When Tu Ying saw Bai Zepei, her heart was filled with joy, especially when she noticed Zepei looking at her with such intense focus. She walked straight towards him; if he hadn’t shifted his gaze, she would have been lost in his eyes.
She secretly stuck out her tongue, musing how she almost messed up Ruozhu’s big plan.
After she left Hua Xiangrong, she changed direction and walked into the shop beside her. Following the red carpet, she went upstairs step by step.
The ladies there finally got a good look at her. One of them cried out, "Isn’t that the young lady from the Tu Family?"
"Wow, she looks so good in her horse-riding outfit and woven padding. I must get a set for myself," a lively young lady exclaimed.
Tu Ying continued walking, smiling at the crowd and bowing her fist in salute. Although it was a masculine gesture, it was performed with such natural grace that many were bound to be envious.
Who else in Beiyu City could possibly outdo Miss Tu Ying’s elegance?
Tu Ying’s mother, Madam Tu, sat on the second floor, a proud expression on her face as she watched her daughter. The ladies seated beside her exchanged pleasantries, showering praise on Tu Ying for her increased beauty and the poise which no other young lady could match.
Madam Tu felt extremely pleased. Her daughter, whom she personally cultivated, was her pride and joy, and it seemed these people finally recognized her worth.
Wang Miaoshuang, lowering her voice, asked Madam Li, "When did Bai Ruozhu become so close with Tu Ying?"
"It seemed to have started from that banquet", responded Madam Li in a hushed tone.
Wang Miaoshuang fell silent, her gaze flickering uncertainly, clearly lost in thought.
Down on the first floor in the VIP seats, someone else’s gaze was similarly inscrutable.
Besides inviting respected ladies and young mistresses, Bai Ruozhu had extended invitations to her business partners from the Du and Shen families.
Shen Lu had sent his eldest granddaughter, delighted at the prospect of her associating with the ladies and mistresses of officialdom. He was extremely grateful to Bai Ruozhu for the opportunity.
As for the Du family, they had recently cleared their outstanding payment to Bai Ruozhu. Since their accounts were now immaculate, even if Bai Ruozhu wished to sever their contract, it would be difficult for the Commerce Association to approve. Therefore, she boldly invited the Du family, naming Madame Du and Du Fuling in the invitation.
Madam Du, after being scolded in public by Bai Ruozhu during their last encounter, was hesitant to attend. The thought of facing other ladies’ contemptuous looks all the while worrying about the unpredictable actions of her brainless niece, Du Fuling, made her feel exhausted.
Du Fuling had lost weight during her time confined at home. Bai Ruozhu had cast a discreet look at her earlier in the shop and instantly knew that the girl was sick—obviously lovesick.
Since Du Fuling had successfully idolized Xu Huilin as her benefactor, she had developed a deep affection for him, much to Bai Ruozhu’s disdain.
Unfortunately, Du Fuling still hadn’t learned to conceal her emotions, her eyes coldly glaring at Tu Ying with vibes of jealousy and contempt.
"Humph, the dignified daughter of a military officer is acting as Bai Ruozhu’s lapdog. How disgraceful", Du Fuling muttered under her breath.
"Shut up!", Madam Du nearly yelled. If it weren’t for the surrounding people, she would have liked to give her niece a good slap for causing such embarrassment.
"Those trained in martial arts have excellent hearing. If you don’t want to be locked up at home for the rest of your life, control your foul mouth!", warned Madam Du, barely suppressing her rage.
Looking a shade disgruntled, Du Fuling held back another retort, having clearly been stricken with fear by her confinement.
Growing irritated by Du Fuling’s presence, her gaze shifted outside the shop, where a large crowd had gathered, their heads bobbing in curiosity. Du Fuling snorted dismissively, thinking to herself how unsophisticated these spectators were.
At that moment, she detected a familiar figure in the crowd—her mother, whom she hadn’t seen in a while. Initially, she could still visit her mother when she was sent back to her parental home, but after getting restricted to stay at home, she hadn’t seen her mother in quite a while.
She thought that maybe her mother had come to see if she was present at the event. With that thought, she sat up straighter.
Tu Ying returned from the second floor of the neighboring shop, exited its main gate, walked to the end of the red carpet on the right, turned around, walked straight to the end of the left-side carpet, and then re-entered the second floor of Hua Xiangrong.
By that time, the second model had already made her appearance. Someone in the crowd cried out, "Look, another young lady has arrived and she’s wearing a completely different outfit!".
Following her, the nine maids came out in succession, showcasing nine sets of clothing, including small accessories such as a finely crocheted lace glove and a knit ear protectors.
After the maids made their appearance, they would show off the small items in their hands to the audience. Every slight movement would trigger loud applause and cheers from the crowd, creating a lively atmosphere.
Just then, a figure clad in moon-white emerged from the crowd, grabbing a hidden woman’s arm and asking coldly, "What are you doing here?"
The woman turned around—it was Wu Wanqing, who Bai Ruozhu had deliberately excluded from the invitation list!
Bai Ruozhu hadn’t wanted to invite Wu Wanqing. Wanqing had recently been widowed, making it inappropriate for her to attend such a lively event, so Bai Ruozhu hadn’t sent an invitation to the Wu Residence. Yet, she had shown up uninvited. Was it purely out of curiosity?
Xu Huilin narrowed his eyes. A few days ago, he had received a secret note from Jiang Yichun warning him of potential danger to Bai Ruozhu. Yichun had asked him to keep a closer eye on her, promising that he was on his way back and would rendezvous with him soon.
Xu Huilin had been greatly surprised by the unexpected return of Jiang Yichun, who had been expected to stay in the capital for an audience with the Emperor. However, knowing that something major must have occurred, he dared not ignore the warning. He had been keeping a careful eye on Bai Ruozhu recently, even on such a day as this.
To his astonishment, he had bumped into Wu Wanqing at the event. More alarmingly, he had noticed Wanqing making a secretive hand gesture.
This was the gesture used to summon poisonous insects. Even though he himself didn’t practice poisonous insect techniques, he recognized the move. He immediately grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.
Wu Wanqing shot Xu Huilin a hateful look, "I can understand Jiang Yichun falling for her, but you too? I thought you were a man of ambition. Have I overestimated you?"
Now that their conflict was out in the open, Wu Wanqing made no effort to maintain her polite facade infront of Xu Huilin.
The sight of her in such a state stung Xu Huilin’s eyes, and a flicker of disappointment registered at the very bottom of his pupils.
"I’m merely carrying out a task entrusted to me by a friend. It’s unlikely that he would go through the trouble of asking me to do something for him."