Chapter 2: Unable to suppress her sorrow, the gentle rain falls without a trace, stealing the heroine's heart...
Cui Fuyu pushed him away and slapped him hard across the face, sneering, "Young Master Ming doesn't want your father to know about your behavior outside, does he?"
Mingkang was slapped in the face for no reason. He was usually pampered, and a red and swollen handprint immediately appeared on his tender face.
He was about to angrily berate whoever was so blind when he caught sight of the formidable Cui Fuyu. He immediately calmed down and smiled apologetically, "I didn't know you were Sister Cui. Please forgive me, and I beg you not to tell my father, or I'll be dead."
Young Master Ming, who is fearless outside, is most afraid of his elderly father at home.
Chi Yanzhou stared blankly at the young lady who had stood up for him. Her appearance, as radiant as the sun, made his heart skip a beat for a moment, but such feelings were fleeting.
Cui Fuyu ignored him, glanced at Chi Yanzhou who was being protected behind him, saw that he was indifferent and didn't care, and thought: He's a tough nut to crack, but no matter how tough he is, I, Cui Fuyu, can handle him!
Ming Kang felt resentful at being ignored, but he had to suppress his anger and continue to force a smile.
But what Cui Fuyu did next made him suffer endless humiliation.
"Zhu Jin, give Young Master Ming a twenty-tael silver ingot." Cui Fuyu said with feigned gentleness, "I was itching to do something today, so consider this payment for Young Master Ming."
Following her instructions, Zhu Jin rummaged through her purse and finally found twenty taels of silver, which she then took out and stuffed into Ming Kang's arms.
Then Cui Fuyu said, "This twenty taels is enough to slap Young Master Ming. I'm sure Young Master Ming won't mind."
Cui Fuyu addressed him as "Young Master Ming" out of respect, but his actions were undeniably humiliating.
One of Ming Kang's lackeys, completely lacking in tact, said, "Young Master, this woman has already humiliated you like this, so why don't you..."
Before the lackey could finish speaking, he was immediately slapped by Ming Kang, who angrily shouted, "Shut up!"
After he finished speaking, he turned his head and smiled, "If Sister Cui has nothing else to do, Mingkang will leave first. I hope Sister Cui has a good time."
After Ming Kang finished speaking, he immediately left the place. One of the main characters in the incident had left, and the onlookers also dispersed.
Cui Fuyu turned around and said, "If someone hits you, remember to dodge next time."
After speaking, she gave Chi Yanzhou a smile that was beautiful from any angle, and then Cui Fuyu left with Zhu Jin.
And so the tale of the beauty saving the scholar came to an end.
Chi Yanzhou stared intently at Cui Fuyu's retreating figure, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, while the whispers of the others reached his ears:
"This young master Ming is quite the tyrant, but compared to Miss Cui Fuyu of the Cui family, he's nothing but a small fry. Miss Cui is much more domineering and powerful!"
The person speaking gave Cui Fuyu a thumbs up.
"That's right. Among all the young masters and ladies in the capital, she has the greatest reputation. Even the talented Su Zhiyao is not as famous as her."
Chi Yanzhou blocked out the sounds of the crowd and silently recited: Cui Fuyu.
No one knew the faint smile that appeared at the corner of his mouth!
Just as Chi Yanzhou was about to leave, a woman's voice called out to him, "Yanzhou, Yanzhou, how are you?"
The woman was worried and anxious. As soon as she heard that Chi Yanzhou was being harassed by Ming Kang, she came over immediately. This woman was none other than the famous talented woman Su Zhiyao, whose father was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Liang Xiaoyun followed behind her. Liang Xiaoyun's father was the Minister of Rites. The two were childhood sweethearts and the three of them met at the academy and were close friends.
However, Chi Yanzhou came from a humble background, making him seem out of place alongside these two.
If it weren't for Chi Yanzhou's reputation as a talented scholar in the capital, with his calligraphy and painting being the most outstanding, and Liang Xiaoyun sharing his aspirations, and Liang's father also saying that this son was extraordinary, then they would have become close friends and taken him to various high-level gatherings and poetry parties. However, Chi Yanzhou was too serious and aloof.
