Chapter 34: Even If I Were to Sell, One Must Have the Life to Buy It (5)

Wen Qingyan’s hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, clenched tightly. After a long silence, she addressed the Yuexuan pavilion with the air of a queen: "Mr. Ding, the Hundred Phoenix Nest Sovereign is mine!"

Chang Ge Yue widened her eyes, blinking at Wen Qingyan with a lazy, playful charm, her smile as natural and effortless as if carved by nature itself—like an unpolished jade, yet surpassing countless treasures of the world.

Wen Qingyan gritted her teeth. She finally realized that the woman in Yuexuan was there solely to cause trouble. She wondered when such a veiled woman had appeared among the socialites of Jincheng. Meeting Chang Ge Yue’s bright, ethereal gaze, a sense of irritation welled up in Wen Qingyan. She shot a glance at her maid, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod in response.

Chang Ge Yue merely gave a light hum, then settled into the large, soft armchair the attendant had just brought for her, acting as haughty as a queen.

Meanwhile, in the Changge Manor’s private box, the lady of the house, Madame Zhuge, gave a cold snort and muttered, "Enough." She had always been close with her elder sister, Zhuge Suxin, and it wasn't worth damaging their sisterly bond over a piece of porcelain. Furthermore, with the Changge and Wen families being closely aligned, she could not afford to become a laughingstock.

Wen Qingyan finally secured the voucher for the Hundred Phoenix Nest Sovereign. She curled her lips into a triumphant smile in the direction of Chang Ge Yue. There was nothing Wen Qingyan wanted that she could not obtain.

Chang Ge Yue crunched away at an apple in her hand. Meeting Wen Qingyan’s arrogant gaze, she smiled slightly and, holding up the apple, which she had bitten into a mangled state, mouthed the words: "Would you like a bite?"

As the eldest daughter of the Wen family, Wen Qingyan had naturally learned the art of reading people under Zhuge Suxin’s tutelage since childhood. Lip-reading was her specialty; she had dealt with many servants who dared to curse her behind her back using that very skill. But now, understanding what Chang Ge Yue was saying beneath her veil, she felt only nausea—a churning, revolting disgust.

Chang Ge Yue sneered inwardly. If this was enough to disgust her, how would she ever survive the days to come?

Wen Qingyan sat back down, though for some reason, the chair felt agonizingly hard. "Huan'er, sit down." Standing there like a maid, did she not realize that speaking to her was giving her a stiff neck?

Sun Huan’s expression grew unnatural, flushing red and then turning pale. After a long pause, she stammered, "Sister Qingyan, I... I don't have enough silver left."

Everyone knew that at the Zhenbao Pavilion, it was strictly cash on delivery. Even the Prime Minister himself would not be granted credit here.

Wen Qingyan froze, forcing herself to suppress her emotions. "Then... can you have someone go back and fetch more?"

Sun Huan kept her head low, not daring to look at her. "My father is not in the capital, and my stepmother is in charge of the household. She will never give my brother or me any silver." Her father had left her only five hundred thousand taels, and she had already spent a significant portion of it currying favor with Wen Qingyan. Just now, she had essentially thrown away five hundred thousand taels on a piece of porcelain. At the thought of that lost fortune, Sun Huan felt like she wanted to die.

Wen Qingyan’s face felt as if it had fallen to the floor, yet she maintained a gentle smile. "It’s alright. While the Pearl King is important to me, it is a matter of fate. If I cannot have it, I can only lament my poor luck."

Anyone in Jincheng with a shred of sense would have been sickened by these words. If that was considered "poor luck," then everyone else in the world might as well just drop dead. Unfortunately, Sun Huan was not among the sensible. Hearing that her most respected sister Qingyan was worrying over money, she only felt that she herself was useless.