The Yang family immediately got excited, stood up abruptly, waved to Yan Qingxue who was walking towards the refrigerator, and shouted.

"Miss Yan, Miss Yan—"

Yan Qingxue paused again, frozen in place, and had no choice but to turn around and smile at Madam Yang, "Aunt Qiao, what a coincidence, we actually met here."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhishu turned her head slightly, her expression pausing almost imperceptibly. She then awkwardly turned her head back and silently ate the meat in her bowl.

How did she suddenly appear in this place?

However, this isn't a place to settle down. It's perfectly normal to come here to eat, especially since our initial chance encounter also happened in Jincheng.

It's not surprising that she would come here.

I hadn't spoken a single word to her when we were at Anjia before, so it felt a bit awkward to suddenly greet her here and speak properly.

So Qiao Zhishu calmly turned her head back without saying a word, lowered her head to eat, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Madam Yang glared at Qiao Zhishu with exasperation before going to greet him.

"Miss Yan, you're here to eat? Why are you all alone?" Madam Yang looked around but couldn't spot Xiaoya, the little maid who usually followed Yan Qingxue.

Yan Qingxue glanced at Bai Naijiong and gestured with her chin in his direction, "He's over there, he came with a friend."

Following Yan Qingxue's gaze, Yang looked up and saw a young man with an elegant and refined demeanor. Yang's heart sank involuntarily.

Who is this kid?

Why are you eating here with Miss Yan? And it's just the two of them?

This can't be—

Upon realizing a possibility, Yang began to panic.

Her son hadn't even had a chance to make a move when someone else suddenly appeared and started vying for it.

He looked quite handsome, but the more Yang examined him, the more uneasy she felt.

Look at his demeanor, look at his impressive attire. Just by looking at him, you could tell he's from a wealthy family.

She's clearly outshone by her son; how can she compete with him?

Especially look at how Miss Yan treats her son. She's treating him like a complete stranger now, not even bothering to greet him. If this continues, her son is definitely doomed.

Oh no, oh no.

Just as she was thinking this, Zhong Ling's voice from behind made Yang Shi even more stiff.

"Aunt Qiao, this young lady is—" Zhong Ling gracefully walked behind Madam Yang and stood beside her. She looked gentle and polite, and smiled as she prepared to greet Yan Qingxue.

Madam Yang coughed lightly, "Um... this is a frequent visitor to my niece's house, and he's a friend of my niece and her family." As she spoke, she glanced at Qiao Zhishu, who was sitting behind her without moving.

"Zhishu, what are you doing sitting there? Hurry up and come over to greet Miss Yan." Madam Yang urged him in a somewhat impatient voice.

This child is such a blockhead, he can sit still and not move an inch.

She's already inferior to others in every way, and she's not proactive at all. How can she possibly have a chance?

Zhong Ling noticed that Yang's expression was not good. She glanced at Yan Qingxue with some suspicion, then greeted Yan Qingxue calmly with a gentle and kind expression.

He glanced at Qiao Zhishu behind him again, and it seemed like something was off.

When women face potential rivals, their sensitivity can be quite alarming, especially when it comes to Yan Qingxue, who is beautiful and has a great figure—in Zhong Ling's eyes, she is practically perfect.

Moreover, judging from her attire, she was clearly a young lady from a wealthy and noble family. Look at the pair of seven-colored auspicious bird gold hairpins on her head, the silver and jade love lock hanging on her chest, and the necklace and pendants around her waist. The necklace pendants were made of pink jade, which was the most fashionable accessory at the time. She had seen it in a shop, and it must have been worth at least fifty taels of silver.

And that pink silk dress, it looked at least 90% new, and it was the latest style this year.

My gaze finally fell on the pair of earrings Yan Qingxue was wearing. The pink jade beads on the earrings were large and eye-catching, and the pink pearls hung on her small earlobes, which was very cute.

She had seen such a large pearl tassel earring in jewelry shops in Jincheng; it was the same style as the one this girl was wearing.

It costs ten taels of silver.

This girl's outfit alone must have cost at least a hundred taels of silver.

Without a doubt, this girl came from a wealthy family, unlike her ordinary, even somewhat poor, farming family.

Although she came from a poor family and was very frugal with her daily life, she had no money to buy these things, but that did not stop her from liking them.

She naturally follows the same trends as other women, and she often keeps an eye on the latest jewelry, clothing accessories, cosmetics, and the like.

Because her family lives in Jincheng, which is not far from the Jincheng commercial district.

Since this commercial district was established in Jincheng, she has often come here to stroll around. She knows that the things here are too expensive for her to afford, but that doesn't stop her from coming here to admire them.

Anyway, it doesn't cost any money to take a look, and it can broaden your horizons.

Zhong Ling naturally didn't know that Yan Qingxue hadn't paid much attention to her appearance in the past, and that her current attire was entirely due to Yan Qingxue's mother, Zhao Shi.

During this period, Yan Qingxue did not have time to go to Jincheng, and naturally she did not have time to buy these most fashionable clothes.

All the clothes and accessories she wore were prepared by Zhao for Yan Qingxue, so that she could have a good image when interacting with Bai Naijiong.

That's why I made a special trip to Jincheng to buy some trendy gold, silver, and jade jewelry, clothes, and shoes.

In order to establish a good marriage alliance with the Bai family of Baicheng, Zhao spent a lot of money; this outfit alone cost more than a hundred taels of silver.

Yan Qingxue didn't pay much attention to these things. When Zhao asked Xiaoya to bring them over for her to wear, she naturally put them on.

Seeing Zhong Ling staring at her seemingly casually, Yan Qingxue wrinkled her nose but said nothing.

After all, she knew Yang. If it were anyone else staring at her like that, scrutinizing her like they were examining merchandise, she would have turned on them long ago.

Yan Qingxue may be carefree and easygoing, but that doesn't mean she's oblivious to these little gestures and details. She sensed a hidden malice and inexplicable hostility in Zhong Ling's gaze. Yan Qingxue doesn't usually get close to people.

I just nodded, and that was enough to say hello.

Seeing Qiao Zhishu's reluctant approach, Yan Qingxue raised an eyebrow and avoided him.

"Aunt Qiao, I have some friends waiting for me, so I'll head over now. I'll come visit you again sometime." With that, she turned and left before Qiao Zhishu could even reach her, heading towards the refrigerator.