In the room of the pleasure boat, there was a small quarrel. After a while, two heads bumped into each other and looked out of the window. As the setting sun shone on them, Ning Yi's figure could be vaguely seen among the crowd. Yuan Jin'er had good eyesight. After a while, she sighed regretfully. "But his old woman seems to be here too … Sister Yunzhu, have you seen her before?"
Among the crowd, walking with Ning Yi was naturally Su Tan'er, followed by three maids. From afar, Nie Yunzhu couldn't see the woman's face clearly. However, she remembered the scene of Su Tan'er and Ning Yi sitting together during the spring outing. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I have seen her. She's not an old woman. She's a good match for Liheng …"
"Alright, maybe she's not very old. But Sister Yunzhu, how can you say such things about your lover … Ah …" The person who didn't know how to control her mouth suffered again. Yuan Jin'er rested her forehead on Yunzhu's shoulder. She wiggled around like a worm and muttered, "Jin'er knows she's wrong. Brother Yunzhu, don't use so much force …"
Nie Yunzhu pushed her away angrily. After a while, her expression became serious. "I don't have that kind of relationship with Young Master Ning. Jin'er, don't talk nonsense anymore. It's not good if others hear it."
"I know …"
Yuan Jin'er nodded and continued to look at the scene. When those people came closer, she said, "It's really not very old …" In fact, Su Tan'er was also a beauty. Compared to her and Nie Yunzhu, the only difference was their temperament. Because she had been leading the business for a long time, Su Tan'er's unique and confident temperament was more prominent. When they approached, a group of people came to greet them. Yuan Jin'er couldn't help sighing again. "You have a wide circle of friends."
It was a group of business people who came to greet them. The comment of having a wide circle of friends naturally referred to Su Tan'er. Among that group of people, such as Wu Qihao, Wu Qilong, and Puyang Yi, were all big sponsors of the Top Beauty Competition. Of course, Pu Yangyi, the richest man in Jiangning, naturally supported his subordinate Qilan. However, everyone else had leeway to strive for, and this was precisely the focus of every brothel. For a time, these people gathered together, making people's eyes red with envy.
"But, it's really amazing." Yuan Jin'er watched for a while and sighed while lying on Yunzhu's shoulder. "Sister Yunzhu, look, although those big bosses seem to greet and talk to Su Tan'er, they pay a lot of attention to Ning Liheng. Puyang Yi has been trying to get close to him. Generally, people who marry into the family don't have this kind of status …"
They were all people who walked in all kinds of relationships. At this time, Yuan Jin'er naturally saw it clearly. Su Tan'er was a businesswoman like those people. Originally, it was normal for a group of people to greet and talk to each other. Generally, people who married into the family didn't have much status. Even if they paid attention to them and greeted them, it was aimed at Su Tan'er's attitude. In other words, as the wife, she had to maintain the husband's image. The husband had to have an image, otherwise, he would only be a foil. But it seemed to be different now. Ning Yi stood there and didn't say much, but his expression was calm. Basically, no one ignored him. Puyang Yi even brought up the topic with him several times. This was obviously not to the extent of giving face to Su Tan'er.
"Jiangning's number one talent … Sister Yunzhu, say, if he sat here with us today, do you think I could get the Top Beauty Competition?"
Nie Yunzhu looked at her with a smile. "Where he wants to sit is something he discussed with his wife. I can't do anything about it … Besides, didn't you say you don't want the Top Beauty Competition? What are you thinking about … "
"It's one thing if I don't want it or not. Since he is Sister Yunzhu's … uh, your good friend, of course he should sit here and support me. If he sits here, I'll be so proud. If I fight with Cao Guan because of jealousy, I'll be even more proud …"
"Vanity."
"Hehe …" Yuan Jin 'er giggled. Then, she took another look and suddenly jumped up. "Ah! Ah! Despicable! Sister Yunzhu, look, Qi Lan actually came out! Despicable! She actually tried to get close to Sister Yunzhu, your Ning … cough, your good friend! This is too despicable! No, Sister Yunzhu, let's go out and cause trouble with her. We can't let Ning Liheng sit on her side! "
Qi Lan, who was dressed in white, had already come over. Under Puyang Yi's introduction, she greeted Su Tan'er and Ning Yi, and then they talked there. Yuan Jin'er was extremely unhappy about this. She jumped up and down. Seeing that Nie Yunzhu did not respond, she walked back. "Look, they are still talking and laughing. These two women are so hypocritical … Traitor, traitor …"
Nie Yunzhu laughed angrily. "How did he become a traitor again?"
"Of course, since he is Sister Yunzhu's good friend, of course I treat him as one of my own. How dare he talk to the enemy! Of course he is a traitor!"
She threw a tantrum at the side. She turned her head and saw Nie Yunzhu's expression. Although there was a slight smile on her face, her expression was complicated. She could not help but purse her lips. "Brother Yunzhu, don't be like this. Jin'er will always like Brother Yunzhu …"
Nie Yunzhu looked at her with a smile and reached out to hook her chin. "Alright, after Jin'er wins the title of Top Beauty, I will redeem Jin'er's freedom and leave behind a good story …"
"Yes, yes, Brother Yunzhu, please take pity on Jin'er …"
As she spoke, Yuan Jin'er's eyes were like silk for a moment. The distance between the two gradually closed. They paused for a moment, and then slowly closed again. Then … four lips touched, and there was a soft touch on each other.
Nie Yunzhu's eyes widened, and they darted around for a few seconds before they suddenly separated. Nie Yunzhu covered her mouth with a frown while Yuan Jin 'er spat out a few mouthfuls of saliva. Her red lips were alluring, and her eyes were confused. "Sister Yunzhu, why didn't you move away?"
