Chapter 35: Stop Questioning Me
A/N: This Chapter isn’t edited!
The banquet hall of the Yun residence was grand, but not in an overwhelming way. The tiles beneath their feet, polished till they glistened, reflecting the warm glow of the hanging lantern’s, making the entire hall seem brighter than it actually was.
Long tables stretched across both sides of the room, covered with nearly arranged dishes, jars filled with wine and desserts that looked too expensive to just be eaten. Numerous guests dressed in fine silk moved around with glasses in hand, some laughed softly while others exchanged polite smiles that didn’t exactly reach their eyes.
All in all, everything looked beautiful. A kind of beauty that made Gu Wanqing feel sick.
She stood in the corner of the hall, her eyes moving around the hall as she found herself feeling slightly annoyed.
Gatherings like these had always made her feel sick. Everyone smiled as if they actually liked everyone in this hall, the endless bootlicking and exchange of sweet greetings, that they sounded fake.
Yet, the moment one turned their back, it was still those same people that whispered and waited for the chance to tear one another apart.
Hypocrisy, that was all this was.
If her father had not ordered her to attend personally, she would have remained in her room and sent them a letter of apology along with a gift.
Standing beside her were two people that could easily make the entire room tremble in their presence.
The man with perfectly slicked back black hair and a glass of wine in hand, was Tang Jiangxuan. He belonged to the Tang family, one of the most powerful families in the Bei Dynasty. Despite the noble aura around him, Jiangxuan somehow still carried himself like a troublesome hooligan.
And standing closest to Wanqing was Yun Meilin.
The young mistress of the Yun family looked beautiful tonight. Being one of the hosts of this gathering, it was a necessity.
Her pale blue dress wrapped around her body elegantly, while silver hairpins had been inserted into her hair to hold it up. There was a softness in her eyes that naturally made people lower their guard around her.
Actually, she was the most approachable one amongst the three.
Unfortunately for her, Wanqing had known her since they were children.
The three of them stood side by side with small glasses of wine in hand, they drew the glances of people standing nearby every now and then. For once, there was a small smile resting on Wanqing’s lips as Yun Meilin spoke excitedly about something that had happened a few days ago.
"But I can’t believe he’d literally do that." Meilin said, covering her lips as laughter escaped her. "You should’ve seen his face, Wanqing."
As she spoke, she gradually leaned closer so her head was now placed against Wanqing’s arm.
Wanqing noticed but she merely rolled her eyes. She didn’t move, at least, not yet
A few minutes into the discussion, Wanqing caught sight of Han luo approaching from the corner of her eyes. The faint smile on her face dropped and she immediately stepped away, pushing poor Meilin off her shoulder without hesitation before turning fully to him.
Meilin stood, frozen.
For a brief moment, her eyes moved from Han Luo to Wanqing and then back again. Then, she dug her nails into her palm and bit down lightly on her lower lip, the smile on her face turning a little stiff.
Han Luo bowed respectfully, his eyes flickering to the young master of the Tang family, fully ignoring Yun Meilin.
"Young miss" he muttered softly as Wanqing gave him a small nod.
"You’ve taken her to the servants’ quarters?" She asked, sounding a bit uncertain.
Han Luo nodded in agreement. Wanqing hummed softly in understanding before lifting her glass to her lips, she took a small sip of the wine and remained silent for a moment.
Then she asked, hoping to sound casual, "Did tiger behave?"
Han Luo paused, not because of the question. But because of how she was referring to her slave, if someone were to hear her... They’d take that name as an endearment.
But also because Wanqing sounded slightly possessive and maybe a bit concerned?
"She was acting strange." Han Luo responded, deciding to tell Wanqing the truth.
Wanqing lowered her glass, raising a brow so he could elaborate further. Han Luo hesitated for a few seconds before continuing.
"She kept looking around and seemed nervous. After a while, I expected her to have calmed down a bit..." He frowned. "I really don’t know how to explain."
Wanqing’s brows furrowed almost immediately. Why would her tiger be nervous? That didn’t sound like Lin Anning.
During the short time they had spent together, Anning had already proven herself to be someone impossible to read. She could speak carelessly even with a sword pointed to her neck, insult people without thinking of the consequences and still somehow find the energy to argue after nearly dying.
Someone like that suddenly becoming nervous felt odd. There had to be something wrong or perhaps...
Wanqing stared absentmindedly at the wine inside her cup. She truly wanted to believe that she was overthinking things.
Perhaps Anning simply disliked unfamiliar places. Her father wanted her here, socializing and maintaining relationships between families was important.
Wanqing knew that and yet for some reason... Her thoughts still drifted toward a certain silver haired fool, currently sitting somewhere in the servants’ quarters looking frightened.
Before she could think further, a ridiculously large arm suddenly dropped over her shoulder, making Wanqing’s expression darken instantly.
Tang Jiangxuan leaned shamelessly against her, lowering himself until his lips hovered just above her ear.
"So, what exactly are you discussing so seriously? He asked lazily. "And who’s a tiger?"
His warm breath brushed lightly against her skin, but Wanqing remained unfazed. Across from them, Meilin seemed to have recovered.
"Jiangxuan isn’t wrong..." She said with a smile on her face. "Who is she?"
Wanqing stared ahead for a few seconds and without warning....
SMACK!
"Fuck!" Tang Jiangxuan hissed, taking a step away from Wanqing.
Why? Because Wanqing had slapped his hand gently off her shoulder.
Gently.
The warmth in her expression was long gone, at that moment, no one spoke.
Except for Jiangxuan that was literally in pain, though.
Wanqing couldn’t understand why her mood had suddenly turned sour. Perhaps she hated being questioned or perhaps hearing Anning’s name leave their mouths so casually made something in her chest tighten.
Either way, she didn’t like it.
"She’s a slave. My slave" she began flatly, running her tongue over her lower lip. "I bought her a few days back."
Meilin didn’t respond at first. For a second, something dark flashed through her eyes before disappearing as quickly as it came.
Then she smiled.
"A slave?" She repeated. "But didn’t you once say slaves were troublesome and nothing but a nuisance?"
Wanqing pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache forming.
"She intrigues me." Wanqing responds.
Tang Jiangxuan smirked at her answer and Meilin? She looked annoyed.
Wanqing lowered her hand slowly, allowing her gaze to fall on Yun Meilin.
"Stop questioning me, Meilin. It makes me sick."
