Chapter 54: Can't Forgive Chen Yan So Easily; Give Him a Good Lesson!

"Hm?"

Wen Nianshu was startled, turned her head to look where the finger pointed, and that familiar face immediately came into view, "Is that Chen Yan?!"

"He's here too!"

She paused briefly, her beautiful eyes brightened, she slightly lifted her head and continued, "He must have come for me!"

Every line exuded confidence.

Beyond her surprise, Wen Nianshu's gaze lingered on Chen Yan's face and body, unwilling to leave.

How had she never noticed before that a slightly dressed, newly robed Chen Yan could be so handsome?

Every gesture was filled with charm.

Being able to make such a change must mean he learned she would attend the poetry gathering and came especially to win her back!

It must be exactly that!

"I knew it, that Chen Family eldest son simply can't give up on you, miss!"

Qiu Lan looked from afar into Chen Yan's eyes, a flash of arrogance and contempt, and said resolutely, "Just to see you, miss, he chased all the way to this poetry gathering..."

Such a scene had long ceased to surprise Qiu Lan.

The old Chen Yan would cling to his own miss like this, no matter how hard anyone tried, he wouldn't be driven away!

"That's natural!"

Wen Nianshu lightly pressed her red lips, raised her delicate brows, and smiled, "Chen Yan has been infatuated with me since childhood; all these years of affection aren't so easily erased."

In her eyes, even though Chen Yan now enjoys the favor of Grand Chamberlain Da Zhongzai and has become a court newcomer, his core remains the same as before.

Men are all hard‑mouthed and prideful.

He must not know how to beg for her forgiveness, so he came up with this idea to attract her attention.

"With your beauty, miss, just a flick of a finger can make him utterly mesmerized..."

Qiu Lan nodded, deeply agreeing, and flattered, "..."

She paused again, shifted her tone, and continued, "But miss, you must not forgive him so easily!"

Thinking back to that day at the Chen Fu gate, when she was humiliated and beaten by the vile servant, Qiu Lan felt her teeth ache with hatred.

What was even more infuriating was that the damn sycophant still hadn't even bound the vile servant to apologize!

If I can make him feel better, then I'm not the miss's personal maid!

Wen Nianshu heard that, yet hesitated, and said with slight indecision, "But Chen Yan has already taken the initiative to seek reconciliation, offering a step..."

"Staying at odds with him forever isn't a good thing either!"

In the past, without Qiu Lan's words, Wen Nianshu would have ignored Chen Yan.

But now it's different; his fate concerns the Wen family's future, and her father has repeatedly urged her to set the wedding date soon...

Wen Nianshu no longer dared to be overly willful.

"Miss, men are all bad seeds!"

Qiu Lan let out a light hum, cast a sidelong glance at Chen Yan in the distance, and said with conviction, "When it's too easy to get, they never cherish it!"

She paused again, then added, "You don't want the previous incident to replay, do you?"

A chill flashed in the maid's eyes.

If she could easily coax Chen Yan to win over her own miss, she wouldn't be called Qiu Lan!

"You're right!"

Thinking of the humiliation Dantai Mingyue brought, Wen Nianshu was swayed, clenched her fist, and said, "We must not forgive Chen Yan so easily; we should give him a good lesson!"

Having said that, she already began scheming how to make things difficult for him.

Chen Yan, while taking Yuwen Ze around to appreciate flowers, sensed an unfriendly gaze, turned his head, and saw a few meters away Wen Nianshu staring at him intently, muttering softly, "That damn Wen Nianshu and her mother, how did they also show up?"

"Still staring at me with such a strange look?"

Chen Yan hadn't expected to encounter that woman here.

His heart wasn't greatly stirred; he just felt the gaze was a bit off.

"Young Master, that's your former fiancée!"

Zhu Yi also noticed Wen Nianshu and her servant, and nudged Chen Yan with his elbow.

Then, with a lewd grin, he teased, "Look at the way she eyes you; could it be an old flame reigniting?"

Saying that, he kept winking and making faces at his own young master.

"Miss Wen of the Wen family?"

"The woman who divorced from Tianlao?"

Yuwen Ze heard this and thought to himself.

Although he had never seen the woman named Wen Nianshu, he had heard of her deeds.

When A Xiong was reported, falsely accused, and sent to Tianlao Death Prison, even if he spent a fortune to smooth connections, the Wen family woman was desperate to divorce and cut ties.

