Secret testing
His words were righteous and powerful.
"Don't use my father to pressure me." Liu Changqiang held his temper and pointed at the debris on the ground and said, "I don't care whether it's inferior or high-quality. She broke my things and she has to pay for it. It's none of your business..."
Before she finished speaking, Cheng Yayin had already untied the purse from her waist and threw it on the table, saying loudly, "I'll pay her back for this inferior item. The Third Young Master is a man of status after all, so he wouldn't bother with such a fuss over a defective item, would he?"
Liu Chang stared at her blankly. Qu Xiaoyou beside him said anxiously, "Auntie... Young Master, you can't do that."
Cheng Yayin turned around and smiled at her, "Don't mind it. We get along well and I can't bear to see you being bullied like this."
After saying this, he took off the white jade hairpin from his head and handed it to her, "Madam Qu, if such a shameless person comes to harass us again in the future, you can have someone take this hairpin to the residence of Pei Songsheng, the Chief Censor, to find me. I will definitely protect you."
Qu Xiaoyou declined, "Thank you very much, sir, but you have already paid for the purple jade flute for me. How can I accept such a valuable item?"
Cheng Yayin smiled slightly, pointed at a red silk ribbon around Qu Xiaoyou's waist that she used as a decoration, and asked, "Madam, would you mind giving me this ribbon?"
It was just an ordinary silk ribbon, the material was not expensive. Qu Xiaoyou didn't understand why she wanted it, but he still took it off and handed it to her.
Cheng Yayin took the silk ribbon and used it to tie up her hair, which had become a little loose after she took off the hairpin. She said, "You gave me the silk to tie my hair, and I gave you the white jade hairpin in return. It's a gesture of reciprocity. If you still refuse to accept it, then you think my gift is too little."
"How could that be?" Qu Xiaoyou looked at the white jade hairpin in his hand in embarrassment. The jade felt warm to the touch, and he knew it was definitely not an ordinary item. "Young Master's other things are too valuable. How can a simple red silk ribbon of mine compare to them? It's not worth exchanging the two."
She held the white jade hairpin in her hands and tried to return it, but Cheng Yayin grasped her wrist. "It's not the price that determines its worth, but the person who makes it. To be honest, I've wanted to make friends with you for a long time, but I've never had the opportunity. Today is a blessing in disguise. Let's take this opportunity to exchange tokens, and we'll be friends."
Seeing that Qu Xiaoyou was still hesitant, Cheng Yayin smiled and said, "If you still feel bad, you can wear this hairpin next time you go on stage. It will shine with you, and it will be worth it."
Only then did Qu Xiaoyou accept the gift. He put the white jade hairpin carefully in his arms and bowed solemnly to Cheng Yayin.
"Mr. He and I are old friends, and I have something to say to him," Cheng Yayin said. "Mrs. Qu, please go back to rehearsals. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the audience in a few days."
Qu Xiaoyou glanced at Liu Chang, who was furious but could only endure it, and tactfully withdrew.
The door to the private room was gently closed. Liu Chang sneered, "Who calls you an old friend? You dress up like this to come to this place of pleasure, and you're so close to an actor. Aren't you afraid that your pedantic husband will find you ridiculous and kick you out with a divorce letter?"
Cheng Yayin: "I just happened to be passing by and came in to see the excitement. I went out today because I had other important matters."
She suddenly turned and looked directly at Liu Chang, casually saying, "I noticed your husband's usual brush is a bit worn, so I'm thinking of buying him a new one. I've been to all the nearby bookstores and haven't found anything I like. Third Young Master, you're a frequent visitor to the Treasure Pavilion, right? I heard they have some excellent stationery items there. Why don't you take me there so you can take a look?"
As she spoke, her ink-like eyes were fixed on Liu Chang's face, not missing any of his subtle expressions.
Liu Chang was stunned at first, then a suspicious expression appeared on his face. "Are you mocking me? You don't even know how unfamiliar I am with calligraphy, and yet you're asking me to judge?"
Then his tone became annoyed again: "Besides, you know what kind of feud Pei Songsheng and I have, and you asked me to pick a pen for him. I'm lucky I don't buy rat poison to kill him!"
The malice in his words was not concealed at all, and the indignation on his face did not seem fake. Thinking of this embarrassing past event made him even more angry. He did not want to say any more to Cheng Yayin. He waved his sleeves angrily, and the servant beside him pushed open the door of the private room with great tact, and he left.
Looking at Liu Chang's back, Cheng Yayin seemed to be lost in thought.
Today's confrontation with Liu Chang further confirmed what she had in her mind - this man was a bad guy and a fool, and he was bad in an open way and stupid in an unconcealed way.
Moreover, this person appears to be fierce but is actually weak. Even though he holds a grudge against Pei Songsheng, he only dares to vent his hatred verbally. In fact, he knows that he cannot afford to provoke Pei Songsheng, and he does not have the cunningness to harm others.
Judging from what we have seen today, Liu Chang's style of doing things is such that he could rob women, but it is unlikely that he could seduce women with sweet words. Besides, no woman would be stupid enough to be fooled by him. In all likelihood, those missing cases have nothing to do with him.
Lan Yue stepped forward and asked, "Miss, are we still following?"
Cheng Yayin sighed and walked out, "Follow."
Until there is solid evidence, no doubt should be ignored.
Liu Chang didn't walk far, so Cheng Yayin stopped hiding and trotted after him, walking beside him at a close distance.
When Liu Chang saw her, he said angrily, "What are you talking to me about? If you want to pick a brush for your husband, go find one yourself. Don't bother me."
Cheng Yayin said unconcernedly, "I just happened to be going in this direction. Could it be that the Third Young Master is going to do something sinful? Why doesn't he allow others to go the same way?"
