“Miss, I don’t think we can blame them. They have their own rules, and they can’t do things that don’t follow those rules,” Ren Dong said, rubbing her stomach, which was a little sore from holding back her laughter.
"What? Does my appearance not meet their requirements for entering the store?" Qin Xiaoyou said, glancing at herself in the bronze mirror. Hmm, she did look a bit ugly and a bit sleazy. She ripped off the half-fallen mustache from her lip and called over Rendong to fix her face. This time, Qin Xiaoyou decided not to play any disguise games; she would just go out and inspect the place with her own face.
But is it that her appearance doesn't conform to this country's aesthetic standards? Why was it that when the three of them went to the Spring Blossom and Autumn Moon Gambling House again, Qin Wu and Ren Dong were allowed in, but Qin Xiaoyou was stopped at the door again? The thug had even covered his eyes and pleaded, "I said, girl, if you're so ugly, don't come out and scare people. After seeing you, I realized that the sleazy young master who came to cause trouble before wasn't that shockingly ugly, except that he was a bit thin and sallow. I shouldn't have thrown him away."
"Go to hell! Are you blind? Look at me properly, what's ugly about me?" The thug's words successfully ignited Qin Xiaoyou's temper. She cursed and lunged forward, trying to pry his hands off, demanding he look at her again. But the thug kept his eyes closed and refused to comply. Just as the two were fighting wildly, a serious yet slightly cold voice rang out: "Ah Hu, what are you doing?"
Upon hearing the voice, the thug named Ah Hu immediately ran towards the source of the voice like a submissive wife, crying and pleading as he ran: "Boss, you have to stand up for me! This ugly woman is trying to force herself on me!"
Su Xiao glanced at Qin Xiaoyou with amusement, her eyes seeming to say: "Tsk, you still want to force yourself on someone like that? You're really thirsty." This sight ignited Qin Xiaoyou's anger. She took two steps forward, intending to teach the boss a lesson, but Ah Hu, thinking she was after him, quickly hid behind Su Xiao, fearfully saying, "Boss, please get rid of this ugly woman! She's only after my looks! I don't want to marry her!"
Upon hearing this, Ren Dong, Qin Wu, and Qin Xiaoyou all shuddered. How could this person be so narcissistic? However, Su Xiao seemed unfazed and reassured them gently, "Don't worry, I won't let her have a chance to do anything out of line to you. You're frightened, go back to your room and rest." "Okay," Ah Hu replied, sobbing, as he walked towards the backyard of the gambling den.
Seeing that the person who had been following him had left, Su Xiao, with his unchanging poker face, said, "Although we run a gambling den, the people working here are all from respectable families. So, if you really like our Ah Hu, please bring betrothal gifts and a matchmaker. Barging in like this is impolite, and it will inevitably lead to gossip about us." Having said that, he ignored Qin Xiaoyou's almost frozen expression and turned to leave.
This time, Ren Dong couldn't hold back any longer and squatted down on the ground, clutching her stomach and laughing. Even Qin Wu, who usually had no expression, had a faint smile on his face. Qin Xiaoyou looked at the two gloating people with some annoyance and stomped her feet, saying, "You two heartless bastards only know how to laugh. If you keep laughing, I'll leave you in the gambling den to work as thugs with that Ah Hu."
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's annoyance, Rendong rubbed her stomach and stood up, saying, "Miss, it seems we can't get into this gambling den without revealing our identities. Perhaps we should..."
"No way!" Qin Xiaoyou interrupted Ren Dong before he could finish speaking. "If we reveal our identities directly, what's the point of this undercover investigation? I don't believe it. I'm going to see what these businesses under my name are really like. Let's go, let's go to the pharmacy."
Looking at the four large characters "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon" on the plaque above the door, Qin Xiaoyou resisted the urge to collapse and turned to ask Rendong, "Are you sure this is the pharmacy we're going to?" "Yes, according to the list you gave me, Miss, this is the right one," Rendong nodded.
Ugh, Qin Xiaoyou really wanted to cover her face and leave. What a bizarre name this shop was! Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a brothel. After hesitating at the door for a long time, thinking about the purpose of her trip, Qin Xiaoyou gritted her teeth and walked inside.
Hmm, very good. Apart from the name being a little strange, the shop is quite normal inside, the decor is just like a normal pharmacy. And the counter... wow, handsome guy! Seeing the young clerk turning around to dispense medicine, Qin Xiaoyou's eyes lit up as she pounced on him.
