Chapter 20: Who is the Beast?

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Who is the Beast?

At that moment, waves of cheers came from the Peach Blossom Forest.

"Miss Wang is truly a great talent!"

"This poem is simply wonderful!"

Zhi Wan and Ouyang Zhenzhu had just arrived when they heard the chorus of praise.

Ouyang Zhenzhu glanced at the commotion ahead and curled her lip. "It’s Wang Yanran."

Zhi Wan had heard a little about the young lady from the Wang family. She was said to be of superior character, talent, and beauty, and was highly sought after by the young masters of the Capital’s noble families.

"Poetry is so boring. Let’s go wander somewhere else," Ouyang Zhenzhu suggested.

Zhi Wan wasn’t fond of crowds either, so she nodded in agreement.

Just as the two were about to leave, a young lady recognized Zhi Wan and called out, "Isn’t that Miss Zhi Wan?"

Wang Yanran, who was surrounded by a crowd and soaking in their praise, heard the name and asked the person beside her in confusion, "Who is Zhi Wan?"

The young woman in a jade-green dress beside her whispered something in her ear, and Wang Yanran immediately looked toward Zhi Wan.

When she saw Zhi Wan’s unforgettably beautiful face, her expression cooled, but she walked over to her nonetheless.

"I have long heard of Miss Zhi Wan’s esteemed name. It is a pleasure to finally meet you today."

Zhi Wan glanced at her. She saw that while Wang Yanran’s face appeared friendly, there wasn’t a trace of a smile in her eyes, and her words were thought-provoking.

She paused, somewhat confused.

She had always lived a secluded life, and very few people knew her.

When her name was mentioned, the strongest impression people had was likely that of an orphan living under someone else’s roof.

’Long heard of my esteemed name... was Wang Yanran using this to remind me of my status?’

Zhi Wan found it rather amusing.

’Why is everyone, one after another, trying to remind me of my status today?’

’What are they so afraid of?’

Ouyang Zhenzhu had also caught the underlying meaning and was instantly displeased. She was about to retort when Zhi Wan pulled her back.

Zhi Wan looked at Wang Yanran and smiled faintly. "You flatter me, Miss Wang."

Wang Yanran was taken aback for a moment, then she looked at Zhi Wan scrutinizingly.

’Did she not understand the meaning behind my words? Does she really think I was complimenting her?’

Seeing the smile on Zhi Wan’s face and her soft, weak appearance, Wang Yanran couldn’t help but laugh at herself for overthinking things.

’She’s just an orphan, and she seems so meek and incompetent. There’s no way Fu Hongyi would ever take a liking to her.’

With this thought, she set her mind at ease and paid Zhi Wan no more attention, turning to chat with the people beside her.

The young woman in the jade-green dress saw Wang Yanran let the matter drop and frowned slightly. She didn’t say anything, but as she walked away, she gave Zhi Wan an extra glance.

Zhi Wan immediately caught her gaze.

’This is the young lady, I remember now. She’s the one who was giving me hostile looks on the way to the main courtyard.’

As soon as Wang Yanran left, Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn’t hold back. "Wanwan, why did you stop me? She was obviously mocking you."

"They were just a few harmless words. Don’t be angry," Zhi Wan said, patting her friend’s hand comfortingly.

Wang Yanran had been subtle, relatively speaking. She had heard far worse things. Still, her behavior was strange.

Seeing Zhi Wan comforting her instead, Ouyang Zhenzhu let out a laugh of exasperation. "Fine. If you’re not angry, what’s the point of me being angry?"

Zhi Wan broke off a peach blossom branch and handed it to her, saying sweetly, "A beautiful flower for a beautiful woman."

Ouyang Zhenzhu laughed, amused. "How can I be called beautiful in front of a true beauty like you?" But she took the peach blossom anyway.

"By the way, who was that young lady in the green dress with Wang Yanran just now? Which family is she from?" Zhi Wan asked, changing the subject.

"That’s Wang Yanran’s cousin. She’s the illegitimate daughter of a director from the Ministry of Industry. Her name is Zhang Linglong," Ouyang Zhenzhu explained.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan nodded thoughtfully.

