The richest woman committed a crime with her child - Chapter 33

“Why are you here?” Qiu Chigong glanced at the jar of wine Shen Youting was holding.

“To congratulate,” Shen Youting replied curtly, offering no further explanation.

Xu Mei, however, noticed the carriage behind him. Chen Jingjing stepped out of it, and when Chen Jingjing looked over, Xu Mei turned and walked into the shop.

Shen Youting narrowed his eyes, walked past Qiu Chigong, and entered the restaurant.

Xu Mei picked up a menu that had fallen on the ground and tried to hang it back in its original place, but she was just a little too short.

“Take the wine,” Shen Youting said, standing beside her and handing her the jar of wine.

Xu Mei silently took the jar and turned to leave.

“Give it to me,” Shen Youting said again.

Xu Mei turned back and handed the jar to him.

Shen Youting didn’t take it.

“Didn’t you want the jar?” Xu Mei felt the jar was heavy, and holding it was tiring, especially since Shen Youting wasn’t taking it.

“The menu,” Shen Youting said, directly taking the menu from Xu Mei’s hand and effortlessly hanging it back up. When he turned around, Xu Mei had already walked away with the jar of wine, leaving his dark eyes filled with gloom.

At the entrance, there was a commotion. Wang Ming, Zhou You, and others surrounded Chen Jingjing, eagerly sharing their thoughts on the latest script.

“Miss Xu, your *Tale of the Wicked* is truly brilliant. It’s the best I’ve read in years.”

“The villain in *Tale of the Wicked* deserves to die!”

“Miss Xu, this is a letter I wrote for you…”

These people had found out that Chen Jingjing would be attending the restaurant’s opening celebration and had waited early to catch a glimpse of the talented woman.

Chen Jingjing’s delicate face wore a satisfied smile, and she even accepted the letter handed to her, showing none of the gloom she often displayed at the Xu residence. She was unusually approachable.

Xu Mei, wanting to conserve her energy for the Jiangning Weaving Bureau’s trade meeting, decided not to join the crowd. She stood by the railing on the second floor, watching the scene below with curiosity.

What puzzled her was: How had Chen Jingjing managed to circulate her script so quickly and let so many men know she was the author? Shen Youting had found her the best doctor in the Ming Dynasty to treat her hand, but her right hand had only recently regained normal function… Had she been hiding in her room for months, writing and creating with her left hand?

Xu Mei looked down at her own left hand, flexing her fingers—they were quite nimble. In fact, her left hand was as skilled as her right when it came to needlework.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice a young man standing beside her, wearing a net scarf and a golden hairpin, his gaze following hers to the entrance.

“The most beautiful woman in Yingtian, Xu Mei, standing alone on high, envying the bustling crowd below?”

Xu Mei turned to look at the speaker. He was dressed in high-quality dark green robes with intricate patterns, a belt embroidered with flowers, and black shoes free of mud. In his hand, he held a folding fan with wild cursive calligraphy—clearly from an official’s family.

The girl curled her lips into a bright, dazzling smile. “Do you know me, sir?”

The man waved his fan. “Miss Xu, your beauty is renowned throughout Yingtian. Of course, I know you.”

Renowned for her beauty…

This was implying that Xu Mei was only famous for her looks.

Xu Mei believed that while she might not be as brilliant as Shen Youting, she wasn’t just a pretty face with no brains. At the very least, the patterns on the man’s clothes were her design, part of a trend she had started with the clothes she made for Shen Youting, which had been imitated throughout the city.

However, others’ opinions didn’t matter much to her, and she had no intention of proving that she had talents beyond her looks.

The man, noticing her shifting gaze, asked, “Aren’t you curious how I know you?”

Xu Mei, not particularly interested, casually replied, “Then how do you know me?”

“That day, when Miss Xu passed by Xu’s Salt Shop, my friend happened to catch a glimpse of your true beauty. He asked me to find out more about you, and that’s how I learned you are the famous Xu family’s eldest daughter.” The man’s tone was full of pride.

