The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 28 - 27

Chapter 27

Seeing Cheng Fuyuan’s displeasure, Cheng Liting admonished, "Fuyuan, what brings you here? If you’re here to cause trouble for us, then please leave."

"Such a wild girl, daring to chase me away!?"

Cheng Fuyuan glared at Cheng Liting fiercely. The sight of the fine garments specially tailored for Cheng Liting only fueled the flames of her anger even more.

All that should rightfully belong to her!

How did Cheng Liting deserve to take what was meant for her?!

Despite the hardships she and her mother endured in the manor, why was Cheng Liting living comfortably, getting whatever she desired so readily?!

Cheng Fuyuan closed her eyes, suppressing her rage. She couldn’t afford to lose her temper now, or her carefully laid plans would be ruined.

She had to be patient...

Mu Yingying raised her eyebrows slightly upon witnessing someone who usually couldn’t control their temper now making an effort to hold back. It seemed Cheng Fuyuan had become wiser this time.

Mu Yingying’s eyes sparkled with curiosity while looking at the girl in red attire, wondering what plans the other party had concocted and hoping not to be disappointed.

Cheng Liting also observed her stepsister with distrust, fearing she might lose control and lash out violently, as she had in the past.

“I’m merely here to fetch you on father’s orders,” Cheng Fuyuan stated after taking a deep breath, her voice tinged with irritation. Cheng Li Ting frowned slightly upon hearing that.

"Father asked for me?"

"Who else would he call for if not the birthday girl herself? Here you are, strolling outside the event, carefree. I doubt you’d find such a host anywhere else. Hmph!" Cheng Fuyuan sneered, regarding Cheng Liting as if she were foolish.

Cheng Liting hesitated for a moment, uncertain of the truth behind Cheng Fuyuan’s words. But if their father really had summoned her, ignoring the call could lead to trouble...

"Don’t dawdle any longer. If father becomes angry, you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself!" Cheng Fuyuan glared at Cheng Liting before pretending to look elsewhere, trying to hide the impatient flare in her eyes.

Mu Yingying quietly observed this scene, a slight smile tugging at her lips. Just listening was enough for her to discern the falsity in Cheng Fuyuan’s words!

If Governor Cheng genuinely wanted to summon Cheng Liting, it was implausible that he would send his troublesome daughter, who always clashed with Cheng Liting, for this task. As this would not only fail to bring Cheng Liting but also risk causing a commotion.

It seemed Cheng Fuyuan specifically intended to cause trouble for Mu Yingying; otherwise, she wouldn’t have crafted a scenario to isolate Cheng Liting like this...

"Sister Liting, you better go. Don’t keep Governor Cheng waiting," Mu Yingying urged Cheng Liting, who hesitated, signaling her not to worry further.

"But..."

"No need to worry about me. Go ahead, I’ll be fine," Mu Yingying reassured her, whispering something to Su Su afterward.

Once their quiet conversation ended, Cheng Liting excused herself to return to the party, with Su Su following her.

Cheng Fuyuan watched Mu family’s servant leave, frowning. "Where are you going?"

"Why should the eldest young miss be so agitated? My servant is merely following my orders. Does she need your permission too?"

Mu Yingying retorted with a cold smile, enjoying the other’s evident frustration.

“You!”

Cheng Fuyuan clenched her jaw, trying to suppress her anger. She cast a fleeting glance at Mu family’s male servant standing outside the pavilion and then surveyed her surroundings to ensure they were alone, her eyes flashing dangerously.

“I’m heading back to the party now. You should come with me.”

Mu Yingying arched an eyebrow. Was Cheng Fuyuan truly naive or feigning stupidity? Inviting an enemy to walk back into the party together as if they were close friends seemed highly suspicious. A mere thought could tell it was a deceitful invitation.

It was as if an enemy had walked up and told someone to come with her, saying that she wouldn’t do anything...Did she think people would believe this?

Had she overestimated this girl? Previously, she acknowledged Cheng Fuyuan’s newfound prudence, contrasting her past impulsive actions. But now, it seemed a reevaluation was necessary!

Sighing softly, Mu Yingying, already entangled in this drama, decided to play along until the act concluded.

"Alright then, I’m also bored and would like to return to the party."

Seeing Mu Yingying agree so readily, Cheng Fuyuan felt a surge of triumph inside. She had been worried that the other party wouldn’t comply, which would have forced her to concoct another plan to make her follow willingly.

As they walked away from the waterside pavilion, Cheng Fuyuan glanced back at the Mu family’s male servant trailing behind and feigned a look of shock.

“Oh, no! I’ve lost my jade bracelet. You guys help me find it!”

