Ultimately, the main fault lies with Song Youcheng. Although Li Yining and Wang Mengwei are suspected of "knowing but not reporting," they are all friends, so it's unlikely they would interfere.
Mu Xing then said, "He's the one who did wrong, why should I be angry with you?"
Seeing that she said that, Li Yining was relieved and asked again, "So, do you want to break off the engagement?"
Mu Xing then expressed her desire to communicate with Song Youcheng.
Li Yining's expression changed: "Don't let his sweet words soften your heart again."
Mu Xing said dismissively, "Of course not."
After a moment of silence, Li Yining suddenly said, "The Song family actually knew about Youcheng keeping that Japanese woman as a mistress."
Mu Xing was stunned: "What…"
Li Yining said, “Youcheng’s sister-in-law once told my second sister-in-law that Aunt Song said it’s normal for young people to be fickle. Since you’re already getting married, how can you break off the engagement over such a small matter? She also said that women shouldn’t compete with men in terms of career. If you get married, she will definitely not allow you to have your own career like my second sister-in-law. In that case, you will naturally have no right to blame Youcheng… Ah Xuan, I’m really worried about you. Of course, Aunt Song loves us very much, but compared to her son, we are ultimately outsiders.”
Mu Xing looked at Li Yining, opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.
She tried her best not to be too rude: "I... Aunt Song, she knows that I'm determined to study medicine. These things can be discussed, can't they? Even if I marry Song Youcheng, it's me and him forming a family. Whether or not I work is between Song Youcheng and me. Does Aunt Song have to interfere with this? I'm a person, not an animal or a machine that can be manipulated by others!"
Li Yining shook her head.
“Ah Xuan, marriage is not such a simple thing, nor is it the so-called Western-style progress that you think it is. No wonder, Brother Qing and Brother Yun are not married yet. You don’t understand the conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, fathers-in-law and sons-in-law, or even the interests involved in marriage.”
Mu Xing frowned at her: "You..."
Li Yining just sighed: "I said all this because I care about you. Think about it carefully." She looked around, "This banquet is giving me a headache. I'll go back first."
Mu Xing returned to the hall with unsteady steps.
She didn't know why Li Yining was telling her all this, but she knew that Yining wouldn't lie to her.
The kind and amiable Aunt Song in my memory has changed, as has the gentle and polite Song Youcheng. All my fantasies and expectations have been distorted.
So, does this mean she should thank Song Youcheng for not marrying her?
Mu Xing smiled wryly and drank the sweet wine in his glass in one gulp.
It was nearly nine o'clock, and the banquet was only halfway through. After receiving a hint from Tang Yu, Mu Xing found Madam Mu and, under the pretext of wanting to go for a stroll with the young ladies, successfully slipped away.
Then the group of young people got into their cars and headed to the grand hotel.
Mu Xing was riding in Tang Yu's car. She leaned against the window, staring blankly at the scenery rushing by outside.
Tang Yu was introducing the young masters who had come out with her today. After talking for a while, she looked up and found that Mu Xing was not listening.
He chuckled and said, "What are you thinking about, so engrossed?"
Mu Xing snapped out of her reverie: "It's nothing. I was just thinking, aren't we going to Yuejiang today?"
If she doesn't go, she'll have to go back, and she really doesn't have the energy to just go through the motions.
"No, we're going to Pingjin Restaurant today to order some invoices," Tang Yu said.
"Bureau ticket? What's that?" Mu Xing asked.
Tang Yu then explained to her what a "jupiao" (局票) was.
Originally, going to a brothel to find a master was called "having tea," while asking a master to come out and accompany you outside required writing a "gift slip." Usually, the gift slip was for a master you knew well; if you didn't know him, he might politely decline.
Mu Xing thought to herself, she had only met Miss Bai Yan three times in total, and two of those times didn't count as a formal acquaintance. What if she refused to come?
