The following day, the pearl appreciation event was held at the Ding family mansion. Qi Rong was invited to attend. On the way, Qing He asked, "Why not choose the Imperial Mirror Manor, which has a larger area and a greater reputation?"
As they walked, Qi Rong explained to her, "Although Ding Mengchao is a disciple of Yujing Manor, he is still inexperienced and not qualified to represent the entire Yujing Manor."
Qinghe: "But the name of the owner of Yujing Manor will definitely be on the invitation list."
Qi Rong nodded: "That's right, public and private matters should not be confused."
The two talked all the way and soon arrived at the Ding family mansion.
The entrance was crowded with people from all directions, all of whom were unfamiliar faces.
Qinghe gazed at the luxuriously decorated mansion, every brick and tile exuding the air of a prestigious family, with the two large stone lions at the entrance being particularly eye-catching.
Qinghe sincerely exclaimed to Qirong, "Your aesthetic sense is still a cut above the rest."
A smug glint flashed in Qi Rong's eyes. "Of course."
As Qi Rong stepped inside, some people noticed her arrival and came forward to exchange pleasantries. Most of them were business associates, while a few cultivators were there because they admired her reputation.
Seeing that he was surrounded by the crowd, Qinghe took the initiative to step aside and wander around. When she turned her head, she caught sight of two familiar figures.
Miao'er pulled Yuan Xiu through the crowd, and they were about to reach this side.
Qinghe felt a sudden pang of guilt and was about to avoid it when she suddenly remembered that she had already dropped her disguise and was now just a complete stranger to Miao'er.
She stood still, watching the two people slowly approach, then brush past each other, and walked straight towards Qi Rong behind her.
"Senior Brother!" Miao'er walked up to Qi Rong, her face filled with excitement.
After catching up with her friend, Qi Rong subconsciously looked towards Qing He, but she didn't see that aloof figure in her line of sight.
Miao'er jumped over and blocked Qi Rong's view. "Senior Brother, I'm right here. What are you looking for?"
Qi Rong seemed a little absent-minded: "It's nothing." He looked at Miao'er, noticed Yuan Xiu's reluctant expression, and asked, "Didn't you always dislike the Ding family? Why are you here?"
Miao'er smiled like a cunning cat: "If there's a good show to watch, of course I'm here. Senior Brother, haven't you heard the rumors these past few days? They've spread throughout Luochuan City, saying that the divine pearl that Ding Zhaoshan bought at great expense is a fake."
She picked up a strand of hair and casually played with it. "If it's really fake, then this pearl appreciation event will turn into a fake-exposure event. Ding Zhaoshan will definitely be furious. Of course I have to come and watch such a lively scene."
She had long disliked the Ding family, who abused their wealth to oppress the people and were morally corrupt. She firmly believed that such people would be punished.
Qi Rong nodded casually and then looked around for Qing He. Finally, she found her in a secluded place. However, she was not alone. There were two or three disciples dressed in the attire of the Imperial Mirror Manor beside her. The one talking to Qing He was Ding Mengchao.
Ding Mengchao was clearly very interested in Qinghe, and even put aside his usual playboy manners, politely asking, "Miss, we have never met before. May I ask your name?"
With a gentle and charming smile on his face, if the other party were a naive young girl, she would definitely be completely captivated. Unfortunately, his opponent was Qinghe.
Qinghe raised an eyebrow and parted her lips slightly: "Want to know my name?" She held up five fingers, "Five hundred taels."
Ding Mengchao's lips twitched: "What do you mean by this, young lady?"
Qinghe feigned surprise and said, "This is already the lowest price. Can't you afford it, young master?" After saying that, she looked Ding Mengchao up and down, revealing a hint of doubt.
Ding Mengchao looked into her eyes and felt insulted for the first time in his life. As a wealthy second-generation heir, he simply couldn't stand it. He took out a five-hundred-tael silver note from his purse and gave it to her, still smiling and charmingly saying, "Now can you tell me your name?"
Qing slowly put away the silver notes. "Of course, my name is 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Unparalleled Beauty,' 'Remember that?'"
Ding Mengchao's smile cracked slightly: "...Are you kidding me?"
Qinghe said very seriously, "Of course not. This is a name my parents painstakingly chose for me, meaning they wanted me to become the most beautiful woman in the Three Realms. Don't you think this name is good?"
Ding Mengchao's lips twitched: "...Okay." He looked at the aloof and beautiful woman in front of him, narrowed his eyes. He had seen countless beauties in the past, but none of them could compare to the one in front of him in terms of appearance or temperament. She truly had the qualities to be the most beautiful woman in the Three Realms.
Thinking of this, his desire for her grew even stronger, and he immediately said, "We have some fresh tea at your residence. Why don't you have a cup, young lady, and we can sit down and chat slowly?"
Qinghe looked up and gave Ding Mengchao a deep look, which made the latter seem somewhat dazed.
After a moment, Qinghe held up one finger and said, "One thousand taels."
Ding Mengchao was still immersed in Qinghe's beauty when he suddenly heard the words "one thousand taels" and immediately reacted, raising his voice slightly: "But I just gave you five hundred taels."
Qinghe: "That's just the price of a name. Treating me to tea is a separate matter."
Upon hearing this, Ding Mengchao clenched his fist, trying his best to maintain a gentlemanly image, but his mind was racing.
He had already spent most of his family's savings on the divine pearl, and his father had been strictly controlling his spending these past few days, so he didn't have much money left. If his father found out that he had spent so much money on a woman, he wondered if he would beat him to death.
He glanced at Qinghe and suddenly regretted striking up a conversation with her. He had thought she was an easy-going, naive girl, but who knew she was a bloodless vampire.
But now that the words have been spoken, there's no turning back. The money is a minor issue; the loss of face is a major one. If others find out that the eldest son of the prestigious Ding family can't even come up with a mere thousand taels of silver, how will he ever be able to face the world again?
With a determined effort, he took out another thousand taels of silver and gave it to Qinghe.
Qinghe took it, carefully put it into his sleeve, and patted it gently twice. He then said to Ding Mengchao, "Let's go have some tea."
Unlike her relaxed and cheerful demeanor, Ding Mengchao felt like crying. Fortunately, her efforts paid off, and she finally managed to get a date with him.
Before he had taken two steps, Qi Rong walked towards him. He had seen everything that had just happened, and while he chuckled, he couldn't help but wonder if Qing He was in huge debts, otherwise why would he be so short of money?
He reached out and blocked Ding Mengchao's path, fanning himself with a smile, "Young Master Ding, it's been a long time. The Pearl Appreciation Festival is about to begin. Where are you headed?"
Ding Mengchao was still somewhat wary of Qi Rong, not only because of his strength, but also because of the unfathomable and vast network of connections behind him. Even his father had warned him not to provoke him easily.
"Senior Brother." Even though Qi Rong had left Yujing Manor, the disciples still called him Senior Brother. "We recently received a new batch of excellent Lion Peak Longjing tea. We're going to the inner hall to try some. Would you like to come along, Senior Brother?"
I thought that Qi Rong wouldn't agree because of his personality, and that he was just saying it as a polite remark. But the next second, I heard him say, "Okay, it's been a long time since I've had Lion Peak Longjing tea. Let's have some together."
Ding Mengchao pressed down hard on her twitching fingertips, her smile barely perceptible, "Okay."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com