Since neither of them liked crowds, they didn’t head into the throng of people, instead finding a quiet spot to admire the peach blossoms.

Deep in the Peach Grove, the blossoms grew more and more brilliant, their beauty extraordinary.

"Wanwan, the peach blossoms here are so beautiful," Ouyang Zhenzhu exclaimed in amazement.

Zhi Wan was captivated as well. Standing under a peach tree, she tilted her head back to admire the blossoms, a sudden itch in her heart to paint the beautiful scenery before her.

Just as she was thinking about going home to paint a picture of the peach blossoms, the vibrant flowers suddenly began to flutter down from the trees, like a shower of petals, so beautiful it took her breath away.

Zhi Wan stood frozen in a daze, completely forgetting to move aside, letting the peach petals drift down onto her.

In no time, her hair and dress were covered in blossoms as vibrant as rosy clouds.

The scene was as beautiful as a painting.

Ouyang Zhenzhu, who had intended to play a prank on Zhi Wan, also found herself staring, mesmerized, and forgot to keep shaking the branch.

When the shower of blossoms stopped, Zhi Wan finally snapped back to reality. She then saw the culprit, Ouyang Zhenzhu, still hugging the tree trunk.

She immediately understood what had happened.

She indignantly scooped up a handful of peach petals and tossed them at her.

"So it was you!"

Ouyang Zhenzhu snapped out of it and immediately took off running.

"Haha, come and get me!"

Zhi Wan laughed in exasperation. "Just you wait!" Grabbing a handful of petals in each hand, she took off after her.

The two girls chased each other under the peach trees, completely unaware that not far away, behind another tree, two men had been watching them for some time.

"Who’s the young lady with Ouyang Zhenzhu? Which family is she from?" Duan Ling asked, stroking his chin as he watched the two girls chasing each other, his eyes full of interest.

Lu Zhan withdrew his gaze and glanced at him coolly. "I don’t know."

Duan Ling’s eyes were fixed on Zhi Wan’s figure as he sighed in admiration. "The little lady is so delicate and gentle. She looks absolutely adorable."

Lu Zhan followed his gaze and saw he was staring at Zhi Wan. His brows furrowed as he warned, "You know she’s just a young girl. Don’t get any beastly ideas."

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Duan Ling choked on his own saliva and stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, ’don’t get any beastly ideas’? That’s going too far. Besides, she may look young, but everyone here today has come of age. Even if I did have some ’ideas,’ it wouldn’t make me a beast, would it?"

"How old are you? And how old is she?" Lu Zhan’s voice was cold.

Duan Ling was at a loss for words. He looked at his friend’s ascetic face and said with mixed feelings, "We’re twenty-five this year. That’s not... too old, is it?"

Lu Zhan didn’t answer, simply turning to walk out of the Peach Grove. "Next time there’s a boring banquet like this, don’t ask me to come."

Duan Ling was speechless.

’No good deed goes unpunished!’

’I see him buried in official duties all day, so when he finally gets a rare day off, I invite him out to relax and enjoy the flowers, only to be met with his disdain.’

After they had walked for a bit, Duan Ling suddenly saw something and quickly called out to Lu Zhan.

"And you called me a beast. Now, look over there. *That’s* a real beast."

Lu Zhan stopped in his tracks. He turned to look, and his expression immediately turned icy. He strode in that direction.

Seeing this, Duan Ling followed, a look of excitement on his face.

’Now this is going to be a good show!’

The Peach Blossom Forest was vast, with many trees. Ouyang Zhenzhu was a fast runner, and Zhi Wan lost her after just a few moments. Shuang’er and the old woman, assuming she would return after playing with Ouyang Zhenzhu for a bit, had waited where they were and hadn’t followed.

Unable to catch Ouyang Zhenzhu, she was about to head back when, in an unlucky encounter, she ran into Wang Zeren.

"Well, beautiful, we meet again!"

Seeing Zhi Wan, Wang Zeren was both surprised and delighted. Noticing she was alone, his gaze fixed on her, making no effort to conceal his lecherous intent.