Thinking about it this way, she lost even more interest and just leaned back listlessly in her chair.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, the young men thronged in, keeping the staff very busy. After finally settling into a private room, they engaged in a flurry of introductions and banter. Mu Xing felt both annoyed and confused, yet had no choice but to go along with it.
She sat quietly drinking tea when she suddenly heard someone next to her say, "Hey, why isn't Cui Yuanbai here?"
One of them said, "This young master Cui is heartbroken and has gone to weep in secret. He doesn't have time to play with us."
The crowd then laughed knowingly.
“This Bai Yan is truly extraordinary,” a young master said. “Even someone as stingy as Cui Yuanbai could spend so much money on her.”
"You don't even know what title she has, the adopted daughter of a military advisor! She can even win over those Americans, who knows how many tricks she has up her sleeve."
"To put it bluntly, she's just a prostitute. I don't see anything special about her. It's just that some people are too stupid. Can love bought with money really be considered love?"
"While that makes sense, Bai Yan is truly precious. You can only see her seven out of ten times when you ask for her services. The other three times, you have to rely on Young Master Cui's connections."
After listening to their chatter, Mu Xing roughly understood what they were saying. It turned out that Bai Yan had abandoned Young Master Cui, who then became depressed and drunk all day. His father beat him severely and forced him to get married.
Mu Xing wanted to laugh as he listened, thinking to himself that Bai Yan's destructive power was truly enormous.
After chatting for a while, someone finally got to the point: "I say, drinking alone isn't very enjoyable, shouldn't we call in a few gentlemen?"
The group then asked a servant to bring a stack of stationery, which they first presented to Tang Yu: "You are the host, so naturally you should go first."
Tang Yu and Mu Xing exchanged a glance. With a stroke of his pen, Tang Yu wrote the words "Youfeng Shuyu, Jinfeng," which almost made Mu Xing burst out laughing.
“Young Master Tang is truly devoted,” she said.
Tang Yu also said in a serious tone, "Not only does Young Master Mu know how to save the world, but I will also save Feng, who is alone in her empty room, today."
After Tang Yu finished writing, he handed the paper to Mu Xing.
Before going abroad, Mu Xing was considered a troublemaker, but she only caused trouble within her own social circle. Now, times have changed, and her social circle has been replaced. Few people know her anymore, and none of the people who came with her today recognize her, only knowing that she is a member of the Mu family. Now, seeing Tang Yu treating her warmly, everyone exchanged glances and their expressions towards her became even warmer.
“Young Master Mu has just returned to the country and probably doesn’t know any prominent figures yet. Would you like us to recommend someone to you?” someone suggested.
Mu Xing stroked the peach-pink and gold-flecked stationery, smiled, and wrote the two characters "Bai Yan" in a flamboyant style. Then, imitating Tang Yu, he marked the top of the ticket with the character "Mu".
She smiled at the person who had just spoken and said, "I really need Mr. Li to recommend someone. I wonder which brothel Miss Bai Yan you mentioned belongs to?"
Upon hearing her say this, the expressions on everyone's faces immediately became subtle.
Chapter Fourteen
After a moment of silence, someone laughed and said, "Young Master Mu, you're new here, so you probably don't know this. This Miss Bai Yan never accepts invitations from people she doesn't know well."
Mu Xing said dismissively, "It's precisely because we're not familiar with each other that we invite them over to get to know each other, isn't it?"
So what if she was rejected? Things wouldn't get any worse. Besides, judging from Miss Bai Yan's tone that day, she was clearly in a hurry to find another job. She didn't believe Miss Bai would refuse.
After being rebuffed by Mu Xing, the others didn't dare to say anything more. At the same time, they secretly wondered if Mu Xing would be rejected and lose face. With that in mind, they told Mu Xing the name of Yuhua Book House, where Bai Yan belonged, and then organized everyone's game tickets and sent them out by servants.
While everyone was busy, Mu Xing had a sudden thought and whispered a few words to Tang Yu.
As night deepens and bright lights hang high, Yuejiang, hidden in a corner of the city, seems like a beautiful fox spirit from a ghost story, taking advantage of the darkness to come to the human world and make a secretive yet noisy appearance.
