Dressed in men's clothing, the woman in red was standing on the first floor, whispering with the madam, Chen Qin, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the second floor. The moment she looked up, Qin Wen caught a glimpse of her face.
Qin Wen hurriedly closed the window, her heart pounding, so nervous she could barely breathe.
"Why is the woman in red here?" Qin Wen wondered anxiously.
Qin Wen's first encounter with Hongyi was on the day her mother, Liu Wanyi, sent her to the palace.
That day, Hongyi went out to buy rouge, while Qin Wen happened to be selecting rouge at Baozhenlou. Standing in front of the counter, looking at the various rouge boxes, she felt conflicted. She didn't know which color of rouge would best complement her skin tone and overall appearance.
Just as she was hesitating, a beautiful young woman suddenly walked in through the door. She was wearing a bright red dress, had a graceful figure, and was holding an exquisite double-sided embroidered fan made in Suzhou style.
"This makes your skin look even fairer." A gentle and pleasant voice suddenly rang in Qin Wen's ears. She involuntarily raised her head and looked towards the source of the voice.
The woman in red was smiling at her, her eyes radiating a gentle aura. Qin Wen was immediately captivated by her beauty and momentarily lost in thought.
The woman in red smiled as she walked to Qin Wen's side, picked up a box of rouge, and gently tested the color on the back of Qin Wen's hand. "Look, doesn't this suit your temperament better?" The woman in red smiled, her eyes sparkling.
Qin Wen carefully examined the color on the back of her hand and found that the color of this rouge was very natural. It not only made her skin look whiter, but also added a faint blush, making her look more energetic.
"Thank you," Qin Wen said softly. "You have excellent taste." She looked at the woman in red with gratitude, feeling a surge of goodwill towards her.
The woman in red smiled and shook her head, saying, "You're welcome. I was just making a recommendation based on your skin tone and temperament." After saying that, she picked out several boxes of rouge in different colors from the counter and handed them to Qin Wen, "These are also suitable for you. You can try them out."
Qin Wen looked at her with admiration and said gratefully, "Thank you, sister! You're so amazing! You really know how to pick things!"
The woman in red smiled, a hint of something deeper flashing in her eyes: "I've met many people, so I naturally know how to choose things that suit them."
"You've met a lot of people?" Qin Wen asked in surprise.
"Yes." The woman in red smiled faintly, but didn't continue the conversation. She turned to the waiter and said gently, "Bring me your store's newest jewelry."
"Alright, Miss in red, please wait a moment." The waiter replied respectfully and turned to fetch the item.
"My name is Hongyi. You can come to me if you need anything in the future," Hongyi said with a smile.
Qin Wen nodded, silently memorizing the name. A maid beside her urged her to leave quickly, and she reluctantly bid farewell to the woman in red.
She met the woman in red again on the day she was sold into slavery by the government. In the bustling crowd, she saw the woman in red, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, passing by from afar. Judging from the direction she was heading, she must have gone out of the city to chase after someone.
"The girl in red at Cangchun Tower is indeed no ordinary person!" At the entrance of the Jiaofangsi, a girl named Cuiqing looked enviously in the direction where the girl in red had left and sighed.
"She works at Cangchunlou?" Qin Wen's eyes were filled with undisguised astonishment.
"Of course!" Cuiqing gently waved her tasseled fan and swayed her hips as she went inside. "Oh dear, even if someone is a daughter of an official, she might not be as glamorous as the red-clad girl at Cangchun Tower! Her status is...tsk tsk, she's worth more than a fortune!"
"Knock knock knock—" A knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door, interrupting Qin Wen's thoughts.
Qin Wen was startled and quickly gathered her thoughts. She walked briskly to the door, carefully opened it a crack, and saw a handsome young servant standing outside, holding a plate of exquisite pastries.
"Miss Qin, this is freshly made osmanthus cake from the kitchen. My mother instructed me to bring it to you specially," the servant said respectfully.
Qin Wen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she accepted the plate of pastries: "Thank you."
Qin Wen gently closed the door and placed the pastries on the table. Her slender, fair fingers deftly picked up a piece of osmanthus cake. However, she merely gazed at it without immediately tasting it.
After a long while, she walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked down to the first floor. The woman in red was gone, and the madam, Chen Qin, was busy attending to guests.
"Why would Mom, who's so busy, think of bringing me osmanthus cake?" Qin Wen wondered again. Red! Red must be trying to send her some message!
Qin Wen's hands trembled slightly as she gently broke off a piece of osmanthus cake, her eyes filled with anticipation.
However, as she carefully examined each pastry, her mood gradually grew heavy. Reluctantly, she checked it again, but ultimately shook her head in resignation.
Her hope was like a candle flickering in the wind, slowly fading away.
Qin Wen's gaze fell on the last piece of osmanthus cake in her hand, which she gripped tightly, her heart feeling as if something was tugging at it.
She hesitated for a moment, looked up at the sleeping man on the bed, then took a deep breath and slowly broke off the last piece of osmanthus cake.
"Phew—" When Qin Wen saw the note in the pastry, her tense nerves finally relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief.
Little did she know that the hope in her eyes almost led her down a path of no return.
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