Little Zi smiled leisurely: “There’s a good show coming.”
Surprisingly, the wedding procession was heading to the Mu Mansion! But now I had no time to care – my mind was full of: How could he pretend not to know me?
How could he!
Disregarding the others behind me, I rushed into the Mu Mansion. The bride and groom had already entered the main hall, and guests were crowding to see them. I couldn’t squeeze in and was stuck outside, anxiously listening to the master of ceremonies begin the ritual.
“Can’t get in? Try flying~” Little Zi relished the chaos.
“Hey—Little Xin…” Wu Chen, who had hurriedly arrived, could only grab a corner of my dress as I stepped on people’s heads and flew into the main hall.
“Bow to each other—”
“Wait—”
Everyone in the hall, especially the newlyweds, looked at me in surprise. I pinched my thigh, bursting into tears, and lunged at Yiqing: “Daddy of my child, how heartless! Abandoning me after having your way!”
The hall immediately erupted in whispers, and rumors began to spread.
Hugging Yiqing’s waist, I buried my face in his chest, listening to his heartbeat, waiting for his next reaction. I couldn’t believe that the person moved to tears by a small gift could now marry someone else. Although he never promised to marry me, in my heart, I had long claimed him as mine. I just couldn’t bear to see my man taken away! I’m petty! So what?!
The whispers around us indicated that today’s wedding would be difficult to conclude.
With our commotion, the ceremonial bowing could not proceed. How would these guests be dealt with? Surely they couldn’t just be dismissed with a simple “accident”?
“Though the Mu family of Jiangnan is not powerful, we have our dignity. We cannot wrong the family’s pearl by marrying her to a married man. Therefore, I suggest postponing this marriage. Today can be considered an engagement banquet. If it later proves that the groom has deep connections elsewhere, a decision can be made then. Ahem, distinguished guests, please remain seated. Fu steward, serve the wine!” His voice was clear and solid, with perfectly timed pauses, soothing the tense atmosphere.
The speaker, dressed in blue at the head of the table, was unremarkable yet exuded a unique charm. He appeared more relaxed than seated, lazily leaning back in his chair, black hair cascading down like a waterfall, even reaching the ground. Surprisingly, he didn’t even wear boots; at this formal occasion, he wore wooden slippers!
Looking around, he was the only one seated in the main position and had just mentioned the Mu family of Jiangnan. Could it be the number one young master of Jiangnan?
He was flawlessly beautiful, stunning like Wu Chen’s Xiao Zi, but incredibly casual. His clothes resembled a servant’s, with slippers, uncombed hair, and an unwashed face.
“Please be seated as well,” he said, rising and walking towards the main table.
“Brother—” the bride finally spoke.
The young master glanced at the nearby servants, who understood and helped the bride into the inner chambers.
Aside from prejudice, this Jiangnan young master was indeed remarkable. He handled the awkward situation with a few words, portraying himself as an innocent victim. I wondered who was more devious, him or Wang Zi?
Wang Zi, however, ignored me and jumped onto the table to eat next to the young master.
I walked over and slapped the table, sitting down irritably.
Wang Zi turned to look at me, then wagged his tail.
Then he continued eating voraciously, as if afraid I’d steal his food.
“Pfft,” the young master laughed, reaching out to pet Wang Zi. “What a cute little thing.”
Looking at his demeanor, I imagined if Wang Zi suddenly turned human—let’s see how cute you’d find him then!
After this internal mockery, my mood improved. I glanced at Yi Qing and waved my beautiful men to be seated.
Yi Qing paused and came over.
“Why aren’t you sitting?” the young master asked, supporting his chin and smiling lightly at Yi Qing.
Yi Qing was stunned, quickly removing his hand from the chair back. I understood; sitting down would mean he’s with us, while not sitting would maintain his status as the groom’s family member—the young master was warning Yi Qing about his position.
I noticed that the cup from earlier had been knocked over on the ground. I bent down to pick it up; fortunately, it wasn’t broken. After wiping it clean and placing it back on the table, I looked up and met his gaze.
“I heard… that spirit foxes can transform into humans. I wonder if other animals…”
I recalled: Could other animals transform into humans, like—a cat!
Mu Jiyu! That little baby who hung a bell on me and stole my first kiss!
I stared at him with wide eyes, but he had already withdrawn his gaze, smiling and pouring wine, toasting everyone at the table.
Did he recognize me? It was understandable that Xiaozi and Wuchen, with their extraordinary backgrounds, would recognize me. But how could he know? It made me uneasy to think he viewed me as a cat demon.
Watching him glide between the tables, I felt a tingling discomfort from being seen through.
“Cough, that man is quite nice.”
“Yes, he is… uh.” I turned to Xiaozi, whose expression was unsettling, though she smiled brightly. Closing my eyes, I steeled myself—not admitting to any improper thoughts about him, which I convinced myself I never had.
“Does Xiao Xin know him?” Even Wuchen was curious.
“No!” I replied firmly, “Who would know such a messy guy who doesn’t comb his hair or dress properly?” I curled my lip.
Meng Yu’s finger moved back and forth on his cheek. “But his clothes seem made of silk from snow silkworms, and the slippers are agarwood…”
“So what… what? Agarwood!”
I screamed, drawing the attention of nearby guests. Laughing awkwardly, I waved to indicate it was nothing, and everyone returned to their previous liveliness. Mu Jiyu, as if knowing my thoughts, glanced over with a smile.
“Is agarwood really that valuable?” Yi Qing, who had been silently watching us, suddenly spoke.
I was stunned: “Those slippers could buy this entire Mu residence.”
Yi Qing nodded blankly: “Oh.”
I turned back to stare at Yi Qing. He was lying! His family definitely wasn’t some ordinary Central Plains household! That casual reference—only the Hong family or Cold Family Fortress would say “just agarwood”!
Uncomfortable under my stare, Yi Qing’s handsome face turned slightly red: “Did I say something wrong, miss?”
“Nothing.” Brought back to my senses, I sighed and sat down dejectedly. He remembered nothing, so asking would be pointless.
Looking at the butterfly flying towards us, I realized this guy truly deserved to be the number one “noble” young master of Jiangnan, with every piece of his attire seemingly the cream of the crop.
As he was about to sit down, I rushed up and grabbed him: “How did you come to think that… uh…” I suddenly didn’t know how to express myself. Should I admit I’m a cat demon? If it were me, I’d accept it, but the problem is—I’m not!
The noble young master turned back: “Such a beautiful woman attracting so many outstanding men, it’s hard not to think otherwise.”
I was surprised; I had thought he was smart and observant, but it turns out he’s just a superstitious fool!
He led us away, and we quickly forgot the previous topic, the cherry orchard soon bustling with laughter.
“Qingyun, go prepare several large baskets,” Mu Jiyu called, sunlight tracing his smile.
The young servant retreated and returned with baskets labeled with our names for recording the competition results.
A cherry suddenly shot out, targeting Feng Qingyin, who was picking cherries quickly. Hmph, let you pick faster than me!
Focused on his task, Feng Qingyin was caught off guard by the ambush, causing his cherries to fall. He looked back, saw my smile, and retaliated with a cherry of his own.