Mu Yingying observed the girl’s unnatural demeanor for a moment before chuckling internally. She tried to empathize with Cheng Fuyuan, understanding that she was still a novice in such deceptive acts, hence the lack of finesse in her performance might reveal some flaws.

“Why should I help you find your things?” Mu Yingying replied, rolling her eyes dismissively and continued walking ahead, ignoring Cheng Fuyuan further.

“You! You have no virtue! Just a small help in finding something, and you refuse! How cold-hearted you are!” Cheng Fuyuan screeched, glaring at her fiercely.

Mu Yingying paused, turning back to look at Cheng Fuyuan with raised eyebrows. “Oh...you speak of virtue?”

“I thought you couldn’t even spell ’virtue’..."

With a disdainful smile and scornful eyes, Mu Yingying made Cheng Fuyuan lose her composure completely.

"You! Ah! You detestable child! You dare insult me!?"

Cheng Fuyuan, unable to contain her fury any longer, lunged at Mu Yingying. Mu Yingying saw this and could only smile inwardly. Previously, she intentionally provoked the other party’s anger to see how long she could endure it, but to her disappointment, Cheng Fuyuan did not have as much patience as she had expected.

Mu Yingying, who had practiced martial arts diligently for several months, was now nimble enough to dodge. She stepped slightly to the right, causing Cheng Fuyuan to stumble and fall heavily to the ground.

Thud!

"Aaah!"

Cheng Fuyuan screamed in shock as she lost her balance and hit the ground, her knees scraping against the gravel and causing painful abrasions.

"You dare to hurt me!" she whined, trying to soothe the pain at her knees before yelling at Mu Yingying.

"It’s all your own doing, and yet you accuse me! Are you mad?" Mu Yingying asked, tilting her head with an innocent face, further provoking Cheng Fuyuan, who clenched her fists in frustration.

Cheng Fuyuan glared at the petite figure in front of her with eyes full of hatred. If glares could kill, Mu Yingying would have been dead several times over at the hands of Cheng Fuyuan.

As Cheng Fuyuan was about to erupt again, her gaze inadvertently caught sight of her close servant hiding around a corner nearby, signaling to her.

Seeing this, Cheng Fuyuan smirked, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "Today, I will teach you a lesson! You will taste the agony I’ve endured!"

With those words, Cheng Fuyuan abruptly stood up and leaped into the nearby pond, leaving Mu Yingying and Lu Jiu, who stood nearby, utterly perplexed.

Splash!

"Ah! Help! Somebody, help me!"

Cheng Fuyuan’s cries for help resonated loudly, immediately clarifying to Mu Yingying what the other intended to enact.

A dramatic scene to falsely accuse her of aggression and sought retribution...

Mu Yingying couldn’t help but laugh at the other’s foolish endeavor, which extended to the point of jumping into the water, presumably thinking Mu Yingying would be compelled to rescue her, providing an opportunity for bystanders to misconstrue the scene and blame Mu Yingying for Cheng Fuyuan’s plunge.

Ah...not bad at all.

However, Cheng Fuyuan miscalculated one crucial aspect: would Mu Yingying really assist her?

Not at all!

Since Cheng Fuyuan jumped in herself, she could very well stay in there a bit longer!

Standing with crossed arms, Mu Yingying watched Cheng Fuyuan’s floundering figure in the pond, her smile wicked and eyes gleaming with amusement. Cheng Fuyuan, struggling in the water, felt a sudden chill envelop her body.

"Help! Anyone, please! Seventh Young Miss Mu assaulted me! Somebody, help!"

Cheng Fuyuan continued to bellow, hoping someone would overhear her plight and glance at Mu Yingying on the bank, expecting her to command a nearby servant to come to her aid.

Yet, Mu Yingying remained unmoved, showing no intention of instructing her attendant to assist, and the group of guess Cheng Fuyuan had sent her servant to fetch was yet to arrive. Gradually weakening, Cheng Fuyuan started to lose strength.

"Help! Gulp! Save me!"

Cheng Fuyuan felt her situation worsening as her strength waned and she began to inhale water. Originally planning only a brief stunt in the water followed by a quick rescue, she found herself desperately struggling for a longer duration with no one coming to her aid.

As her body began to weaken, she gradually sank bit by bit. Fear crept over her heart and soul. Cheng Fuyuan abandoned all pretense and genuinely screamed for help,

"Save me! I can’t take it anymore! No more! Get me out!"

Mu Yingying observed the genuine fear on Cheng Fuyuan’s face as she slowly submerged deeper into the water. Cheng Fuyuan screamed for Mu Yingying’s help with tears in her eyes.