"What kind of medicine does the young lady want to buy?" The young shopkeeper had good composure and was not frightened by Qin Xiaoyou's sudden pounce. Instead, he asked with a slight smile.
Oh no, I'm going to faint! That smile is too captivating. Qin Xiaoyou, struggling to stay upright despite feeling weak from the young shopkeeper's smile, asked with a lovesick expression, "Can I buy you to use in medicine?"
After hearing this, the young man asked innocently, "What kind of medicine do you want to buy from me, young lady?"
"Ouch, who stepped on me?" Qin Xiaoyou was jolted back to reality by the sudden pain in her foot. Turning her head, she met Ren Dong's winking and gesturing face, and only then did she remember the real reason she had come here. Sigh, beauty can lead to both trouble and failure.
"I was just joking, don't mind me. I was wondering why you're the only employee in your shop? How can you manage?" Qin Xiaoyou asked, her infatuation gone.
"It's alright," the young waiter replied meekly.
"Um, not bad. What kind of answer is that?" Qin Xiaoyou twitched her eyebrows, thought for a moment, and asked a different question: "How's business at the pharmacy?"
"It's alright," the young man replied while grinding the medicinal herbs in his hands.
When Qin Xiaoyou asked the fifth question, the waiter still answered "It's okay," which made Qin Xiaoyou furious. "Are you just messing with me on purpose? You give the same answer to every question I ask!"
"But it's really just okay," the young waiter said, pouting with a wronged expression.
Looking at the young shop assistant's pitiful appearance, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt for bullying a child. She comforted herself, thinking: He's just a shop assistant; it's normal that he doesn't know the situation in the shop. With this thought, Qin Xiaoyou felt relieved. She cleared her throat and asked the shop assistant to bring out the owner of the pharmacy, but the shop assistant said, "I am the owner."
Suppressing the urge to hit someone, Qin Xiaoyou leaned closer and asked, "Is that really true?"
The young waiter leaned back uncomfortably and replied, "Of course it's true, Miss Qin. You know Lin'er never lies."
The shop assistant's words were like a bolt from the blue! Did this shop assistant know her? Before Qin Xiaoyou could figure it out, the shop assistant smiled and said, "My brothers and the others have been waiting for you upstairs for a long time. Miss Qin, let's go." With that, he pulled Qin Xiaoyou's hand and headed towards the back of the pharmacy. The spineless Qin Xiaoyou, completely dazed, followed him.
Chapter 21, The Rolling Thunder
"Miss Qin, I apologize for my earlier rudeness." As soon as Su Xiao saw Qin Xiaoyou and his younger brother appear at the stairwell, he immediately put on a smiling face. It's said that one doesn't hit a smiling face; by doing so, it would seem petty for Qin Xiaoyou to still be angry about the gambling den incident. Su Xiao's calm and collected demeanor also indicated that he was certain Qin Xiaoyou would have to swallow this bitter pill.
Qin Xiaoyou stood there without saying a word, looked Su Xiao up and down a few times, and said, "His appearance is not bad, but it's a pity he's not quite good enough to be the top courtesan."
Su Lin asked innocently, "Miss Qin, what are you talking about as the top courtesan?"
Qin Xiaoyou turned her head, grinned mischievously, and pinched Su Lin's rosy cheek, saying, "Naturally, she's the top courtesan at the brothel."
Su Lin's face immediately turned pale with fright. Seeing this, Su Xiao quickly pulled him to her side and said, "Miss Qin still likes to joke with Lin'er. But Lin'er is timid, so don't keep scaring him."
"Tsk tsk, look at how protective he is," Qin Xiaoyou scoffed, finding a seat and glancing around before realizing there were quite a few people upstairs. Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's gaze fall on him, the round, chubby, and amiable-looking money exchange owner, Jin Yuanbao, spoke up: "Miss Qin, how have you been?"
"It's alright." Unsure of who this person was, Qin Xiaoyou simply nodded expressionlessly.
At this moment, Su Xiao pulled Su Lin to sit down as well. Ren Dong and Qin Wu stood behind Qin Xiaoyou. For a moment, no one spoke at the table, and the atmosphere became a bit awkward. Seeing that the atmosphere had become stiff, Jin Yuanbao said with a smile, "This morning we received a message from Miss Zui, saying that all the shops in this area of the capital will be under Miss Qin's management from now on. So everyone bring your account books and gather here to listen to Miss Qin's arrangements."
