Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Such a Striking Beauty
Qu Fulan had just encountered strangers when the four protective guards appeared silently behind her.
The group of unfamiliar men, seeing the display of a wealthy family, realized it wasn’t wise to provoke and reined in their frivolous glances, preparing to greet her earnestly.
Qu Fulan had already turned around and left.
"Who is that young lady, so beautiful like a flower? How come I’ve never seen her before?"
"There are so many prominent young ladies in the Capital City, many of whom we’ve never seen."
"But there is no reason I haven’t heard of such a stunning beauty."
...
On the mountain, pathways led everywhere, and Qu Fulan didn’t know where the two had hidden. She followed her intuition to search, and upon rounding a corner, saw Heir Pei talking to several guards, appearing to be giving instructions.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Pei Ji’an looked over, "Where are you headed?"
Qu Fulan saw the guards disperse, suggesting the matter was concluded, and approached, "I’m looking for Tuan and the others."
Pei Ji’an raised his eyebrows slightly, "You should have set a boundary earlier; Tuan is best at hiding, aimlessly searching like this won’t find him."
Having searched for a while, Qu Fulan also noticed the flaw, realizing those two might be running farther away.
"You’re usually clever; it’s rare for you to be confused." Pei Ji’an laughed.
Qu Fulan was rendered speechless; it was just a game, so she hadn’t thought it through.
"You should search over there. Given Tuan’s personality, he would likely run to strange places." Pei Ji’an slightly raised his chin, offering a hint.
After thanking him, Qu Fulan headed in that direction.
She hadn’t walked far when she encountered Miss Liu and two maidservants.
Watching the Heir’s departing figure, Miss Liu withdrew her gaze and looked at Qu Fulan, "Where is Heir Pei headed?"
Qu Fulan couldn’t provide an answer, "Perhaps he has some busy matters."
Miss Liu chuckled, her beautiful eyes glimmering, "Heir Pei treats other ladies with indifference but pays close attention to Miss Qu. If the girls who admire the Heir were to witness it, their hearts might shatter."
Qu Fulan didn’t expect Miss Liu to express her jealousy openly and simply replied with a smile, "Heir Pei is nostalgic. After all, we were master and servant once; exchanging a few words is quite natural when meeting."
Miss Liu’s gaze lingered on Qu Fulan’s face before sighing, "True, I heard the Heir is also very kind to his family and dutiful. I suppose he will be exceptionally good to his wife in the future."
This topic wasn’t one that Qu Fulan could continue, so she mentioned she still needed to find Tuan and took her leave.
Miss Liu remained standing, watching her leave, as her smile gradually faded.
"Why would the young lady lower herself to speak with someone like that?" a maidservant beside her couldn’t help but ask.
Miss Liu instead asked, "Where is my brother?"
The other maidservant pointed to a pavilion not far away, "He’s over there."
Miss Liu was there to discuss something with her brother, and upon arriving at the pavilion, found her brother’s eyes still fixed in the direction she had come, "What are you looking at, brother?"
Young Master Liu hadn’t looked away yet and squinted, "Who was the young lady you were speaking with just now?"
Miss Liu paused before responding, "You mean Qu Fulan?"
Young Master Liu asked, "Qu Fulan? The Qu Family? Which wealthy family in Capital City has that surname?"
Miss Liu laughed mockingly, "What are you talking about, brother? She’s just a maid who has recently redeemed herself, not a lady from a wealthy family."
Young Master Liu’s eyes widened, "How could that be?"
Seeing her followed by four guards earlier, the presence suggested quite an influence; how could she possibly be a maid who had just redeemed herself?
Miss Liu picked up an orange from the table and peeled it slowly, "Why wouldn’t it be? She was originally a maid in the Pei Mansion; why are you asking about this, brother?"
Maid? Young Master Liu rubbed his smooth chin, immediately breaking into a somewhat sinister smile.
Meanwhile, Ren Hua and Tuan had hidden behind a rockery, waiting for Qu Fulan but instead finding Mr. Pei approaching.
Pei Yuan’s stern fatherly image was deeply ingrained. Both Tuan and Ren Hua tensed up.
Tuan respectfully called out, "Father."
Ren Hua also performed proper etiquette.
Pei Yuan acknowledged with a slight nod, his gaze falling on Ren Hua, "Why are you here?"
Feeling his gaze, Ren Hua’s heart grew increasingly tense but managed to maintain a calm exterior, having dealt with business before. Although her heart was nervous, her face remained composed.
"We were playing hide and seek with Fulan and hid here."
The Pei men were not short; Pei Yuan might not match his second brother’s height, but he still towered over Ren Hua, "This place is sparsely populated, posing many risks. You should find somewhere else to play."
Ren Hua felt deeply ashamed; Tuan, being young and innocent, had led her to make a careless decision to come to such a secluded place. If something happened, she couldn’t afford to compensate for even one Tuan.
"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Pei. We will return now," Ren Hua promptly replied.
Pei Yuan nodded, watching them leave.
Meanwhile, Qu Fulan, who hadn’t yet found Ren Hua and the others, first encountered Feng Mei’er.
Feng Mei’er was visibly excited upon seeing Qu Fulan, "I’ve been looking for you forever, finally found you! I heard you redeemed yourself from the Pei Mansion, is it true?"
Indeed, thick-skinned as a city wall, Feng Mei’er had completely discarded past disputes, treating them as intimate friends.
Qu Fulan was speechless, "What does it matter if it’s true or not, why does it concern you?"
Feng Mei’er’s brow furrowed, "How could you leave the Pei Mansion? Now that you have no support, working as a maid there would provide some protection. How will you live after redeeming yourself?"
Qu Fulan replied, "That’s my business, not yours."
Feng Mei’er was fuming; of course, it concerned her. If Qu Fulan remained a maid in the Pei Mansion, she could leverage that relationship to connect with the Pei Family.
Now that Qu Fulan had left, becoming an unsupported person, of what use was she?
Losing such tremendous support, Feng Mei’er naturally couldn’t remain calm.
Just as she was about to speak, someone came to call Qu Fulan.
"Miss Qu, the Heir says Tuan and the others have already joined others. He asked you to go over too."
So Qu Fulan left Feng Mei’er behind.
Feng Mei’er furrowed her brows watching from behind.
Wasn’t it said she wasn’t a servant in the Pei Mansion?
Yet Heir Pei specifically sent someone to find her, what does that mean?
Feng Mei’er obviously didn’t care to think much in other directions; she only considered that since Qu Fulan still had connections with the Pei Family, she was quite useful.
Immediately, she followed along.
Qu Fulan arrived at the Pei resting place, indeed finding Ren Hua and Tuan there. After the exchange of tales, Mr. Pei also arrived.
The key was that the attendant following him carried a wild boar.
Previously, there had been rumors of a wild boar on the mountain injuring people. During this trip, Heir Pei arranged personnel for a roundup, and they indeed captured the boar. Heir Pei was somewhere else attending to matters now.
Today, there were many familiar faces, with the Jin Family, Wen Family, Prince An’s group of four, and also participants from the Liu and Tan Families.
The wild boar might be just enough for everyone to have a bite.
"Merely standing around and eating is dull. Let’s play some games; the winner eats more, which sounds fun," someone suggested.
"What game should we play?" another person asked.
"Miss Qu once mentioned a Truth or Dare game that’s really interesting," Cheng Ru said.
"What’s Truth or Dare?" someone asked, puzzled.
Cheng Ru explained it once, and many found it fresh and intriguing.
Qu Fulan, however, furrowed her brows slightly.