What an extremely short‑sighted woman!

Thinking of that, Yuwen Ze's expression instantly soured.

"To hell with you!"

"Don't ruin my appetite for admiring beauty!"

Chen Yan kicked Zhu Yi, swearing as he spoke.

Old flame reigniting?

Who is disgusted?

Does she even deserve it?

If you have that much free time, you'd be better off going back to tease Xiao Lajiao...

On the other side.

"Pei Suiwan, look at this year's poetry gathering; there are indeed many handsome talented scholars!"

Du Shuying clasped Pei Suiwan's hand, gazed ahead, and laughed, "Even the Liu and Wei families have shown up...."

A short distance ahead, Du Shuying saw many familiar faces.

Hedong Liu Clan.

Capital Wei Clan.

There were also many Chang'an Shijia Gongzi and noble ladies, all familiar faces.

Even the rarely seen First Scholar of Chang'an came this time....

"Hmm."

Pei Suiwan heard that and gave a soft reply, as a response.

His gaze, however, scanned left and right, as if searching for something....

"Pei Suiwan, what's wrong with you?"

Du Shuying keenly sensed her friend's oddity and asked, "Why so absent‑minded?"

Pei Suiwan lightly pursed her red lips, withdrew her gaze, and sighed softly, "At such a grand Chang'an literary gathering, I wonder whether Young Master Cao will attend?"

After looking around for a while, Pei Suiwan did not find the imagined figure....

She felt a slight disappointment.

"What am I supposed to be doing?"

Du Shuying smiled, gently nudged Pei Suiwan, and teased, "So you've been thinking about Young Master Cao!"

She paused, then deliberately added, "Indeed, a romantic scholar who can compose verses like 'clouds imagine garments, flowers imagine beauty' is also worthy of the First Scholar of Chang'an's thoughts!"

"Pah!"

"You brat, how dare you mock me?"

"Get hit!"

The teased Pei Suiwan, her face flushed, spat, and began chasing and roughhousing with her close confidante.

"Oh dear, could I have actually guessed right?"

Du Shuying dodged while laughing, saying, "A maiden in love!"

Amid the two women's frolic, a voice broke the atmosphere:

"First Talent Girl of Chang'an?"

"Soon it won't be!"

Immediately, a woman appeared wearing a dark Shu brocade robe with flowing sleeves, the hem scented with intricate silver patterns like night stars in motion; her neckline and collar edged with moon‑white brocade, understated yet exuding elegance.

Her face was as cold as frost, unadorned yet her skin was whiter than snow.

Her eyebrows were distant like indigo, her eyes clear, cold, and deep, as if all worldly things could not enter her sight.

Below a high, straight nose, her thin lips were uncolored, slightly pursed, radiating an aloofness that kept others at a thousand‑li distance.

"Who do you think I am?"

Du Shuying recognized the newcomer at a glance and retorted, "So it's Pei Suiwan's defeated subordinate!"

"Liu Xushi, you are truly confident!"

Their words were full of sharp, opposing sarcasm.

Liu Xushi, the legitimate daughter of the Hedong Liu Clan, seventeen years old.

Second Talent Girl of Chang'an, who has long been ranked below Pei Suiwan.

"You..." Liu Xushi's face turned ashen, she gritted her teeth and said.

"What am I?"

"Is something wrong?"

Du Shuying lifted her head, hands on hips, and sneered coldly.

She repeated, each word punctuated, "Defeated subordinate!"

"In this poetry gathering, I will not only snatch the First Talent Girl of Chang'an...."

Liu Xushi suppressed the fire in her chest, her gaze passing Du Shuying to land on Pei Suiwan, and provoked, "I will also take the astonishingly talented Young Master Cao!"

Liu Xushi heard clearly the conversation between Pei Suiwan and Du Shuying.

Whatever Pei Suiwan holds dear, she will seize it all.

"Then I shall watch with anticipation!" Pei Suiwan smiled faintly and said softly.

Liu Xushi let out a cold snort and swept her sleeve away.

"This poetry gathering truly is unusual; the south's Xiao Liang also sent people..."

Du Shuying noticed a group of men and women approaching from afar, raised a hand and shouted, "Pei Suiwan, look!"

"The leader appears to be Wang Zhixu of the Langya Wang Clan, the most renowned Jiangnan scholar of the younger generation!"

Pei Suiwan also looked.

But for some reason, she sensed ill intent from them....