Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 47: Has the Second Miss Taken a Fancy to Our Rongbai?
Song Lianhe whispered to Ah Yu, "Was the letter delivered?"
"It was delivered."
Shuang Ye glanced between the two of them and pouted. "Miss, who are you waiting for? How come you’re both keeping secrets from me now?" she whined.
Song Lianhe smiled without saying a word. Ah Yu gently tugged on her sleeve. "Miss, they’re here."
She looked up and saw two handsome young masters approaching on the street. One, dressed in a long white robe and holding a folding fan, cut a dashing and elegant figure. The other wore an ink-wash, bamboo-green robe, his hair bound with a jade coronet. His hands were clasped behind his back, his expression was solemn, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he stood ramrod straight with a dignified posture.
As the two drew near, Yan Wen glanced up at Song Lianhe before quickly lowering his head. "Second Miss Song," he greeted.
Ignoring the stiffness in his voice, Song Lianhe beamed. "Young Master Yan, you’re here."
Then she looked to the man beside him. "And this is..."
Su Huaqing.
’How could I not know him?’
’He and Wen Yan were Zhou Junlin’s right-hand men.’
’I remember back when the original owner of this body was at her wildest, Zhou Junlin couldn’t be bothered to deal with her and always sent this man instead.’
’The book didn’t say much about him, but what it did say was always incisive. It seemed he was the indispensable mastermind behind several of Zhou Junlin’s most infamous exploits.’
’In short, he was a ruthless character who never showed his hand.’
But of course, the "Second Miss Song" of today was not supposed to know him, so Song Lianhe had to feign ignorance.
"A friend, Su Huaqing."
Yan Wen’s introduction was brief. With a sharp SNAP, the man in white closed his folding fan, stepped forward with an elegant air, and bowed with his hands clasped. "I am Su Huaqing, a good friend of Rongbai’s. A pleasure to meet you, Second Miss Song. You can call me Wanzhang, just as Rongbai does."
Song Lianhe returned the bow with a smile and said, "Wanzhang? What a coincidence! That’s the same name as my favorite author, the Wanzhang Hermit! I absolutely adore his collection of supernatural tales, the *Strange Monster Chronicles*. I just can’t put it down!"
Su Huaqing raised an eyebrow, and Yan Wen glanced over as well. Su Huaqing gave an unreadable smile. "Supernatural tales? They’re nothing but lowbrow fiction."
"Says who? The Wanzhang Hermit’s prose is sharp and witty, with a special focus on character development. The plots are filled with romanticism, but they never lose their sense of greater national duty! In my opinion, *Strange Monster Chronicles* is destined to become a classic, a wellspring of future literary allusions!"
The faint amusement in Su Huaqing’s eyes gradually faded. He stared intently at Song Lianhe for a long moment before lowering his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Are you truly the same ’Second Miss Song’?"
A chill ran through Song Lianhe’s heart, but her expression didn’t betray a thing.
"Oh, for goodness’ sake, can you folks discuss strange monsters and what-not later? Let’s talk about the shop first!"
Boss Zhao was terribly anxious, terrified the deal would fall through.
The group was invited inside, and the subsequent negotiations went exceptionally smoothly. To be safe, Song Lianhe had already asked Boss Zhao to summon an Official. They signed the deed, paid the tax, and bought the entire shop outright, with Yan Wen registered as the new owner.
Boss Zhao couldn’t have cared less who the shop belonged to. He cheerfully took the silver notes, immediately ordered his clerk to prepare to clear out the shop, and agreed to hand over the property in three days.
Seeing so much Silver disappear, Shuang Ye felt a pang in her heart.
’She pawned the gifts from the Holy Emperor... I wonder if that’s against the law...’
*
At a restaurant across the street, Song Lianhe played host, treating Su Huaqing and Yan Wen to a meal.
Song Lianhe raised her cup with a serious air. "Boss Yan, this toast is for you!"
Yan Wen gave her an expressionless look, raised his cup, and drained it in one go.
’He’s acting like he’s sulking at someone.’
’Heh, what a temper he has.’
Song Lianhe took a small sip and said placatingly, "Young Master Yan, you just got a shop for free. Anyone else would be over the moon! Why do you still look so upset?"
Yan Wen said nothing, simply downing another cup.
It was Su Huaqing who spoke up, asking with a light laugh, "One hundred gold ingots... Second Miss Song didn’t even bat an eye before giving the shop to Rongbai. One might say you’re simply magnanimous with your wealth, but anyone who didn’t know better would think you’ve taken a fancy to our Rongbai and are trying to win him over with a lavish gift!"
"Wanzhang!" Yan Wen’s face flushed with irritation. He shot a quick glance at Song Lianhe, but his gaze landed uncontrollably on her lips. The tips of his ears turned red as if scalded, and he immediately tore his gaze away.