Qin Xiaoyou nodded and said knowingly, "You can hand over all the account books to Ren Dong later. As for the operating status of your shops, I hope you can give a brief explanation now."
Hearing Qin Xiaoyou's words, Su Xiao's lips curled almost imperceptibly. It seemed that Zui Linglong's suspicions were correct; this Qin Qin was indeed a bit abnormal. To throw out such a high-sounding statement only proved that she didn't know these people at all. Moreover, when she saw him this morning, she acted as if he were a complete stranger. Heh, interesting, truly interesting.
After a brief introduction, Qin Xiaoyou had a basic understanding of everyone present and felt a little more at ease. To her left sat a handsome, androgynous man in red, surnamed Chen, named Xuan, the owner of a cosmetics shop, though his true expertise lay in perfumery. Opposite her sat Jin Yuanbao, the owner of Daxiao Money Exchange, his chubby hands moving with lightning speed on the abacus. To her lower right sat a man with a cool demeanor, dressed in an elegant blue robe; he was Yun Qing, the manager of a silk shop. Judging by his icy expression, Qin Xiaoyou seriously doubted whether anyone would actually buy any fabric. To her right sat Su Xiao, the gambling den owner, and Su Lin, the pharmacy owner, whom she had already met. Upon learning that the two were brothers, Qin Xiaoyou's jaw nearly dropped. Su Lin, with his innocent, adorable face, had a cunning older brother—this pairing was just too adorable!
After everyone finished their introductions, they waited for Qin Xiaoyou to speak. Qin Xiaoyou smiled faintly and said, "We've talked for so long today, and I think everyone is tired. Why don't you all go home and rest first? I'll have someone invite you all over for a get-together after I've reviewed the accounts and made my next plans. What do you think?"
These words left no room for criticism, so Jin Yuanbao stood up first and said, "In that case, we'll take our leave." After a series of "goodbyes," most of the people had finally left. Seeing that no one was around, Qin Xiaoyou finally relaxed. Before, she had been holding her back straight to maintain an air of authority, which had exhausted her.
"Miss Qin, are you feeling unwell?" Su Lin asked anxiously, seeing Qin Xiaoyou slumped weakly on the table. To her surprise, the question startled Qin Xiaoyou. Her eyes widened as she asked, "Why haven't you left yet? Didn't I tell you to leave?"
Su Lin's eyes reddened, and she said with a wronged expression, "But this is my home."
Qin Xiaoyou was speechless, wishing she could disappear into a hole. She had actually been rudely telling the owner to leave their house. Blushing, Qin Xiaoyou stood up and said, "Rinpoche, we should go find a place to stay."
After taking only two steps, Qin Xiaoyou felt her sleeve being tugged. Turning around, she saw Su Lin blinking his large, watery eyes, his face full of sorrow, and asking, "Does Miss Qin dislike Lin'er?"
This question left Qin Xiaoyou completely bewildered. How could she dislike such a cute child? So she quickly replied, "No, why would I dislike you when I'm perfectly fine?"
"But you're leaving. You used to live here with me." Su Lin bit her lip, but her voice still trembled with tears.
Qin Xiaoyou's head buzzed for a moment. Had she always stayed here? She hadn't realized Qin Qin had such unusual tastes, liking such young children. However, as a principled young woman, she couldn't be like Qin Qin. So, Qin Xiaoyou pulled out her sleeve and said, "Okay, then I'll stay here with you again this time."
Upon hearing this, Su Lin blinked excitedly and hurriedly led the way, taking Qin Xiaoyou to the small courtyard where Qin Qin used to live.
She looked around the living environment with satisfaction; it was quiet, elegant, and just to her liking. After surveying the room, Qin Xiaoyou turned around and gave what she thought was a very friendly smile, asking, "Lin'er, where is your room?"
"Would Miss Qin like to see my room?" If Su Lin had ears, they would probably be standing up excitedly at this moment.
Qin Xiaoyou nodded, and Su Lin immediately grabbed Qin Xiaoyou's hand excitedly and said, "Then I'll take you there."
After turning at least five corners and getting completely dizzy, Qin Xiaoyou finally followed Su Lin to his room. Leaning against the doorframe, Qin Xiaoyou asked breathlessly, "Why is your room so far from mine?"
Su Lin was taken aback, clearly not expecting Qin Xiaoyou to suddenly ask this question, but he quickly regained his usual gentle demeanor and said, "This is my brother's idea."