Liu Chang, who had just been caught doing something wrong by her, knew he was in the wrong, snorted, and ignored her.
The two of them walked together in the streets. Cheng Yayin looked calmly ahead, looking contented, but she could feel Liu Chang stealing glances at her from time to time. His gaze was not very comfortable, and she didn't know what he was thinking.
He suddenly stopped, a look of sudden enlightenment on his face. He stopped Cheng Yayin and said, "I see. You didn't come out to buy a pen for Pei Songsheng at all. You clearly came here for me."
Was he discovered following her?
Unexpectedly, this idiot would be so alert. Cheng Yayin raised her eyebrows and was about to say the response she had prepared long ago, but for some reason, the man in front of her blushed and said excitedly, "I knew no one could get along with that old-fashioned Pei Songsheng. You have a crush on me and are deliberately trying to get close to me."
Cheng Yayin: “…”Ah?
Before she could recover from these shocking words, Liu Chang began to recount the whole story with great joy: "You must have followed me all the way here, so you knew I was at Fanle Tower. You weren't trying to stand up for Qu Xiaoyou just now. You felt jealous when you saw me giving her something, so you couldn't help but come out to stop me. No wonder you wanted to bring up the time my father beat me. You must have been keeping an eye on me for a long time, so you know so much about me. You care so much about me. When I was tricked by that guy Pei Songsheng, you must have felt terribly upset."
Before she could say a word, Cheng Yayin, who had become a love-struck, jealous and resentful woman in Liu Chang's mouth, looked at him in amazement.
Her reaction was mistaken for the bewilderment of having her secrets exposed. Liu Chang gloated, "So it seems you must have had a crush on me since childhood. I was wondering how Mr. Cheng could have looked down on me, given my intelligence. He must have noticed your feelings and felt that my family was too high-class for the Chengs to marry, so he expelled me from the school to put an end to your thoughts. Alas, it's a pity that you married into the Pei family by mistake. You're going to waste your life."
He let out a long, pretentious sigh, his eyes scanning Cheng Yayin's bare, yet radiant face, a greedy glint in his eyes. "Although I don't like your father and husband, we can barely be on good terms. Besides, you love me deeply, and I'm not the kind of heartless person. From now on, I'll be with you... Ouch!"
Cheng Yayin raised her leg and kicked him hard, then turned around and left in anger.
Liu Chang covered his leg, which was hurt by the kick, and shouted at her back, "Hey, I'm just telling the truth, why are you so shy?"
"You're so shy, you big-headed ghost!" Cheng Yayin shouted angrily without even turning her head.
Unexpectedly, Liu Chang was as thick-skinned as a city wall. He believed in his heart that Cheng Yayin was deeply in love with him. He thought she was just a girl with a thin skin. She was angry and embarrassed because her secrets were exposed. He even planned to chase her.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Cheng Yayin was so scared that she started to jog with Lanyue, weaving through the crisscrossing streets and alleys, shaking off Liu Chang and his servants.
She took a detour and walked to the back of the street corner, where she saw Liu Chang searching for a long time but finding nothing. He stood there thinking for a moment, and probably felt that he had been fooled, so he started cursing angrily, attracting the attention of passers-by, who all glared back at him.
He cursed at the air to vent his anger, then took the servant out to have some fun.
Lan Yue asked worriedly, "Miss, should we still follow him? I think this Third Young Master Liu is a very open and honest villain, with his filthiness written all over his face. He doesn't seem like someone from the Cheng Mansion who would plot to harm others."
Cheng Yayin thought the same as Lanyue. She didn't want to follow him anymore. She wished she could go home right now to wash off the foul smell she had gotten from her contact with Liu Chang.
But she kept thinking, what if? What if Liu Chang's appearance was all a disguise, and he was actually very scheming and very good at disguise?
If she released the wrong prisoner due to her momentary negligence, how could she save Pei Songsheng from danger and rescue those girls whose whereabouts were unknown?
Thinking of this, Cheng Yayin sighed and quickened her pace to follow.
Liu Chang hit a wall with two women in succession, and was filled with resentment and had no way to vent it, so he ran off to fight crickets with others.
The cricket fighting took place in the lobby of a restaurant, where many guests who had eaten and drunk their fill gathered. The noise shook the entire building, and Liu Chang's figure appeared and disappeared in the crowd.
Afraid that he might run away somewhere she couldn't notice, Cheng Yayin wanted to find a place with a better view. As soon as she took a step, an arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. Her back fell into a warm chest, and a familiar voice rang out above her head:
"Madam said she had to go out to do something, but it turns out that what she had to do was to keep an eye on a man. Didn't she even know when her husband came?"
Cheng Yayin looked up and saw Pei Songsheng's clear jaw and tight lips. She asked in surprise, "Why did you come here?"
"If I hadn't come here, I really don't know if I'd ever see Madam's serious look again." Pei Songsheng's gaze swept coldly over Liu Chang in the distance. "Who is he? Madam has never looked at me with such concentration. He must be someone very important."
How come he's still so jealous even after changing his mind? Cheng Yayin sighed and lied, "What important person? He's my fellow disciple, another assassin sent by the Hidden Sect. I'm following him."
"You mean, he's a..." Pei Songsheng looked at Liu Chang, who was jumping up and down like a monkey because he had just won a cricket fight, and said hesitantly, "A killer?"
Cheng Yayin remained calm, "That's right. When we assassins are out on business, in order to conceal our identities, we naturally have to disguise ourselves as ordinary people."
Pei Songsheng nodded without saying a word, and suddenly walked towards Liu Chang.
Cheng Yayin didn't understand what was going on, so she quickly grabbed him and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Pei Songsheng stared coldly at Liu Chang in the crowd, like a black panther staring at its prey: "Go kill someone."
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