“I don’t understand. The neckline is already so high, the hem is so long, and it’s bound at the chest. It looks like a wooden board.” After thinking for a moment, Mu Xing pulled back her foot that was reaching for the flat leather shoes: “Take out those high heels with pearl buckles.”
Fu Guang hurriedly said, "Miss, you're already so tall. If you wear those high heels, won't you be almost as tall as the Second Young Master!"
Mu Xing didn't care: "So what? Wasn't I always taller than them when I was a kid? They should be used to it by now. What kind of look is it to wear such a long robe with flat shoes? Bring it here."
Unable to refuse, Fu Guang had no choice but to bring the shoes for Mu Xing to change into.
After all that fuss, it was already six o'clock when Mu Xing finally got into the car with his brother Mu Yun and drove to the restaurant where the gathering was to take place.
As soon as she entered the hotel lounge, before she could even say hello, she was embraced tightly by a man who came up to her.
"Ah Xuan, I've missed you so much!" he shouted exaggeratedly. "How's life in America? You've lost so much weight! American steaks must not taste good, right? Hey, you've grown taller again!"
Mu Xing let him shout, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
This person's name is Wang Mengwei. She is Mu Xing's childhood friend. Among the group of mischievous little devils back then, she and Wang Mengwei were the most like-minded.
"Alright, alright." Mu Yun quickly stepped forward and pulled Wang Mengwei away: "You're not a kid anymore, stop pulling and tugging. If you want a hug, come hug me. You act like nothing happened when you saw me..."
Wang Mengwei released Mu Xing, then cried out and hugged Mu Yun tightly: "My dear brother..."
After a while of commotion, the group finally sat down. Mu Xing casually hung his cloche hat on the coat rack. Just as he sat down, Wang Mengwei suddenly came over as if he had discovered something amazing: "Hey, what's going on?"
Mu Xing took off her hat, revealing her once thick, black, ear-length short hair now disheveled and a wisp of slightly curled bangs hanging down her forehead, vaguely obscuring a large white gauze covering her forehead.
After an afternoon, Li Yining seemed to have calmed down, and she hurried over, her eyebrows furrowed: "I didn't pay much attention when we were shopping this morning, but now that I see it, it's so serious!"
With just one glance, Wang Sanshao, with his wealth of experience, asserted: "Oh! It must have bumped into something. It's a minor injury, nothing serious."
Li Yining glared at him: "Do you think Ah Xuan is as thick-skinned as you?"
Mu Xing waved his hand dismissively, saying, "I went back to my aunt's old house in Tonghua a few days ago to pay my respects, and I accidentally bumped into the corner of the eaves. I bled a little, but I'll be fine in a few days."
Wang Mengwei hurriedly asked, "Are there still any of those mushrooms we ate before at the old house in Tonghua? Did you climb up there to pick some?"
Mu Xing nodded: "Yes, it's springtime, but I fell down before I could even pick any."
Wang Mengwei was very excited: "Then I'll go with you next time..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wang Mengwei was suddenly poked on the forehead by Li Yining. She frowned and said, "Look at you! How old are you? Why are you still climbing on rooftops, stealing bird nests, and making these childish toys? It's one thing if you bump into something, but what if you break something!"
Wang Mengwei said aggrievedly, "Why do you only talk about me and not Ah Xuan!"
Li Yining ignored him and looked at Mu Xing: "In your letter to me last year, you mentioned going to learn to drive a car, which I felt was inappropriate. No matter how advanced America is, with its complete equipment, there will always be times when we are caught off guard..."
Li Yining was always talkative, and Mu Xing, as always, let it go in one ear and out the other. While moving to the refrigerator to get a soda, she replied, "Yes, yes, look, our Aning has really developed a good tongue. She started talking as soon as we met and before we even exchanged a few pleasantries. If others heard her, they would think you weren't Miss Li, but rather the Third Young Mistress of Mu."
Mu Xing had only said it casually, but Li Yining paused, her face suddenly turning slightly red.
After laughing and joking for a while, Wang Mengwei looked at her watch and said, "It's about time. Shall we move to Xinxiang Pavilion? I thought since you've just returned to the country, you should host the formal banquet. So I didn't send out many invitations, just invited Xia, Liu, and a few others who were close to me when we were young. Of course, Youcheng will also come. You haven't seen each other since you returned to the country, have you?"
Song Youcheng is Mu Xing's fiancé, the son of the general manager of Guangze Bookstore, and one of Mu Xing's childhood playmates. Mu Xing got engaged to him before she went abroad, and now she is preparing to get married after returning to China.
"No, I was just planning to visit Aunt Song in a few days," Mu Xing said.
As they talked, the group walked out.
Over the years, Pingjin Hotel has undergone several renovations, and its decor is quite different from what it used to be. The Western Gothic style is more grand and elegant, pleasing to the eye and surprising.
Although there are several distinctive restaurants downstairs, the entire building is not noisy or bustling; only the faint sounds of singing and dancing can be heard from the rooftop garden.
