Unexpectedly, the words "Chen Yaoniang" came out of Shen Youying's mouth. Zhao Meier's heart sank and she felt dizzy.
She managed to compose herself and feigned surprise: "What a coincidence!"
Realizing that such a simple sentence was too dry, she added, "We pay storytellers quite a bit each month, so surely we shouldn't be being chased for money, right?"
Shen Youying said, "I heard that Yao Feng gambled outside and owed the casino a lot of money. Judging from Chen Yaoniang's clothes, her family must not be well-off. Her husband not only can't help, but he's also making things worse for her. Life is really difficult."
Zhao Meier twisted the handkerchief in her hand tighter and tighter, her smile freezing on her face: "I heard she's an only child. Her father used to be an official, but he was demoted after committing a crime. Later, he fell ill, and she had to take care of everything at home by herself. When she got engaged, Chen Yaoniang said she would only marry him if her sick father came with her, otherwise she would rather stay at home as a nun."
"I heard that everyone else was scared away when they heard this request, only Yao Feng agreed. The two of them have only been married for a little over two years, and Chen Yaoniang has devoted most of her energy to taking care of her seriously ill father, and all the money she had saved up has been squandered..."
She was nervous and her mind wasn't quite working properly. As she spoke, she realized that she had been rambling on. Chen Yaoniang's experiences were somewhat similar to those of the protagonists in the storybooks, so she could only awkwardly change the subject and say, "She came to the teahouse to visit her husband today, and I even gave her a tip."
Shen Youying sat calmly in her wheelchair, taking in all the changes in her expression.
Seeing that Zhao Meier showed no remorse and was instead trying to cover up her lies, she finally stopped waiting for her to repent and asked in surprise, "The Zhao family is quite generous to its employees, even giving bonuses to their family members?"
Zhao Meier's smile froze, and her heart pounded.
She brought up the reward money, thinking that Madam Zhu would feel sorry for Chen Yaoniang and have a better impression of her after hearing that she had given her a reward. But she forgot that the reward money was originally intended to pay Chen Yaoniang to write storybooks. Bringing it up now was almost like admitting her mistake.
Zhao Meier's expression grew increasingly stiff, and she could only smile and say, "My parents passed away early, and my brother always taught me to be kind to others and do good deeds."
Shen Youying nodded approvingly, and seeing that the waiter had already started serving the dishes, she invited her, "Miss Mei'er looks like she just came back from outside, and probably hasn't had dinner yet, right? Would you like to eat with us?"
Logically, Zhao Meier should have refused at this point. Whether out of courtesy or because she had almost given herself away just now, she shouldn't have stayed for the meal.
But she bit her lip and glanced at Xue Shen, who was sitting silently. Then she remembered that the couple would probably be leaving soon, and that she had to hurry if she wanted to climb the social ladder. So she nodded in agreement with an air of utter disrespect.
Seeing that she agreed, Shen Youying asked the waiter to add a chair so that she could sit with her.
There were only three people at the table. Although Zhao Meier was sitting closer to Shen Youying, the table was only so big, and Xue Shen was not far to her left.
Zhao Meier's gaze shifted, and she stood up, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for the two of them.
She poured wine for Shen Youying first, then for Xue Shen.
Her tea-pouring movements looked as if she had deliberately learned them. She lifted the teapot with one hand, and as she raised her arm, her sleeve slid down just the right amount, revealing her snow-white wrist. She also wore a red agate bracelet on her wrist, which added to her charm.
With her other hand, she slowly pressed down on the teapot lid, leaning slightly forward, presenting her voluptuous figure to Xue Shen.
Xue Shen finally opened his eyes to look at her and said coldly, "I don't drink tea."
Zhao Meier stopped moving, her performance seemingly directed at a blind person, and could only sit back down dejectedly.
Shen Youying never expected that Zhao Meier would be so bold as to fawn over Xue Shen in front of her. Her last bit of patience with Zhao Meier finally ran out. She stood up slowly, picked up the teapot, refilled her teacup, and pushed it in front of Xue Shen: "I've been eating too much greasy food these past few days. Have some tea to cool down."
This time, Xue Shen naturally did not refuse. He glanced at Shen Youying with a half-smile, picked up the teacup she had used, and calmly drank the tea in one gulp.
Zhao Meier's face turned pale, her gaze fixed on Shen Youying.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to panic because Shen Youying seemed to have discovered her intentions, or to be shocked that she had actually stood up.
She stared wide-eyed and opened her mouth, unable to speak, but what she was thinking was—wasn't she a cripple?
Why did he actually stand up?
Shen Youying seemed to only then notice her lapse in composure, waving her hand in front of her and calling her twice, "Mei'er? Mei'er?"
Zhao Meier finally realized what was happening, and even her forced smile crumbled as she looked at Shen Youying with an extremely comical expression: "Your leg..."
Shen Youying looked down at her legs, seemingly confused: "What's wrong with my legs?"
Zhao Meier was in a daze and it took her a long time to speak, forgetting to hide her tone: "How did your leg get better?"
Shen Youying looked enlightened and said with a smile, "Are you mistaken? I'm in a wheelchair not because of a leg ailment, but because I twisted my ankle a while ago, and it still hurts a little when I walk. Yuan Jin made me use a wheelchair because he saw that I didn't want to walk."
She winked deliberately and said with a relaxed expression, "It's definitely much easier than walking."
Zhao Meier's eyes widened, and she almost vomited blood as she listened.
She never imagined that a perfectly healthy person could go back to using a wheelchair.
She glanced at Xue Shen again. That night, when she boldly confessed her feelings to him, she had mentioned this point, but he hadn't offered any explanation.
Zhao Meier's face burned with embarrassment. She couldn't concentrate on whether Shen Youying had seen through her scheme and was deliberately humiliating her. Her only remaining thought was to leave this place as soon as possible.
If it weren't for the fact that Madam Zhu had a leg ailment, how could her brother and she have been so attracted to each other, and thus began to set up a scheme to get closer to each other step by step?
But now they're saying she doesn't have a leg ailment at all.
That night, when Master Zhu sternly rejected her, it wasn't out of hypocrisy or pretense; he probably simply looked down on her.
On this day, however, she performed clumsily like a clown in a theatrical troupe, thinking she could climb the social ladder.
Zhao Meier had never been so embarrassed. She awkwardly clutched her lower abdomen, pretending to have a sudden stomachache, and hurriedly said, "I suddenly have a stomachache, please excuse me for a moment," before fleeing in panic.
After everyone left, Shen Youying said, "She's just a naive little girl."
With just a few words, she was routed and fled in disarray.
If it were left in the hands of a noblewoman in Tokyo, it probably wouldn't last more than three days.
Hearing her speak so calmly as to call others "little girls," Xue Shen couldn't help but laugh: "Zhao Zhao is only two years older than her, isn't she a little girl too?"
Indeed, they didn't have any ulterior motives.
Shen Youying instinctively felt that Xue Shen was teasing her, so she immediately glared at him and muttered, "I'm already married."
There is no married woman who is still a young girl.
Xue Shen pondered for a moment, then nodded seriously: "That's true, they are all proper heads of households who manage the household affairs and raise children."
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