Chapter 282: Entering through the Door

Translator: Pika

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Qiu Honglei?”

Qin Wanru’s expression instantly turned frightful. She had never seen any girl act in such a forward manner towards someone else’s son-in-law before!

Chu Chuyan seemed none too pleased as well. After all, which wife would be happy to hear that a prostitute had come looking for their husband late at night?

“Who is Qiu Honglei here for?” Chu Zhongtian was still confused.

“The young master!” Cheng Shouping blinked his eyes. He recalled that Master had also complimented Qiu Honglei on her appearance a few years ago. Is Master jealous?

But Master really is better than young master in almost every way! The only thing in which he lags behind young master is in the art of picking up girls.

Chu Zhongtian hadn’t had a concubine all these years, and Cheng Shouping himself had been sent to work in the kitchens over this matter.

Now check out young master! There are already all sorts of legends about him, not long after he entered the estate!

Master, oh Master, you really need to learn this skill from him!

Zu An felt embarrassed being under so many strange gazes. “Maybe she has something proper to discuss with me... I’ll be right back.”

“Proper? What kind of ‘proper matter’ would make a brothel courtesan run all the way here in the middle of the night?” Qin Wanru scoffed. “You know what, this is a great opportunity. I’m going to see for myself just what is going on!”

Chu Zhongtian nodded. “I should take a look as well.”

Qin Wanru shot her husband a look. Was this guy interested in knowing what was going on, or merely interested in Qiu Honglei herself?

However, she didn’t think it appropriate to act out, especially under so many pairs of eyes.

She settled for shooting Zu An a hateful look. This entire mess was because of this brat!

You have successfully trolled Qin Wanru for 333 Rage points!

Zu An was numb to the incoming Rage points. He decided just to let Qin Wanru throw her tantrum. It’s not like she’ll actually do anything.

They hurried over to the entrance as a group. Chu Chuyan kept her silence throughout, but her mere action of following them said all that needed to be said.

When they arrived at the entrance, they discovered that quite a few people had gathered around. All of them were from the Chu clan estate, and they were there to check out what was going on.

After all, Qiu Honglei’s reputation was known throughout Brightmoon City, from those in their eighties all the way to little kids. As long as they were male, they knew of her.

Despite the strict discipline enforced by the Chu clan, none of them could resist their curiosity. They had rushed over to catch a glimpse of this world-renowned beauty.

After all, with their status and income, they really didn’t have any chance of seeing the Immortal Abode’s courtesan queen in her usual establishment.

“What an amazing figure and appearance~”

“If I could land myself a wife like this... no, if I had to die in order to have her for a day, it would surely be worth it!”

“She really is too gorgeous! I don’t think she looks too shabby compared to the first miss!”

“Are you tired of living? You actually dare to use the first miss as a comparison?! ... but I guess the first miss is a bit cold. Lady Qiu’s smile does tug a bit more at the heartstrings...”

“I heard she was looking for the young master. How could this be possible?”

“Bro, you’re so behind on the news. The young master has some mad skills in this field.”

Of course, not everyone was this excited. Chu Hongcai didn’t believe his ears when he heard of Qiu Honglei’s arrival. His shoes weren’t even worn on the right feet before he ran out the door. Sure enough, he was greeted by the figure he yearned for day and night.

Every smile and frown from this girl drove him crazy. But such a perfect woman had instead come looking for a different man in the middle of the night.

Chu Hongcai’s heart was like a vase that had fallen onto solid ground—instantly smashed to countless pieces.

Forget it, it’s just like what Yucheng said. It’s better for her to be with Zu An than some other man. Fertile land should not be given to other men to farm.

Even so, why do I feel like crying?

...

Qiu Honglei seemed indifferent to the whispers of the crowd. She smiled as she stood there, calmly waiting for that person to appear.

The gates soon opened. The guards stowed away their smiles at once when they saw Chu Zhongtian. All of them raised their heads and puffed out their chests, refraining from any further nonsense.

Qin Wanru, who had originally been fuming with rage, seemed to lose her fury the instant she laid eyes on the girl waiting there.

How could there be such a beautiful girl in this world?

Her oldest daughter was also extremely pretty, but hers was an otherworldly beauty that grew out of her reserved and aloof demeanor.

This woman before her was the perfect embodiment of worldly beauty. Her entire figure exuded feminine charm. Forget about the men—even women who saw her might let their imagination run uncontrollably wild.

She caught herself a second later. Why am I praising a girl who is trying to steal my daughter’s man?

Pah! She’s just another seductive vixen!

She was just about to say something when she noticed her husband’s eyes had gone wide. Boiling with rage inside, she quickly walked over to him and secretly pinched him.

Chu Zhongtian’s face went red, and he coughed to hide his embarrassment.

“I pay my respects to Brightmoon Duke, Madam Chu, and First Miss Chu.” Qiu Honglei was slightly surprised by their arrival. However, she kept her nerves in check. She greeted each of them with a smile, her every action full of proper bearing, lacking a single flaw.

Chu Zhongtian looked guiltily at his wife, but he was the clan master. It was only natural that he would be the one to respond. He cleared his throat and said, “Why has Lady Qiu decided to visit so late in the evening?”

“Honglei came to tell Ah Zu some things. I didn’t expect to disturb the Master and Madam. I truly must apologize.” Qiu Honglei bowed deeply. The hearts of all of the surrounding men were about to melt. How could anyone bring out a shred of rebuke against this girl?

“What do you need Ah Zu for?” Qin Wanru said with displeasure. She knew that her daughter’s personality was more reserved, and she might not be able to bring herself to say anything. As a mother, it was her duty to step in to help at such a time.

