Chapter 229

Her heartbeat was now firmly in his grasp.

"Xi'er," Shen Rang called out to her in a muffled voice.

"Um?"

“Here,” Shen Rang pressed down on her chest, “only I can be here.”

His tone left no room for argument.

Yunxi was immediately stunned.

Can it only be him?

How can that be allowed?

What will happen to her adoptive parents?

Seeing that Yunxi remained silent, Shen Rang, dissatisfied, grabbed her chin with one hand, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze: "Got it?"

Yunxi blinked: "...I'll remember."

——

The banquet ended, but Duan Huaichuan still hadn't arrived.

Despite his repeated rejections, Shen Jun wasn't impatient at all; he just felt a headache coming on.

This scholar, Duan, was even more difficult to win over than he had imagined.

Yun Wan took her leave and returned to Liuyun Garden. As soon as she closed the door, she couldn't wait to ask, "Just who is this Scholar Duan? He dared not come even when Father-in-law went to invite him?"

What bothered her even more was Shen Rang's reaction when Shen Jun mentioned that Duan Jieyuan.

That's so strange.

Duan Huaichuan is from out of town. What could he possibly do to offend Shen Rang, or make Shen Rang so intolerant of him?

She had a feeling that there was more to this than met the eye.

"This...this servant doesn't know either, I'll have someone investigate."

"Go quickly."

——

Before she knew it, it was the first day of the new year again. Yunxi got up early and went to Liuyun Garden to pay her respects to Yunwan.

This was the first time the two had met privately since their falling out.

Seeing that Yunxi was still as polite as before, but her timid expression was no longer visible, Yunwan couldn't help but sneer: "Sister, you've probably been waiting for this day, haven't you?"

Yunxi curtsied to her: "Young Madam is so considerate, she didn't make me wait too long."

Yun Wan smiled and ground her back teeth.

I never realized before that this person was so sharp-tongued!

This clearly means that she couldn't hold onto Shen Rang's heart!

"It's a pity that even with all her scheming and trickery, my sister only managed to become a concubine."

At this point, Yun Wan suddenly laughed and turned to Pearl, saying, "You're from a good family, so why are you so desperate for the position of a concubine?"

Pearl laughed, "The second young lady grew up in the countryside after all. She must have been so captivated by the wealth of this Marquis's mansion that she couldn't resist. She doesn't care about the wives and concubines."

Her words struck a chord with Yun Wan, and Yun Wan smiled even more heartily.

No matter how much effort she puts in, as long as she's still around, Yunxi will always be a concubine!

If you're a concubine, you'll always be inferior to her!

"Alright," Yun Wan said, not giving Yun Xi a chance to speak. "It's getting late, let's go."

After saying that, Yun Wan strode forward.

——

The two arrived at Rongxi Hall together and, as usual, greeted each other and sat down to talk.

While listening to Aunt Chen boast about how much the Marquis doted on her, Madam Zheng remained absent-minded.

Feeling bored, Aunt Chen got up and left.

"Yun, wait a moment."

After everyone else had left, Madam Zheng had someone bring Yunwan a bowl of milk tea before she spoke: "Although you haven't been married into the family for long, I have seen your abilities."

Although it was a compliment, Yun Wan felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Yun Wan forced herself to say, "Thank you for the praise, Mother-in-law. If you hadn't let me do it so well, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to do it so well."

“You’re being modest,” said Madam Zheng. “Let me be frank. I have a relative on my mother’s side. Her daughter is of marriageable age, but she doesn’t like men from small towns and wants to find a husband in the capital. They’ll be coming over in a few days, so you can go and greet them.”

Yun Wan did not immediately agree.

Just what I feared most came to pass.

I was already short of money, and then this unexpected trouble started.