Ren Yaoqi felt somewhat bewildered.
Ren Yiyan shook his head and gently patted Ren Yijun’s shoulder, his tone carrying a mild reproach. "Third Brother, we were discussing Yunqian’s chess skills. Why did you bring Third Sister into this? Weren’t you the one who played against Yunqian earlier?"
Ren Yijun frowned, sidestepping Ren Yiyan’s hand. As if recalling something unpleasant, his expression darkened. He shot Han Yunqian a sidelong glance, snorted lightly, and turned his head away without answering Ren Yiyan.
Ren Yiyan could only smile apologetically at Han Yunqian.
Han Yunqian’s calm, dark eyes shifted away from Ren Yaoqi. He nodded at Ren Yiyan with a smile and then, after a moment’s thought, addressed Ren Yijun. "Brother Yijun, has Yunqian done something wrong or inadvertently offended you? If so, I am willing to apologize for any inappropriate words or actions."
Over the past few days, he had naturally noticed the stark contrast in Ren Yijun’s attitude toward him compared to before. He had long heard that the third young master of the Ren Family had a peculiar temperament, unpredictable in mood, so he hadn’t paid it much mind initially. Now, however, it seemed Ren Yijun harbored some resentment toward him over something.
Before Ren Yijun could speak, Ren Yiyan interjected on his behalf. "Yunqian, please don’t misunderstand. My third brother is simply like this by nature, but he means no harm. I hope you won’t take it to heart."
Ren Yijun glanced at Ren Yiyan. Though still displeased, he said nothing further.
Qiu Yun stroked his chin and grinned at Ren Yijun. "Third Cousin, were you implying earlier that Fifth Cousin is even better at chess than Yunqian?"
Ren Yiyan looked at Ren Yijun in confusion. Seeing his brother still wearing an indifferent, uncooperative expression, he continued to answer for him. "Third Brother has been playing chess frequently with Fifth Sister lately and has likely suffered several defeats. That’s just how he is—he admires whoever beats him. Fifth Sister’s skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were personally taught by my Third Uncle, so she surpasses most young ladies of her station. But saying her chess skills are superior to Yunqian’s is merely Yijun, as an elder brother, showing favoritism toward his own sister."
Although Ren Yiyan’s explanation sounded reasonable, those familiar with Ren Yijun’s temperament knew he was not the type to feign brotherly affection or harmony. If he approved of someone, it was because that person excelled in areas he valued.
Even Han Yunqian, who had only interacted with Ren Yijun a handful of times, found himself thoughtfully glancing toward Ren Yaoqi once more.
Qiu Yun looked at Yun Wenfang, suddenly clapping his hands with a laugh. "Then I must ask Fifth Sister why she only plays chess with Third Cousin. I had no idea she was skilled in more than just painting. Zishu, come with me."
With that, under the surprised gazes of the others, Qiu Yun grabbed Yun Wenfang’s arm and strode toward Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yiyan wanted to say something, but recalling his father’s earlier mention of the marriage alliance between the Yun Family, Qiu Family, and Ren Family, he watched Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang’s retreating figures and ultimately swallowed his words of protest.
Han Yunqian also glanced at Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang. Though he remained where he was, he began pondering the reasons behind the drastic changes in attitude from both Ren Yijun and Ren Shimin toward him.
Over there, Ren Yaoqi watched as Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang approached her and slightly furrowed her brow.Although she was the only one sitting in the corner among the womenfolk, the warm pavilion was filled with many maids and serving women. In such a public setting, surrounded mostly by close relatives and family friends, no one found Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang's behavior inappropriate.
"Cousin Yaoqi," Qiu Yun called out with a friendly smile.
Ren Yaoqi stood up and curtsied, addressing them as "Cousin" and "Young Master Wen."
Qiu Yun exchanged pleasantries with Ren Yaoqi for a while but did not mention the chess game again. Instead, he walked a few steps away to a small side table and began selecting snacks and fruits from the fruit platter. With a gentle smile, he even directed the two maids behind Ren Yaoqi to brew tea and crack pine nuts for him.
He had chosen the distance perfectly—if they spoke softly here, he wouldn't be able to hear clearly, yet others would assume he was fully aware of the situation.
