Chapter 15 Xie Rubao
Ru Chun, holding a gold-flecked vermilion invitation card, walked in lightly, a faint smile on her face.
"Miss, the second young lady of the Xie family, the Vice Minister of Revenue, has sent a visiting card."
"That's Miss Xie, who sat diagonally behind us at the flower-viewing banquet, with her eyes wide open, almost tearing her handkerchief to shreds."
Xie Sangning lazily lifted his eyelids, glancing at the exquisite visiting card. The Xie family, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?
She ran through her mind. Oh, that girl who secretly gave her a thumbs-up under the table when Pei Mingyue's face turned ashen at the flower-viewing banquet?
They're quite bold.
It's clear that after this flower-viewing party, quite a few people have started to admire themselves.
The handwriting on the post was neat and beautiful, but it also revealed a cautious attempt to curry favor.
"Xie Rubao?" Xie Sangning read out the name at the end of the post, drawing out the last syllable slightly.
"Also surnamed Xie, but what is your relationship with me?"
Ru Chun smiled and said, "In reply to Miss, she is indeed a distant relative. She is a descendant of your great-grandfather's younger brother, and can be considered your distant cousin."
Xie Sangning neither said she would see him nor she would not. As Xia understood, she gently placed the invitation on a small table to the side.
But she knew in her heart that the young lady had tacitly agreed.
If they really didn't want to see each other, they wouldn't have even put the invitation on the table before having it thrown out.
The following day, Xie Rubao arrived as promised.
She had clearly dressed up carefully, wearing a brand-new pale yellow brocade jacket paired with a lake-green Xiang skirt, with two kingfisher feather hairpins in her hair and rice-grain-sized pearls adorning her earlobes. She looked plump and lovely.
She considered this outfit to be extremely presentable, a treasured piece from her wardrobe, specially worn to meet her role model!
However, when Ru Xia led her through the luxurious corridors of Ruixue Tower and into the warm, spring-like main room, she instantly felt like a potato that had mistakenly fallen into a jade plate, dull and out of place.
Beneath her feet was a thick, soft carpet that sank into her ankles. The jade and porcelain pieces casually placed on the display cabinet were names she couldn't even name, but she felt that each piece was dazzling and radiant, making her dizzy.
Xie Sangning remained reclining on the chaise longue, wearing only a loose robe and no makeup. Her black hair was piled up like clouds on her neck, revealing a section of her snow-white neck.
Beautiful...beautiful girl...
Xie Sangning raised her eyes, her beautiful phoenix eyes lazily sweeping over the dumbfounded Xie Rubao, from the hairpin on her head to the embroidery on the hem of her skirt.
A clear, undisguised tsk broke the silence in the room.
Xie Rubao's heart sank suddenly, her face flushed red, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the handkerchief.
"Is Vice Minister Xie's household... starving?"
Xie Sangning's voice was extremely sarcastic: "Have all the silk shops in Jinling City closed down? How come you're dressed like a pickle jar?"
"This pale yellow paired with lake green... which blind embroiderer put this together? It's a complete waste of this little bit of fabric."
"And that thing on your head, kingfisher feather inlay? The green is dull and the gold threads are crude, it looks like two kingfishers that have been strangled and nailed to your head to summon their souls."
With each word she spoke, Xie Rubao's face paled a little more, her head drooped lower, her eyes quickly reddened, and glistening tears welled up inside, which she barely managed to hold back from falling.
The woman she admired and regarded as a guiding light actually... so utterly despised her!
She has such a sharp tongue!
This outfit was made with her monthly allowance that she had saved up for a long time and after begging her mother for a long time!
"I...I..." Xie Rubao's voice choked with sobs, so ashamed and indignant that she almost wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
Her elder sister, Xie Ruzhu, was so famous for her talent that she was envied by the second princess, Pei Mingyue. The princess found an absurd excuse that her birth chart clashed with the Empress Dowager's constitution and forced her to become a nun. She is still in that cold nunnery.
Therefore, she admires Xie Sangning, who is capable of standing up against evil forces like Pei Mingyue.
Unlike me, I only know how to eat, eat until I get fat, until the princess doesn't even look at me anymore, and I don't even have the courage to take revenge.
She mustered her courage to hand over the visiting card, genuinely wanting to get closer to this ray of light... but she never expected that the light would be so scorching that it would first burn her "rags"!
Seeing Xie Rubao's tearful, aggrieved look like a puppy drenched in a downpour, Xie Sangning's initial joy at being admired was instantly replaced by annoyance.
Why are you crying? It's so annoying! She hates seeing people cry!
"Alright!" Xie Sangning sat up impatiently.
"Stop acting like the sky is falling! It annoys me!"
She looked down at Xie Rubao, her tone still harsh, but less sarcastic than before: "Dressed like this, you dare to go out? And you even dare to dream of being friends with me? Not only do you lower my standards, but people will think that I, Xie Sangning, have fallen so low that I have to befriend beggars!"
She snorted coldly, her chin held high arrogantly. "Ruchun! Prepare the sedan chair! To Jinxiu Pavilion!"
Ru Chun quickly replied, "Yes, Miss!"
Xie Rubao was still immersed in immense shame and grievance, and blankly raised her tearful eyes: "Go...go where?"
Where else can we go?
Xie Sangning had been helped by Ru Xia to put on a snow-white fox fur cloak, which made her look even more stunning and proud.
"Of course, I'll fish you out of the pickle jar and give you a presentable new look! So you won't embarrass yourself by my side!"
After she finished speaking, she walked straight out without even glancing at the stunned Xie Rubao.
Just as he passed Xie Rubao, he paused almost imperceptibly, muttering something as quick as the wind: "...So stupid, all you do when you're bullied is cry."
Xie Rubao stood there, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, unable to react for a moment.
Ruqiu, suppressing a laugh, gently nudged her, saying, "Miss Xie, hurry up and catch up! Miss is taking you to buy new clothes!"
boom--
A surge of warmth suddenly washed away all my grievances!
Xie Rubao instantly stopped crying and started laughing, her eyes widening in surprise!
So that's how it is! A sharp tongue but a soft heart!
Sister Sang Ning was criticizing her clothes, so she was taking her to buy new ones! It was a gift to mark their meeting! She wasn't criticizing her as a person!
"Hey! Coming, coming!" Xie Rubao wiped away her tears, and her face instantly lit up with a smile. Like a cheerful little bird, she lifted her skirt and ran after him, showing no trace of her previous dejection.
Looking at Xie Sangning's straight, proud back, which seemed to say "Keep Out" to strangers, she felt that the figure was shining!
Beautiful, cool, and... soft-hearted!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