Hm? I would’ve been more than happy to see someone take that annoying brat Zu An away before. Why am I now worried about him being taken by someone else?

Qin Wanru pondered the question in her mind. We’d have to find someone else to take his place so that we can refuse the offers of marriage from the different powers. Besides, it’ll severely tarnish my daughter’s reputation. That seemed like an acceptable excuse.

Hmph, even if it’s a piece of trash, it’s our clan’s trash. How can we let another girl take it away just like that?

Qiu Honglei gave her surroundings a subconscious look, a hesitant expression appearing on her face. “I wish to talk to Ah Zu about these things in private. Speaking about them here might not be too... appropriate.”

“Oh~” Knowing expressions appeared on the faces of the men gathered there. Did they even have to guess what a man and woman did in private in the middle of the night?

Chu Hongcai had finally picked up the broken pieces of his heart with great difficulty, only for it to be ruthlessly crushed once more by the suppressed laughter all around him.

His mind told him that he would be hurt less if he left earlier, but his heart just couldn’t let go of his emotions. He convinced himself that staring at this beautiful woman for a while longer would still be a good thing.

Qin Wanru forcefully restrained her rage. “Our Chu clan has always believed in conducting our affairs openly and straightforwardly. How could we be involved in something that cannot be spoken out in the open? Just what kind of matter is it?!”

Qiu Honglei blinked a couple of times. “But I am not someone from the Chu clan,” she said innocently.

Those large, fluttering eyes drew everyone’s pity.

Qin Wanru’s breathing stopped. This damn vixen... if I was a man, I really wouldn’t be able to rebut her.

Just as she was about to flare up, Qiu Honglei continued, “What I wish to talk about doesn’t need to be hidden from the young miss, though. Could we find a quiet place to talk?”

Even though she was responding to Qin Wanru’s question, most of her attention was on Chu Chuyan.

She had previously been discontented that Chu Chuyan was the publicly acknowledged number-one beauty. She merely attributed it to her status as the duke’s precious daughter.

But now that they’d met, she couldn’t pick out a single flaw in her, no matter how high she set her standards.

She was cool and elegant. What made Qiu Honglei even more envious was the distant air that she naturally exuded, as if she had somehow transcended the cares of the world. This was something that she had always lacked.

She sighed deeply inside. It was inevitable that some inelegance would have rubbed off on her, having stayed in a place like the Immortal Abode—a place constantly filled with men—for so long.

While Qiu Honglei was sizing her up, Chu Chuyan was doing the same to her.

When she first heard that Zu An had a close relationship with the Immortal Abode’s courtesan queen, she hadn’t cared much at all, despite the displeasure that she showed on the outside.

Among the peers in her age group, she had absolute confidence in herself, whether it was in her appearance or her poise.

No matter how much praise the people of Brightmoon City heaped upon Qiu Honglei, she had dismissed it all with a laugh.

However, now that she had personally seen this exceptionally beautiful woman before her, she suddenly felt a twinge of regret. Had she made a mistake in letting Zu An get close to this woman?

Zu An, who was watching from the side in amusement, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He scanned his surroundings immediately.

What the heck? This place isn’t even windy!

Qin Wanru looked around. There were indeed too many people gathered here. Even though the Chu clan’s guards were usually loyal, it was still possible for spies to have infiltrated this crowd.

“In that case, let’s head inside!” She said coldly, then turned on her heel and left. She pulled her husband—who was still staring blankly—after her.

“Thank you Madam~” Qiu Honglei said with a smile. She gestured for her servants to wait outside, and then lifted her dress and followed them inside.

What are you thanking me for? Qin Wanru was puzzled. The next moment, her expression froze, as something hit her.

Looking at it a certain way, hadn’t she just let her in through the door?[1]

This fox demon really was terribly cunning!

She gave the girl another look, but her expression hadn’t changed a bit. Qin Wanru couldn’t help but wonder if she was overthinking things.

When their group entered the study, Qin Wanru chased everyone else out. Only then did she look at the courtesan. “Now can you talk?” she demanded.

Qiu Honglei smiled. She looked at Zu An, who was next to her. “Ah Zu, I heard that you were rushing about everywhere today. Were you looking for the young master from the Wang clan?”

Zu An nodded. “How did you know? That was indeed what I was doing, but I couldn’t find a single trace of him.”

Qin Wanru frowned, somewhat unhappy that they were leaking such important intelligence to an outsider. If word of this got out to Wang Fu, wouldn’t he immediately appear and start another disturbance?

However, it was already too late to stop him now. At worst, they could just detain Qiu Honglei here, to prevent the secret from getting out?

Hmph, the men in this household might be too happy if I did that.

Qiu Honglei said, “I actually have some news regarding young master Wang on my end. I wanted to let you know since this might be important for you.”

...

Meanwhile, in the Whale Gang’s secret hideout, the young female gang boss was asking a similar question. “I really wonder where the stockade master is keeping Wang Yuanlong.”

Chen Xuan’s expression became cold. “What is the gang boss’ intention behind asking this question?”

The young lady said with a smile, “There is no need for the stockade master to feel so nervous. The entire city is definitely searching for Wang Yuanlong right now. If he is found while the stockade master isn’t in the city to oversee things, wouldn’t our deal be ruined?”

“There is no need for worry. We surely wouldn’t be discovered,” Chen Xuan said proudly.

“That’s good, then.” That young lady suddenly changed the topic. “By the way, I heard that the stockade master wishes to kill someone named Zu An?”

1. Letting someone through the door can also mean joining one’s husband’s household upon marriage.