"You guys... What's wrong?"
"Why do you look so upset?"
Liu Jingxian patted herself up and down, thinking it was her improper demeanor that had caused the strange looks on their faces.
Shen Linyi knew only too well the horror of being love - struck. She didn't dare to tell Liu Jingxian directly that Wen Heyu was a scoundrel. Instead, she resorted to citing many stories similar to that of Chen Shimei.
Liu Jingxian herself was fond of reading storybooks. When Shen Linyi burst into her room just now, she had been holding the latest storybook in the capital. So, she had read quite a few stories about scholars who, after achieving success in the imperial examinations, abandoned their wives.
After Shen Linyi had said so much, Liu Jingxian gradually caught on. Shen Linyi was hinting that Wen Heyu was just like Chen Shimei, the man who had deserted his wife and child.
So, her heart tightened, and she suddenly grabbed Shen Linyi's hand. "You mean, Young Master Wen is already married and has a child back in his hometown!"
"Or... are you..." Liu Jingxian's voice trembled. Pointing at Shen Linyi shakily, she said, "Are you Young Master Wen's wife from his hometown!"
Shen Linyi opened and closed her mouth, wanting to say something, but finally closed it helplessly.
Liuyun couldn't help but smile. She quickly poured a cup of hot tea for Liu Jingxian to calm her nerves and explained, "My young lady is not married yet. Miss Liu, please don't misunderstand."
Liu Jingxian let out a sigh of relief, saying that her imagination had run wild. Just as she was about to relax, she heard Liuyun continue, "But my young lady is indeed an old acquaintance of Young Master Wen. And... Miss Liu, although Young Master Wen is not exactly like Chen Shimei, his character is really no better."
Liu Jingxian frowned gracefully. "Why do you say so?"
Seeing Liu Jingxian suddenly bristle with a sense of defensiveness as if she were saying, "You're slandering my sweetheart," Shen Linyi felt something was amiss.
"Miss Liu, please listen to me." Shen Linyi quickly said, "My relationship with Young Master Wen is not what you might imagine. But Young Master Wen and I were neighbors. Back then, when his father got into trouble and his family's shop closed, it was me who embroidered handkerchiefs over the years to support his studies and his imperial examinations."
"But! Please believe me, Miss Liu. I have never had any romantic feelings for Young Master Wen. I supported his imperial examinations because I had a matter that needed his help after he passed."
Liu Jingxian took a sip of the hot tea, looking somewhat puzzled. "If that's the case, since there's no romantic relationship between you two, why do you compare him to Chen Shimei?"
Speaking of this, Liuyun was extremely indignant. She vividly described how Wen Heyu had sent Lao Bo to humiliate Shen Linyi, forced Shen Linyi to enter his mansion as a concubine, and when Shen Linyi refused, he even signaled the nuns in Jingxin Nunnery to bully her.
Liuyun spoke so sincerely and angrily that she was like a storyteller in a teahouse.
Shen Linyi had an illusion that it seemed as if Liuyun was not telling their own experiences but a story from a storybook.
While Liuyun was describing, Shen Linyi observed Liu Jingxian's expression, afraid that she might show the slightest sign of displeasure.
It was not until Liuyun was hoarse from talking and had added some more scolding about Wen Heyu that she finally stopped and gulped down several cups of tea.
Only then did Liu Jingxian understand why both of them had such indescribable expressions on their faces. She looked at Shen Linyi again and finally realized why there was a hint of probing in Shen Linyi's expression.
It turned out that Shen Linyi had regarded her as the love - struck female protagonist in the storybooks who would do anything for love, even giving up her family, herself, and even wealth and glory.
Just when Shen Linyi didn't know how to continue persuading Liu Jingxian to stay away from Wen Heyu, Liu Jingxian suddenly grabbed Shen Linyi's hand and leaned forward. Their postures instantly became a bit ambiguous.
"Miss Shen, you've really had a hard time!"
Then, Liu Jingxian burst into tears with a "wow".
"Damn it! I finally met a man who made my heart flutter, but it turns out he's a heartless man. Thinking about it, his repeated approaches and flattery towards me were not sincere either!"
Shen Linyi and Liuyun looked at each other in surprise.
Liu Jingxian... Did she really believe their words?
Just to be safe, Shen Linyi still said, "If Miss Liu doesn't believe me, I can lead Wen Heyu here. Miss Liu can see his true colors for herself..."
"I believe you!"
Liu Jingxian nodded firmly. "You're so beautiful. You must not be lying."
When they had hidden under the small couch just now, Shen Linyi's veil had fallen off, allowing Liu Jingxian to see her face clearly.
With such stunning beauty, if Shen Linyi really wanted to cling to power and wealth and enter a mansion as a concubine, she would never have chosen Wen Heyu, a scholar from a poor family who had only become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. With Shen Linyi's appearance, if she had the intention, she could even enter a prince's mansion.
Shen Linyi unconsciously touched her face and only then realized that her veil was missing.
It was so simple that Liu Jingxian believed their words just because of her appearance. Shen Linyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Since Miss Liu believes our words, you should know that Wen Heyu is not a good man to entrust your life to. In the future, you'd better stay away from him."
"That won't do!"
Liu Jingxian refused Shen Linyi's suggestion again, but there was no glint of being love - struck in her eyes. Instead, she was eager to take action.
Since she knew that Wen Heyu was a heartless man, she couldn't let other girls be deceived by him!
Yes, the chivalrous spirit in Liu Jingxian, the spirit of helping the weak and righting wrongs, had emerged again.
"If we all stay away from him, who will know his true character? I have a plan that will surely make him infamous in the capital!"
A confident smile appeared on Liu Jingxian's face as if she had everything under control when plotting against someone.
"Hey! Miss! The nun is awake!! She's eavesdropping on our conversation!!"
Hearing Liuyun's shout, Shen Linyi stood up and quickly walked towards the bed.
Only to see Qinghe opening her eyes and glaring fiercely at Liuyun.
As soon as she saw Shen Linyi, Qinghe opened her mouth and started scolding. But because her throat had been burned by the vegetable porridge, her voice was a bit hoarse. "Bitch!! Bitch!!"
"You bitch will surely end up badly. You framed me and slandered Young Master Wen. You're a despicable bitch!!"
Liu Jingxian had never heard anyone scold so vulgarly. Originally, she had felt a bit sorry for Qinghe, but now she frowned and showed a look of disgust.
Shen Linyi of course wouldn't tolerate Qinghe. She reached out and slapped Qinghe hard across the face.
Qinghe's head was knocked to one side, and she didn't know how to react for a moment.
"Are you awake now?"
"If you still want to scold, I don't mind hitting you some more."
Shen Linyi's tone was extremely cold. She flexed her wrist as if her palm would fall on Qinghe's face the next second.
Seeing that the others outnumbered her, Qinghe didn't dare to speak rashly again. She just stared at Shen Linyi with venomous eyes full of hatred.