Chapter 66: Business Banquet A dark shadow covered Yuan Qingjun's head: "Laughing so happily...
Yuan Qingjun looked at the invitation in her hand and repeated Fang Yilan's words in surprise, "Are you asking me to represent Jinling Bank at the banquet?"
Fang Yilan tapped the table with her fingertips and explained, "Zheng Liang will definitely attend this banquet. If I show up in person, he'll definitely discover my connection to the Jinling Bank. If he reports this to the capital, Miss Shao Wan will probably be in big trouble."
Yuan Qingjun raised his eyebrows and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, leave it to me."
Fang Yilan smiled and said, "I will pretend to be your attendant and go with you."
Before leaving, Fang Yilan changed into men's clothes, tied her long hair into a high ponytail, and was about to tie the belt when she heard a few soft noises coming from the wooden door behind her, and it creaked open and closed.
Zhao Huaixu walked around the screen and approached, wearing a dark blue suit, exactly like her.
His bony fingers slid across her waist, fastening the black buckle. Zhao Huaixu raised his eyes and smiled, "Alan looks great in this outfit too. You and Yu'an look a perfect match."
"We're dressed the same, so how can we not be a good match?" Fang Yilan slapped his hand away: "Why are you going with us?"
Zhao Huaixu leaned his head on her shoulder and looked at the two people in the bronze mirror: "Guards must come in pairs to control the situation."
He suddenly said seriously, "You are responsible for protecting Miss Qingyun, and Yu'an is responsible for protecting A Lan."
Fang Yilan was amused by his high-sounding words. Just as she was about to retort, Yuan Qingjun approached, holding up Yuehua's skirt. Her makeup was particularly bright today. Fang Yilan's refusal turned into a soft laugh, and she shook her head and headed out the door first.
A tall figure stood before the carriage, tying the reins for the horses. Fang Yicen wasn't wearing a mask today. A dark iron wrist guard clasped his slender wrists, and a sword hung from his waist. A pair of cold, star-like eyes shone through the black scarf covering his face, revealing half a scar on the side of his face.
Yuan Qingjun saw him, stopped, frowned, and said unhappily, "The business banquet is not a battlefield, why are you following?"
Fang Yicen lifted the carriage curtain with the handle of his sword and said calmly, "A prominent figure from the Jinling Bank can't travel with just two attendants. If I go, I can provide a little more security."
However, the tips of his ears, which were so red that blood seemed to drip out, inadvertently revealed his inner uneasiness.
Fang Yilan glanced at Zhao Huaixu, who immediately spread his hands and signaled to her with his eyes that the two of them were not in collusion. Fang Yilan clearly saw him wink at Fang Yicen, and the smile on his lips deepened.
Yuan Qingjun was about to explode with a flick of her sleeves, but Fang Yilanxu held her arm and lifted her onto the carriage: "If we delay any longer, we'll really miss the time. Let's set off quickly."
The brocade curtain fell, and the group finally set off.
...
The carriage stopped in front of a luxurious attic. There were crowds of guests at the door, all dressed in fancy clothes, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
Pei Yi had already been waiting at the door.
"Mr. Pei." Yuan Qingjun lifted the car curtain and stuck half of her face out, her beauty was breathtaking.
The clear female voice startled Pei Yi back to his senses, but he didn't dare to look at her. He could only stare at the mud spots splashed on the tip of his cloud-patterned boots. He was so nervous that he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.
Pei Yi realized his own rudeness and quickly covered his mouth and coughed a few times: "Excuse me, please move..."
"Thank you, Master Pei." Yuan Qingjun's fingertips rested lightly on Pei Yi's forearm, and Pei Yi could hear his heartbeat like a drum. He didn't dare look at the light veil brushing against the back of his hand, but he caught a glimpse of Fang Yicen's knuckles suddenly tensing as he gripped the hilt of the knife.
Fang Yilan and Zhao Huaixu looked at each other, but paced back and forth between the three of them with interest.
Fang Yilan even whispered in her ear without thinking, "You know what, these two look like a good match."
Zhao Huaixu was about to reply, but he saw Fang Yicen glaring at him sinisterly, so he could only smile and said nothing.