At this moment, she had cast aside all hatred for Mu Yingying, driven only by instinct to plead with the person before her to save her before she submerged deeper.

"Help me! Gulp! Please...Help me!"

Her pleas continued weakly. Cheng Fuyuan, completely drained, tried to appeal with her eyes to the small figure on the bank. However, Mu Yingying remained still, watching her with a cold smile.

Today’s unfolding event was the lesson it offered on human folly. Beyond Cheng Fuyuan’s stupidity, she also exhibited a lack of sense!

Such a person might not pose a direct threat, yet she could create significant turmoil for Mu Yingying in the future.

Fools weren’t scary, but mindless people were. Because mindless people tend to act impulsively without planning or considering consequences. Even if it harmed themselves, those brainless people didn’t care. They would only think that if they had done this, what would happen to the enemy.

Mindless people always thought of themselves last, so they gave their all and did everything without thinking about themselves...

It was evident that she must give Cheng Fuyuan a hard lesson, so the other party would regain consciousness. If she continued to be mindless like this, Mu Yingying was afraid that one day she would definitely die because of her own mindlessness.

She didn’t want Cheng Fuyuan to die right now!

She had said before that she would slowly make Cheng Fuyuan repay this blood debt to them. The days and nights of suffering that she had to go through were still a long journey. She wouldn’t let her die so quickly...

"Miss, the footsteps of a group of people are approaching," Lu Jiu mentioned, glancing towards the shadowy figures of a group nearing their location.

Mu Yingying glanced at the faint shadows at the corridor’s corner before turning back to Cheng Fuyuan, who was nearly becoming unconscious in the pond. "Go, save her."

"Understood."

Lu Jiu responded and dived into the pond, swam to the sinking Cheng Fuyuan, grabbed the girl’s collar, and hauled her to shore with no gentleness, flinging her onto the bank.

As Cheng Fuyuan was thrown onto the bank, Mu Yingying inhaled deeply and shouted, "Eldest Young Miss Cheng! Stay calm! You’re safe now!”

“Somebody, help! The eldest miss fell into the water!"

The cries of the little girl continued unabated, catching the full attention of the newcomers who had just rounded the corner. They exchanged puzzled glances before hastening their steps toward the source of the noise.

Mu Yingying, sensing the approaching footsteps growing closer, immediately cast a mysterious glance at Cheng Fuyuan, instilling a sense of foreboding in the latter, now sitting weakly on the ground.

"Cough, cough,"

Cheng Fuyuan coughed violently, trying to expel the swallowed water, her throat burning, her body aching, her hands trembling so much that she could barely support herself.

"How is Eldest Young Miss Cheng? Don’t worry, I’ll call someone to help you right away..."

Mu Yingying feigned panic, standing up to run for help, only to encounter a group of about ten people, led by Governor Cheng and Second Cheng Furen. Behind them were numerous other guests.

It seemed they were casually strolling and chatting, yet ’coincidentally’ stumbled upon the scene perfectly timed.

"Seventh Young Miss Mu?" Mian Li raised her eyebrows in surprise. The cries they had heard must indeed belong to this young miss.

Mu Yingying, now visibly distressed, tearfully blurted out, "Governor Cheng! Second Cheng Furen! Disaster has struck! El...Eldest Young Miss Cheng fell into the water. I just arrived to help, but she seems quite unwell..."

"What did you say?!"

Mian Li exclaimed, hurrying towards the source, only to find Cheng Fuyuan, soaking and shivering on the ground, not far from a similarly drenched male servant.

Governor Cheng frowned deeply upon hearing this and quickly followed Second Cheng Furen. The other curious guests all followed along to see the situation that was happening.

Mian Li, removing her coat, approached to help Cheng Fuyuan up and draped her own coat over the girl’s trembling form, pretending to ask with concern, "How are you feeling? How did this happen, Eldest Young Miss?"

"Sta...Stay away from me!"

Cheng Fuyuan weakly let out a sound and pushed her away, her eyes blazing with open loathing.

"Miss!"

The servants cried out in alarm, rushing to steady Mian Li, who staggered back a few steps. They silently thanked their quick reflexes to prevent any harm that might affect Second Cheng Furen’s unborn child.

"I’m fine. Eldest Young Miss must be in shock; she didn’t mean it..." Mian Li managed a strained smile.

Governor Cheng, arriving to witness the scene, felt a chill in his heart. His stern gaze fell upon his troublesome daughter, his mind already framing her as the culprit.

Surrounded by many onlookers, he wanted to reprimand his daughter severely, but decorum held him back!

Any public chastisement would only serve to disgrace them further!

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