Mu Wan seemed oblivious to Wu Zhixuan’s retreat and continued staring at Mu Rou, smiling without the slightest hint of fear. “Or does Second Sister believe the Marquis will come?”
“…” Mu Rou was completely speechless. How on earth did Mu Wan remain so confident in the face of such a humiliating situation?
Watching Mu Rou’s almost apoplectic expression, Mu Wan leisurely took a sip of her milk tea and smiled sweetly. “So, what will it be? Is Second Sister going to call the Marquis over to arrest me?”
Just as she finished speaking, the lively and noisy Mianfeng Tower suddenly quieted. The chatter downstairs grew noticeably softer.
“What’s going on?” The people in the private room looked downstairs.
The closest to the railing, Wu Zhixuan, peeked over and immediately panicked. “It’s—it’s the Marquis!”
Mu Wan was mid-sip of her milk tea when she lazily turned her head, only for her gaze to meet Xie Heng’s from the floor below…
“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!” Milk tea sprayed out of her mouth as she choked violently.
‘Xie Heng has actually shown up!’
Mushuang and Yunling immediately rushed to her side. “Miss!”
Wu Zhixuan, still reeling from the shock of Xie Heng’s appearance, was now even more astonished as she stared at Mushuang and Yunling. ‘You two are ridiculously bold! The fiancé himself is here, and you still dare to act so attentive?!’
‘No, wait!’ The rest of the gazes simultaneously locked onto Yunling. ‘If Mushuang’s behavior could be overlooked, when had this Lu Shizi started showing such interest in Mu Wan? What kind of femme fatale is this Mu Wan?!’
Downstairs, Xie Heng stood silently, watching the gorgeously dressed Mu Wan leaning against the railing, coughing. Beside her, two men hovered—one tall and handsome, the other delicate and refined. One patted her back while the other handed her a handkerchief… very interesting.
Xiao Liu’s eyes were filled with amazement. “Which family does that young lady belong to?”
Xie Tian sighed and shook his head dramatically. “The moral fabric of society is indeed crumbling. Two men fighting over one woman in broad daylight—how scandalous.” His eyes, however, sparkled with intrigue.
Xiao Liu hesitated. “Maybe she’s from the southwest? They’re more liberal there. But why does she seem so familiar? That doesn’t make sense. If I’d seen someone like her before, I’d never forget it.”
“…” After silently glancing at his two subordinates, Xie Heng started up the stairs without saying a word.
As he moved, the crowd hurriedly parted to make way for him.
In the private room, Zhu Nanxi quickly stood up. “The competition is about to start. I should go get ready.”
Zhang Jinru was just as quick to follow. “Right, right, I need to check on my father and see how he’s preparing.”
Liu Rui also got to her feet. “I should go to my brother.”
“…” Wu Zhixuan froze again. She couldn’t exactly leave since this was her private room, so she silently moved even farther away from Mu Wan.
By this time, Mu Wan had caught her breath. Raising her hand, she waved them off. “Don’t panic. He probably didn’t recognize me.”
Wu Zhixuan and the others stared at her in disbelief, their unspoken question plain: ‘Marquis Zhenbei doesn’t even recognize his own fiancée? Is that possible?! ‘
Of course, the girls had no knowledge of the modern makeup techniques that could achieve near-complete transformations. Add to that the fact that Mu Wan had only met Xie Heng three times before, each time dressed in a deliberately ‘modest’ and plain manner, and she was perfectly confident that he couldn’t recognize her.
Shrugging her shoulders, Mu Wan took the opportunity to play the victim. “That’s exactly why I want to break off the engagement.”
The girls had no idea of Mu Wan’s drastic ‘transformation,’ and attributed Xie Heng’s inability to recognize her to his indifference. For a moment, they found it hard to truly despise her. After all, she did seem a bit pitiful.
The only one who remained skeptical was Zhu Nanxi, who was very familiar with Mu Wan and wouldn’t get fooled so easily. “So, what’s the plan? Are you expecting us to be your accomplices in deceiving the Marquis?”
The others, who had just started to relax, tensed up again. Right, Xie Heng might not recognize her now, but he wouldn’t stay oblivious forever. He was the Mingjing Bureau, after all. And besides, Mu Wan was going to marry him eventually. It was only a matter of time before the truth came out…
Zhu Nanxi pushed the door open, eager to make a quick escape. But she immediately stepped back inside, stopping abruptly and causing Zhang Jinru, who was right behind her, to come to a sudden halt.
“What’s wrong?”
Zhu Nanxi sighed, rubbing her temples. “It’s too late. They’re already coming up, heading this way.”
Liu Rui whispered nervously, “What do we do?”
Mu Wan remained calm. “I don’t think he’s here for me. Look, he’s still wearing his official robes. Let’s wait until he passes this room, and then we can sneak out…”
Zhu Nanxi, on a high alert of Mu Wan’s ploy, interjected, “Where do you think you’re sneaking off to? Let me be clear—don’t even think about dragging me with you.”
Mu Wan sighed, lamenting the quick crumbling of their fragile camaraderie, “Weren’t you the one who insisted on coming along in the first place? You were looking for a live drama, weren’t you?”
Zhu Nanxi retorted, “Exactly! Enjoying the drama means watching from the sidelines. If I’m caught in the middle, it’s no longer drama—it’s a disaster.” She was happy to watch the chaos unfold, but she had no intention of being part of it.
“Shh…” As the sound of footsteps approached, Liu Rui whispered in panic, “Stop talking! What if they hear and come in?”
The room fell silent. Wu Zhixuan, visibly anxious, pointed to the peony on Mushuang’s waist. “Take it off! Are you trying to get us killed?!”
As Mu Rou watched the group frantically covering for Mu Wan, she felt as though she was dreaming. ‘Aren’t these people supposed to hate Mu Wan to the core? Why aren’t they exposing her? Why are they helping her hide instead?!’
Just as Mu Rou was lost in confusion, a familiar voice sounded from outside. “Rou’er? Rou’er, are you here?”
It was Li Yichen.
Mu Rou was instinctively about to respond, but every pair of eyes in the room turned to her, their collective glare screaming: If you dare make a sound, you’re finished! Her voice caught in her throat, unable to come out.
Unfortunately for the group, despite their efforts, the footsteps eventually stopped right outside the door. Everyone unconsciously held their breath.
“Excuse us, Third Miss Wu. We’re with the Mingjing Bureau. We have some questions to ask.” Xiao Liu’s polite voice broke the tension.
All eyes turned to Mu Wan, who remained composed as ever and whispered, “Don’t panic. He said he was looking for Xuanniang. Maybe it’s about something else.”
“…” Wu Zhixuan was on the verge of losing it. ’With her ‘lover’ standing there so prominently, how could Mu Wan stay so unbothered?!’
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Author’s Note:
Mu Wan: “Don’t panic, stay calm. After going through this ordeal together, our friendship will deepen immensely.”
Xie Heng: “Sure. Getting arrested together and spending time as cellmates will indeed strengthen anyone’s bond.”
Wu Zhixuan: “…”
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🤣🤣🤣 I can’t!! I just can’t 🤣🤣😭😭
🤣🤣🤣
I wonder what is his excuse for the investigation?
Thank you for your hard work ~
😂😂😂
For real being in prison can make them closer🤣
Thank you very much, mr/miss translator!
LMAOOO I see in my mind’s eye Wu Zhixuan’s hands twitching with the desire to shake her until her head rattles like a maraca and Zhu Nanxi is commiserating. Can’t wait for the next, thank you for translating!