"Big brother? You mean that Su Xiao who looks like a fox?" Qin Xiaoyou asked.
“Miss Qin, my brother isn’t a fox, he’s a human,” Su Lin argued, her face flushed.
"Pfft," Qin Xiaoyou chuckled mischievously, then straightened her expression and continued, "Why did your older brother separate your room from mine so far apart?"
"My brother said you like quiet places, so he specifically asked me to choose a quiet spot." Although this explanation sounded reasonable, Qin Xiaoyou still felt uneasy thinking that it was Su Xiao's idea. However, seeing that she couldn't get anything out of Su Lin, Qin Xiaoyou straightened up and asked, "Aren't you going to invite me in? Do you expect me to just stand at the door, glance at your room, and then go back?"
The question made Su Lin blush, and he hurriedly said, "It was my oversight. Miss Qin, please come in and sit down with me." After Qin Xiaoyou was seated, Su Lin hurriedly brewed tea and ordered the servants to bring out the delicious snacks available at the time.
Seeing the boy's flustered appearance, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Judging from his demeanor, Su Lin probably didn't have many friends. Su Xiao had been too protective of him. Boys always need to experience hardship to grow; too much smooth sailing and naivety isn't a good thing.
Chapter 22, The Uninvited Guest
Although it was late spring and early summer, it was still a bit chilly to stand by the window for a long time. Qin Xiaoyou crossed her arms and sighed.
"Such stars, such a beautiful night, why do you sigh, young lady?" A voice suddenly appeared behind her, but Qin Xiaoyou showed no surprise at all, and didn't even turn around. She simply said without any emotion, "Because it's cold."
Su Xiao was stunned for a moment, not expecting to hear this answer, but he still took off his coat and draped it over Qin Xiaoyou's shoulders with great gentlemanly manners.
Silence fell over them both. Qin Xiaoyou stood gazing out the window, something drawing her attention, it was unclear. Su Xiao, on the other hand, simply watched Qin Xiaoyou's retreating figure, showing no intention of speaking, as if his visit tonight was merely a casual visit.
After a long pause, Qin Xiaoyou finally turned around, frowning, and asked, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Su Xiao asked in surprise, "You want me to leave?"
Qin Xiaoyou frowned even more. She really didn't understand why this person was so tactless, so she also became quite impolite: "Nonsense, do you expect me to keep you here to guard the door when I'm going to sleep?"
"That's a good idea," Su Xiao said thoughtfully, ignoring the displeasure in Qin Xiaoyou's tone.
"Since you like guarding the gate so much, then you can guard it. I'm going to sleep." After saying that, Qin Xiaoyou completely ignored Su Xiao and went straight to bed to undress and go to sleep.
Su Xiao pressed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache as he thought: "That Zui Linglong has dumped trouble on me again. She's already certain that this is Qin Qin, yet she insists that I go and investigate."
Whether it was from the day's tiring journey or the room itself that gave Qin Xiaoyou a sense of familiarity, she fell into a sweet sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Su Xiao gazed quietly at Qin Xiaoyou's sleeping face. After a long while, she gently sat down beside the bed and reached out to brush a strand of hair from her forehead. She murmured to herself, "Why do you insist on pretending not to know us? What are you planning this time? But whatever you're planning, I can't help you anymore. I simply can't take any more risks. Qin'er, I already owe you so much, so what's one more time?" Having said this, as if making a great decision, Su Xiao didn't look at Qin Xiaoyou again and got up to leave.
The room fell silent again, with only half a window still swaying, a testament to the passage of time. The person who should have been asleep opened her eyes, her gaze filled with confusion. Qin Xiaoyou suddenly felt overwhelmed. What kind of mess had Qin Qin left her with? Everyone seemed to know Qin Qin, and there were strange, unresolved relationships everywhere. What was she supposed to do?
Night had fallen, and all things were silent. No one could answer Qin Xiaoyou's question, and no one could give her a reply. From the moment she inexplicably came into this world, she was destined to fight alone.
Ah, fighting alone? Thinking of this phrase, for some reason, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly missed Bai Yuxiao. She wondered where he was now, and if he would be worried when he got home and found her missing.
Recalling their first encounter, Qin Xiaoyou couldn't help but find it a little funny. She remembered being tricked by him, angrily vowing never to let him off the hook again, but their second meeting turned out to be him rescuing her from that cage, and then, she went home with him. Home? The thought of that word made Qin Xiaoyou's face flush slightly. Looking back now, she didn't know why she had trusted Bai Yuxiao so much, daring to go with him without asking why.
