The four of them, accompanied by their maids, went upstairs and entered the Grand Tutor's mansion's designated private room.
Li Ningxiu smiled and said, "Princess, here is some Huangshan Bai wine that my grandfather left behind. Would you like to try some?"
Xiao Zhixing nodded, "Giving me Huangshan Mountain, which is priceless, for free, like a cow chewing on peonies? Won't the Grand Tutor feel bad?"
Li Wenxiu smiled, revealing her dimples, and replied:
"Grandmother now forbids Grandfather from indulging in tea. These teas were personally delivered by Grandmother, and anyone who uses this private room can enjoy them."
Xiao Zhixing smiled and said, "The old lady is very generous."
They brewed tea and enjoyed pastries. The window facing the first-floor lobby was opened, and soon the area below became lively.
The shopkeeper set up the equipment, including tables, brushes, and ink, so anyone who wanted to participate in the competition could splash ink on the spot.
Li Wenxiu leaned against the window and chattered excitedly to them, "It's starting! It's starting! Ah, so many new talented men have appeared..."
Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Ah, so...beautiful...uh..."
Lin Rushu asked in confusion, "What do you mean, 'so pretty'? Is she a girl from some family?"
Li Wenxiu's eyes gleamed, "He's a young master..."
Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. "You're really beautiful."
Li Ningxiu couldn't help but scold her, "Shameless! How dare you say a man is handsome?"
Li Wenxiu turned around and said, "Hehe, I was just amazed."
On Xiao Zhixing's side, at the audience's request, Bai Su zoomed in and focused the camera on the venue.
So, through the live stream, she got a clear view of what was below and immediately noticed the handsome young man who looked like a girl.
Li Wenxiu was being conservative; she wasn't just pretty, she was stunningly beautiful.
Delicate as a peony.
Such a face would be a disaster on a man.
Xiao Zhixing only sighed once, glanced at the others, then withdrew his attention with boredom and continued to enjoy tea with Lin Rushu.
The live stream chat was quite lively, filled with people openly confessing their love to the young man and calling him "husband" and "wife."
These people fall in love with every girl they meet; they're such scumbags.
"Huh? Big sister, Qi Mengshu is here!" Li Wenxiu frowned. "She saw me..."
Sure enough, not long after, Qi Mengshu came upstairs with her maid and stood at the door of the private room, clearly there to see Li Ningxiu.
However, upon discovering that Xiao Zhixing was also there, her expression stiffened for a moment before she entered with a smile and curtsied.
"I've come uninvited because I wish to meet Miss Ningxiu. Miss Ningxiu, may I speak with you privately for a moment?"
Li Ningxiu lowered her eyes and remained silent; she couldn't understand what Qi Mengshu meant.
In the future, one will be the principal wife and the other the concubine; what's there to say?
Li Wenxiu rushed over and blocked her cousin's path, angrily saying, "What do you mean? Are you deliberately trying to annoy my older sister?"
Qi Mengshu maintained a dignified smile, "Miss Wenxiu has misunderstood. I meant no harm and sincerely wanted to have a good talk with Miss Ningxiu."
Li Wenxiu sneered, "What's there to say? Once you're carried into the Li residence, you'll have your turn to pay respects to the mistress!"
Qi Mengshu's eyes turned slightly cold, as if she had been humiliated, and she covered her face with her hands, choking back tears:
“I know you look down on me, but that day I was startled when I suddenly fell into the water and forgot I could swim. I am grateful for Li Lang’s great kindness…”
"How could I not feel pained at the thought of being reduced from a principal wife to a concubine? We are both women, why are you so cruel to me?"
She turned to Xiao Zhixing and loudly and sadly accused her, "Sister, everyone has seen how much I care for you. Just because of this misunderstanding, you have driven our whole family out of the palace."
"Now that I've become a concubine, you show no regard for blood ties and even join outsiders in mocking me?"
"Are you truly so cold-blooded and ruthless? Or is it because of Prince Feng? Do you still hate me?"
"Are you lying when you say you don't have feelings for Prince Feng?"
At this moment, perhaps hearing the commotion, the doors to the private rooms on the second floor opened one after another, and many familiar faces from the painted boat that day appeared.
Some of the bolder ones even came over and gathered around the entrance to watch the spectacle.
Among them was Huo Baijun, the shiny bald man, who made no attempt to be polite and simply strode in.
"Greetings, Princess. And greetings to the ladies. Haha, Li Wenxiu and Feng Min are just next door. Shall I call them over?"
As he spoke, he shouted loudly towards the next private room, "Li Wenxiu, stop hiding and come over here quickly. And Feng Min, how can you two, the parties involved, be absent?"
That look on his face, like he's enjoying watching a good show, is really asking for a beating.
Xiao Zhixing: Such a shameless person is a rare existence, but his reckless manner does indeed have some of the legendary charm of Xiao Yuanshan.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he was Xiao Yuanshan's biological son.
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