What a small world! Chang Lili couldn't help but roll her eyes, shaking off the hand that was grabbing her arm like a cockroach, and said with disgust, "It's true what they say, you never know where you'll end up, but I don't have time to deal with you guys."
As Chang Lili finished speaking and was about to leave, the person suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her way.
The person in front of her was Bai Mei. The moment Chang Lili saw her, she understood why Lu Ming had used the word "again".
Since Bai Mei is here, Xiao Shu'er must be here too.
However, as the eldest princess, she had no need to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy, and she had no connection with Lu Ming and the others. Her coming to join in the fun must have been for ill intentions.
"What does this mean?" Chang Lili was blocked from her way. She was already worried about Lu Ming, and now she was even more impatient. She said irritably.
Bai Mei smiled instead, and said calmly and gently, "We've known each other for a while now. I'm someone from the Princess's side. Don't you even greet me, Miss Chang?"
Chang Lili looked at Bai Mei with a face full of surprise, thinking to herself that it had been a while since she had seen Xiao Shu'er's maidservant, and that she had lost her mind.
"Say hello to you?" she said incredulously. "I'm being lenient by not slapping you twice, and you expect me to say hello to you?"
Bai Mei didn't expect Chang Lili to be so blunt, which attracted the attention of those around her. Bai Mei's face turned pale with anger, and she lowered her voice and said, "Chang Lili, don't push your luck."
Chang Lili touched her face, looking innocent: "My face is right here, why do I need you to give it to me?"
Bai Mei didn't want to cause trouble in front of everyone, and besides, she had a more important task.
"I think you're shameless. There's no point in talking to someone as shameless as you!" Bai Mei said angrily and walked away.
Chang Lili had been looking at Bai Mei with a pitying expression, as if she were looking at a fool. After watching her leave, she put aside her incomprehension and continued walking towards the backyard.
Bai Mei, standing in the crowd, turned around with a sinister smile on her face. She raised her hand, revealing that the original paper packet was now empty, with specks of suspicious white powder remaining on the paper.
Bai Mei looked at Chang Lili's body covered in a faint white layer, and crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball with satisfaction, but carefully dared not touch the powder on the paper, as if it were some kind of deadly poison.
In the backyard, Lu Ming ran to a spot and stood angrily in the corridor, looking at the lush greenery in front of her, feeling utterly annoyed.
Xiao Shuer had been keeping a close eye on Chang Lili and Lu Ming. She had just overheard them arguing without any restraint in front of everyone. After a few words, she understood what had happened. With a gentle smile on her face, she walked towards Lu Ming.
Upon seeing her, Lu Ming reluctantly bowed: "Your Highness, the Eldest Princess."
Xiao Shu'er quickly stepped forward to help her up and said softly, "No need for formalities. Today is your birthday. I'm here to congratulate you on your birthday, not to receive this gift from you."
Lu Ming glanced at Xiao Shu'er in surprise, thinking to herself that she had little interaction with her, but had a deep grudge against Chang Lili. She was on good terms with Chang Lili, so why was Xiao Shu'er giving her a friendly look? It must be like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken.
She was always one to openly express her emotions, and now that she saw Xiao Shuer appear, her unwillingness to acknowledge her was written all over her face.
"Thank you so much, Princess," Lu Ming said insincerely.
Princess Xiao Shu'er had never been treated so coldly before, but she suppressed her displeasure at this moment.
"Today is Miss Lu's birthday. Such a grand occasion, with so many dignitaries and even my nephew here, why does Miss Lu seem rather unhappy?" Xiao Shu'er asked with concern, looking at Lu Ming's expression with a dignified and polite demeanor.
Lu Ming's face flashed with doubt. Suddenly, she remembered that Xiao Shu'er was the eldest princess and that she and the eldest prince, Xiao Lingshou, were close aunt and nephew.
Thinking about this, she suddenly felt that Xiao Shu'er wasn't so bad after all, and her expression softened a bit.
But Xiao Shu'er was not much older than her, so Lu Ming felt a little awkward calling her "nephew" so formally.
"Um," Lu Ming suddenly felt a strange shyness, and her voice lowered, "Why did the Crown Prince suddenly come to the birthday banquet?"
She and Xiao Lingshou had a brief encounter, but it was only for a fleeting moment. Moreover, it was Lu Ming who unilaterally approached her, and he never accepted anything from Lu Ming.
However, looking at Chang Lili and Xiao Lingshou, they have always been quite familiar with each other. Moreover, just now, Xiao Lingshou even talked to her, as if they were close friends of many years, or even if they had some kind of ambiguous relationship.
“Oh…” Xiao Shu’er looked hesitant, as if she was having some trouble. “I think… since he came for Miss Lu’s birthday, he must have come to congratulate you on your birthday.”
After she finished speaking, she looked away, appearing guilty, and it was obvious that she was lying.
Lu Ming already felt wronged, and now she felt even more frustrated.
"He didn't come for me at all. He didn't even look at me before going to find Chang Lili." Lu Ming's eyes reddened as she spoke, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
The person I've been searching for and longing for has finally appeared before me. Of course, I'm happy to see him. But what is it that my best friend just watched me search so hard, yet kept his identity a secret from her and was so close to him?
Xiao Shuer felt the time was right. Recalling the argument between Lu Ming and Chang Lili, she rolled her eyes and said with a look of relief, "As far as I know, they have a very close relationship. My nephew really cares about Chang Lili."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's face darkened even more.
Xiao Shu'er curled her lips and immediately added fuel to the fire, saying, "I overheard what you were saying just now. Chang Lili is hiding my nephew's identity from you and won't tell you?"
Just as Lu Ming was about to tell her to shut up, Xiao Shu'er quickly added fuel to the fire: "Chang Lili is just that kind of person. She likes to climb the social ladder and got involved with General Meng. Somehow she got to know my nephew and even tried to get close to me back then. I just couldn't stand that about her. She got angry and embarrassed, and that's how I started to have a grudge against her."
Lu Ming's brown eyes darted around, and she frowned.
She felt uncomfortable no matter how she heard those words. She didn't like Xiao Shu'er to begin with. She had known Chang Lili for so long, and although she was still angry about Xiao Lingshou's matter, she knew Chang Lili's character well.
She wasn't as bad as Xiao Shu'er made her out to be. Besides, she knew perfectly well how Xiao Lingshou and Chang Lili met. Back then, Chang Lili didn't want to provoke Xiao Lingshou, but it was she who dragged Chang Lili up to strike up a conversation, and that's how the two of them met.
“I know what kind of person she is, no need for the Princess to remind me.” Lu Ming said unhappily, then turned to leave.
Xiao Shu'er grabbed her arm and said, "Miss Lu, wouldn't you like to get to know my nephew?"
Lu Ming's face immediately turned red. Suddenly remembering that Xiao Shu'er was Xiao Lingshou's aunt, she quickly withdrew her hand and said respectfully, "The eldest prince is so noble, how could I have such good fortune?"
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