This chandelier is nice; it would definitely look good in my uncle's study. However, the gold-plated tray is a bit too tacky...
Following behind the crowd, Mu Xing looked around at the decorations. Turning her head, she suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure walking around the corner.
A curvaceous, fiery red figure.
That smile in the trading company at noon suddenly resurfaced in his mind, like a startled swan stepping on snow, making Mu Xing momentarily dazed.
"Mengwei, where does that corner lead?" Mu Xing asked.
Wang Mengwei glanced in the direction she pointed and said, "Oh, that's the dressing room, where the female guests can look in the mirror and get ready." He teased, "What, you want to get dressed up before seeing Youcheng?"
Before Mu Xing could respond, Li Yining suddenly said, "What kind of talk is that? Does that mean dressing up is just for men to see?"
Wang Mengwei glanced at her: "Grandma, I was just saying it casually, why are you so angry? What's the relationship between Ah Xuan and You Cheng, this..."
Li Yining glared at him and strode away. Wang Mengwei was even more confused: "Who upset her?"
Mu Yun, who was standing to the side, could only try to smooth things over between the two. While he was busy trying to catch up, he turned around and suddenly realized that Mu Xing was already gone.
Chapter Four
Strictly speaking, the dressing room wasn't a "room" at all; it was just a corner partitioned off by two screens. Inside, there were two tables and two large glass mirrors, and incense was burning, making the whole environment clean and fragrant.
After circling around outside the screen, Mu Xing suddenly felt like laughing.
She didn't know why she came over; she just saw that figure and walked over as if possessed.
It's really baffling.
Well, since we're already here, we might as well go in and take a look.
Mu Xing was about to go in when he suddenly heard voices inside, so he stopped in his tracks.
"...Feilian told me yesterday that Second Master Li took her to the Lake Cloud Hotel, saying that he had booked a suite for the whole year. Although he didn't say anything else explicitly, I think it's pretty much true." A rather pleasant female voice said.
Mu Xing: "..."
She suddenly realized that she had overheard some incredible gossip—Second Master Li, Li Yining's second brother, was known for his loving relationship with his wife. Second Master Li himself was also renowned for his good reputation for staying out of vulgarity, and he was always brought up as a role model for the younger generation during holidays.
After thinking it over, Mu Xing decided that he should leave.
Before she could even leave, another female voice scoffed, "Ugh, look at Second Master Li's face. His eyebrows and eyes are all buried in wrinkles, leaving only his mouth to spout nonsense. The half-pound of white flour he's smeared on his face can't even hold it all in; it's dripping off with every rip. That little brat is so shallow, penniless and nameless, I really don't know what she's after!"
It was the same beautiful woman's voice from the daytime, but now it was no longer Wu dialect, but a Southwestern accent, mixed with the sweetness of Suzhou folk songs and Mandarin, making three different flavors in one sentence, babbling out.
Even though Mu Xing hadn't seen Master Li for several years, he still remembered Master Li's unpleasant face.
She almost burst out laughing, but then felt she was doing Li Yining a disservice, so she quickly suppressed her laughter.
The first female voice said, "Keep your voice down, save your golden voice. And you're talking about Xiaolian, I'm asking you, why are you breaking up with Young Master Cui? Aren't you afraid your mother will be angry? Don't you know what your mother is capable of? You're at the height of your fame right now, why don't you take this opportunity to redeem yourself and leave this brothel, or you'll let the duck that's already in your hand fly away! How long can that Lord Andrew's name protect you? Seeing that you're not worried at all, I'm getting anxious to death because of you."
Lord Andrew?
Mu Xing's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly remembered that his father and uncle had been chatting a couple of days ago and seemed to have mentioned such a person. It was said that he was the military advisor to Wen Jiang a few years ago, and his father had even treated him. Last year, when the warlord fell, this advisor was also assassinated.
Who would have thought this beauty had such ability to get involved with the warlord's advisor?
With a cold laugh, Miss Southwest switched back to Mandarin, her tone no longer impatient. She spoke slowly and deliberately: "What kind of 'duck in hand' is this? You don't know, he can't make his own decisions, he doesn't even have money to light candles, and he talks about redeeming himself? I think he just wants to coax me into lighting candles first, and once he gets my body, who cares about my life or death?"
"What's the use of being in a hurry? After spending so many years in this kiln, I've finally figured it out. The most important thing is not to be in a hurry."
Hearing this, Mu Xing thought about how the beauty had wanted to skin Young Master Cui alive during the day, and he began to understand and became interested.
She was raised as a boy by her parents from a young age and was loved and unrestrained. She always liked novel things and played with her second brother and other boys, and was even more lawless. But she was a girl after all and naturally never got involved in the affairs of brothels.
However, among the families, there were always unspoken rumors circulating: which family's patriarch had taken a mistress, which young master had racked up debts at a brothel...
