Chapter 224: Chapter 167: Encountering Xiao Chengyi and He Hongying

The class leader didn’t expect this lady’s attendant to be so strong-willed, and couldn’t help but be taken aback, casting a questioning look at Shen Ruoxi.

Shen Ruoxi just gave a faint smile and calmly said, “She has a point. What do you think, class leader? Give us a straightforward answer!”

Since things had come to this point, the class leader had no choice but to nod and agree, “Alright, but if there are songs we cannot perform, we have the right to refuse.”

“We’ll write the contract tomorrow. Naturally, both parties should agree voluntarily,” said Shen Ruoxi firmly, with a decisive look in her eyes.

The class leader nodded again, indicating agreement.

As they left the Opera House, Ning Zhen’er smilingly offered to treat Shen Ruoxi to a meal to express her gratitude.

Shen Ruoxi glanced at her with a calm expression and asked, “Do you have any silver?”

Ning Zhen’er, truly short of money at the moment, straightforwardly said, “Then you treat me.”

With a helpless shake of her head, Shen Ruoxi sighed inwardly, thinking how unreserved Ning was.

But she still agreed, saying, “Alright, I’ll treat you.”

Ning Zhen’er rolled her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, “I want to eat at Quanju Building.”

Shen Ruoxi couldn’t help but think, you’re really not holding back, choosing the most expensive place in town.

The food there was not only ridiculously expensive, but sometimes you even needed to book in advance; even with money, you might not be able to eat right away.

But she swallowed her words before they left her mouth, only saying, “Fine, when you make money, you have to treat me back.”

“No problem!” Ning Zhen’er readily agreed.

Subsequently, the two of them entered Quanju Building together.

The waiter quickly greeted them and led them upstairs, apologetically saying, “I’m sorry, ladies, all our private rooms have been booked. How about finding a spot by the window?”

Shen Ruoxi and Ning Zhen’er exchanged a glance, indifferent to the arrangement, and nodded in agreement, casually finding a spot by the window to sit.

“Military Guard Ning, you order,” Shen Ruoxi said generously.

Ning Zhen’er smiled sweetly, “Then I won’t hold back.”

She seriously looked at the menu and ordered four dishes and a soup, not outrageously expensive.

After all, it was just the two of them, and ordering too much would only go to waste.

Quanju Building served the dishes quickly, and soon all the dishes were on the table.

Shen Ruoxi took a sip of tea first and asked, “What are your plans for the future?”

Ning Zhen’er paused slightly, puzzled, and asked in confusion, “Huh? What plans?”

She thought to herself, hadn’t she already expressed her desire to do business and prove herself? Why ask this again?

Shen Ruoxi spoke calmly, “I mean your lifelong plans. I heard from the Prince that you keep a young man in your courtyard.

Before, I wouldn’t have said a word, but now that we’re able to cooperate, I must advise you, what if that person has ill intentions?

Also, you shouldn’t lose faith in men just because of a temporary setback.

There are plenty of good men in this world. Look at my grandfather, my father, my brothers, all of whom married only one wife in their lives and were all loving and harmonious.

Xiao Chengyi is an exception.”

Ning Zhen’er raised her delicate eyebrows and slowly said, “It’s not that I’ve lost faith in men, but I find it pointless. Love only slows down my money-making pace. As for that person—”

Ning Zhen’er’s lips curled into a slight smile, “I’m clear that we don’t love each other, but it feels good! It’s a feeling I never had with Xiao Chengyi; he makes me feel like I’m in ecstasy and agony at the same time…”

Her words had just fallen when a mocking laugh interrupted, “Young General Xiao, I didn’t expect to run into your two ex-wives. What a coincidence! Aren’t they still hung up on you? They can’t stop talking about you.”

Shen Ruoxi and Ning Zhen’er turned their heads at the sound to see Xiao Chengyi and He Hongying standing at the staircase on the second floor.

He Hongying’s face was full of ridicule, while Xiao Chengyi had a darkened expression, though it was unclear how much of Ning Zhen’er’s words he had overheard.

Shen Ruoxi frowned, feeling a sense of discomfort. She couldn’t help but think this was a fateful connection; no matter where they went, they bumped into these two.

