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He forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and finally shifted his gaze away from Su Ling, slowly looking at the rich dishes on the table. He snorted coldly and sat down. Jiang Yating let out a sigh of relief and sat beside him, not forgetting to greet, "Ruan Shaoshuai, Madam Ruan, please take a seat."
Su Ling gracefully sat down, avoiding everyone's gaze, only gripping the silver knife and fork as she slowly cut into the Foie Gras in front of her. She felt a tightness in her chest, as if all the probing eyes were an invisible pressure gathering around her, making it hard for her to breathe.
"I told you long ago, Shangguan Shaoying, that you would envy me," Ruan Yu raised an eyebrow, looking quite pleased with himself.
Shangguan Shaoyi let out a cold laugh, a hint of harshness flashing in his eyes. He did not engage with Ruan Yu's topic but picked up the Sweet White Wine in front of him and casually remarked, "Foie Gras is quite rich and requires a non-conflicting wine to pair with it; sweet Sweet White Wine is the most suitable."
Su Ling remained composed, knowing that the sharp gaze was fixed on her. She smiled lightly and raised her delicate wrist slightly, "I appreciate the advice."
Ruan Yu subtly interrupted Shangguan Shaoyi's line of sight, lifting his crystal goblet as his voice broke through the heavy atmosphere. "I heard that Consort Shangguan is pregnant; congratulations! I hope Shangguan Shaoying will soon have a precious child and grow old together with Consort Shangguan."
Su Ling remained silent for a moment before raising her wine glass along with Ruan Yu. Under the dim light, her gentle fragrance lingered around her. Her water-like eyes shone brightly as she softly said, "Best wishes to both of you."
Jiang Yating withdrew her probing gaze, a smile on her lips. Su Ling's typical gentle demeanor reminded her of the blue stones and white walls of her hometown, with fine rain falling like silk. She lifted her glass slightly, accepting their blessings, then looked at Su Ling and said, "From your accent, it seems you are also from Jiangsu or Zhejiang; we are indeed fellow townsfolk."
She quietly smiled, her water-colored eyes blending into a dreamy haze. "What a coincidence." Her words were few but precise. With an appearance identical to Cheng Mosu's and similar tone and mannerisms, one could easily conclude she was Cheng Mosu. But why did she not acknowledge Shangguan Shaoyi? How did she become Ruan Yu's wife? Could it be that she had lost her memory?
Jiang Yating paused for a moment before asking again, "I wonder which family Miss Ruan came from before marrying?"
"My father is just a small merchant; it's nothing worth mentioning." She gently declined Jiang Yating's inquiry, the snow-white fringe shawl wrapping around her slender shoulders as the long white rice stalks swayed lightly at her waist.
Ruan Yu narrowed his long eyes slightly; the smile at the corners of his mouth gradually faded. The dark pupils splashed with ink held anger while he maintained an indifferent expression. "Hey, Jiang Yating, this is my wife. If you want to investigate, you can just ask your family's spies for help; there's no need to ask so many questions."
He reached out and embraced Su Ling tenderly, saying, "My wife is not well, so please don't provoke her anymore. If you make her angry to the point of death, I will make everyone in the world pay for it."
"Bah, Ruan Yu, you should stop saying such ominous things every day," Jiang Yating spat. At this moment, she did not want to hear anything about life or death; it was truly bad luck. However...
She looked at Su Ling's face, which was as calm as water, and felt that Ruan Yu was indeed treating his new wife very well.
Shangguan Shaoyi looked disdainfully at the cynical Ruan Yu, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I think we should discuss serious matters now."
"Let's talk about it tomorrow. I'm tired today and want to rest. Besides, with the Jiang Family sitting across from me, I really don't want to discuss anything." He casually leaned back in his chair, appearing calm and composed, but his voice rose a notch. "Let's go, my lady. Let's go back to rest. I've booked a big bed room at Winston Hotel; it's quite comfortable..."
Shangguan Shaoyi's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles cracking. The distant chime of a bell reminded him of days gone by. Those memories penetrated through the bare branches outside, quietly flowing with the stars and moon in their lament. He stood up, his voice as piercing as a bone-chilling wind. "If Ruan Shaoshuai doesn't mind, how about staying at my residence for a while?"
"No need to trouble yourself; I don't want to waste my big bed room." He wore a provocative smile and tightened his grip on Su Ling's arm.
"In that case, Ruan Shaoshuai is free to go. However, I can't guarantee that there aren't assassins lurking in this city," he said coldly, his gaze deep as the ocean, as dark as the night sky, as serene as heaven.
Ruan Yu shrugged nonchalantly and said, "That's true; Shangguan Shaoying's residence is heavily guarded, so I suppose we won't encounter any assassins there. Mosu, do you want to stay? If you do, we'll go."
His mention of "Mosu" made Shangguan Shaoyi furrow his brows tightly. Such an intimate address indicated that the person closest to her was no longer himself. He watched her long eyelashes fall as she smiled politely and softly replied, "As you wish."
"Alright then, let's go!" Ruan Yu snapped his fingers, stood up, and pulled Su Ling into his embrace with a smile. "Then I'll trouble Shangguan Shaoying to lead the way."
Upon returning to Shangguan Residence, Shangguan Yiting was naturally surprised to see Su Ling. Ruan Yu explained again but could not quell their skepticism. However, he didn't want to say much more. Seeing Su Ling's face starting to show signs of fatigue, Shangguan Shaoyi stopped Shangguan Yiting's rapid-fire questions and arranged for them to stay in the most secluded room of the residence.
Xiao Jing led them toward the room, fully aware that it was designed by Shangguan Shaoyi according to Cheng Mosu's preferences, never allowing anyone to step inside. The cleaning and maintenance were all done by Shangguan Shaoyi herself. Now, with Su Ling's arrival, she could finally see the true appearance of that room.
Su Ling pushed the door open and couldn't help but be taken aback. The Victorian drapes floated gracefully in the air, and the water-blue curtains obscured the already faint sunlight. Various paintings created by Cheng Mosu adorned the walls, while a rosewood clock ticked rhythmically. The light pink plum blossom carved table lamp was gently turned on, casting soft circles of light.
She slightly lifted the water-blue curtains; the backyard was a magnolia grove, but with winter's arrival, the flowers had withered away. She slowly turned around; on the other side was an ink wash colored screen, featuring paintings created by Cheng Mosu and Shangguan Shaoyi together. She gazed at it, noticing that the screen concealed an unfinished chess game, unsure of whose memory it was meant to awaken.
"Shangguan Shaoying is quite thoughtful to have arranged these in memory of the late Consort Shangguan. It might not be appropriate for us to stay here since Mosu only resembles Consort Shangguan. Please tell Shangguan Shaoying that if he intends to take my wife this way, I will fight him to the bitter end."
"No need for that; I like it here," Su Ling replied calmly, her gaze drifting into the distance. "I will stay here; Ruan Shaoshuai, feel free."
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