Mu Xing was completely confused and a bad feeling rose in his heart. Just as he was wondering whether to listen any longer, his second brother's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Ah Xuan, what are you doing standing here? I've been looking for you for ages."
The sounds inside the private room abruptly stopped.
"I just arrived too." Mu Xing controlled his emotions, responded, and pushed open the door.
The private room was already filled with people, but their expressions varied, creating a subtle atmosphere.
Back in his seat, Mu Xing looked at the others and hesitated before speaking, "Youcheng, he...?"
Wang Mengwei suddenly interjected, "Speaking of which, why hasn't Youcheng arrived yet? It's alright if we're neglected, but we can't neglect Axuan. Jinshun, go call Guangze Bookstore and ask them to urge Youcheng!"
The servant waiting at the door responded and went off.
Mu Yun, who was standing to the side, was nudged by Wang Mengwei and could only say in bewilderment, "Ah Xuan, how did you disappear in the blink of an eye? Have you forgotten Master Green Water's divination? Be careful."
Li Yining forced a smile and asked, "What divination text?"
Wang Mengwei quickly chimed in, "Hey, I've heard about the divination too! Master Green Water's fortune telling is incredibly accurate. Ah Xuan, tell us about it!"
Distracted by the three people's back-and-forth conversation, Mu Xing, though still thinking about Song Youcheng, didn't press the matter further. He could only answer about the divination: "I don't believe in that fake fortune teller's words; only you guys are willing to flatter him."
Master Lushui was a renowned fortune teller who was on good terms with the head of the Mu family. A few days ago, at his mother's request, Mu Xing had no choice but to go to Master Lushui for a divination to pray for peace.
"That fake fortune teller said I had an 'excess of yen' and that since I was returning from America, if I didn't go to an extremely yin place to recuperate, I would surely suffer a bloody disaster." Mu Xing said dismissively, "What kind of talk is that? I asked him if he wanted me to stay in a cemetery. He just laughed and pretended to be a god, and he couldn't say anything meaningful."
Mu Yun reminded her, "Do you remember when you just said those words to your aunt, and then you turned around and bumped your head on the old house?"
Mu Xing clicked his tongue: "I think you believe in me much more than I do, Second Brother. Why don't you go and have this charlatan tell your fortune and see when you can find me a sister-in-law?"
Li Yining said, "But Mr. Green Water's divination is really accurate. Ah Xuan, you know, wasn't it him who cured my second sister-in-law's illness?"
The young lady of the Liu family also quickly brought up her own example, praising Mr. Green Water highly.
Mu Xing couldn't refute them, so he could only say, "Even if we take a million steps back, and he is indeed incredibly accurate, where am I supposed to find this 'extremely yin place'?"
People then began to speculate.
The poem says, "Autumn is when the yin energy governs the lower body, so all things are gathered." Could it be referring to autumn?
"Spring has just arrived, and autumn is still far away, so it doesn't seem so."
"Water is also extremely yin, so perhaps Mr. Green Water wants you to visit water towns more often."
Mu Xing shook his head: "Isn't Tonghua Town a water town? I got this injury at the old house in Tonghua."
After guessing for a while without finding any explanation, Young Master Xia suddenly said with an ambiguous expression, "I know a place where the yin energy is the heaviest and there is almost no yang energy. Moreover, it also conforms to the principle of yin and yang harmony. Miss Mu must not have set foot there."
Mu Xing became interested: "Really? What place is it?"
Young Master Xia glanced at Young Master Liu, who gave a knowing look and smiled without saying a word.
The crowd then jeered, "Speak up!"
Young Master Liu pondered for a moment and said, "This place is not hard to find; it's just an ordinary alley. But if Miss Mu were to search for it herself, she would definitely not be able to find it. Once she finds it, it will cost her some money. For an ordinary man, it might be worth going bankrupt and still not satisfying his desires, but for a woman, it has little appeal."
Mu Xing understood and said, "I know, it's a casino!" But then she thought about it again and felt something was off: "Casinos aren't unattractive to women, are they?"
"No, no." Young Master Liu shook his head, his gaze sweeping outwards as he saw the man entering from the private room.
