Chapter 464: Is There More to the Story?
"So you just ran away on your own?"
Looking at the disheveled Meng Wei, Gu Shuyan knew without a doubt that Meng Wei had run away from everyone.
Upon hearing this, Meng Wei nodded, her eyes involuntarily reddening again, tears welling up in her eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall.
"Young Master, Miss Gu, Meng Wei has taken her leave first."
Meng Wei had countless grievances in her heart, but she couldn't show them in front of Gu Shuyan and her brother, so she bowed slightly to them and turned to leave.
"Miss Meng, why don't you come in and have some tea before you leave?"
Gu Shuyan had a good impression of Meng Wei, and seeing her like this, she asked with some reluctance.
Upon hearing this, Meng Wei gave her a half-smile and said, "I won't bother Miss Gu any longer."
"If you listen to Shu'er, then come in!"
Seeing that Meng Wei insisted on leaving, Gu Renjie, who was usually not talkative, surprisingly spoke up to persuade her to stay, and it was a woman who did so.
Upon hearing Gu Renjie's words, Meng Wei was stunned and stared at him for a long time without reacting.
Based on their previous interaction, Meng Wei could clearly sense Gu Renjie's dislike for her, even his deliberate distancing. But who could have imagined that after Meng Wei left that day, Gu Renjie's opinion of her would completely change?
"Mingyu, help Miss Meng back to the manor."
Seeing that her brother had finally understood, Gu Shuyan immediately instructed Mingyu to bring Mengwei to the mansion.
Upon entering the Marquis's residence, Meng Wei was still somewhat dazed. She clearly did not want to come in, so how did she inexplicably end up sitting in the Marquis's residence's living room?
"Don't Mr. and Mrs. Meng care about Miss Meng's marriage?"
Gu Shuyan continued from Meng Wei's earlier words, asking the question that had been on her mind. Everyone says that marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers; Meng Wei's marriage couldn't possibly be decided by the old lady.
However, from Meng Wei's words just now, Gu Shuyan could tell that this matter was probably a done deal. If that was the case, was there no one in the Meng family who would care?
Meng Wei's face showed bitterness when she talked about this. "My father and mother naturally did not want me to marry into such a family, but my grandmother was too ruthless and did not discuss it with my father and mother at all beforehand, so my father and mother only found out about this today."
Upon hearing Meng Wei's words, Gu Shuyan was taken aback. Before she could speak, Gu Renjie said, "There is no such logic in this world. The parents do not know about their children's marriage, yet a grandmother has arranged it first. If you are unwilling to accept this marriage, then just ask Lord Meng to cancel it."
Gu Renjie was acquainted with Lord Meng in the court. Although he held the position of Earl, he never used his status to intimidate others. Especially after meeting Meng Wei, he had developed a more favorable impression of the Meng family, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Upon hearing this, Meng Wei's expression turned even more bitter, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
"Could there be some other inside story?"
Seeing Meng Wei's dejected look, Gu Shuyan immediately became suspicious, and Meng Wei blushed involuntarily upon hearing this.
"Could it be that Old Madam Meng accepted the betrothal gifts?" Gu Shuyan couldn't think of anything else that would make Meng Wei feel shy.
“It wasn’t a betrothal gift, but because the wealthy family was rich, my grandmother had already secretly taken 20,000 taels of silver from them.”
Speaking of this, Meng Wei wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it. It was already embarrassing enough that Old Madam Meng accepted the money from the other party, but what was even more embarrassing was that a prestigious family like the Earl's Mansion couldn't even come up with 20,000 taels of silver.
Gu Shuyan was not the kind of person who couldn't read between the lines. If even Lord Meng had to compromise because of these 20,000 taels of silver, then the Earl's Mansion was probably just an empty shell now.
"Are you willing to marry someone you've never met?"
For some reason, Gu Renjie felt a surge of anger as he looked at Meng Wei's authoritative tone and demeanor.
He initially thought she was a free-spirited and easygoing girl, but he never expected that she would compromise after such a small setback.
Meng Wei was surprised that Gu Renjie would suddenly speak. She looked up at him and met his disappointed gaze.
Disappointment? Why would Gu Renjie be disappointed in him? Could it be that he didn't look down on him before?
Meeting Meng Wei's gaze, Gu Renjie realized that he had gone too far with his words. He coughed and said, "What I mean is, if you don't want to, you should find a way to change it, instead of giving in to your own depravity."
Gu Renjie thought it was a comforting remark, but Gu Shuyan silently rubbed her forehead upon hearing it. Her brother was clever enough, but he really didn't understand women.
"Miss Meng, what my brother means is that you shouldn't give up, there will definitely be a way to solve this."
Meng Wei had actually heard many rumors about Gu Renjie, and even her father had mentioned this eldest son of the Gu family, so she didn't think anything of it.
Seeing that Gu Shuyan had gone out of her way to explain, Meng Wei quickly smiled and waved her hand, "I know the young master's good intentions, thank you for the explanation, Miss Gu. I was indeed too pessimistic before."
Because of the Meng family's situation and Lord Meng's hesitation, Meng Wei felt a chill in her heart and abandoned everyone to run away.
But my father hasn't explicitly said he wants me to marry him, has he? Besides, things are up to us. If I talk to my parents again, there might be some room for negotiation.
Meng Wei's emotions changed quickly. Gu Renjie glanced at her and said, "It's good that you know. I have official business to attend to, so I'll head back first."
After Gu Renjie left, Gu Shuyan naturally didn't say anything more, so she simply had her maid take Meng Wei to change her clothes.
After washing up, Meng Wei changed into a new dress that Gu Shuyan hadn't worn yet. Because Gu Shuyan was still growing, the dress was made a little too big, but it fit Meng Wei perfectly.
"It's getting late, why don't I have the guards escort Miss Meng home?"
Gu Shuyan had a carriage arranged, but before sending the other party away, she still wanted to ask for their opinion first.
"Miss Gu, there's no need to trouble yourself. Meng Wei can go back on her own." Meng Wei already felt bad for bothering Gu Shuyan for so long, so she couldn't possibly trouble Gu Shuyan to send someone to take her home.
Seeing that her smile hadn't faded, Gu Shuyan waved to Xu Feng and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip yourself, Brother Xu. If anyone asks, just say that I made an appointment with Miss Meng."
Meng Wei wore one outfit when she left and another when she returned. If someone with ulterior motives were to bring this up, Meng Wei would have no way of explaining herself, no matter how hard she tried.
Gu Shuyan's instructions to Xu Feng were naturally intended to give Meng Wei an explanation for her family. Seeing this, Meng Wei did not refuse again, but simply nodded gratefully to Gu Shuyan.
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