"You really leaned over …"
"I thought you would dodge it …"
The two panicked for a moment, and then they both laughed. Yuan Jin'er sat in front of the bronze mirror and touched up her lip gloss. At this time, Nie Yunzhu, who was dressed as a man, used some tea to wipe off the stain on her lips. She stared at Yuan Jin'er angrily. Yuan Jin'er smiled shyly, and then said in a low voice, "Sister Yunzhu, have you tried it with other people before?"
"No."
"Let me tell you. Two years ago, I met a young man from Yangzhou. He looked like a girl, but he was definitely not a girl. He was shy and cute. At that time, my heart was pounding, and I really wanted to kiss him … Unfortunately, he only came once. After that, he went to the capital for the examination, so I didn't see him again …"
"You like him?"
"No, we didn't even talk much. I just felt … very interesting. Sister Yunzhu, why don't we try again? I didn't feel anything just now … "
"Go away!"
The room was filled with laughter and whispers. The setting sun cast its last magnificent afterglow in the sky outside. People from all over the city were rushing here. When night fell, the final day of the Top Courtesan Competition was about to begin.
*****
Among the Four Courtesans of Jiangning, Yuan Jin'er was lively, Feng Xiaojing was dignified, and the newly promoted Luo Miaomiao often gave people a sense of diversity. Lu Caicai, who had failed before, was often called You Ruo Lan Cao. She played the pipa very well, and sounded like a patient with depression. As for Qi Lan, she gave people more of a scholarly aura. She was good at writing and had good attainments. It was said that in the brothel, she would occasionally dress like a scholar with a feather fan and silk handkerchief to entertain guests, so she was praised by people.
In the past six months, the news that Qi Lan was very interested in Ning Yi occasionally spread, and Su Tan'er also teased Ning Yi about it. However, in the eyes of the businessmen, whether it was true or not was naturally debatable. Among these rich businessmen, the closest relationship with the Su family was naturally the Xue family and the Wu family. However, although Xue Jin was ridiculed because he wanted to humiliate Ning Yi, in fact, they would not be interested in him much because of it. Now, the one who was interested in Ning Yi was probably the Puyang family. Qi Lan was the top girl in the brothel under the Puyang family. When the news spread, it was really hard to tell whether the Puyang family deliberately said that they wanted to get close to Ning Yi or Qi Lan's true intention.
Right now, with Su Tan 'er present, Pu Yangyi had Qi Lan come out to greet Ning Yi. He could be considered to be truly acquainted with Ning Yi. Of course, he wouldn't directly talk about poetry or whatever. On the one hand, this graceful woman expressed her admiration for Ning Yi's literary talent. On the other hand, she actually gave enough face to Su Tan'er. Both of them were experts in the field. It seemed that they had a good talk, but in fact, there was no substance. After a short while, Ning Yi and Su Tan 'er took their seats. They also chose a place in front of the stage that was usually reserved for businessmen.
"There is no surprise. This time, Qi Lan will be the top beauty in the Top Beauty Competition."
The sun gradually set, and the lights gradually lit up. The surrounding people were still entering the venue, and it was noisy. Su Tan'er took a loquat from the table in front of her and was peeling it. She peeled it and handed it to Ning Yi, which was her duty as a wife. Ning Yi took a bite without any expression.
"You should have said it from the beginning, let's see if there was any suspense … It's really boring to sit with you …"
"Two years ago, the Puyang Family wanted to put Qi Lan on the stage, but their steps were very steady. They were afraid that people would say that they threw money at people, so they only let Qi Lan get the first place. At this time, they have built enough momentum, and there should be no suspense. It's time to let Qi Lan go up." Ning Yi was not happy. What he said might sound too much to others, but Su Tan'er did not look unhappy at all. Instead, she smiled happily, peeled another loquat and handed it to him. "I want to show off to others … Except for you, Husband, who else can I show off to? Husband, you should praise me. "
"Okay, okay, Tan'er, you are the best, and you have the best eyes."
"Hee … I'm happy."
Su Tan'er was really happy. After a while, other members of the Su family also came to say hello to Su Tan'er and Ning Yi, such as Wen Ding and Wen Fang, and then left. Xi Junyu also came to meet Su Tan'er and Ning Yi, and then sat at a round table diagonally behind them. To sit at a round table and eat in this competition, basically, one had to have a certain status.
Elder Qin and his two wives also came, together with Kang Xian and the others, sitting in the seats for the celebrities. Not long after, the curtain of night had completely fallen, and the entire venue was already filled. As the melodious music sounded, people began to quiet down. The Qinhuai River nearby rippled, and the night breeze was pleasant. When the government official in charge of hosting the Top Beauty Competition said some words and announced the start of the competition, the music on the stage also began to gradually stop.
At the most quiet moment, there was a loud bang, music started, and fireworks shot up from the stage. The new leading actress, Luo Miaomiao, suddenly flew up from the stage along with a few colorful silks, like a colorful phoenix spreading its tail. In this bustling city at night, she opened the prelude to the Top Beauty Competition in the most magnificent way.
In a place far away from Ning Yi and Su Tan'er, where Luo Miaomiao's supporters were gathered, the crowd applauded vigorously. In the warm atmosphere, the man named Gu Yanzhen was also smiling and applauding, but occasionally he would turn his head and cast his gaze over when no one was paying attention. Then he glanced around, searching for the place where Nie Yunzhu might be in the crowd …
*****
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