Such things are improper, but they are never lacking. Besides, she had heard about similar things quite often back in her school in America, so she wasn't entirely unaware of them. However, hearing these secrets up close like today was a first for her.
With a change of heart, curiosity effortlessly triumphed over reason. She didn't move again, but turned to look at the two figures behind the flower stand.
Amidst the dappled shadows of flowers, the figures of the two figures peeked out from among the blossoms and leaves, one in red and the other in green, creating a charming contrast.
With just one glance, Mu Xing knew that the beauty must be that flamboyant red.
Sure enough, the red figure swayed and continued, "Which of those young masters doesn't get tired of the old and crave the new? No matter how beautiful the porcelain vase is, once they're bored, they'll just let it go. Going back to the brothel, do they want to be a ghost of the brothel for the rest of their lives? If I'm going to leave, I'll definitely leave this brothel in one go. I don't have time to deal with him."
The green-clad figure said, "So what do you plan to do? Those old hands are used to the world of pleasure, what kind of people haven't they seen? They're just looking for some fun, why would they really redeem you? Now that you've let go of this easy one, where else can you find someone like her?"
The beauty clicked her tongue: "Who said we can only look for those kinds of people? Since I'm asking for my freedom, I naturally can't go to those merchants and bankers. Those businessmen and mathematicians are the most shrewd. They can make two things out of a single copper coin. I'd be lucky if they didn't skin me alive. I wouldn't dare to hope for anything more."
The man in the green shirt said, "So, according to you, we can only look for someone with a literary background?"
"Those who study literature are even more unreliable! Teacher training students are dirt poor, yet they're all pretentious and self-important, only staring with their eyes wide open, dreaming of marrying Qin Huaiyan or Xiao Fengxian, waiting for your treasure chest to come and help them out!"
The beauty changed her tone and mocked, "Didn't you hear what Little Feng said the other day? She accepted some teacher's invitation, but before she even got comfortable, the teacher threw a book at her and asked if she had read it before. If she hadn't, she wasn't worthy of accepting his invitation!"
The man in green said, "You're neither good at literature nor reason, young master can't make decisions, and the master has a wife who's picky. What kind of woman are you looking for?"
The beauty snorted: "If I had to choose, I'd naturally want a young master from a prominent family in his early twenties, someone who's been exposed to foreign cultures and doesn't know the local flavor, someone who finds everything new and exciting, so I can easily fool him. Ideally, he'd be a medical student and a clean freak."
The man in green chimed in, "It would be best if you were a little nearsighted, so you can't see the mole under your eyebrow!"
Before she could finish speaking, she and the woman in green burst into laughter. The woman in green said, "The more you talk, the less reliable it becomes. Go to Dongyang Garden and run into three bankers who want to redeem you. That would be easier than this."
After a pause, the beautiful woman suddenly said, "That's not necessarily true. You don't know, I ran into someone today..."
Just as Mu Xing was about to listen further, she suddenly heard footsteps and had to turn around and leave. As she turned back, she caught a glimpse of a bright red figure, so strikingly red it was almost blinding.
Chapter Five
As Mu Xing walked toward Xinxiang Pavilion, he pondered.
Judging from the beauty's tone, she intends to abandon Young Master Cui, her cash cow. This is a good thing, since Cui Yuanbai is unreliable anyway. It would be a disgrace for such a beautiful woman to follow him.
but…
The beauty said something like, "I want a young master from a prominent family in his early twenties, someone who has studied abroad and doesn't know anything about the local culture, someone who finds everything new and exciting," and "preferably someone who studies medicine."
He studied abroad and just came back. He's in his early twenties and studying medicine. The more I hear this, the more it sounds like he's referring to my second brother.
Tsk, what a pity. Although Second Brother is far superior to Cui Yuanbai, given his personality, how could he possibly frequent brothels, let alone openly mingle with them?
Before long, Mu Xing arrived at the entrance of Xinxiang Pavilion. The servants were waiting at the door, and the sounds of talking and clinking cups and saucers could be faintly heard from inside the private room, making it quite lively.
"Hmph, these people, I've been missing for so long and no one has come looking for me, yet they're still here chatting away. I'd like to hear what you have to say."
Thinking this, Mu Xing stopped the servant at the door from greeting him and quietly walked to the half-closed door, just in time to hear Li Yining's voice:
"I'll leave aside other matters, but since they're not here, I feel I should say a few words. Now that Ah Xuan is back, and You Cheng is still... I don't know how to advise him. Are you all just going to remain silent?"
Advise Youcheng? What happened to Song Youcheng?
Mu Xing felt a surge of anxiety and was about to go in to ask when he heard Wang Mengwei speak up, her tone not very pleasant: "A Ning, everyone's out having fun today, why are you bringing this up?"
Li Yining sneered: "I can see what you mean. I just feel sorry for Ah Xuan! If she knew about Song Youcheng and that Japanese woman, who knows..."
Yu Cheng and... a Japanese woman? What is Aning talking about?