Chapter 62: Full of Applause

This was followed by the mocking and disdainful voices of the girls from various families, laughing at how useless the two of them were, for attending the banquet and holding on to the jar of wine and refusing to let go.

But no one knew how those two empty jars appeared. Even if they had huge appetites, their stomachs couldn't hold two large jars.

But they had no chance to defend themselves.

Shen Anan glanced at the wine jar that the maid brought out from the back, then looked at the two sisters who were drunk as mud, and gave orders with a frown.

"Since the two girls are drunk, go outside and call a few maids in to carry them back to your carriage."

"Yes." Mo Xiang took the order and went out. After a while, she came back with a few maids.

The old women were nimble, but they were not so particular when doing things. Two of them lifted one person, one holding the head and the other holding the feet, with the body and arms hanging down, and they carried them out like that.

The girls' eyelids twitched as they watched this scene. They looked at the fruit wine on the table and dared not touch a drop of it, for fear that it would be thrown away in this way.

Moreover, if they had the slightest thought of being carried around the Shen Mansion in this state, and there was a high possibility of running into the male guests in the front yard, they would feel that their life was hopeless and that there was no point in living.

It was fine as long as Duan Yingying was unconscious, but when Duan Mengmeng was carried out, she was dancing and struggling violently, shouting and yelling. Mo Xiang simply stepped forward and clamped her waving hands, and the old women were able to drag her out smoothly.

Compared to Duan Yingying, Duan Mengmeng is much more embarrassing, but neither of them is decent. There is no need to delve into which one is more embarrassing, after all, they are still sisters.

After the people were dragged out, the hall was silent for a long time.

The girls from each family said nothing, but they were very happy in their hearts.

For several years, Duan Mengmeng had been so talented and famous that she was arrogant and almost beat them up. Now she has finally been disgraced, which is enough to bring shame to her for the rest of her life.

Gradually, some people began to laugh softly and talk among themselves.

After today, let’s see how the Duan sisters will have the nerve to go out and attend the banquet!

Thinking about the posture of being carried out, the girls couldn't help laughing.

"If they meet the man from the front yard again, how will the Duan sisters get married in this life? I'm afraid no one will dare to marry them."

"Don't say that. Miss Duan San is famous for her talent. There are many handsome young men who are attracted to her. There are so many people who want to marry her that I'm afraid the queue will extend from the Duan Mansion to the city gate."

The other girls curled their lips in disdain when they heard this. Since they were visiting someone else, they couldn't say anything unpleasant and could only hide their jealousy in their hearts.

"Miss Shen is generous. The Shen family held a banquet to invite us to taste tea, which was originally a refined act. However, the Duan sisters behaved so badly at the banquet that if the Shen family banquet were to be spread out, they would be implicated and become a joke."

"That's right. Miss Shen even sent someone to send them back to the mansion in person. For such a shameful thing, you should go to the Duan Mansion to ask for an explanation."

Shen Anan, who had been silent all the time, glanced at the two people who were talking, and her lips seemed to be raised.

Do you want to instigate her to spread the news and make fun of the Duan sisters? Are these two girls too smart? They treat others as fools.

"It's just a small matter. You two ladies are too polite. Come on, let's continue eating. Don't be polite."

The other girls raised their fruit wine one after another, and this time they just took a symbolic sip. Seeing that Shen Anan didn't accept the challenge at all, the two girls stopped talking awkwardly.

The banquet was in full swing, and everyone was chatting with people they knew. No one paid attention to Shen Anan, so Lin Yurou, who had been silent all the time, approached her calmly.

"Miss Lin," Shen Anan smiled at her sincerely, "What's wrong?"

Lin Yurou pursed her lips, sat down beside her, and said in a soft and bitter tone, "An An, thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

Lin Yurou smiled and said, "I saw it all. You asked Mo Xiang to arrange those two empty jars."

Shen Anan was stunned, but she never thought that Lin Yurou was so thoughtful.

"Did you tamper with the Duan sisters' fruit wine?"

Shen Anan did not deny it, her almond eyes became cold, "Since they are willing to sacrifice their face, why should we save their face?"

A smile appeared on Lin Yurou's face. She liked Chen Anan's frankness, her courage to do and admit, and her straightforwardness.

Shen Anan saw the appreciation and pleasure in Lin Yurou's eyes and raised her eyebrows.

The relationship between the aunt and the sister-in-law became inexplicably closer at this time.

"Thank you for supporting me and helping me vent my anger." Lin Yurou knew why Chen Anan dealt with the Duan sisters. She thought it was because of what happened in the lake pavilion.

