Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 97 Affections

Chapter 97: Chapter 97 Affections

There was a raw sincerity in his eyes, as if he were ready to bare his heart. Fengyu had once seen Jiang Yang confess his feelings, reciting a few pretentious verses that had left a deep impression on her. That shallow affection felt like dust—insignificant yet staining her with filth. Though naive and slow when it came to emotions, Fengyu could still discern that the youth before her was different from Jiang Yang.

"Yu Yan set fire to your shop, and my brother has already disciplined her. Recently, she’s been detained to learn manners and morals. I believe she has realized her mistakes. She has even promised not to confront you anymore. What she did was wrong; her intentions were malicious, and I won’t defend her. But I am me, and she is her. I refuse to give up on the person I like because of her actions."

Sincere confessions often move the heart, yet Fengyu shook her head firmly, her mind clear. "Lin Xiao, it’s impossible."

"Why? Am I even worse than Jiang Yang?" Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with stubbornness, and he instinctively grasped her wrist. Afraid he might hurt her, he quickly let go, staring at the red mark on her wrist like a flustered boy who had just made a mistake.

Fengyu didn’t mind. She rubbed her wrist lightly and said, "Grandmother spoke to me about the kind of husband I should seek. I want someone obedient and docile, with a simple family, and who will listen to me without question. If he could be a live-in son-in-law, that would be ideal."

Lin Xiao was stunned. In order to reject him, Fengyu had fabricated lie after lie. What man would willingly become a live-in son-in-law? His gaze was too direct, so Fengyu added, "Every word I’ve said comes from the heart. None of it is false."

The young man slumped against the window, where the palace lantern swayed gently outside, casting a somber veil over him. With a bitter laugh, he said, "I knew I’d be refused, but still..."

I can’t let it go!

But what use is not letting go?

Fengyu watched him quietly, waiting for him to mention the matter of the palace banquet. If Lin Xiao had been a little less principled and spoken about it, she might not have rejected him so decisively. Yet he lowered his gaze in disappointment and refused to bring it up. At that moment, Fengyu thought, Lin Xiao and Lin Yu Yan truly were different.

"Ayu, come quickly! Zhang Boxin and your elder sister..." Fang Lingjun, with her sharp eyes, spotted Zhang Boxin and Feng Wan downstairs.

By the riverbank below, the crowd was lively. Feng Wan held a palace lantern while Zhang Boxin playfully courted her, putting on a mask and teasing her. Feng Wan smiled warmly as Zhang Boxin tried on several masks to entertain her. If not for the crowded setting limiting his antics, the group of onlookers upstairs felt Zhang Boxin might even have danced to amuse her.

"He’s drunk, isn’t he?" Cai Wensen scoffed, a hint of disdain tugging at his brows. "So imprudent."

"Ah, young love... it clouds the mind." Zhou Liyu clapped hands with Cai Wensen, vowing to become heartless men immune to love.

The speakers were indifferent, but the listener took it to heart, leaving Lin Xiao feeling quite unsettled.

It was no secret that Zhang Boxin and Feng Wan would be engaged after the Lantern Festival. A little intimacy was understandable. Fang Lingjun, never one to shy from the drama, tossed roasted peanuts at Zhang Boxin downstairs.

Zhang Boxin looked up and saw seven people watching him from above. In flustered haste, he removed the hideous mask from his face, his cheeks flushed as he angrily threatened to throw the peanuts back. Feng Wan, unsure of what to say, appeased him and made him obediently wave a fist at Fang Lingjun in mock threat.

Noticing Fengyu and the others, Feng Wan gracefully greeted them from below.

Fang Lingjun remarked, "Elder sister descended straight from the heavens, and the lucky one is this rascal."

The crowd burst into laughter, though Feng Wan’s cheeks also burned with heat. Fengyu secretly thought, her elder sister had finally found someone who saw nothing but her—a good match, one where all ends in joy.

Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and the others had night duties later, so after playing another round of drinking games, the young men waved goodbye and went off to patrol the city. Feng Wan planned to search for Feng Ling and invited Fengyu to join her. Having been outside for a long time, Fengyu felt weary and wanted to return to the mansion early. Feng Wan took her maid and left to find Feng Ling. Fang Lingjun and Princess Xue Lan went downstairs to continue enjoying the lanterns, leaving Fengyu to keep their private room.

The dragon boats on the lake cruise gradually approached their finale. Crowds ahead began to disperse, with large and small pleasure boats slowly leaving the river, making the riverbank more bustling than before.

Fengyu decided to wait for the girls from Mudan Building to return—Qiuxiang and Chunlu could perhaps join her for a drink. After the dragon boat cruise ended, the riverbank and bridges became unbearably crowded, and Fengyu didn’t enjoy pushing through the throngs. She decided to give it an hour, and if Lady Thirteen and the others hadn’t returned by then, she would head back to the mansion.

"Miss, the Lantern Festival is truly lively. Mudan Building’s pleasure boats have sailed out," Qiuxiang said, pointing to the most extravagant pleasure boat on the river. Mudan Building made its fortune over the three-day Lantern Festival period, raking in money by the boatload. The luxury of the passengers—officials and nobles—was evident.

Moreover, tonight the girls from Mudan Building were invited to perform on a dragon boat, earning widespread acclaim. Those drawn by their fame only increased. Fengyu commented, "If they return safely, the girls who performed on the dragon boat will see their booking fees quintuple—rarity inflates worth."

Chunlu chuckled, "Miss is absolutely right. All those lavish spenders from affluent families—they’ll pay more for a show in front of the palace."

"We should ask the young marquis sometime whether he paid Miss Lan Hua yet," Fengyu said coolly, resting her chin on her hand. "That rogue owes me fifty thousand and hasn’t repaid it, yet he has money to entertain himself with flower wines."

Chunlu froze, struggling not to laugh. "Yes, indeed."

Qiuxiang, however, blurted out brashly, "Miss, why do you care about the young marquis drinking flower wines?"

Fengyu replied, "He hasn’t repaid his debts but still has money to drink flower wines. Is that appropriate?"

Qiuxiang pondered earnestly, "It’s indeed inappropriate, but he’s drinking flower wines that ultimately end up in your own pocket."

Fengyu: "..."

Looking downstairs again, Qiuxiang exclaimed, "Miss, Lin Yu Yan is pulling and tugging with Jiang Yang. How do they know each other?"

The view from upstairs was excellent—Lin Yu Yan, beautifully dressed, stood out prominently in the crowd.

Fengyu and Chunlu also approached the window, watching Lin Yu Yan impatiently facing Jiang Yang, who was speaking urgently to her. Her maid Lan Xin was trying hard to hold Jiang Yang back.

Chunlu wondered aloud, "Miss, how did they meet? The two of them don’t seem even remotely connected."

Narrowing her eyes, Fengyu sneered, "Come on. Let’s go watch the commotion."

The trio of mistress and maids went downstairs, hiding behind the shop to overhear their quarrel.

Lately, Jiang Yang had been living a miserable life, stuck in the Imperial College with no prospects for promotion. Among his peers, several had promising careers and marriages, while he felt his talents were wasted managing books—an overwhelming talent confined to trivialities. Additionally, his lavish lifestyle drained finances, threatening ruin in the future.

Faced with ridicule and financial struggles, Jiang Yang regretted his choices after Lin Yu Yan’s incident. Attempting reconciliation with Fengyu had failed, leaving him desperate. He hadn’t expected to see Lin Yu Yan during the Lantern Festival. Since her return to the Capital City, she had kept a low profile, and Jiang Yang had been so out of touch that he hadn’t even realized she had returned.

Lin Yu Yan’s return signaled that the Lin Family hadn’t abandoned her. If Jiang Yang married her, his future would be secure.

Jiang Yang was pathetic—poor and with no standing. Though yearning to join the Lin Family was delusional, he continued to admire himself, believing his title as the top scorer made him superior. With Lin Yu Yan’s ruined reputation dangling, his implication was that marrying her would be a sacrifice—for only he, the lovesick fool, could overlook her flaws.