Wang Mengwei, who was standing to the side, followed his gaze and frowned. She was about to stop Young Master Liu from speaking, but it was too late.
Young Master Liu pointed at Song Youcheng, who was entering through the door, and said, "This place is called Changsantangzi, which, to put it bluntly, is a brothel. Miss Mu, you may not know, but Youcheng is very familiar with it. He spends a fortune there, just to win a smile from that Japanese beauty! But I wonder—"
He scanned the various expressions on the faces of the people in the private room and chuckled, "I wonder if he has ever treated Miss Mu with the same sincerity!"
"Wh...what did you say?" Mu Xing was stunned.
For a moment, she wished she were deaf and blind, so she wouldn't understand what Young Master Liu was saying, or see the almost tacit expressions on everyone's faces.
But she is neither deaf nor blind.
Young Master Liu looked at Mu Xing and said in a pitying tone, "Mu Xing, I have to say you really have bad luck in choosing a partner. If Madam Chi Xue knew that the fiancé she chose for you would go out and spend money on brothels, she would probably regret it to the core."
He then pointed at Wang Mengwei and Li Yining: "And these two friends of yours, they watched you jump into the fire with their own eyes. Your Mu family has practiced medicine for three generations, so be careful not to catch any diseases!"
"You bastard!" Mu Yun suddenly stood up and lunged at Young Master Liu, but was grabbed by Young Master Xia and bumped into Wang Mengwei, who was also suddenly jumping up. The two fell together, overturning the tables and chairs and leaving a mess of cups and plates.
The female guests screamed in fright, and Li Yining rushed to help them up. The servants outside the door were also terrified and didn't know what to do.
Young Master Liu pulled Young Master Xia along and walked out. As they passed Song Youcheng, who was still standing there in a daze, Young Master Liu said to him contemptuously, "Young Master Song, there are also problems here that no amount of money can solve!"
Wang Mengwei, pinned to the ground by Mu Yun, still angrily cursed, "Don't go! You two bastards! Come back and explain yourselves! Don't go!"
Amidst the chaotic noise, Mu Xing turned her head and looked blankly at the disordered crowd, her gaze finally settling on Song Youcheng.
Her playmates, friends, and fiancé.
Her aunt had personally chosen her fiancé. She said he was a reliable person. She said her aunt could no longer be with her, but Youcheng could.
How could he betray his aunt's trust? How could he betray her trust?
Unable to withstand Mu Xing's gaze, Song Youcheng could only awkwardly look away and say, "Ah Xuan, I'm sorry."
Wang Mengwei, standing behind, said anxiously, "Ah Xuan! Youcheng, he..."
“Mengwei, forget it.” Song Youcheng interrupted him. “Ah Xuan… she won’t want to hear excuses.”
Mu Xing did not speak.
She carefully examined Song Youcheng's face and suddenly realized that after six years, the person in front of her was no longer the same.
She thought tonight would be a new beginning; she was back with her friends, back with her fiancé, and about to embark on marriage and friendship.
It turned out to be the end.
She turned to look at the people behind her and asked, "You all knew all along?"
Wang Mengwei frowned and responded with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.
Li Yining nodded silently.
Song Youcheng said, "Ah Xuan, don't blame them, they're doing it for your own good—"
Mu Xing smiled mischievously: "Of course I won't blame them. You're the one who made a mistake, why should I blame them?"
Slightly taken aback, Song Youcheng paused for a moment, then said, "I don't expect your forgiveness. I came here today to be honest with you. I will explain this to Uncle Mu and my parents myself. I will cancel the engagement. I just hope that you... can give the Mu family and the Song family some face, and give me some time."
Therefore, he not only committed such a shameful act and deceived her, but also thought of all the excuses and escape routes on his own, without considering her feelings at all.
Not wanting to listen to him anymore, Mu Xing lowered her eyes and whispered, "Brother, I want to go home."
Seeing her like this, Mu Yun felt a pang of heartache.
He replied with an "okay," got up and walked over, then suddenly rushed at Song Youcheng and punched him in the face!