The street was a mixed bag of people, but as soon as they stepped through that dark door, they were like fish entering the sea, rushing in and then disappearing without a trace.
Yuhua Academy was brightly lit and bustling with noise. The young and old gentlemen's laughter grew louder and louder as they greeted guests and led them to their rooms for tea. The gentlemen who didn't have any guests yet sat in the main hall, simmering like oil in a pan, their eyes darting around anxiously, fearing that if they ate "tangyuan" (a type of sweet dumpling) today, they would be in for a beating from their mothers.
Amidst the sea of bright reds and purples, a touch of green on the third-floor corridor stands out as particularly refreshing.
Customers came and went in the lobby, and countless eyes fell on that graceful figure, but then looked away after a moment.
Leaning against the railing on the third floor, Bai Yan held a box of matches, lit it listlessly, blew it out, and stacked it on the railing.
She knew very well that not many people would dare to risk asking her.
Now that the war has just ended, all regions are cleaning up the "remnants," and anyone associated with those who draw military pay is being dragged to the marketplace and shot. Fortunately, that official hasn't been labeled yet; unfortunately, some timid and cowardly people dare not hire her anymore, fearing that one day the situation will turn sour and they will be implicated.
The title of "adopted daughter" of the military advisor is her asset and her defining characteristic.
A wealthy gentleman walked by with his guests. Bai Yan glanced at the portly merchant, twisted her waist, and gave him a charming and seductive look, instantly attracting many gazes. Some were greedy and timid among the guests, while others were furious with the wealthy gentleman.
She pursed her lips and smiled lazily.
That person once said that she was a person of self-respect.
He taught her many things: American English, ballroom dancing, Western food... all of which became the foundation for her to establish herself in the brothel. But of these skills, self-esteem was probably the most useless thing.
Without that person's protection, she would eventually become like those women downstairs, using her petty scheming and looks to snatch scraps of charity—or perhaps, she already is.
Tonight is probably not a night for self-pity.
After receiving a warning look from her mother, who was greeting guests downstairs, Bai Yan smiled to show that she was working hard.
Nine days have passed since she broke up with Young Master Cui, and she has been eating "glutinous rice balls" and sitting on the sidelines for nine days.
The wounds on her body have gradually faded, but if she still doesn't have any customers today, it will probably be more than just a beating.
Amidst the mingling of elegantly dressed men, a man in a black robe suddenly darted into the brightly lit lobby. Before he even stood still, he called out from under the doorway, "Bureau ticket—"
The gentlemen, who had been sitting in a corner with no customers, suddenly perked up. They quickly tidied their appearance and craned their necks, hoping to hear their names called.
The very first song they sang was about Bai Yan.
"Snap."
She lit another match and lowered her eyes.
Since someone is willing to take the risk, perhaps it's time for her to shine.
Immediately afterwards, the servant announced, "Huxi Hotel, Young Master Mu!"
Bai Yan was stunned for a moment.
Mu...Third Young Master?
Those sharp, dagger-like eyes flashed through my mind.
The gentlemen who hadn't been called out cast cryptic glances and began whispering among themselves, and even some guests who knew Bai Yan's temperament started talking about her.
"Young Master Mu?"
"The Mu family, I heard that one of their sons has returned from America."
"This is the first time I've heard of this. Will Bai Yan accept it?"
"Oh dear, she dares not answer? Just the other day, my mother... cough cough."
"hiss!"
In a moment of distraction, the flames had already scorched her fingers. Bai Yan hurriedly blew out the flames, but she was too slow; a small patch of her nail polished nails had already been blackened by the smoke.
Young Master Mu the Third?
Stroking her blackened nails, Bai Yan lowered her eyes as if in consideration, but a smile played on her lips. With a turn of her head and a straightening of her back, she transformed back into the glamorous top male escort.
“Auntie,” she called out loudly, “come and dress me up.”