Inside the brightly lit pavilion, Zheng Liang was chatting and laughing with someone, drinking wine. He immediately noticed Yuan Qingjun approaching. Yuan Qingjun, wearing the Jinling Bank token at her waist, walked into the inner hall, followed closely by Fang Yilan and several other tall and strong guards.
Zheng Liang's eyes sparkled. He took a sip of his wine and walked towards the person. "I thought the person sent by Jinling Bank was an old man in his sixties, but I didn't expect him to be such a wonderful person."
Yuan Qingjun ignored him and sat down directly.
Zheng Liang was not discouraged. He chased over to Yuan Qingjun's table and sat down. He raised his wine cup and said with a smile on his face, "Boss, I toast you a glass."
Yuan Qingjun frowned slightly, but still politely picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
Zheng Liang thought Yuan Qingjun had a good impression of him, so he became more and more presumptuous and toasted her with one glass after another.
After three rounds, Zheng Liang suddenly leaned forward, leaning against the table. The odor of alcohol and sweat hit him. Yuan Qingjun inconspicuously moved back half an inch, but Pei Yi suddenly intervened: "Boss Zheng, Miss Yuan can't hold her liquor well. I'll drink this glass of wine for her."
"Are you worthy?"
Zheng Liang seemed to have heard a joke. He slammed the wine jug heavily on the rosewood table, picked up the wine glass of a neighboring merchant, and splashed the wine on Pei Yi's face, staining his moon-white brocade robe.
"Who do you think you are? Don't you even consider your own status? You're trying to block the wine for others. You're just like a toad wanting to eat swan meat!"
The whole room burst into laughter.
Pei Yi clenched his fists, but he suppressed his anger and did not flare up.
Yuan Qingjun suddenly laughed out loud and said, "Boss Zheng is so angry. There really is a toad in front of me."
She studied Zheng Liang's smug expression. "Not only is he ugly..." she tapped her temples with her fingertips. "He's also very noisy."
Zheng Liang's face turned pale and blue, and he was extremely embarrassed.
All the guests in the hall watched this farce with bated breath. This man was from the largest bank in Ruining, who would dare to offend him? In comparison... there were many people who could tolerate Zheng Liang's behavior.
Several merchants exchanged glances, and soon someone stood up, holding a glass of wine, walked around to Pei Yi's desk, talked to him, and asked about the affairs of the Po Yue Chamber of Commerce.
"Mr. Pei just said that the commission is only 10%?" After hearing this, seven or eight merchants gathered around and were tempted. It was obvious that the competition here was fair, and there were no additional fees. Instead, the merchants helped each other.
Many people immediately handed over their business cards, and the banquet, which had been lifeless just now, suddenly became lively again.
"We old bones have been drained of our money by the Zheng family for ten years. It's time to get some fresh blood." Master Dou sighed.
"My dear nephew, your father back then..." Silk merchant Master Ruan patted Pei Yi's shoulder, "You won't blame me for not being able to help, will you?"
Pei Yi paused, feeling disgusted as he recalled how his father had been wronged and none of these so-called "friends" came forward to help him.
A polite smile still hung on his face. "You're too kind. It's wise to protect yourself. Pei Yi naturally understands this principle."
Master Ruan nodded with satisfaction, glanced at Yuan Qingjun imperceptibly, and then leaned closer to Pei Yi, saying meaningfully, "My dear nephew, you are now just one step away from success. You must seize this opportunity."
Pei Yi's eyes flashed with displeasure. He said calmly, "Master Ruan, please be careful with your words. If Jinling Bank knew you were talking behind my back, it wouldn't be very appropriate."
"Hmph, I'm just giving you some good advice. Young man... take care of yourself!"
Master Ruan's face darkened, and he walked away with a flick of his sleeves. After walking a few steps, he suddenly felt a sinister gaze from behind him, and he couldn't help but shudder.
But when he turned around, he saw that most people were gathered around Pei Yi, all laughing and talking. Zheng Liang, on the other hand, had been huddled in a corner, ignored by the crowd. He sat alone, chugging cold wine.
...
After the banquet, several people returned to Linzhong. Pei Yi said goodbye to everyone one by one and walked alone on the way home.
He was drunk, his head groggy and the scenery blurry. He reached an alleyway and couldn't help but hold onto the wall, his stomach churning. He doubled over and began to dry heave.
