Chapter 295: I Have Always Been Fair

Those he had previously infuriated were even more excited, eagerly anticipating his display of impotent rage and how he would humiliate himself in front of Miss Qiu.

To everyone's surprise, Zu An showed no emotional reaction whatsoever. He simply said, "My wife asked you to invite Miss Qiu, but she never said I couldn't be invited, did she?"

The maid was taken aback. "No, she didn't, but..."

"Well, there you have it," Zu An interrupted her directly. "We can go together. That way, she won't bully our Honglei."

The maid: "..."The servants: "..."

"What a ridiculously clever bit of logic," they thought, momentarily unable to find a counter-argument.

The maid, somewhat confused, led the two towards Chu Chuyan's residence, leaving a group of people whispering amongst themselves.

"Did you just hear that?" one person whispered. "He seemed to say he was worried the Young Mistress would bully Miss Qiu. The Young Mistress is such a kind person; why would she bully Miss Qiu?"

"You haven't heard, have you? I hear the son-in-law is going to take Miss Qiu as a concubine."

"What? He's a live-in son-in-law; can he even take a concubine? And someone of Miss Qiu's standing? Where did you hear such an outrageous rumor?"

"Why don't we just ask his page boy?"

So, all eyes turned to Cheng Shoubing, who was standing nearby, silently cheering inside.

"Cheng Shoubing, is what they're saying true?"

Cheng Shoubing puffed out his chest, looking immensely proud. "Of course! And Miss Qiu actually made the first move."

"How is that possible?""That doesn't make sense!"

"Maybe it is true. I did hear that Miss Qiu sent an invitation to the manor before, inviting the son-in-law to the Immortal's Abode."

"But what makes him so special?"

Cheng Shoubing immediately bristled. "Our son-in-law is handsome, dashing, and incredibly charming! His allure is top-notch. Isn't it perfectly normal for Miss Qiu to like him? Don't even talk about Miss Qiu; I bet in the future, Miss Spring, Miss Summer, and Miss Winter will all be throwing themselves at him. Don't you dare compare your pathetic selves to our son-in-law; you're not even in the same league... Hey, why are you clenching your fists?"

"Damn it, we can't hit the son-in-law, but we can hit you, can't we? That'll teach you to gloat!"

The group was already furious with Zu An, but Cheng Shoubing's incessant bragging finally pushed them over the edge. Enraged, they couldn't hold back any longer and pinned him to the ground, giving him a thorough beating.

Cheng Shoubing was utterly dejected, on the verge of tears. "The son-in-law is the one having all the fun, so why am I always the one getting beaten?"

Elsewhere, Zu An sneezed.

Qiu Honglei couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Did you catch a cold?"

"Not at all," Zu An said with a grin. "It's just that I'm too handsome; someone must be talking about me."

Qiu Honglei smiled subtly. "Ah Zu, you're really humorous."

The two chatted cheerfully all the way, while the maid walking in front felt a growing indignation, thinking, "What an illicit pair!"

Upon arriving at Chu Chuyan's residence, Qiu Honglei did not rush inside. Instead, she gazed at the plaque above the courtyard gate and slowly read aloud, "Pavilion of Clear Sound... This courtyard has such a distinctive ambiance, and even such a tranquil name. Sister Chu is truly a refined person; just seeing these characters makes my heart feel much calmer."

Zu An was taken aback. He had visited countless times but had never really paid attention to the name of the place; he'd forget it every time he saw it. He thought to himself, he truly was an unrefined person.

"Miss Qiu, you flatter me. I have long heard of the reputation of your Reclining Cloud Villa, but unfortunately, I've never had the chance to see it." A cool, clear voice sounded. Chu Chuyan, with her slender figure, was already standing at the doorway, evidently having been informed of their arrival in advance.

Qiu Honglei's expression changed to surprise. She thought, "Chu Chuyan shows no signs of severe illness or weakness at all; instead, her complexion is rosy, and a radiant glow emanates from her brows. She's not nearly as cold as the rumors suggest, is she?"

Despite her inner confusion, she quickly replied, "I had originally wanted to invite you as a guest, but unfortunately, the Immortal's Abode is such a questionable place that I wouldn't trouble your esteemed presence, lest it tarnish your pure reputation."

"Miss Qiu, you exaggerate," Chu Chuyan replied. "I truly admire your ability to remain unstained by the mud in such a place." She spoke while inviting Qiu Honglei inside.

Zu An, standing by, was dumbfounded. "What's happening? I thought this would be a battlefield of rivals, but they're genuinely chatting like sisters?"

Qiu Honglei was equally puzzled. Yesterday, the other woman had been clearly furious, so why was she now so calm and composed in her presence? What exactly had happened last night?

Later, during the meal, the two women chatted casually about a wide range of topics, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting, deliberately avoiding any mention of Zu An.

Although Qiu Honglei consistently addressed Chu Chuyan as "Sister," Chu Chuyan showed no reaction, neither refusing nor agreeing, and continued to politely address her as "Miss."

Zu An tried to interject several times, but neither Chu Chuyan nor Qiu Honglei reacted. All their attention was focused on each other; they had no time to spare for him.

"This reaction isn't right!" Zu An thought, quite annoyed. His plan to seize the opportunity to earn 'rage points' had fallen through.

After they had chatted for a while, Chu Chuyan finally got to the point. "Miss Qiu, do you truly intend to marry Ah Zu?"

Qiu Honglei thought, "Here it comes," and smiled faintly. "Of course, it's true."

Chu Chuyan's face remained expressionless. "Even if it means following him to the Chu family, you wouldn't hesitate?"

Qiu Honglei sighed softly. "Since Ah Zu can't bear to leave you, Sister, I naturally must follow his path. Honestly, I'm quite apprehensive about this myself, so I hope you'll show me kindness in the future. However, I've always heard of your noble character, so I don't believe you would make things difficult for me."

Chu Chuyan shook her head slightly. "Sometimes, rumors aren't true. When it concerns their own husband, women are rarely magnanimous."

Qiu Honglei's expression froze for a moment, but her quick wit kicked in. She immediately said, "Rumor has it that your relationship with Ah Zu is lukewarm, but now it seems that outsiders have severely misunderstood the situation."

Zu An finally found an opportunity to interject. He plopped down next to Chu Chuyan and wrapped his arms around her. "Exactly! Our relationship as husband and wife is incredibly strong, isn't that right, my dear?"

Chu Chuyan immediately blushed deeply and instinctively tried to push him away. However, the scene of him having his way with her yesterday somehow flashed in her mind, and she suddenly felt weak all over, completely forgetting to push him away.

Seeing the blush on Chu Chuyan's face and how she allowed Zu An to embrace her, Qiu Honglei's expression finally changed. The most crucial premise of her plan was that Zu An was disregarded in the Chu family, allowing her to provide timely assistance and thus initiate a series of subsequent events.

But their current demeanor was clearly far from what her intelligence had indicated.

Noticing Qiu Honglei's troubled expression, Zu An patted his thigh, gesturing for her to sit closer, and said brazenly, "I'm always fair. From now on, you two sisters will live in peace, and I promise to shower you both with equal affection."

Qiu Honglei: "..."Chu Chuyan: "???"

Just as the two women were about to explode, someone suddenly came to report: "Young Mistress, the Master sent me to inform you that a large number of merchants are on strike today, and many salt households have gone to the City Lord's Mansion to cause trouble. It seems to be related to our previous arrest of Manager Zheng."