Chapter 25: Don't you understand the order of arrival?
Gu Qingxu walked very quickly, as if she didn't want to stay even for a moment longer.
To keep up with Gu Qingxu, Ruan Xingzhu had to jog. Seeing that Gu Qingxu showed no sign of slowing down, she couldn't help but call out, "Fifth Sister, slow down, I can't keep up!"
Hearing the call, Gu Qingxu realized that he had indeed been moving too fast, so he slowed down and turned to wait for Ruan Xingzhu.
"Fifth Sister, why are you in such a hurry?" Ruan Xingzhu asked as she followed.
Gu Qingxu paused, "Quickly?"
"Hurry up, I could barely catch up with you just now."
Seeing this, Gu Qingxu was somewhat speechless. Not wanting to bring up what had just happened, he casually made up an excuse and said, "I don't feel comfortable staying in this bookish academy."
After saying that, he took Ruan Xingzhu's arm and left.
Night fell, and the crescent moon hung high in the sky.
During dinner, Gu Qingxu, who was usually very talkative, remained silent and simply ate her meal by herself.
Seeing this, Cheng felt that she was more composed today, without her usual impatience. It seemed that going to the Central Academy had been useful.
Thinking this, Cheng couldn't help but ask about her relationship with Yi Mingyu.
Gu Qingxu paused in her eating, her head bobbing as she couldn't help but think back to delivering the zither earlier that day. She felt she'd been in a bit of a rush.
Seeing that Cheng was still waiting for her, Gu Qingxu casually replied, "It's alright..."
Yi Mingyu was the first man Gu Qingsu had arranged to meet. Seeing this, Cheng didn't want to push too hard, and simply said, "I think that young master of the Yi family is quite interested in you."
Hearing this, Gu Qingxu looked up. Was Yi Mingyu interested in her? She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. If Cheng Shi knew that Yi Mingyu was just playing along with her pretense, would she still be so calm and composed?
As she spoke, Madam Cheng couldn't help but mention her dashing dress, and shook her head, "Tomorrow you go and pick out a few more clothes that make me look younger. Change this dress for me."
She had prepared some pretty pink clothes for her, but they were quickly taken away by her.
Gu Qingxu didn't take Cheng Shi's words to heart and just nodded perfunctorily.
The next day, Madam Cheng brought Gu Qingxu to the famous Shangyilang in the capital. Shangyilang was exquisitely decorated, with all kinds of gorgeous clothes and a dazzling array of jewelry hanging inside.
After bringing the people over, Madam Cheng turned to Gu Qingsu and ordered, "Alright, you can choose first. I'm going to listen to some opera with Madam Jiang."
After saying that, she didn't forget to remind Gu Qingxu, her eyes showing a warning: "Choose carefully, I'll take them back for me to check when we get back."
Finally, she looked at the well-behaved Ruan Xingzhu beside her and said earnestly, "Keep an eye on your fifth sister and don't let her go out to play again."
Ruan Xingzhu smiled faintly and obediently agreed, but she was inwardly troubled. How could she possibly control Gu Qingsu's temperament?
Once Cheng left, Gu Qingxu stopped pretending to look at the dazzling array of jewelry.
She glanced around and saw an empty seat nearby, so she walked over and sat down casually, crossing her legs. She looked incredibly relaxed, as if she was just missing a cup of tea to enjoy herself, with an expression of complete indifference.
She looked at Ruan Xingzhu, who was still standing, waved her hand and said, "Xingzhu, take a look and see if there's anything you like. Once you've picked one, I'll buy it for you."
Ruan Xingzhu looked surprised as she saw Gu Qingsu acting as if he had brought her to buy clothes, and couldn't help but ask, "But didn't Madam say that you were to choose?"
"Hey, it doesn't matter if you choose or I choose," Gu Qingxu waved his hand dismissively and leaned back in his chair leisurely.
Anyway, every time Cheng sent someone to deliver those hairpins, jewelry, and earrings for her young daughters, she ended up giving them all to Ruan Xingzhu.
Seeing this, Ruan Xingzhu stopped thinking that Gu Qingxu could get up and choose, and could only watch on her own. After all, she had to choose some for Gu Qingxu, otherwise it would be difficult to explain when Cheng asked.
As a famous shop in the capital, Changyilang not only offers a wide variety of clothing but also a variety of rare jewelry. On a large table at the entrance, all kinds of hairpins and ornaments are displayed, shimmering with a captivating brilliance under the lights.
Ruan Xingzhu immediately took a liking to a jade-blue hairpin. The hairpin had a unique design, with a lifelike orchid carved on the head. The veins of the petals were clearly visible, as if it would sway gracefully with a gentle breeze.
Her eyes lit up, and just as she reached out to take it, her fingers barely touching the end of the hairpin before a hand suddenly reached out and snatched it away.
Ruan Xingzhu was startled and subconsciously looked up. She saw Feng Rongrong admiring the hairpin with a delighted expression, her eyes full of affection.
Today, Feng Rongrong wore a light pink silk dress embroidered with delicate peach blossoms, with a matching ribbon tied around her waist, which made her look even more playful.
Feng Rongrong turned around and saw Ruan Xingzhu looking at her. She was about to explain, but when she saw that it was Ruan Xingzhu, she paused slightly and immediately remembered the time when Ruan Xingzhu helped Gu Qingsu compose a poem.
She felt a sudden sense of resistance, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes. She simply ignored Ruan Xingzhu and continued to look at the hairpin, even holding it up to her eyes and examining it closely in the light.