Several masked men holding whistle sticks emerged from the dark alley and surrounded Pei Yi.
"Pei Yi, you are quite courageous!" the leading man in black said viciously.
Pei Yi was startled, and his drunkenness instantly sobered up a bit. He leaned his back against the brick wall, pretending to be calm and said, "What do you want to do?"
As he spoke, he secretly observed the surrounding terrain, looking for an opportunity to escape.
"Can't you see? Of course I'm going to make you suffer a little, so you know the consequences of offending Boss Zheng!"
The whistle clubs whistled down with a whistling sound, and several men rushed towards Pei Yi. Although Pei Yi dodged nimbly, trying to avoid the attacks, he was outnumbered and was quickly knocked to the ground. The thugs punched and kicked Pei Yi, leaving him with multiple injuries, his clothes torn, and blood oozing from the corners of his mouth.
Pei Yi took the opportunity to kick one person away. Just as he got up and tried to escape, he was kicked in the knee again.
"Hold him down!" The man in black grabbed his collar and threw him to the ground, and the rough gravel scraped across his back.
The tip of the black-clad man's boot crushed his wrist, and the next moment Pei Yi was hit in the temple by the end of the stick. Amid the exploding stars in his vision, he vaguely saw the flickering light of torches in the distance, and then he fainted.
After an unknown amount of time, Pei Yi slowly woke up and instinctively tried to stand up by holding onto the edge of the couch. However, the sharp pain under his ribs made him fall back heavily. Only then did he realize that he was lying on the couch at home.
The door was gently pushed open with a creaky sound, and Yuan Qingjun walked in and placed the medicine box on the table.
"Are you awake?" Yuan Qingjun's voice was soft.
“How can I…”
"Yilan has always sent people to protect you."
Yuan Qingjun picked up the cotton cloth and gently wiped the bruise under Pei Yi's ribs. Pei Yi felt a sharp pain, his muscles suddenly tensed, and his body trembled unconsciously.
There were only the two of them in the room. The ointment exuded a bitter scent, which intertwined with the faint herbal fragrance from the girl's sleeves and filled the room.
Pei Yi felt a little uneasy and said dryly, "Miss Yuan seems to have studied medicine for many years?"
Yuan Qingjun was about to answer when the banana leaves outside the window suddenly rustled. She paused and turned sideways to look toward the window.
Her eyes flickered, but she quickly turned her gaze back and replied, "My great-grandfather loved to study medical books. I grew up under his wing and was influenced by him."
Pei Yi smiled and said, "I also have a few medical books at home, which record many folk prescriptions. It's useless for me to keep them since I don't know medicine. If Miss Yuan is interested, I will..."
There seemed to be a strong wind blowing outside, and the window frames began to make a "clang clang" sound again, interrupting the conversation between the two.
Yuan Qingjun lowered his eyes, his hands kept moving, and the corners of his lips seemed to curl up intentionally or unintentionally.
Pei Yi didn't know why she was laughing, and he also started to laugh foolishly for no reason.
Yuan Qingjun's hands were steady as she applied the medicine, but her eyes kept glancing away inadvertently, as if she was a little distracted.
Pei Yi looked at Yuan Qingjun and couldn't help asking, "Miss Yuan... is there something on your mind? You seemed to have looked at the window many times..."
Yuan Qingjun skillfully wrapped gauze around the wound and said, "Nothing's wrong, just a bit noisy outside."
"The weather in Linzhong is always like this... it's so changeable. It's clear at noon, but at night there are often lightning and thunder..."
"Okay, just rest well for the next few days."
Yuan Qingjun stood up and put the bottles of medicine into the medicine box. He said softly, "You should have a good rest. I won't disturb you."
Pei Yi didn't expect it to end so quickly. He struggled to bow and said, "Thank you, Miss Yuan."
Yuan Qingjun smiled and stopped Pei Yi who was about to stand up: "No need to send it off, don't worry about these empty formalities."
She stepped out of the room and just as she was out of the yard, her wrist was grabbed by a huge force and pressed against the stone wall outside the yard.
A dark shadow covered Yuan Qingjun's head: "Why are you laughing so happily?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