Xu Mei thought to herself: *How pretentious, to dress up lustful intentions in such flowery language, and to be so proud of it. He’s not the only one like this.*

“Today, I’m here on behalf of my friend to get to know Miss Xu.” The man bowed slightly. “I am Wei Rushi. ‘Wei’ as in the state of Wei, ‘Ru’ as in auspiciousness, and ‘Shi’ as in right and wrong.”

Xu Mei’s gaze lingered on the man’s face as she smiled. “You’re quite strange. You’re here on behalf of your friend to learn about me, yet you only introduce yourself.”

Wei Rushi looked slightly embarrassed, fanning himself vigorously with his fan. “Well… I wanted to make sure Miss Xu knows I’m not some rogue.”

Xu Mei raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

Just then, Wu Mengying, dressed in a red and black vest, came upstairs and walked over.

Wu Mengying and Wei Rushi bowed to each other. Wu Mengying smiled and said, “Young Master Wei, I’ve already arranged the seating. I was just about to introduce Mei’er, but it seems you’ve already introduced yourself.”

Wei Rushi laughed. “What a coincidence. I happened to see Miss Xu as soon as I stepped out of the private room. Since Miss Wu has made the arrangements, I’ll formally meet Miss Xu later.” With that, he turned and returned to the private room.

Before Xu Mei could ask, Wu Mengying quietly explained, “This is Wei Rushi, the son of the newly appointed Yingtian Prefecture Governor. He told me he wanted to meet you, so I arranged today’s banquet. I hope you don’t mind.”

Xu Mei glanced at her. “It’s just meeting one more person, and he’s the son of the Yingtian Governor. He mentioned he’s here on behalf of a friend. Maybe I’ll take a liking to his friend and create a romantic tale.”

Wu Mengying smiled and added, “I also hope you’ll follow through and leave Shen Youting behind to find a good man!” She glanced downstairs, where Shen Youting was surrounded by five or six merchants trying to curry favor, and lowered her voice. “Wei Rushi also invited Shen Youting and Chen Jingjing.”

Xu Mei smiled playfully. “This man wants to befriend my entire family, doesn’t he?”

A moment later, Qiu Chigong brought Shen Youting and Chen Jingjing upstairs—Chen Jingjing’s movements were much more agile than the last time she had climbed the stairs.

Wu Mengying whispered to Xu Mei, “Shall we go ahead?”

“Sure.”

Wu Mengying led Xu Mei into the private room on the left.

Wei Rushi, who had been standing by the window fanning himself, stepped forward and gestured politely. “Please, come in.”

Xu Mei glanced around the room and asked, “Young Master Wei, are you alone?” She had been curious to see the “lustful” friend.

“Just me,” Wei Rushi said, gesturing again. “Please, have a seat.”

Wu Mengying glanced at Wei Rushi and said to Xu Mei, “Mei’er, you sit first. I’ll go arrange for the staff to prepare the dishes.”

“Alright.”

Wu Mengying left.

Xu Mei, having grown up in a merchant family and often meeting guests, wasn’t the shy type. She wasn’t afraid to meet a man alone. She smiled and asked Wei Rushi, “I heard you invited others. Where should I sit?”

“Miss Xu is the guest of honor. Sit wherever you like.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” Xu Mei walked over and sat by the window. “You and Mengying seem close?”

Wei Rushi sat to her left and smiled faintly. “We’ve known each other since childhood. We used to be neighbors.”

“I see.”

Being neighbors with the Governor’s family meant they were either wealthy or influential.

Although Xu Mei had no intention of probing into her friend Wu Mengying’s background, she couldn’t help but feel increasingly curious. Wu Mengying always seemed to spark curiosity without meaning to.

As they spoke, Qiu Chigong brought Shen Youting and Chen Jingjing into the room.

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