It is difficult for someone of his humble origins to mingle among the elite; he is often ridiculed and mocked, and his deeds are told as jokes.
Noble families have the utmost contempt for the lowly.
Chi Yanzhou is a perfect example of this!
However, he himself didn't care, which led to more and more people looking down on him.
Chi Yanzhou shook his head, indicating that he was fine, and did not mention that Cui Fuyu had just helped him.
Liang Xiaoyun was tall and slender, and was also a quick-witted and observant person.
He had just keenly sensed that Su Zhiyao was different; his childhood sweetheart seemed to have a crush on her, and an indescribable feeling lingered in his heart.
When the three returned to the poetry gathering, many people had already composed poems, and everyone was appreciating the imagery and meaning within them.
Cui Fuyu sat next to Zhao Xuansi, chatting and laughing, attracting the attention of many people with her every move.
Chi Yanzhou didn't miss her smile. Unlike her previous aloofness, Cui Fuyu was smiling genuinely now, even more dazzling than before.
Someone shouted, "Our great talent has arrived!"
These words were blatantly malicious.
“Why don’t you write a poem, Mr. Chi, so that everyone can see your talent?”
The crowd started to jeer, and the noise grew louder, as if they wouldn't let Chi Yanzhou off the hook until he wrote a poem.
Amidst the noise, Cui Fuyu also noticed the male and female protagonists of her dream—Su Zhiyao and Liang Xiaoyun!
Cui Fuyu's eyes revealed murderous intent and a hint of hatred. The appearance of these two people caused her heart to churn, and she even felt a little scared. Damn Liang Xiaoyun.
Everything she dreamed about turned out to be true.
If it weren't for her helping Chi Yanzhou out of that predicament, according to the dream, it should have been Su Zhiyao who helped him out.
Now it seems that many things can be changed, and the Cui family has a glimmer of hope.
This makes things easier to control.
Perhaps Chi Yanzhou is the only one who can break the deadlock, so she must have him no matter what.
Cui Fuyu suppressed his thoughts and thought to himself:
What's the point of stealing the female lead's man? If I'm going to steal someone, I'll steal the man the female lead can't have!
That's what makes it interesting.
In order to get closer to Su Zhiyao and Liang Xiaoyun and steal away her beloved, she decided to take the initiative.
Suddenly, Cui Fuyu moved from the main seat towards Chi Yanzhou, stopping only when she reached his side. She spoke first, "We meet again."
When Su Zhiyao saw her approaching, alarm bells went off in her mind. Her gaze lingered on the two of them, wondering how they knew each other. So she asked, "Yanzhou, who is this?"
Su Zhiyao had also heard of Cui Fuyu's reputation. She had even witnessed Cui Fuyu beating people up once. She had never seen Cui Fuyu greet anyone first. This was strange.
Before Chi Yanzhou could speak, Cui Fuyu introduced herself, "Miss Su, I am Cui Fuyu from the Cui family. I have long admired Miss Su's reputation as a talented woman, and it is indeed well-deserved."
Su Zhiyao was taken aback, never expecting the young lady to praise her. Her face immediately turned red. "Miss Cui, you flatter me."
She stole a glance at Cui Fuyu, thinking to herself: Miss Cui is so cute when she's not fierce.
Chi Yanzhou nodded slightly, "Thank you for your help, Miss Cui."
Su Zhiyao and Liang Xiaoyun then realized that it was Cui Fuyu who had just helped him out of the predicament.
Cui Fuyu: "Why don't we ask Young Master Chi to compose a poem? I'd also like to admire his talent."
Chi Yanzhou looked around and suddenly spoke:
"When leisurely strolling along the winding corridors on a painted boat, just as I was about to listen to the sound of the pipa, I encountered some troubles. But what do I have to fear now? I will use my skill to relieve my worries."
As soon as Chi Yanzhou finished speaking, his gaze fell directly on Cui Fuyu, and the poem he casually recited described their first encounter.
He deliberately paused for a moment on the phrase "gracefully wielding power," hoping Cui Fuyu would understand, but her gaze never fell upon him.