Shen Anan curled his lips, “In my Shen Mansion, trying to seduce my eldest brother and instigate your marriage is simply courting death.”

Didn't they think that they might be able to hide it from her and her mother?

Even if my eldest brother is really bewitched, will my mother approve of such an unruly and disrespectful woman marrying into the Shen family?

Duan Yingying is really getting worse as she gets older. She can't learn anything good from Duan Mengmeng.

Thinking of Duan Yingying's distraught look after she came back, Shen Anan became curious and looked sideways at Lin Yurou, "How did my elder brother treat Duan Yingying?"

Lin Yurou was startled, and suddenly remembered Shen Changhe's ugly expression at the lake pavilion. He was rude to Duan Yingying, but as she was also there, he didn't have the time to respond coldly.

Thinking of this, Lin Yurou's face immediately fell and she bit her red lips lightly.

Seeing her like this, Shen Anan frowned, "What's wrong?" Could it be that the eldest brother is blind and blind to Duan Yingying...

"An An," Lin Yurou pouted, "You have to help me. I was led there by Duan Mengmeng and was discovered by your eldest brother. He didn't seem very happy."

Just for this? Shen Anan breathed a sigh of relief, “Brother is not such a stingy person.”

Lin Yurou shook her head. "No, you didn't see how ugly his face was when he saw Duan Yingying. The lakeside pavilion was full of male guests, and he ordered people to surround it and not allow women to approach."

"He must think that I am the same as Duan Yingying, who doesn't follow the rules and has no self-respect."

She was extremely annoyed and even began to regret why she had been bewitched and came out from behind the flower tree on her own initiative. If she had turned around and ran away, he, as a gentleman, would not have wasted time trying to catch her.

…

Shen Anan couldn't say that she understood her eldest brother, but Duan Yingying's little thoughts were definitely exposed in front of her eldest brother. What made her eldest brother unhappy was not her trespassing, but her disregard for etiquette and shame to block him, especially to someone who was engaged to him.

For my eldest brother, it is a moral issue.

"Don't worry, girl. My elder brother won't be angry with you. He doesn't like to laugh by nature."

"That's true." Thinking about it carefully, apart from his gentle side, she rarely saw him smile.

Just now, someone said that something happened at the Lake Water Pavilion, so he left in a hurry. It's not true that he spoke harshly, and even the coldness he showed to Duan Yingying was not as cold as before.

Shen Anan smiled. Big brother was engaged to Miss Lin, so he wouldn't say or do anything bad.

Besides, since Miss Lin would appear there, he should have guessed what was going on.

Lin Yurou completely relaxed, and suddenly realized that she seemed to have lost her composure.

Is it a bit inappropriate to say this in front of my future sister-in-law? But I also feel that based on Chen Anan's temperament, she shouldn't look down on her.

She had tried her best to control herself, but she just couldn't hold back her feelings for that man.

"I don't know what happened at the Lake Pavilion and whether it has been resolved." She said in a low voice.

"What?" Shen Anan tilted her head to look at her, "What happened to the lake pavilion?"

Lin Yurou shook her head. "I don't know either. I was talking to your eldest brother when a servant came running over and said something happened at the lake pavilion. Your eldest brother left in a hurry."

Hearing this, Shen Anan frowned fiercely. .

According to mother's idea, there will be several talent competitions at the Lake Pavilion. My eldest brother will inform Zhang Yeyang in advance, and if nothing unexpected happens, he will come out on top.

Could this be an accident? After all, there are quite a few male guests present today, and among the children of aristocratic families there are many heirs who have been trained by their families since childhood, and they all have outstanding talents.

"Mo Xiang, go and ask around."

"Yes." Mo Xiang retreated quietly.

The competition banquet was almost over. The girls from each family put down their bowls and chopsticks and chatted with people they knew. Everything was coming to an end.

As long as Shen Changhe is doing well, today's banquet will be a perfect ending.

But Shen Anan gradually felt uneasy, and she was a little absent-minded when greeting the ladies from other families. Lin Yurou had to try her best to mediate and help her.

It didn't make the banquet boring.

"An An, are you okay?" Lin Yurou asked with concern.

"It's okay." Shen Anan smiled. With Lin Yurou around, she hardly worried about the conversations with the ladies.

Although those people were not as despicable as the Duan sisters, they were no pushovers either. They spoke in a roundabout way and with hidden agendas.

Fortunately, Lin Yurou is very versatile and knows how to advance and retreat. She can talk to anyone fluently and fight back without making anyone find fault with her.

