Chapter 392: Implicated
Chapter 392: Chapter 392: Implicated
"Mhm," Cheng Beilin nodded. "Mr. Gong came, too. He’s already met my mom and dad. He’s a very kind man."
As she spoke, Cheng Beilin couldn’t help but blush and smile. ’After so many years, I can finally walk down the aisle with the man I love, and with the blessing of both our families.’ To her, this was the greatest happiness imaginable.
Seeing Cheng Beilin’s blissful expression, Su Qing and Li Huan were happy for her too.
Cheng Beilin smiled and said to them, "You two must be tired after the long drive. Why don’t you rest for a while? After lunch, I’ll take you shopping."
Li Huan asked, "You’re getting married the day after tomorrow. Are you even allowed to go out today?"
Cheng Beilin laughed. "I just can’t see Chaoran for three days before the wedding. I’m still allowed to leave the house."
"That’s great!" Li Huan grinned. "Perfect timing. Qingqing and I were just planning on buying new outfits for your wedding."
Cheng Beilin smiled. "Outfits for the wedding? I’ve already prepared them for you."
Li Huan said in surprise, "Oh, you already have them ready?"
"Yup, and I promise you’ll both look gorgeous."
"Awesome!"
After lunch, the three of them headed out. Cheng Beilin was getting married the day after tomorrow, and relatives and friends of the Cheng Family would be visiting tomorrow to give their dowry gifts. Then, on the morning of the wedding, she would have to start with preparations very early. That meant they only had this one afternoon to go shopping.
The Cheng family’s driver dropped the three of them off in Central, Xiangcheng’s most bustling district. After getting out of the car, Cheng Beilin led Su Qing and Li Huan straight to Lanfang Garden.
The three of them had only eaten a light lunch, specifically so they could save room for afternoon snacks.
Lanfang Garden was a famous, time-honored tea cafe in Xiangcheng, renowned for its "silk stocking" milk tea. Cheng Beilin ordered three cups of the milk tea, a side of toast, and a scallion oil pork chop, and the three of them found an empty table and sat down.
"Well, well, Cheng Beilin. Aren’t you about to get married? What are you still doing running around out here?" The three had just sat down when two girls nearby spotted them. One of them scoffed and directed her words at Cheng Beilin.
"Hah. It’s none of your business," Cheng Beilin retorted with a cold laugh upon seeing the girl who had spoken. "You’re not invited to my wedding anyway, so why do you care?"
"Hmph. As if I’d want to go," the girl who had spoken first said, her expression souring. She glanced at Su Qing and Li Huan, then sneered. "Honestly, Cheng Beilin, your Cheng Family is one of the most prominent in Xiangcheng. Why are you lowering yourself to hang out with a couple of country bumpkins? Don’t you think that’s beneath you?"
"Ziwen!" Hearing her friend’s words, the girl beside her quickly tried to stop her. "Watch what you say."
After Cheng Beilin had been rescued from her kidnapping, An Zhiwei of the An Family was sentenced to life imprisonment, and there was nothing the An Family could do to change it. Many members of the Hetian Association, one of Xiangcheng’s three largest gangs, were arrested. The association was hit so hard that it was now a shadow of its former self. Even the Jiu Ying Gang’s entire power structure had been turned upside down because of the incident.
This incident was no secret among Xiangcheng’s high society. In fact, many people knew that the one who saved Cheng Beilin wasn’t from Xiangcheng at all, but from Beijing. And rumor had it, it was a girl.
’Although I’ve never seen this legendary girl, the way these two are dressed... it’s clearly not Xiangcheng fashion. It looks more like what people from ’over there’ wear.’ She suspected that one of the two girls with Cheng Beilin was the very person who had rescued her.
’Is someone who could throw the An Family, the Hetian Association, and the Jiu Ying Gang into chaos a person we can afford to provoke? Which of Xiangcheng’s wealthy, founding families doesn’t have skeletons in their closet? Which one hasn’t used underhanded methods to get where they are? If we anger someone like that and they start digging up dirt, we’ll all live to regret it.’
"What are you doing?!" Kang Ziweng said, annoyed. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"
Kang Ziweng’s family had ties to the Hetian Association. When the association went down, not only did it fall, but the Kang family’s business was implicated as well. They lost a great deal of money and several projects. Their family’s fortunes took a massive hit, so much so that even Kang Ziweng’s personal allowance had been cut. This was simply unacceptable to her. She hated the Cheng Family for it, and she was especially furious with Cheng Beilin, whom she saw as the main culprit. ’If it weren’t for Cheng Beilin starting all this, would our Kang family be in this mess?’
That was why the moment she saw Cheng Beilin today, Kang Ziweng couldn’t stop herself from lashing out with a sarcastic remark.
"Who are you calling a country bumpkin? Kang Ziweng, did you forget to brush your teeth this morning?!" Cheng Beilin shot Kang Ziweng a contemptuous look. "What’s this? Still trying to keep up appearances? Can you even afford designer perfumes and bags anymore? Is your allowance holding up? I heard the Kang family’s assets took another hit recently, didn’t they? Do you still have the money to play the part of a wealthy heiress?"
After saying her piece, Cheng Beilin smiled and glanced at Liang Qing, who was standing beside Kang Ziweng. "Liang Qing, if Kang Ziweng asks you to pay for her things later, you’d better be smart about it. You don’t want to be the sucker who foots the bill and gets nothing but grief in return."
"You... You’re talking nonsense!" Kang Ziweng panicked. The Kang family’s internal financial troubles hadn’t gotten out; they had kept it tightly under wraps. ’How does Cheng Beilin know about this?’
Liang Qing frowned slightly at Cheng Beilin’s words, mentally tucking the warning away. She gave Cheng Beilin a subtle nod.
Stung by Cheng Beilin’s words, Kang Ziweng didn’t dare say anything else. She shot an angry glare at Su Qing and Li Huan, then dragged Liang Qing out of the tea cafe.
Cheng Beilin smiled at Su Qing and Li Huan. "Don’t pay any attention to her. She’s just a clueless idiot."
"Yeah, we won’t," Li Huan nodded with a wide smile. Kang Ziweng’s words didn’t faze her in the slightest. She had never lacked for money, and while Xiangcheng’s opulence was impressive, she didn’t feel the least bit insecure.
As for Su Qing, that went without saying.
A few moments later, a server brought over their milk tea and snacks. After happily enjoying their afternoon tea, Cheng Beilin took Su Qing and Li Huan to one of her favorite shops.
As luck would have it, they ran into Kang Ziweng again. This time, however, Liang Qing was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Kang Ziweng was with a man.
"Ziwen, pick out whatever you like. Just put it all on my tab," the man was saying to Kang Ziweng just as Su Qing and her friends walked into the store.
"Thank you, Young Master Meng," Kang Ziweng said to the man with a flirtatious smile, then went to try on some clothes.
Young Master Meng sat on the shop’s sofa, looking bored. He turned his head and happened to see Su Qing and her friends walk in.
The moment he saw Su Qing, Young Master Meng’s eyes were instantly fixed on her.