Chapter 295: Chapter 295: I Just Like Walking This Way—Does It Bother You?
Eventually, he stopped in front of the girl.
Shen Hua calmly met his gaze. In the end, she averted her eyes and let out a cold, indifferent snort.
She clutched the hand warmer tightly to her chest. Having done all this, the girl then disdainfully glanced over the group of girls in front of her.
"The person in question is here, if you ladies have any questions, why not ask him directly? Why bother turning to me?"
Seeing this, Lady Lu couldn’t help but feel that the cousin from the Marquis Yangling Mansion was extremely rude. However, upon looking at Cui Yun, there were no words of anger.
It was clear that in the eyes of the Cui family, the cousin was much favored. She weighed her options and settled on a plan.
"Shen—"
"Miss Lu, I do not know you, as today is but our first meeting, and obviously we’re not close enough to share our hearts? But regardless, I am also a cousin of the Cui family, and I do know the degrees of kinship. My personality is stubborn and I can’t be concerned with your feelings, nor do I understand how to beat around the bush. This is just my temperament; if you can bear it, then endure it; if you cannot, then you’ll continue to suffer. Furthermore, I have no desire to have any dealings with you in the future, so you really don’t need to make any side attempts to get close to me. It’s exhausting for you, and even more so for me to have to deal with you."
Side attempts?
Who among those present could not understand?
The complexions of many girls turned a mix of green and purple, looking quite unnatural. They all harbored the same thoughts.
But soon enough, Shen Hua’s gaze shifted towards Wei Zhuzhu.
"You."
She said, "Wobble your head."
Wei Zhuzhu didn’t understand, but her subconscious told her that Shen Hua certainly did not have good intentions.
"What do you mean, Miss Shen?"
Indeed.
She heard Shen Hua counter with a question: "Did you hear the sound of a tsunami?"
Wei Zhuzhu was bewildered.
But the girl nearest to her couldn’t help but laugh.
Despite being utterly confused, and while the other girls struggled to suppress their laughter from the very start, it made her appear particularly dull and out of place.
This was what Wei Zhuzhu could not bear to accept.
All of a sudden, she heard Miss Lu of the Lu Family speak out: "What she means is, is your head filled with nothing but water?"
Too foolish to even realize she was being insulted.
Wei Zhuzhu suddenly felt awful: ...
Meanwhile, Shen Hua cast a contemptuous glance at Wei Zhuzhu.
"To speculate maliciously without full understanding, and to slander outright without any basis— I nearly thought this was the family style of the Minister of Industry Mansion."
"Did that girl offend you? Every single word you speak is against her, isn’t it?"
"Humility fosters virtue, and carefulness forms the foundation of conduct. Indeed, although you are a daughter of the Wei Family, you are but born of a concubine, how would you understand such profound principles? You’ve just picked up some good fortune, donning the brightest clothes and wearing the most fashionable jewelry, and you think you’ve ascended to the heavens? But I have a piece of advice for you."
She spoke in a condescending and scathing tone, belittling Wei Zhuzhu into the mud in front of everyone, not forgetting to step on her a few more times.
"On rare occasions people treat you as a human being, try to at least act the part, will you?"
Wei Zhuzhu’s face contorted in an instant. When she slandered others openly, she was carefree and unconcerned, but how could she not be infuriated when being scolded in return?
The status of the girls allowed to participate in the spring hunt was naturally not low. Although their households might not need to be mentioned compared with Governor Mansion or Duke Fu’s Mansion, they were still reasonably distinguished.
Her purpose in coming here was indeed to form connections.
Before coming, her concubine mother had warned her countless times, saying that their good days had arrived, and told her not to mess things up in front of her father. But now, those proud moments probably turned into nothingness.
Wei Zhuzhu had never felt such loathing towards someone.
She bit her lower lip hard, on the verge of tears.
It is often said that Marquis Cui is the most proper, dignified, and self-disciplined, which presumably reflects the strict family discipline of the Cui Family through and through. Of course, Cui Rong is an exception. However, since she lost her father at a young age, one could understand Cui Yun’s excessive indulgence in her. Nonetheless, he surely could not stand to see Shen Hua humiliating someone like this.
Yet, contrary to expectations, Cui Yun did not give her a single glance, showing absolute disregard for the fact that she was the one being bullied.
And the rest of the girls, having embarrassed themselves, and met with frustration, quickly dispersed following Lady Lu. Seeing that, Wei Zhuzhu gritted her teeth and followed them without hesitation.
She said with a sobbing tone: "Sister Lu."
"Don’t even go there." Lady Lu’s smile was hollow and forced.
"With your birth as a concubine daughter, even if you are fostered under Lady Wei, you should not presume to associate with me. If it weren’t for you suggesting we seek out Miss Shen, would I have made such a fool of myself in front of Marquis Cui?"
What’s wrong with being a cousin?
In all of Shengjing City, how many cousins can be as assertive as she is?
This is the cousin from Marquis Yangling Mansion. Even Miss Xie Yinong from Duke Fu’s Mansion is quite affectionate toward her.
On this side,
Cui Yun looked at Shen Hua. The girl was tense all over, like a firecracker ready to explode at a touch.
"Had enough of venting?"
Shen Hua walked away, clearly not in good spirits.
Cui Yun’s voice was gentle: "Still sulking, that means you’re over it."
Shen Hua continued to walk away, holding her breath.
Cui Yun, watching her awkward gait, reminded: "You’re moving in a clumsy way."
Shen Hua turned around, furious: "I just like walking this way, does it bother you?"
Cui Yun’s expression was calm, he chuckled softly: "Not at all."
"It just reminds me, when Xue Tuan was young, she walked in a wobbly, bumbling manner, sometimes when she was in a hurry, her four legs had different ideas, never yielding to each other."
Mock someone once, and now a cat too?
Shen Hua thought in frustration, successfully provoked.
Just then, someone strode in.
"What happened? I just saw the Second Lady of Wei Family crying and leaving. It really pained my heart."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Huo found his answer.
Without a second thought, it could only be Shen Hua’s doing.
He looked at Cui Yun accusingly: "Why didn’t you stop her?"
Soon, he noticed the tense atmosphere between Shen Hua and Cui Yun. The provoked Shen Hua looked emotionlessly at him.
"The Heir of Prince Gong has sisters too, right?"
"Yes."
Ji Huo became irritable at the mention: "They’re here for the spring hunt too, the loudest and most boisterous one, without proper decorum all day, I’m afraid she’ll never get married. I have cousins too, why do you ask such a question out of the blue?"
Cui Yun was silent, already guessing Shen Hua’s motivation.
He suddenly burst into a snicker.
As expected. The girl went on with a clearly vindictive retort.
"Let me ask you another thing."
Shen Hua asked with a serious face: "If your sister were to be intimate with you by chance, would you marry her?"
Ji Huo was utterly bewildered by the question, he instinctively stepped back.
"What are you asking? Have you lost your mind?"
Shen Hua said somberly: "Then if she were to kiss you, would you dodge it?"
"I’d slap her back to her senses. I’m utterly disgusted, how could any decent person do such a thing! Not even a cousin! Treated as a sister since childhood, I may be libertine and fond of dalliances with women, but I still maintain moral integrity and sense of shame. Such a thing, not only can I not accept it, my father would kill me for it."
Cui Yun closed his eyes heavily.
"My mind may not be as sharp as Cui Yun’s, but I’m not sick."
After this comment, Ji Huo looked at the silent Cui Yun with confidence.
"Right?"