Although Qin Xiaoyou was usually carefree, she wasn't entirely careless; otherwise, she wouldn't have tried to escape from Wenren Qi's side. Even though Wenren Qi hadn't shown any malice, she still felt uneasy, guilty, and a little apprehensive, as if she had stolen Wenren Qi's possession. But when Bai Yuxiao appeared disguised as Mr. Fan, he inexplicably made her feel at ease. So, without even asking why Bai Yuxiao was there or why he had rescued her, she simply went with him.
Life in Youzhou City wasn't exactly unhappy; Bai Yuxiao was indeed a very good master, taking excellent care of her. However, Qin Xiaoyou always felt something was missing, and something was also missing between her and Bai Yuxiao. Her intuition told her that Bai Yuxiao was only so kind to her because he thought she was Qin Qin. Qin Xiaoyou dared not imagine what would happen if Bai Yuxiao knew that Qin Qin was dead and that another soul resided in her body. Unable to think about it, and unable to face it, she had no choice but to flee.
Qin Xiaoyou desperately wanted to escape everything—to escape the identity of Qin Qin, to escape everything related to Qin Qin. She wasn't Qin Qin; she didn't want to live in Qin Qin's place. She wanted to live in this world as her own person, as Qin Xiaoyou. She refused to be anyone's shadow; she simply wanted to be herself. Unfortunately, fate seemed to be conspiring against her. No matter where she turned or walked, she seemed to encounter people connected to Qin Qin. This was truly a headache-inducing situation.
Turning over and clutching the corner of the blanket, Qin Xiaoyou said softly, "Why do you want me to live in your place? I don't want to be your shadow, nor do I want to know anyone you know."
"Because everyone she knows is a very good person, she wants you to get to know them too." This sudden remark startled Qin Xiaoyou, and she forced herself to ask, "Who is it? Who's speaking?"
But the person who had been speaking suddenly seemed to have gone mute, refusing to speak no matter how Qin Xiaoyou asked. Qin Xiaoyou felt a little panicked, but dared not get out of bed to turn on the light and see, so she simply covered her head with the blanket, trying to avoid seeing or worrying about it.
After a while, a dark figure emerged from the shadows of the room; judging by the shape, it was a man. The man took a few steps toward the bed, but then suddenly stopped, stood there for a long time, and softly left behind the words, "I'm leaving," before disappearing.
Qin Xiaoyou shivered as she lifted a corner of the blanket, peeking out with her eyes to make sure no more noises or people would suddenly appear before finally exposing her entire head and taking a deep breath of fresh air.
Startled like that, Qin Xiaoyou's already dwindling sleepiness vanished instantly. She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, wondering if she should ask Qin Wu to buy her a large, imposing guard dog to tie up at the door the next day. Even with her strong constitution, she couldn't withstand such a fright if someone suddenly jumped out in the middle of the night. However, she quickly dismissed the idea. What a dog could keep out of the room wouldn't be able to get in anyway, and what could get in wouldn't be safe even with a dog tied up.
"Sigh, why am I so unlucky? I haven't been able to date a single handsome guy, and I'm living in constant fear," Qin Xiaoyou couldn't help but sigh.
"Pfft, what on earth is this girl thinking?" A dark figure was sitting on the roof of Qin Xiaoyou's room. It turned out that the person who had been in the room earlier had not left, but was sitting alone on the roof drinking. By sheer coincidence, he heard Qin Xiaoyou's sigh.
Chapter 23, The New Plan
"Is everyone here?" a woman asked, sitting behind a light veil.
"Miss, all the bosses have arrived," Ren Dong replied, standing behind the veil with her hands at her sides. It turned out that the person sitting behind the veil, looking like the ultimate boss in a gangster movie, was Qin Xiaoyou.
Qin Xiaoyou cleared her throat and said, "I'm really sorry to call you all here so early in the morning, but I have a habit of doing things right away whenever I think of something, otherwise I always feel uneasy and unsettled."
“What you say is true, young lady,” Jin Yuanbao said first. Shen Xuan, however, was busy fiddling with a stick of incense in his hand, as if nothing else mattered to him. Yun Qing remained expressionless as always, while Su Xiao’s gaze was fixed on his younger brother, Su Lin, without ever leaving his eyes. Su Lin blinked his round eyes, looking like he was listening very attentively.