Ruan Xingzhu frowned slightly and couldn't help but say, "I was the one who took a liking to that hairpin first."
Her voice wasn't loud, and her face lacked any intimidating presence, so Feng Rongrong didn't take her seriously at all.
He became even more convinced that she was weak and easily bullied, and couldn't help but shout, "But I've got my eye on it too! Whoever gets it first gets it, right?"
As she spoke, she proudly waved the hairpin in her hand, her eyes filled with contempt for Ruan Xingzhu.
Seeing Feng Rongrong's rudeness, Ruan Xingzhu's brows furrowed even deeper. She wanted to say something, but Feng Rongrong turned away from her and continued to look at the hairpin, completely ignoring Ruan Xingzhu.
Ruan Xingzhu felt a little depressed. She pursed her lips and thought to herself, "Never mind, I'll just look at other ones."
Just then, Gu Qingxu's voice suddenly came: "Don't you know the order of arrival?"
Hearing the commotion, Gu Qingxu immediately got up and walked over. She was tall and slender, and she reached the two of them in a few steps, her tone clearly showing displeasure.
Feng Rongrong was admiring the hairpin when she heard Gu Qingxu's voice, and her hand, which was putting the hairpin on, paused slightly. She hadn't expected Gu Qingxu to be here; she had originally thought it would only be Ruan Xingzhu.
Gu Qingxu was already considerably taller than Feng Rongrong, and now he looked down at her with an air of authority. Feng Rongrong felt a chill run down her spine at Gu Qingxu's question, momentarily stunned by his imposing presence.
But then she remembered how she had lost face in front of Gu Qingxu when she delivered the zither last time, and she immediately felt ashamed. So she raised her head and said stiffly, "But I got it first."
Gu Qingxu's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze sharpening. She knew Ruan Xingzhu all too well; Ruan Xingzhu wouldn't argue with someone unless the other party was in the wrong first. This Feng Rongrong clearly thought Ruan Xingzhu was easy to bully, which was why she dared to be so unscrupulous.
She stepped forward, shielding Ruan Xingzhu behind her, and sneered, mercilessly exposing her: "Don't you know who bumped into you first?"
Gu Qingsu's eyes were full of questions as he stared straight at Feng Rongrong, as if he could see right through her.
Feeling a little guilty under Gu Qingsu's gaze, Feng Rongrong swallowed hard, momentarily at a loss for words, and stammered, "I..."
Her gaze unconsciously drifted to Ruan Xingzhu behind Gu Qingxu, trying to find something to criticize her. With Gu Qingxu in front of her, Ruan Xingzhu became bolder and was no longer as timid as before.
“I was the one who bumped into her first,” Ruan Xingzhu said, standing behind Gu Qingxu.
After all, Gu Qingxu was standing up for her at this moment, so she naturally had to stand up for Gu Qingxu.
Seeing that Ruan Xingzhu, who had just looked so easy to bully, now dared to talk back, Feng Rongrong couldn't help but cast an unhappy look at her, her eyes full of resentment.
Gu Qingxu shielded Ruan Xingzhu behind her, her tone laced with sarcasm: "Miss Feng, coming from a scholarly family, surely understands the principle of first come, first served."
Feng Rongrong wasn't the type to flaunt her literary talent and poetry, so let her fall down from where she got cocky.
Mentioning this, Feng Rongrong couldn't help but recall the day of the flower viewing banquet, when Yi Mingyu composed a poem for Gu Qingsu, embarrassing her in the process. She felt both angry and annoyed, her face flushing red and then turning pale.
She gritted her teeth, threw the hairpin back, and forced a smile, saying, "I was just looking around, I didn't say I wanted it."
Gu Qingxu didn't even glance at Feng Rongrong, but turned to Ruan Xingzhu and gently asked, "Xingzhu, do you like her?" He completely ignored Feng Rongrong.
Ignored, Feng Rongrong's face turned very ugly, her lips trembled slightly, and she clenched her fists in anger, but dared not lash out.
She was seething with anger and was about to leave, but halfway there, she suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes darted around, and she couldn't help but turn back.
When Gu Qingxu saw Feng Rongrong return, he ignored her and was about to take Ruan Xingzhu to look at other jewelry.
Feng Rongrong, however, seemed oblivious to Gu Qingxu's displeasure and stepped forward to block her path.
"The Flowing Flower Banquet will be held at Shaohua Court tomorrow, and all the young men from the capital will be attending. I wonder if Miss Gu will be there."
Feng Rongrong wore a faint smile, but her eyes held a hint of provocation.
Gu Qingxu was annoyed that her path was blocked. Usually, anyone who dared to block her way would have been kicked away long ago. But when she looked down at Feng Rongrong in front of her, Gu Qingxu suppressed her temper, narrowed her eyes and looked at her with a dangerous aura in them.
"Whether I go or not is none of your business," she said impatiently, her brows furrowed slightly.
Seeing Gu Qingxu's impolite manner, Feng Rongrong frowned. Then, remembering the purpose of her return, she refused to be led away by Gu Qingxu.
He then deliberately added in a sarcastic tone, "I was just asking, or is Miss Gu afraid to go because she's worried about discussing poetry?"
After all, at the last flower-viewing banquet, if Yi Mingyu hadn't stepped up to help Gu Qingxu at the crucial moment, she would have been defeated by him. Therefore, she had been holding a grudge.
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