Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

Chapter 41: Schemed against

Chapter 41: Schemed against

She had never had children before.

But the doctor had said she was prone to getting pregnant, that forty was not too late to conceive, especially given her good health and her high chances!

“If I could bear a son for Yanzhou, he’ll surely treat me better for the child’s sake,” Wen Yiwan’s face blossomed with a happy smile.

However, that smile vanished in an instant, as she gathered her sleeping gown around her and turned to Su Tong, “Even if I do give birth, with Wen Zhi in the way, she’ll always be his legitimate eldest daughter.”

Having been by Wen Yiwan’s side for a long time, Su Tong knew what to do just by glancing at her expression: “Baixi Manor isn’t easy to enter or leave. If something happens inside, it would be Baixi Manor’s responsibility and nobody else’s.”

Wen Yiwan asked nonchalantly, “Have you made arrangements?”

Su Tong nodded, “The Mr. Hu that you picked out for Miss Wen Zhi last time entered Baixi Manor yesterday. I made sure to ask, and he hasn’t left yet.”

Wen Yiwan curled her ravishing lips, “Then go and make it happen.”

“Madam, please wait for the good news,” Su Tong set down the Shuanghua Tea and turned to leave.

Wen Yiwan watched Su Tong’s silhouette disappear, the smile in her eyes fading, “Zhizhi, don’t blame your auntie.”

…

This Baixi Manor was built in the style of Hui-style architecture, utterly different from the castles and manors of Gothic architecture.

It was now the height of summer, and magnolias bloomed in profusion within the estate, like clouds, like snow; one look would reveal white walls and black tiles amidst a well-planned luxurious landscape.

Leading Wen Zhi and Shang Jing was a young female Etiquette Officer.

Shang Jing had come today with the purpose of finding someone, and with no interest in touring around, he had not walked far when he directly called a stop to the Etiquette Officer, “Take me to Zhou Qin.”

The Etiquette Officer politely inquired, “Does the distinguished guest know Miss Zhou?”

Shang Jing grunted, “Old friend.”

Without suspicion, the Etiquette Officer stretched forth her hand, “This way, please, follow me.”

Shang Jing nodded and followed her steps.

Wen Zhi initially followed as well, but soon slowed her pace; Shang Jing, walking far ahead, didn’t notice she had fallen behind.

She had no interest in Zhou Qin and Shang Mingshu’s affairs.

It would be boring to go.

And besides, Shang Hexing might be there too.

She kept reminding herself that she really mustn’t see him again; not having dreamt the previous night was a good sign. If she saw him again, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t have such dreams again.

Now, Wen Zhi planned to rent a private room to catch up on sleep, and by the time Shang Jing finished his business, she would likely be awake. If Shang Jing had the decency to wait for her, they could leave together; otherwise, she’d just ask Gu Rang to take her home.

At that moment, another Etiquette Officer approached her and inquired, “Madam, do you need me to show you the way?”

Wen Zhi happened to be looking for someone to lead the way, and here was someone offering. It wasn’t surprising, though, since all those employed at Baixi Manor were expected to be highly observant and meticulous.

She straightforwardly said, “I need a private room.”

The Etiquette Officer asked, “May I have your esteemed surname?”

Wen Zhi, “Wen.”

The Etiquette Officer nodded, stretching her hand in a different direction, “Miss Wen, please come this way.”

Knowing her way around, Wen Zhi changed her request, “I want a private room in Donglou.”

The Etiquette Officer hesitated noticeably but quickly recovered, switching the direction of her gesture toward Donglou, “Miss Wen, please follow me to Donglou.”

Wen Zhi followed at a leisurely pace.

A few minutes later.

With a ‘beep,’ the Etiquette Officer used the card key to unlock the door and stood aside, gesturing for Wen Zhi to enter.

Wen Zhi went inside and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, a look of joy on her face for finally having her wish granted to overlook Baixi Manor from a private room in Donglou.

When she turned around, she noticed the Etiquette Officer lighting incense and stopped her, “No need to light the incense; I don’t like it.”

The Etiquette Officer’s hand froze before explaining, “Miss Wen, this incense is a new creation by our boss, used only for special distinguished guests.”

“You recognize me, calling me a special distinguished guest?” Wen Zhi walked over.

The Etiquette Officer, looking nervous, said, “You are a Wen, a friend of Xiaogu, so naturally, you’re a distinguished guest.”

Wen Zhi eyed the Etiquette Officer, “You even know about my friendship with Xiaogu; when did Baixi Manor become so leaky with its information?”

As she spoke, the lenses on Wen Zhi’s nose reflected a chilling light.

She might have appeared harmless before, but now she seemed exceptionally sharp.

The Etiquette Officer grew more flustered, stumbling over her words, “It was, it was just an accident, I overheard it earlier.”

Watching the increasingly nervous Etiquette Officer, Wen Zhi became more certain she had been sent with a purpose; seeing that the incense was not completely extinguished, Wen Zhi reminded her, “Pinch it out.”

“Oh, right, okay,” the Etiquette Officer quickly pinched out the incense.

Wen Zhi didn’t want to lower herself to argue, she told her to leave. But it seemed the Etiquette Officer had received quite the incentive, because she didn’t just give up; she brought the partly smoldering incense close to Wen Zhi’s face, insisting, “Miss Wen, smell this, it’s really good; you’ll definitely like it.”

“You…” Unwary for a moment, Wen Zhi inadvertently inhaled the incense smoke.

In just a short moment, she felt her limbs go weak, her stance wobbly, nearly falling over, but she managed to steady herself on the console.

“Miss Wen, you’re really valuable, so I had to do this,” the woman with the drugs in her mouth was unaffected by the incense. She set the incense aside and reached out to steady Wen Zhi.

Wen Zhi clenched her molars and gathered all her strength to push her away, but she couldn’t muster any. She looked up and asked with difficulty, “Who sent you?”

The woman shook her head, “I don’t know, but don’t be afraid. Mr. Hu will be here soon; he’ll relieve your distress.”