Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Money was a good thing. For its owner, it was like a god who could produce anything one could dream of with a wave of its hand; to others, it was like a mirror that would reflect back the myriad thoughts, feelings, and desires of the people of the world.
The more Meng Mingshu used his money, the more he relied on it. He used it to measure his friends, enemies, and lovers by and through it discovered their true colors.
As a complete and rigorous system, it rarely failed, until it had finally been broken by that young bastard.
Meng Mingshu gulped his wine down and casually threw the porcelain wine pot onto the ground. The shattering sound of the wine pot in the dark made him feel quite refreshed. In the short run at least, good wine was more effective at soothing than money.
But no matter how expensive the wine that filled his stomach was, it could not dispel the chill that pervaded his heart. ‘Shit does happen in the fall,’ he thought as he walked out of the shadows and swayed towards the door which he had been staring at for nearly two hours.
Spying had never been Meng Mingshu’s forte. He used to pay people to do such sneaky things, but tonight’s surveillance was not part of the plan. He was supposed to spend the night at the new whorehouse in Retention Alley, but after a few drinks, he had uncontrollably walked to this place and done something completely incompatible with his identity.
The Second Young Master of the Meng family in the Northern Jade City, the heir to the family fortune of millions of taels of silver, had actually stood in a dark corner where drunks vomited and urinated and pathetically stared at a woman’s door and window for nearly two hours. If such a thing got out, he would surely become a laughing stock throughout the entire city.
But Meng Mingshu did not care. He had run into a unique circumstance where money could not give him confidence, and wine and women could not bring him comfort. He was so frustrated he wanted to blow off steam and make a huge scene like a naive teenager.
He smashed at the familiar door so hard it was as if he wanted to break it down.
A sleepy maid opened the door and was taken aback to see Meng Mingshu outside. “Lord Second, what brings you here? It’s so late and so cold outside. Please come on in…”
Meng Mingshu pushed away the maid who tried to please him and stormed into the house, shouting as he climbed the stairs, “Xiao Fengchai! Xiao Fengchai! Get the fuck out here, you smelly bitch!”
The maidservant at the door shut the door in a panic, for fear of waking the neighbors and being laughed at. Meanwhile, more maids and old biddies ran out to block Meng Mingshu and each began trying to persuade the ‘Lord Second’ in turn.
As he was frantically being pulled back by four or five women, Meng Mingshu climbed stairs step by step with great difficulty, though his prepared words also becoming disorganized. “Old bitch… I spent so much money… Trusted you the most… How dare you… My heart… Explain…”
“Release him.” A cold voice came from the top. Xiao Fengchai who was standing by the railing then said, “This is a whorehouse. It’s perfectly justified for a customer to come for a whore. Why are you blocking the customer instead of treating him well? Do you think that the customer won’t be able to afford it?”
The maids and old biddies immediately let go of Meng Mingshi and scattered, shrewd enough to recognize when the scope of the scene grew beyond their ability and duty.
When Xiao Fengchai turned into the reception hall, a maid had already lit the lamp and served tea.
As soon as he saw this woman, Meng Mingshu’s aggressiveness was greatly curbed. After a moment of hesitation about what to do, he slowly walked up and began to feel ashamed of his ugliness, the complete opposite of the image he had maintained so carefully.
Sitting in a chair, Xiao Fengchai still looked perfect from head to toe even without any make-up on her face, and didn’t at all seem like she had just been roused from sleep past midnight. “Heh, isn’t this the second young master of the Meng family, the famous moneybags? I’m really flattered that you would come for me, an ‘old bitch.’ Yanhong, make an offer to the customer.”
Yanhong, who was Xiao Fengchai’s closest maid, tried hard to hold back her smile and seriously said, “According to the rules of my lady, the customer has to pay 500 taels for the tea, 500 taels as a gift for the meeting, and 3000 taels for a night’s stay. If there are any other requirements…”
Meng Mingshu waved his hand impatiently and said, “No need to say anymore, I already know. Yanhong, I want to talk to your lady alone.”
Yanhong took the hint and was about to withdraw when Xiao Fengchai stopped her, “Wait a moment. Although he hasn’t drunk the tea, he has already seen me and has to pay 500 taels first.”
Yanhong awkwardly held out her hand, and Meng Mingshu touched his pocket to take out the money. Except, one of the habits of the rich was that he seldom carried money with him. His valets, who had thought that the young master would stay at another prostitute’s house, had long gone to a gambling house. Embarrassed, he could only say, “Put it under my tab.”
“That won’t work. Second Gongzi clearly knows that bitches are ruthless. If you don’t have the silver, please get out now,” Xiao Fengchai coldly said.
Meng Mingshu may have said something like ‘Bitches are ruthless’ when he quarreled with Xiao Fengchai before. Upon hearing this, his anger flared up again. He tore off the waist jade he wore and threw it at Yanhong. “Is this worth 500 taels?”
Second Young Master Meng naturally had no cheap things on him. Yanhong caught it and said ‘yes’ as she backed out without even looking at it. She didn’t want to get caught between this pair of angry lovers.
The two looked at each other in silence. Meng Mingshu felt like he was about to lose his mind from anger in one moment, and then in the next, suddenly felt. Words of rebuke and beseechment kept rushing to his lips and fighting for the right to be uttered but none of them were able to prevail, so his mouth only emitted a long silence.
Frustrated, Meng Mingshu flopped into the opposite chair and silently covered his head with his hands. After a long time, he felt the familiar hand gently stroking his hair. “Why won’t you believe me?” asked Xiao Fengchai in a soft voice.
