead, feeling waves of grievance and injustice welling up inside her.

Since her rebirth, she has benefited a lot, but when she encounters something that truly matters to her, everything goes wrong, causing her emotions to fluctuate constantly.

She was originally very happy today, after all, being the leader among the women was a rare honor, and the envious and admiring gazes of everyone made her feel light and happy as if she were about to fly.

But just when she was at her happiest, when she was about to fulfill the long-cherished dream she had held for months, everything took a sharp turn for the worse. Her meticulously planned first encounter, the beautiful scene she had rehearsed countless times in her mind, ended before it even began. And she even witnessed her beloved being humiliated.

She had just been relieved that the maid hadn't witnessed her disheveled state, and Liang Lang must have thought the same thing. So Xiao Yan was right; she had actually helped her. With this realization in mind, Xiao Quexian felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her chest, making her feel neither up nor down.

At this moment, Xiao Quexian was even a little confused. Was it missing her first encounter with Liang Lang and possibly leaving an annoying shadow in his heart that made her sad, or was it the fact that she had actually received Xiao Yan Hui's help that made her more painful?

She actually owed Xiao Yan a favor! No, she would never admit it. She'd only said one sentence and then run off; how could Xiao Yan's words count as a favor? She was just afraid of dragging her into it, that's all!

Clearly it was for her own sake, yet Xiao Yan Hui dared to mention any favors? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Xiao Que Xian angrily kicked a large tree beside her, only to be met with a sharp pain that shot straight to her brain from her big toe. The pain brought tears streaming down her face like a waterfall.

"Waaaaah, why am I so unlucky?" Xiao Quexian couldn't hold back any longer. She squatted down under the tree, picked up a stone and smashed it against the tree while sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Just as she was immersed in her pain and sorrow, a figure was standing at a familiar corner of a corridor not far away.

That person was none other than Liang Zhao, who had just been slapped by Wang Heng!

Xiao Yan walked while crying, and subconsciously walked back to the tree where she had been hiding. Liang Zhao also walked back to the same spot!

Hidden in the shadows, Liang Zhao reached out and lightly touched his cheek. The pain had subsided considerably, but clear fingerprints remained. While the physical pain was gradually fading, the humiliation that had seeped into his very bones was far more painful.

Liang Zhao did not want to appear in public, nor did he want any maid or servant to deal with the handprint on his face. After wandering around his own garden like a thief for a while, he somehow ended up back here, perhaps because it was a relatively secluded place.

But before he could lick his wounds alone in this corner, he unexpectedly heard a woman's suppressed sobs.