All the ladies present today knew clearly the purpose behind this tea-tasting banquet.

One of the girls smiled and said, "Just now when we were having the banquet, I heard the sound of a flute coming from behind. It was long and melodious. But is there any movement from the male guests?"

"It seems to have come from the Lake Pavilion. I heard it too. I wonder which young master has such a talent."

The other girls echoed the sentiment and showed great interest. It was obvious that they all wanted to go and see which young man would be the better son-in-law of the Shen family at today's banquet.

Because they all heard that the Shen family had invited not only children from wealthy families but also students from poor families to the banquet today.

This makes them even more curious about the result.

Shen An quietly watched the girls from various families talking to each other, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

Indeed, gossip is a woman’s nature.

Lin Yurou chuckled and said, "Why are you so interested in the young man who plays the flute? Do you have any hidden agenda?"

"Ms. Lin." The men who spoke glared at Lin Yurou.

Lin Yurou laughed, covered her lips with a handkerchief, and said in a brisk tone, "I just heard from the maid that Master Shen took the male guests to the lake pavilion and ordered the servants to surround the area. He was afraid that the girls here would not know the seriousness of the situation and break in. It would be unreasonable."

"After all, it's just some fun between men, and it's probably not suitable for us girls to peek in. We'd better not join in the fun."

"That's right." A girl next to Lin Yurou agreed, "There's already been an embarrassing incident today, and you guys are still trying to get a second one."

After saying that, she covered her lips and laughed softly.

The girls who had spoken just now looked a little embarrassed, so they naturally didn't know what to say. They all lowered their heads and smiled without saying a word to hide their embarrassment.

It is shameful for the Duan sisters to get drunk, but if they break into a man's nest, it would be a lack of self-respect and a loss of etiquette and face, which is even more shameful.

No one mentioned wanting to go and see it again, and after sitting for a while, someone stood up and started to ask to leave.

Shen Anan arranged for the maid to see the guests off. Once there was one, there would be two. Soon, most of the girls in the hall had left.

Mo Xiang, who was sent to inquire about the situation, finally came back at this time, looking extremely ugly.

"girl."

Shen Anan glanced at her without saying a word. She exchanged a few words with the last two girls and sent them away before turning back to look at Mo Xiang and asking in a deep voice.

"What's going on?"

Mo Xiang pursed her lips, glanced at Lin Yurou on the side, and lowered her voice, "The competition over there went smoothly. The Fourth Prince won first place in everything and won the applause of the whole audience."

"What?"

Shen Anan's pupils shrank, and she almost thought she had heard it wrong.

The fourth prince? Xiao Yuan? He is here too?

Mo Xiang sighed, lowered his head and repeated what he had just said.

There was a brief silence in the hall, and Shen Anan was stunned for a long while.

Not only did Xiao Yuan come to such a boring banquet, but he also participated in an even more boring talent competition?

Hadn't he always been disdainful? He even called the talent show in the palace a monkey show. Today, he actually...

Disbelief, anger, and disappointment at having their plans go awry surged up in her in an instant, making her chest ache.

Xiao Yuan, this man was born to be against her.

She didn't believe that he didn't know the significance of today's banquet. She had also openly told him about her relationship with Zhang Yeyang. His move was obviously to ruin the party.

Lin Yurou was also surprised for a moment. After all, no matter what kind of banquet it was, the Fourth Prince would always be the guest of honor even if he was present and would never leave. But then she thought, since it was for An An's marriage, she felt that it was reasonable.

I just don't know what An An means to him.

But now she hasn't married yet, and it's really inappropriate to talk about Shen Anan's marriage, so she didn't say anything.

After Shen Anan calmed down, she took the initiative to ask for resignation.

Shen Anan barely managed to gather her spirits and sent Lin Yurou to the hanging flower archway.

Lin Yurou took the initiative to say, “You don’t have to see me off, just go and get busy, I still have to go to Madam Shen’s yard to say goodbye.”

Whether coming or leaving, you must greet your elders and say hello.

Shen Anan nodded, let Mo Ran lead the way, and took Lin Yurou to Madam Shen's yard. After everyone left, she turned and headed towards the lake pavilion.

At this time, the male guests had almost all dispersed.

She lowered her head slightly and walked quickly until a pair of court boots embroidered with cloud dragon patterns in gold thread slowly appeared in her sight and walked towards her from afar.

Shen Anan stopped immediately. She didn't look up until the tall figure stretched out and enveloped her. The cool breath and oppression belonging to the man gathered above her head.