Chaрtеr 10: Аn Unехpectеd Surрrise
Fu Yutang listеned to thе murmurs lеаning in Shеn Сiуing’s favоr, hеr fоrсed smile nеarly slipping frоm hеr faсе.
Fu Yunхin’s ехprеssiоn wаs equallу unрleаsant.
She would nеver аllow Shen Ciуing to mаrry intо thе Shen familу. The wife оf thе Shеn fаmily cоuld оnlу bе a womаn from thе Fu family.
With а casuаl glancе toward the реоplе nеarby, the tоne оf thе convеrsation instаntly tооk а 180-degrеe turn.
【Thаt girl is just the pеrsоnаl maid by Mr. Shen’s side. It’s normal for hеr tо show up while her mаstеr is busy.】
【That mаkеs sense. Even eunuchs and matrons in ancient times could represent their masters.】
【I’ve also heard something about it. They say Mr. Shen keeps a plaything around for amusement.】
【So she’s just a servant. She really does have that shabby, low-class air about her, nowhere near as noble and elegant as Miss Fu.】
【Someone like her is fine for a bit of fun, but when it comes to marriage, they’ll still marry someone of equal status.】
…
Fu Yutang’s mood instantly brightened. With a beaming smile, she beckoned a waiter over. “Take Miss Shen and her friend to their seats. Oh, right—just have them sit at the edge. We wouldn’t want them disturbing the distinguished guests.”
Fu Ye clenched his fists until they creaked, struggling to suppress the urge to kick someone out of the banquet hall.
Shen Ciying, however, remained far calmer. She even raised an eyebrow meaningfully at Fu Yunxin, who had been steering the conversation, from across the room.
Fu Yunxin straightened her back, exuding an air of “old ginger is spicier,” and returned the gaze with a mocking look.
She wasn’t afraid of this low-born little girl.
Shen Ciying let out a careless, derisive laugh before turning her gaze away. Following the waiter, she walked while scanning her surroundings.
Her eyes eventually settled on a table filled with young masters and princesses.
Without hesitation, she took Fu Ye’s hand, pulling him away from the waiter who was trying to lead them to a remote corner, and gracefully made her way toward that table.
The waiter hurriedly tried to stop her. “Miss Shen, you can’t go over there. Your seats are here.”
At that table sat the most favored young master of the Qi family, nicknamed the “Little Tyrant of Jingbei” within their circles.
The Little Tyrant feared nothing and no one—except Shen Rangchen, because Shen Rangchen had genuinely beaten him up as a child, thoroughly subduing him.
They were, in fact, first cousins.
Shen Rangchen’s biological mother was a daughter of the Qi family.
If the elite circles of Jingbei were divided into tiers, the Shen and Qi families were the only two at the very top, leagues above the rest.
The Fu family originally didn’t even rank in the second tier. It was only after Fu Yunxin married into the Shen family and received their support that they finally managed to squeeze into the second tier—though they were barely hanging on at the very bottom.
Seeing Shen Ciying heading toward the “distinguished guests” on her own, Fu Yutang quickly followed to stop her.
But she was a step too late. Shen Ciying had already reached the vicinity of the Little Tyrant.
Shen Ciying called out with a laugh, “Little Tyrant.”
Then she deliberately added, “Finally found you. Shen Rangchen said you were here too and told me to say hello.”
Hearing the voice, Qi Yan, who had been playing cards, threw down a pair of jokers and looked up to see Shen Ciying approaching. He grinned with a roguish charm.
“Well, if it isn’t the gorgeous Ciying.”
With that, he kicked the seat beside him. “Move. Give up your seat.”
Before the person could even stand up, the waiter who had caught up nervously interjected, “Miss Shen, you can’t sit here. You…”
Qi Yan shot him a cold, arrogant glare and cut him off. “If she can’t sit here, where should she sit? On your head? Come here, squat down and be her stool.”
The waiter immediately fell silent, not daring to breathe too loudly, and looked toward Fu Yutang, who had just caught up.Before Fu Yutang could speak, Qi Yan directly asked, “Birthday girl, can she not sit here?”
Fu Yutang forced an awkward and embarrassed smile, complying, “Of course she can, Young Master Qi. What are you saying?”
She struggled to put on a generous smile. “Then enjoy yourselves. There will be a dance later.”
Shen Ciying watched the awkward and flustered Fu Yutang, giving her an innocent smile as she took a seat beside Qi Yan.
Fu Yutang glanced at her own brother, Fu Yuan, who was playing cards with Qi Yan, then turned away with a displeased expression.
Shen Ciying followed Fu Yutang’s gaze toward Fu Yuan, her eyes lingering meaningfully on the girl beside him. The girl also looked up and met her eyes.
It was the girl who, three months ago, had followed Fu Yutang’s orders to drug her.
Fu Yutang, having walked away, headed straight toward her aunt, Fu Yunxin.
Seeing Fu Yutang approach with an unsettled expression, Fu Yunxin chided softly, “Everyone is watching. Your expression looks terrible.”
Fu Yutang said anxiously, “Can we get rid of this Shen Ciying? She’s like a rotten apple spoiling the barrel. When she came in, she even threatened me, saying ‘wait for your death.’ What does she even want? She’s a complete lunatic!”
Fu Yunxin maintained a standard, elegant smile on her face, lowering her voice. “Today, everyone is here for you. Mind your expressions. She said as soon as she entered that she represents Shen Rangchen. Publicly driving her away would be a slap in Shen Rangchen’s face.”
“She says a few words, and you’re scared like this? How spineless. With so many people around, what could she possibly do? Just don’t go off alone, and she won’t be able to touch you.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie will make sure you successfully marry into the Shen family. In the future, the Shen family will belong to the two of us.”
Fu Yutang couldn’t hold back her anger. “A troublemaker like her shouldn’t be allowed to stay in the Shen family. She should disappear completely, without anyone knowing.”
“At worst, I’ll kneel before Uncle for three days and three nights afterward. Once she’s gone, Uncle surely won’t make me pay with my life for a servant.”
“And it won’t go to court either. After all, if someone from the Fu family causes a death, it would also affect the Shen family’s reputation.”
“Foolish! That’s the worst possible plan! Don’t forget, Shen Ciying once saved the old lady’s life.” Fu Yunxin kept her voice as low as possible. “Enough, stop talking. Get through the birthday first, and don’t go off alone.”
“Fine, I’ll listen to you, Auntie.” Fu Yutang sighed deeply. “Auntie, you be careful too.”
“I’ll be fine. She wouldn’t dare do anything to me.” Fu Yunxin looked confident. “After all, I’m an elder in the Shen family. She wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”
At that moment, the host’s voice echoed through the venue, announcing the official start of the banquet.
Meanwhile.
As soon as Shen Ciying sat down, Qi Yan said, “Second Brother just messaged me, telling me to look after you.”
Shen Ciying was slightly surprised. “Huh?”
What she had said earlier—that Shen Rangchen asked her to come and greet everyone—was made up.
She had only wanted to invoke Shen Rangchen’s name to gain a bit of face.
She knew very well that in this circle, those who often interacted with Shen Rangchen only saw her as a ‘pet’ he kept. They looked down on her but had to give her some respect for Shen Rangchen’s sake.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Qi Yan opened Shen Rangchen’s message chat and handed his phone to her. “Here, look.”
Shen Ciying tilted her head to look at the phone screen Qi Yan held out. On it was a clear message from Shen Rangchen.
[“A Ying is at the banquet too. If you see her, take care of her for me.”]The message came from about ten minutes ago, roughly the time she had called him before entering the banquet hall.
This was truly an unexpected delight.
Shen Ciying smiled without restraint—a signature, radiant, and captivating smile.
Fu Yuan had always harbored resentment toward Shen Ciying, and seeing her happy instantly soured his mood. He vented his anger on those around him, making pointed remarks:
“Damn it! Can’t you even serve properly? A servant is just a servant—even if you’re given the chance to serve up close, you’ll never become a phoenix!”
The girl beside him, frightened, dropped the freshly peeled grape in her hand and apologized repeatedly.
But as he said this, he was looking directly at Shen Ciying.
Shen Ciying naturally caught the insinuation in Fu Yuan’s words. She usually paid little mind to others’ remarks, but today she needed to provoke him. Deliberately wearing an innocent smile, she spoke up:
“You’re Fu Yuan, right? I heard you once got a hole smashed in your head because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”
Fu Yuan immediately flushed with anger: “Who the hell said it was because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut…”
As soon as the words left his lips, he realized his mistake—why had he echoed her phrase “couldn’t keep his mouth shut”?
Sure enough, the others present couldn’t help but chuckle.
Shen Ciying smiled the most radiantly of all: “Oh, so it wasn’t because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut? Then what was it? Since there are so many people here, Young Master Fu, why not clear things up?”