“How can you expect me to believe you?” Meng Mingshu reluctantly pushed the gentle caress away. “How could Lotus have taken you away for no reason at all? The Dragon King…” Meng Mingshu could say no more. He had never thought that he would be jealous of a man ten years younger than himself.
But it was exactly this man who Meng Mingshu couldn’t defeat with money that had made the powerful weapon he was so proud of a heap of garbage.
“Lotus is a lunatic,” consoled Xiao Fengchai softly, both angry at her lover’s unreasonableness and gratified by his jealousy. “She traveled a long way to arrest several women but hasn’t met or killed any of them. Would a normal person do such a thing?”
“But…” Meng Mingshu had said it before, and he couldn’t help but say it again. “The Dragon King is no longer what he once was…” The crazy rumors, accidental leaks, and escorts by the female soldiers all seemed to prove that the Dragon King took Xiao Fengchai very seriously.
Even if the Dragon King owned Xiaoyao Lake, Meng Mingshu didn’t feel that he was inferior to him. But the Dragon King had actually been able to win the support of 100,000 soldiers of the Norland, which made him immediately superior and mightier than Meng Mingshu.
“So what?” Xiao Fengchai said a little disdainfully. The worry of the man in front of her was crystal clear in her eyes. If not for this concern, she would have easily regained his favor as early as their first quarrel. “Even if he controls all of Norland, he wouldn’t give me a penny. The Dragon King is one of the most ruthless and astute people in the world and would never do anything just for women. Do you think that I can’t see it clearly? Am I the kind of person to make bad deals?”
The gentle hand caressed his head again and slowly slid toward his neck. Meng Mingshu hummed comfortably. The number one prostitute in Retention Alley did live up to her fame. Even such a simple move could bring him immense pleasure. Compared to this woman, the whore he had stayed with earlier was a mere country wench who would only smile obsequiously and had no skill at all.
Meng Mingshu could not bear it any longer. He held Xiao Fengchai in his arms and looked down into her eyes, “The Dragon King and you… really have no… relationship?”
“You know all about my relationship with the Dragon King.” Xiao Fengchai looked up at Meng Mingshu and slightly raised her chin to show her most beautiful side.
“It’s not about the money. You know what I mean.” Meng Mingshu was not yet fully satisfied.
“I have nothing to do with the Dragon King but money. If I lie, let me…”
Meng Mingshu sealed her mouth with a soulful kiss. How could he let the woman he loved make such a serious oath? After a long while, he softly said, “I believe you. We were all victimized by a madman.”
Xiao Fengchai broke free of his arms with a chuckle. “You almost became a madman too. Why did you go to Liandie?”
Meng Mingshu smiled. “So you were spying on me, too.”
“Who cares about spying on you? The little girl Liandie had finally caught a big fish and couldn’t wait to tell everyone on the street about it. With her maids coming to my door to show off, it’s hard to not know about it.” Xiao Fengchai turned her head to wipe away tears as she said all this.
Everyone said that Xiao Fengchai was fickle, but Meng Mingshu loved it. He was obsessed with every side of her. Upon seeing this, he immediately walked over and gently rubbed her shoulder, comforting, “It’s all my fault. I love you so much. How can a woman like Liandie possibly compare with you?”
Xiao Fengchai stopped her tears and let out a long sigh, sadly saying, “Someone will eclipse me sooner or later.”
No one knew what Meng Mingshu was thinking but he suddenly plopped down on his knees and passionately implored, “No one can beat you. Even if you are eighty years old, you will be as beautiful as you were at eighteen. Fengchai, I’ll marry you, marry you openly, and you will be mine alone from now on.”
Xiao Fengchai hated the idea of being monopolized, but she showed just the right amount of surprise and bitterness. “Alas, I’m glad you are willing to please me, but please do not say this again. You already have a legally married wife in your house. Where could I find a place? I’d rather be a prostitute than a concubine.”
Meng Mingshu stiffened and then embarrassedly stood up. He had lost his mind momentarily and forgotten that he already had a wife who he could not divorce easily. “I… I’ll buy you a big house in Northern Jade City. We’ll live together.”
Xiao Fengchai chuckled. She had finally won this man’s heart again and also won back half of her world. She would have been more successful if someone had not tampered with her at this time.
A man coughed softly at the door of Xiao Fengchai’s bedroom. No one knew how long he had been standing there.
There was no light in the bedroom. Seeing the blurred figure in the doorway, Meng Mingshu’s extinguished anger flared up in an instant. “Dragon King? You and the Dragon King…”
The man walked into the light of the living room and calmly said, “My surname is Gu and you can call me Gu Shenwei; I’m a messenger sent by the Dragon King.”
Meng Mingshu paused. Now he saw the situation clearly. It was indeed not the Dragon King, but his doubts had not been eliminated so he turned to look at Xiao Fengchai.
Xiao Fengchai looked even more surprised than he. “Gu Shenwei? I’ve never seen or heard of you before.”
“Yes, and you don’t know the Dragon King very well either.”
Xiao Fengchai held her tongue and hinted Meng Mingshu to not open his mouth. She did not trust this strange man at all.
“The maids are fast asleep.” Another voice came out of the darkness.
Xiao Fengchai recognized this teenager and asked, “You are the Dragon King’s bodyguard?”
Nie Zeng nodded, but did not give a name.
“The Dragon King sent me here to make a deal with both of you at the same time.” Gu Shenwei moved forward a few steps and sat down in one of the guest chairs.
Meng Mingshu, who was still full of jealousy, was determined to not accept the deal.