"Ah!" Everyone screamed in fright, and two servants rushed up to pull Mu Yun away.
"I almost hit the wrong person!" Mu Yun shook off the servant and said fiercely to Song Youcheng, then reached out and grabbed Mu Xing, walking straight out.
All that remained was a scene of utter devastation and three people filled with remorse.
“I have nothing to blame myself for.” Li Yining looked at the two silent people. “This will spread in less than half a day. We should think about how to deal with it sooner rather than later—we don’t want to be pushed to our limits again like we are now!”
Wang Mengwei glared at her: "Now you've got what you wanted!"
Li Yining glared back defiantly: "What do I have to wish for?"
“You…” Wang Mengwei gritted her teeth, “You know the truth in your heart!”
Her heart skipped a beat, and Li Yining said, "I don't know what you're talking about!" She picked up her handbag and walked away.
Stepping out of the restaurant, a cool night breeze swept over me.
Mu Yun quickly took off his coat and draped it over Mu Xing's shoulders: "Let's go, the car is here."
Wrapped tightly in his suit jacket, Mu Xing walked forward with his head down, when suddenly he was grabbed and pulled back, followed by a screeching sound of brakes and screams.
She was hiding inside her coat, still unaware of what was happening, when her suit jacket was suddenly ripped open. Mu Yun looked at her anxiously: "Ah Xuan! Are you alright? Were you bumped into? Or were you frightened?"
A commotion arose, the onlookers discussed amongst themselves, the driver who slammed on the brakes cursed incessantly, but was frightened by the reputation of the Mu family and hid back in the car, driving away while still grumbling.
Wrinkling her bright red nose, Mu Xing said to Mu Yun with a wronged expression, "Brother, that fake fortune teller seems to really be effective! Should I really go check out the brothels? Look, I almost got hit by a car..."
Mu Yun quickly put his arm around her: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's all feudal superstition. Don't be afraid, let's go back."
Chapter Six
"Miss, this is the fifth time Miss Li has called. Are you really not going to answer?" There were seven more calls from Young Master Wang, and you haven't answered any of them without exception. This is unprecedented.
Fu Guang stood somewhat trembling at the doorway, utterly bewildered as to what had happened.
"I'm not answering, I'm hanging up." Mu Xing kept looking at his book, not even lifting his eyelids.
She shook her head at Jingye, who was standing in the living room downstairs answering the phone. Fu Guang became even more timid, not daring to make a sound as she walked, for fear that her mistress might suddenly get angry.
In fact, by the fifth time Mu Xing hung up the phone, his anger had almost completely dissipated.
All that remained was endless boredom and powerlessness.
For a fleeting moment, she even thought that what happened last night was all a dream, because she found it so unbelievable that she couldn't believe it was real.
However, just after eight o'clock, Wang Mengwei and Li Yining made several phone calls in succession, as if they had arranged it beforehand, forcing her to face the fact that her best friend had conspired with her fiancé to deceive her.
They don't even understand her as well as Young Master Xia and Young Master Liu!
Although Young Master Liu's purpose in bringing this up in that setting last night was certainly impure, at least they all knew that she had an absolutely intolerant attitude towards deception.
However, they still chose to deceive her.
"Miss..." Fu Guang knocked on the door timidly, "You can come downstairs for breakfast now. Do you want me to help you change your clothes?"
With a sigh, Mu Xing closed the book: "No need, I can do it myself." She never wanted to experience the fashion of a high-necked cheongsam again.
She changed into a simple plaid suit and opened the drawer of her dressing table, intending to take out a women's watch to wear. But as she reached out, she touched a box hidden deep inside the drawer.
Upon taking it out, I found it to be an extremely antique sandalwood jewelry box.
These days, when giving gifts, all sorts of velvet boxes and glass cases are popular, but boxes with such an antique feel are rarely seen anymore.
The outer edge of the box is delicately engraved with a pattern of twin lotus flowers, while the center features a bunch of grapes with sprawling branches and abundant fruit, symbolizing a long line of descendants and a prosperous family.
Mu Xing slowly opened the box and took out a pair of jade bracelets.
This was a gift from the Song family to her when they got engaged.