Ren Yaoqi grew alert when he sent her maids away, feeling the situation was somewhat familiar. However, outsiders saw nothing amiss, and she couldn't overreact.
Glancing at Yun Wenfang, who had been standing silently before her, Ren Yaoqi considered calling over the two maids serving tea who were standing a little farther away. But before she could, Yun Wenfang spoke: "Thank you for the prize."
His tone was calm, devoid of the tension that had marked their interactions in their previous life. It seemed like a decent start, so Ren Yaoqi smiled and nodded. "I haven’t yet congratulated Young Master Wen on winning first place in the earlier competition."
"Are you afraid of me?"
Yun Wenfang suddenly asked this in a low, uncertain voice, a question that seemed completely unrelated to their previous conversation.
Ren Yaoqi was momentarily taken aback but quickly shook her head with a smile. "How could that be?"
Yun Wenfang furrowed his thick brows, his bright, star-like eyes fixed intently and somewhat perplexedly on Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi disliked his gaze. Though it held no malice—it even seemed somewhat innocent—it carried an innate sense of aggression. Perhaps because he was still young and exceptionally handsome, this feeling wasn’t yet very pronounced. Still, Ren Yaoqi felt uneasy inside.
"I said before that I wanted to see your painting. Did you paint one for me?" Yun Wenfang asked with an air of entitlement.
Ren Yaoqi suppressed her temper and looked up at Yun Wenfang, speaking calmly and earnestly. "Young Master Wen, although our families are old friends, there is still a distinction between men and women. You should know how damaging it is to a woman’s reputation to exchange gifts privately. Therefore, I must ask your forgiveness, but I cannot give you my things without reason."
Ren Yaoqi reasoned with him. In their previous life, she bore some responsibility for their conflicts. In this life, she didn’t want to make an enemy of a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old child. She tried to treat him as a junior, hoping this would allow her more tolerance toward him.
"Is that why you won’t speak with me?" To Ren Yaoqi’s surprise, Yun Wenfang didn’t get angry at her refusal. Instead, he smiled.
Ren Yaoqi thought this person’s thoughts were truly hard to decipher. She was about to nod and say "yes," but Yun Wenfang’s smile faded again.
"You really don’t remember me…"
Though he murmured this to himself, Ren Yaoqi heard it clearly.Her expression changed involuntarily, and she almost thought Yun Wenfang had experienced a past life just like her. But upon careful consideration, she felt something was off, so she asked, "What does Young Master Wen mean by that? Have we... met before?"
She had always believed that their first meeting was under the corridor of the Ren Family mansion. Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but search her memories of her previous life, but it had been so long that she truly couldn't recall.
Yun Wenfang looked at her puzzled expression, pursed his lips, seemingly somewhat displeased.
Just as he was about to speak, the maidservant who had accompanied Ren Yaohua to change clothes hurried in. After scanning the room, she immediately made her way toward Ren Yaoqi.
As she approached Ren Yaoqi, Qiu Yun, who had been leisurely savoring the tea and snacks, called out lazily, "Where did this maidservant come from, barging in without any sense of propriety?"
Ren Yaoqi recognized her as one of Nanny Zhou's trusted maidservants and smiled at Qiu Yun. "This is a maidservant from my mother's side. She must have been worried seeing me unattended, which is why she rushed over. Please don't blame her, cousin."
Upon hearing this, the two maidservants standing attentively beside Qiu Yun blushed, lowering their heads and slowly moving closer.
Qiu Yun raised an eyebrow slightly, cleared his throat, and calmly took a sip of tea without further comment on the maidservant's behavior.
Ren Yaoqi stood up and said to the maidservant, "Why haven't Third Aunt and Sister-in-law returned yet? Come with me to greet them." With that, she nodded politely to Yun Wenfang and walked straight out.
Di Mou is officially released today~^^
However, I’ll first post a free chapter for all the sisters who have always supported Mei Nan~
Sincerely thank you~
P.S.: There will be additional updates during the day. Preemptively requesting first subscriptions and pink votes~^^
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Mei Nan’s completed works:
[bookid=2288861,bookname=Mingmen Guisha]
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