Those who had been infuriated by him were even more excited, eager to see how he would lose face in front of Miss Qiu, displaying his impotent rage.
To everyone's surprise, Zu An showed no emotional reaction whatsoever and said directly, "My wife told you to invite Miss Qiu, but she didn't say you couldn't invite me, did she?"
The maid was taken aback: "No, but..."
“That solves it,” Zuan interrupted her directly, “We can go together so she won’t bully our Honglei.”
Maid: "..."
The servants: "..."
This is some kind of logical genius! I couldn't find a reason to refute it for a moment.
The maid, confused, led the two towards Chu Chuyan's residence, leaving a group of people whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear that? He seemed to say he was worried that the young lady would bully Miss Qiu? The young lady is such a good person, why would she bully Miss Qiu?"
"You don't know yet, do you? I heard that the young master wants to take Miss Qiu as a concubine."
Huh? He's a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family, how could he take a concubine? Especially someone like Miss Qiu? Where did you hear such outrageous news?
"Why don't we just ask his page?"
...
So everyone's attention turned to Cheng Shouping, who was silently cheering "666" to the side.
"Cheng Shouping, is what they said true?"
Cheng Shouping puffed out his chest, looking quite proud: "Of course, and it was Miss Qiu who took the initiative to offer herself to me."
"How is this possible?"
"That's unreasonable!"
"It might really be true. I heard before that Miss Qiu sent a visiting card to your residence, inviting the young master to Shenxianju."
"But what merit or ability does he possess?"
Cheng Shouping immediately objected: "Our son-in-law is handsome, dashing, and incredibly charming. Isn't it normal for Miss Qiu to like him? Not to mention Miss Qiu, I bet Miss Chun, Miss Xia, and Miss Dong will also be chasing after him in the future. Don't compare yourself to our son-in-law with your pathetic appearance. You can't compare... Hey, why are you clenching your fists?"
"Damn it, you think you can't hit the son-in-law but you can't hit me? Serves you right for being so cocky!"
The group was already furious with Zu An, but Cheng Shouping was still bragging and showing off. They were so enraged that they finally couldn't hold back and beat Cheng Shouping up and down.
Cheng Shouping was on the verge of tears. He thought to himself, "The son-in-law is the one who's having a good time, so why am I the one who always gets beaten up?"
Achoo~
On the other side, Zaun sneezed.
Qiu Honglei couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"
"No, it's just that I'm too handsome, I don't know who's got their eye on me," Zu An said with a grin.
Qiu Honglei smiled and said, "Auntie, you're really funny."
The two chatted and laughed all the way, while the maid in front was a little resentful, thinking to herself, "What an adulterous couple!"
Upon arriving at Chu Chuyan's residence, Qiu Honglei did not rush inside. Instead, she gazed at the plaque above the courtyard and slowly murmured, "Qingyin Pavilion... This courtyard has such a unique environment and such a serene name. Sister Chu is truly a refined person. Just seeing these words has calmed my heart considerably."
Zuan was taken aback. He had been here so many times, but he had never really paid attention to what this place was called. He would forget it every time he saw it. Come to think of it, he really was a common person.
"Miss Qiu is too kind. I have long admired your Woyun Villa, but unfortunately I have never had the chance to visit it." A clear, cool voice rang out, and Chu Chuyan's slender figure was already standing at the door, clearly having known in advance that the two were coming.
Qiu Honglei's expression changed. She thought to herself that Chu Chuyan did not show any signs of serious illness or weakness at all. On the contrary, her face was rosy and her eyebrows radiated a bright glow. She was not at all as cold as the legends said.
Although she was puzzled, she quickly replied, "I originally wanted to invite you to my sister's house, but it's a filthy place like Shenxianju. I won't trouble you to come, lest it damage your reputation."
"Miss Qiu, you flatter me. I truly admire your ability to remain untainted by the mud in such a place," Chu Chuyan said as she ushered her inside.
Zuan, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. What was going on? He thought it was going to be a chaotic scene, but the two of them were chatting like sisters.
At this moment, Qiu Honglei was also puzzled. Yesterday, the other party was clearly very angry, so why was he so calm and peaceful with her now? What exactly happened that night?
During the meal, the two women chatted casually about all sorts of things, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting, but they didn't talk about anything related to Zu'an.
Although Qiu Honglei always addressed her as "elder sister," Chu Chuyan didn't react to it. She neither refused nor agreed, and still politely addressed her as "young lady."
Zu An tried to interrupt several times, but neither Chu Chuyan nor Qiu Honglei reacted, because the two women were completely focused on each other and had no time to pay attention to him.
"This reaction is wrong!" Zuan was very unhappy, his idea of taking the opportunity to gain anger points had failed.
After chatting for a while, Chu Chuyan finally got to the point: "Miss Qiu, are you really planning to marry Azu?"
Qiu Honglei thought for a moment and smiled slightly: "Of course it's true."
Chu Chuyan's face remained expressionless: "Even if it means coming to the Chu family together, I'd be willing to do it?"
Qiu Honglei sighed softly, "Since my ancestor can't bear to part with my sister, I can only follow her wherever she goes. Actually, I'm quite uneasy about this, so I hope my sister will be kind to me in the future. However, I've always heard that my sister is of noble character, so I don't think she would make things difficult for me."
Chu Chuyan shook her head slightly: "Sometimes rumors may not be true. When it comes to one's own husband, women are not very magnanimous."
Qiu Honglei's expression froze for a moment, but she reacted quickly and said, "It's rumored that my sister and Azu's relationship is just so-so, but now it seems that those people outside have misunderstood this too deeply."
Zu An finally found a chance to interject, plopped down next to Chu Chuyan, and hugged her tightly: "Of course, our relationship is so good, right, wife?"
Chu Chuyan was immediately embarrassed and subconsciously wanted to push him away, but for some reason, the scene of him taking advantage of her yesterday flashed through her mind, and her whole body went limp. She no longer remembered to push him away.
Seeing the shy blush on her face, and that she was letting Zu An hug her, Qiu Honglei's expression finally changed. The most important premise of her plan was that Zu An was not valued by the Chu family. Only by providing timely help could she start the series of events that followed.
But their current appearance is clearly very different from the previous information.
Noticing that Qiu Honglei's expression was somewhat unpleasant, Zu An patted his thigh, gesturing for her to sit down, and said in a carefree manner, "I've always been fair. From now on, you sisters will live in peace, and I promise to treat everyone equally."
Qiu Honglei: "..."
Chu Chuyan: "???"
Just as the two women were about to lash out, someone came to report: "Miss, the master sent me to inform you that a large number of merchants in the market went on strike today, and many salt merchants went to the city lord's mansion to cause trouble. It seems to be related to our previous arrest of the Zheng family steward."
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