Nevertheless, she was now the dignified Princess Consort Zhan, and if the others dared to speak disrespectfully, she wouldn’t hold back.

This was Ning Zhen’er’s first time seeing He Hongying.

She noted that this woman was not only older than Shen Ruoxi but even less attractive than herself, yet she dared to taunt them so recklessly; it was as if she was courting disaster.

She couldn’t help but laugh, mocking Xiao Chengyi, “Xiao Chengyi, your taste really is at rock bottom. You’re like corn in late harvest, getting worse with each batch, like replacing sacks of grain with straw bags, going from bad to worse.”

Xiao Chengyi’s expression turned increasingly sullen, as dark as the bottom of a pot.

The day after Shen Ruoxi and Jun Moling’s grand wedding, he couldn’t even get up, feeling sore all over as if run over by a cart.

Initially, he thought it was due to a hangover, but upon reflection, he realized something was off.

After seeing the bruises all over his body, he was dumbfounded.

He’d always had a thick skin, but for so many marks to be left on him, he must have been beaten quite severely.

He reckoned, given that he was beaten at the Prince’s Mansion, it must have been under Prince Zhan’s orders.

Normally, one would be furious, questioning how even a prince could beat someone willy-nilly.

Furthermore, he attended their wedding and gave plenty of gifts and demands an explanation.

Even if he couldn’t get one, he figured he could at least make Jun Moling uncomfortable in return.

But Xiao Chengyi’s train of thought was unlike ordinary people; he wasn’t angry at all, instead secretly rejoicing.

He believed Shen Ruoxi must still have feelings for him, otherwise, based on Jun Moling’s character, why else would he have been beaten for no reason?

He saw it as Jun Moling being jealous, jealous that Shen Ruoxi still had a place in her heart for him.

When he thought it through, it made sense to him, because who could compare to the weight of a first wife?

He wasn’t afraid to wait since both of them were now in their second marriage. He just awaited the day Shen Ruoxi and Jun Moling would divorce.

By then, she might realize his worth, and after all, they were still young, with plenty of time to bide.

Realizing this calmed much of the anxiety he had been feeling.

He had driven his own wife away, but as long as there was hope, he would stop at nothing to win his wife back.

During his recovery at home, he racked his brains for various ways.

Today’s meeting was actually arranged by He Hongying. Since they were engaged by the Emperor’s decree, as an unmarried couple, they couldn’t have no interaction at all.

Therefore, he agreed to meet, stepping out with her together.

In reality, he was internally very resistant to this arrangement.

He Hongying was even more extravagant than Ning Zhen’er, with a completely spoiled rich lady’s demeanor.

But Xiao Chengyi was concerned about appearances; he didn’t want people to think the General Mansion had sunk so low that they couldn’t even afford to treat someone to a meal.

So, despite his reluctance, he gritted his teeth and came to Quanju Building with her.

Who would have thought, upon reaching upstairs, to hear Ning Zhen’er casually slandering him?

Men always care most about their reputation, especially in front of Shen Ruoxi.

What he regretted most was that during their marriage, he hadn’t consummated it with her, which led to her leaving him so determinedly.

If she actually believed Ning Zhen’er’s nonsense now, it would be impossible for her to return to him.

“Ning Zhen’er, you said I’m getting worse with each batch, then what about you? Are you a wanton woman? You’re keeping a gigolo, do you know what people are saying about you behind your back?” Xiao Chengyi glared at Ning Zhen’er, eyes full of anger.

Ning Zhen’er coldly looked at him, having to admit she wasn’t as able to let go as Shen Ruoxi.

She hoped wholeheartedly that he would live unhappily, never able to rise again, and that his family would never be harmonious.

“What are they saying about me? Let them say what they want; I live my own life as I please. Am I living for those gossiping tongues?

But you, you’re in your third marriage, still so inept. You’ve got a long way of hard times ahead of you!” Ning Zhen’er sneered, her words full of mockery.

“Ning Zhen’er, your infamous name has spread all over the Capital City. I heard you were forcibly taken.

I can’t understand, after such humiliation, how you can bear to live on? If it were me, I’d have ended it with a rope long ago.”

In the public eye, He Hongying laughed while covering her mouth, her tone as sharp and mean as always.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep