lcionline Chapter 244 Not even daring to resist an arranged marriage
Chapter 244 Not even daring to resist an arranged marriage
Young Master Yu also tilted his head.
After recognizing the person in red, he gave a disdainful smile, and his words weren't particularly harsh.
"Young Master Shangguan, it's been a long time."
Shangguan Qingqi twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't respond. He was busy sizing people up at the moment.
When he got downstairs, he learned from Manager Qin that Su Mowan had come to the painting pavilion, so he thought he should hurry up and meet her. But when he came up, he saw Su Mowan chatting happily with a strange man!
The man's profile was not bad.
Naturally, in Shangguan Qingqi's eyes, that was not as good as his own, so when he heard Su Mowan say "eighty thousand taels", he finally couldn't help but speak up.
Upon hearing the stranger's words, Shangguan Qingqi frowned.
"What do you mean, 'long time no see'? I don't think I recognize you."
Young Master Yu smiled.
That's understandable. Six years ago, he was only fourteen and hadn't fully grown up yet. Now he looks like a refined gentleman, completely different from before. Besides, the two weren't familiar with each other, so it's understandable that Shangguan Qingqi didn't recognize him.
So, Young Master Yu laughed and said, "Young Master Shangguan has a good memory. Back then at the racetrack, it was I who saved you."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Qingqi narrowed his eyes and then gave a cryptic laugh.
"Oh, it's you. I really didn't recognize you. You look worse than before."
That's really blunt.
Young Master Yu and Shangguan Qingqi are about the same age, but he is much more serious than Shangguan Qingqi and doesn't speak as harshly as Shangguan Qingqi.
He simply smiled dismissively at Shangguan Qingqi's words.
"Young Master Shangguan, is there business here? Do you wish to have another painting done?"
"Of course I have something to do, I need to find someone."
As Shangguan Qingqi spoke, he glanced at Su Mowan without any attempt to hide his gaze, and then said, "If Young Master Yu has nothing else to say, you can leave now. Don't keep me from catching up with my friends."
"friend?"
Young Master Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise, his probing gaze shifting back and forth between Shangguan Qingqi and Su Mowan.
He suddenly smiled and said, "Then I won't disturb your reminiscing any longer. I'll come another day."
The last sentence was addressed to Su Mowan. Su Mowan thought to herself, "Come another day? What's the point of coming back? Do you really want me to paint a picture for him?"
After Young Master Yu came downstairs, Shangguan Qingqi slowly swayed over, his eyes fixed on Su Mowan.
Su Mowan knew that it was probably because she was unhappy about her not showing up last night.
It wasn't exactly a breach of promise; it was Shangguan Qingqi's unilateral invitation, and she hadn't even said she was going. She was truly wronged.
Yinshuang remained on the balcony, constantly watching for any movement inside.
At first, she couldn't see Shangguan Qingqi leaning against the stairwell. She only saw Young Master Yu get up and leave, so she assumed that the two had finished talking and went downstairs from the balcony.
Before she could take more than a few steps, Shangguan Qingqi, dressed in red, appeared in her line of sight and walked towards her concubine, Su.
Yinshuang hesitated for a moment, then retreated back to the balcony.
She was now completely at ease, knowing that Consort Su and Shangguan Qingqi were just 'close friends', so there was no need for her to be on guard.
Shangguan Qingqi over there also saw Yinshuang. Seeing Yinshuang take a few steps forward and then retreat, this seemed to provoke him.
This clearly shows they don't take him seriously.
Murong Jing is really at ease...
Seeing that Shangguan Qingqi was not happy, Su Mowan asked before he could sit down, "I had something to do last night, so I didn't come to see you. But what do you have to say that you have to go to Wanhua Tower to talk to me?"
Shangguan Qingqi has a lazy appearance, but he doesn't seem annoying.
He plopped down opposite Su Mowan, looking somewhat hurt, and said, "Of course it's something important, otherwise why would I be so bored?"
A hint of curiosity surfaced in Su Mowan's eyes.
"As long as it's not a life-saving emergency, it's fine if you tell me now."
Su Mowan didn't know how she and Shangguan Qingqi had become such close best friends, even though their first meeting wasn't pleasant.
Thinking of this, Su Mowan thought of Fu Yingli again.
I wonder if Su Ruofeng received the message she sent.
Seeing that she looked like she was waiting for an answer after she finished speaking, Shangguan Qingqi said dejectedly, "Yesterday was my twentieth birthday!"
"..."
So aggrieved and resentful?
Su Mowan thought to herself, "I'm not your mother, why should I cook red eggs and make longevity noodles for you?"
Moreover, asking her to go to Wan Hua Lou to celebrate his birthday meant that she should book the entire place and treat everyone.
She and Shangguan Qingqi aren't that close yet.
Su Mowan blinked and laughed, "Then congratulations! Shouldn't you have a coming-of-age ceremony? Why do you still look like this?"
"Of course there is, but not yesterday. We need to choose an auspicious day and invite a highly respected elder. Would you like to attend the ceremony?"
After Shangguan Qingqi finished speaking, he looked at her with a "whatever" expression, but there was a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Su Mowan naturally noticed it.
She smiled knowingly, but shook her head regretfully: "I'm afraid I won't be able to go. In a few days, I'll be setting off for Jiangnan."
That's a good excuse. Even if she didn't go to Jiangnan, Su Mowan still didn't want to go.
Firstly, there's nothing to watch about the coming-of-age ceremony; secondly, her current status is inappropriate, and she and Shangguan Qingqi aren't close enough to be soulmates. If Murong Jing finds out, who knows how he'll teach her a lesson.
It's better to avoid trouble than to cause it.
Shangguan Qingqi had actually figured it out, so he didn't argue with her and just asked, "What are you going to Jiangnan for? Are you going to make money?"
"You're absolutely right, it's all about making money."
Su Mowan looked on with longing.
“Jiangnan is a wonderful place, incredibly wealthy. I’m planning to expand my restaurant there, and I might not be able to come back for a while, so you don’t need to hang this painting here. You can take it with you.”
During this period, two people did ask for paintings, but Su Mowan said she was busy and postponed them. This postponement will probably be a month later, and it is unknown whether she will still want to paint for others by then.
So we don't need to run this ad for now.
Shangguan Qingqi refused to take it. He shook his head, smiled smugly, and said in a narcissistic tone, "I won't take it. Let it hang there and let those ordinary people admire my demeanor."
Graceful my foot, she's quite vain.
After silently grumbling to herself, Su Mowan said, "Whatever. By the way, didn't I hear the results are being released today? When?"
"Around noon or late afternoon, shall we go see it together then?"
"Sure, let's go together."
Su Mowan didn't plan to return home before sunset. Now that she knew it was Shangguan Qingqi's birthday yesterday, Su Mowan decided to invite him to Zui Jinzhao for a meal later.
"Let's stay here for a while, and after we finish eating at 9:00 AM, we can go and check the results."
This list is only for the civil service exams. The results for the military exams were already released at their Hengshan camp, so there was no need to create a separate list.
Su Mowan was bored and wanted to go for a stroll. The results were posted on Xuanwu Street, which was some distance from Qinglong Street.
Drunk Today is at the end of Qinglong Street, which is even further from where the results were posted.
After strolling around like this, it was just the right time to head back home.
This is Su Mowan's plan.
In addition, since Shangguan Qingqi was not happy about what happened last night, Su Mowan thought it would be better to go with him to take a look.
Upon hearing her arrangement, Shangguan Qingqi's expression immediately improved. He stood up and even helped Su Mowan along.
Su Mowan dodged, revealing her injured hand beneath her sleeve.
Shangguan Qingqi was taken aback.
"You're injured? How did you get hurt?"
That's what she asked, but Su Mowan could clearly see the suspicion in Shangguan Qingqi's eyes.
This guy actually suspects Murong Jing of domestic violence.
Su Mowan burst into laughter, leaving Shangguan Qingqi completely bewildered.
"What were you thinking? I'm really speechless!"
Su Mowan almost choked from laughing, so she quickly sat up straight to catch her breath. She looked up, her lips still brimming with an irrepressible smile.
Shangguan Qingqi realized he was wrong and felt extremely embarrassed after being laughed at by Su Mowan.
He was unwilling to admit that he had been judging others by his own petty standards, so he forced himself to say, "What's wrong with me thinking this way? It's perfectly normal! Someone like Murong Jing is obviously an unreasonable and rude person!"
Su Mowan chuckled.
She initially thought so too, but later realized that appearances can be deceiving.
Although Murong Jing could hardly be called gentle, he was still a far cry from being 'rude'.
Su Mowan didn't intend to argue with Shangguan Qingqi. She knew what kind of person Murong Jing was.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, shouting angrily.
"Who are you calling rude! You dare call my third brother rude? You're the barbarian!"
Su Mowan and Shangguan Qingqi turned their heads at the same time and saw the Seventh Princess straightening up, her pretty face full of displeasure.
Clearly, the Seventh Princess tiptoed to the top of the stairs and then hid there to eavesdrop.
When Shangguan Qingqi saw the Seventh Princess, his expression was not very good.
His father had told Emperor Moyao that he wanted to pair the Seventh Princess with him, but he was unhappy about it, and he heard that the Seventh Princess was also unhappy about it.
This surprised Shangguan Qingqi.
Today was the first time he had met the Seventh Princess in an occasion without any elders present. Last time, the Seventh Princess went to the Wan Hua Lou to look for someone but went to the wrong person, so the two did not meet.
So even though he was caught by the Seventh Princess for speaking ill of Murong Jing, Shangguan Qingqi remained calm.
He looked the Seventh Princess up and down, then smiled.
"When it comes to barbarity, I can't compare to Her Highness the Princess. I heard that some time ago, Her Highness beat up the young master of the Minister of Personnel's family at the Wan Hua Lou for no reason. She was quite brave and fierce."
Only after Shangguan Qingqi said this did Su Mowan realize that something was wrong.
She remembered Tang Minzhi saying that he was with Shangguan Qingqi at the time, which is why the Seventh Princess mistook him for someone else.
Tang Minzhi thought Su Mowan disliked Shangguan Qingqi, and even told her, "Shangguan isn't actually like what everyone says."
Judging from this, Tang Minzhi and Shangguan Qingqi should be quite familiar with each other and have private interactions.
But why did she feel that the two of them weren't familiar with each other?
The Seventh Princess was furious that Shangguan Qingqi had brought up her shameful past again.
Although Shangguan Qingqi's appearance once stirred her heart for a moment, the Seventh Princess now has another object of affection.
She immediately retorted without any politeness, "How dare you say that? If you weren't so useless, you wouldn't even dare to resist the marriage! Would I, the princess, need to resort to such a desperate measure!"
As the Seventh Princess spoke, she strode up to the third floor, ready to continue the battle, but her gaze was drawn to the first portrait hanging on the right.
Her eyes gradually widened.
Taking a deep breath, the Seventh Princess pointed at the portrait in front of her, so excited that her voice trembled slightly.
"This...this...this isn't that...that..."