Immediately, someone who disliked him spoke up: "I thought he had a lot of talent, but now I see he's nothing special."
"Brother Chi composed a poem in an instant, which shows his extraordinary talent. If you could do it, then you would only be better than Brother Chi."
Although there are people who dislike him, there are also people who are moved by his talent.
Chi Yanzhou, however, was thinking: She's looking at Liang Xiaoyun, not paying attention to my poem, what a liar!
He didn't explain the doubts he faced; his dejected mood remained hidden as he silently drank glass after glass of wine.
Seeing that the argument was about to break out again, Zhao Xuansi, as the hostess, stepped in to stop them: "This is an elegant gathering, not a marketplace for quarrels. If you keep arguing, don't blame me for turning my back on you."
Everyone then calmed down and continued to enjoy the music and discuss the poetry, but the topic turned to Cui Fuyu and Su Zhiyao, who were constantly being compared.
Some families even taught their children to emulate the talented Su woman and never to emulate the Cui family woman.
Perhaps because it was a rare sight to see Cui Fuyu participate in a literary gathering, someone, oblivious to the danger, boldly said, "I've heard that Grand Tutor Cui is very learned. I wonder if Miss Cui has inherited his mantle?"
Everyone immediately looked at the person speaking, who was the daughter of a general who had just returned to the capital.
Still unaware of Cui Fuyu's personality, some people are worried about her, while others are gloating and watching the drama unfold.
Unexpectedly, Cui Fuyu said in a friendly manner, "It just so happens that I also have some thoughts on this, so I'll grant you this favor."
Cui Fuyu picked up the pen on the table and wrote down the poem in a flourish.
Everyone saw her put down the brush with a relaxed expression, and when she picked up the poem, they were amazed by the strength and elegance of her calligraphy, which was as powerful as a pine tree and as graceful as a dragon soaring through the clouds.
"A lone cicada on a branch, tears dried from a startled dream, thoughts of sorrow hard to dispel, the gentle rain leaves no trace." Chi Yanzhou looked at her poem, amazed by the grand and powerful words of this young lady, and unconsciously recited her poem, "Truly a fine poem, Miss Cui has also inherited the true essence of Master Cui, I never knew that Miss Cui also knew the taste of sorrow."
Chi Yanzhou praised the girl generously, but then subtly remarked that the girl's poem was too melancholic.
Chi Yanzhou said that poetry was too sorrowful, but how could he understand Cui Fuyu's feelings when he dreamed that his whole family would suffer a bad end?
Therefore, Cui Fuyu simply smiled indifferently at his words.
Zhao Xuansi, standing beside her, laughed and said, "That's strange. It's not like you. Who would ever make our Princess Jia'en worry?"
Although Zhao Xuansi joked, she clearly admired the words. "It seems you're destined to win first place at the poetry competition."
"Then I'll have to see what it is." Cui Fuyu took a hearty sip of fruit wine. "If it's something vulgar, I won't take it."
She immediately felt much better and drank a few more glasses of fruit wine. It was sweet and refreshing, with the aroma of fruit mixed with the taste of alcohol. She also tasted the tartness of the fruit in the wine, which was very refreshing.
Suddenly, a group of maids entered in a long line, one after another, bowing their heads and serving the nobles with washed and precious fruits.
The maid who brought the rare fruit to Cui Fuyu's table suddenly lowered her voice and said to Cui Fuyu, "Please go to the Wuwei Private Room on the third floor of Youde Lane by yourself, Miss Cui."
After she put down the precious fruit, she tried to leave, but Cui Fuyu grabbed her hand and whispered, "Who told you to pass on a message?"
The maid shook her head blankly: "The messenger only said that it concerns the Cui family, and you will know when you get there."
Their subtle actions went unnoticed by the others. After failing to find out who they were, Cui Fuyu let her go, while also wondering whether she should go.
The other party cunningly mentioned the Cui residence, certain that she would return. If she didn't go, wouldn't she be afraid of them?
After explaining things to Zhu Jin and Juning, Cui Fuyu quietly got up and left.
A note from the author:
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Welcome everyone! [cheering emoji]
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