The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Unexpected Joy

Xue Yiran was already embarrassed after being exposed in public. She was convinced that the tea house was a black shop and the shopkeeper was trying to deceive her, but to her surprise, no one supported her.
Jinxin just wanted to pay the silver and leave.
However, they didn’t expect to run into a noble lady who knew Xue Yiran.

Although their identities were exposed, no one recognized them, so their reputation wasn’t damaged.
But Pei Lingyi’s words “Third Miss Xue” revealed her surname. The capital city was small, and Pei Lingyi’s attire indicated that she was from a noble family.

Anyone she knew would likely be wealthy or influential. With so many people in the tea house, if they met again in the future, Xue Yiran’s secret of dressing up as a man to meet her lover might be exposed. This was Pei Lingyi’s main purpose for coming here today.

The enemy was in plain sight, while Pei Lingyi was in the shadows. No one would suspect that a careless remark could greatly change someone’s reputation.
After all, Pei Lingyi was just a kind and gentle noble lady who happened to meet someone she knew from a banquet.

Seeing Xue Yiran in trouble, she wanted to help, and it was natural for her to want to confirm Xue Yiran’s identity first.
With that in mind, Pei Lingyi’s lips curled up slightly behind her veil.
What was wrong with her?
She was just too kind.
Xue Yiran might think it was just a coincidence, and it would take her a long time to realize the intricacies of the situation.

Xue Yiran saw that no one in the tea house supported her, and her confidence was shaken. When someone offered to help, she was willing to take the opportunity to leave.
But just then, someone intervened.

She looked at the speaker and saw that he was sitting with the man who had exposed her identity. They were both dressed in scholarly attire, but the speaker’s robe was old and faded.
Despite his worn-out clothes, he had a refined demeanor and handsome features. Xue Yiran didn’t deny that she was a sucker for good looks, and she was surprised when she saw him.

However, she remembered his harsh words and the fact that he knew the man who had exposed her. Her good impression of him immediately turned negative.
She looked at him coldly and said, “Who says I can’t afford the 10 taels of silver? You two just want to humiliate me. I’ll pay for it myself. But I disagree with you willingly being a fool in a black shop.”

“Jinxin, pay the silver. Let’s not give anyone a chance to say we can’t afford it,” Xue Yiran said and walked towards Pei Lingyi.
“Miss Pei, thank you for your kindness, but I can afford the 10 taels of silver. Just be careful not to come to this shop again.”

Pei Lingyi hadn’t spoken yet, but the waiter, Xiao Jia, couldn’t sit still.
“You’re being unreasonable. Our shop has clear prices, and you’re refusing to pay for the food you ordered. You’re causing trouble and affecting our business. You woman have a thick skin.”

“You…!” Xue Yiran was so angry that she couldn’t speak properly. Jinxin kept pulling on her sleeve, hoping to leave the scene as soon as possible. Xue Yiran glared at Xiao Jia and stormed out of the tea house.

Xiao Jia had never met a noble lady as unreasonable as Xue Yiran. Pei Lingyi had shown kindness, but Xue Yiran didn’t appreciate it and instead tried to slander their shop. It was infuriating.
Pei Lingyi remained silent, but in her heart, she gave Xiao Jia a thumbs-up. He was a skilled talker, and her earlier tip was well spent.

“Since the troublemaker has left, we’ll offer a 50% discount on all our products today to compensate everyone,” the shopkeeper announced loudly after Xue Yiran left.
Pei Lingyi saw that the main character had left and prepared to leave as well. The drama had ended with Xue Yiran’s defeat.

Just then, someone called out to her. “Miss, please wait.”
She turned around and saw the young man who had spoken up for her earlier.
Song Yanli had stopped Pei Lingyi for no particular reason. “Did you have something to discuss, young master?”
Despite Pei Lingyi’s veil, Song Yanli’s ears turned red. “I… I just wanted to remind you that the woman who was just here was sharp-tongued. She wouldn’t appreciate your kindness and might try to drag you down. She’s not worth befriending.”

Pei Lingyi was surprised by Song Yanli’s innocence. “Thank you for your warning, young master. I don’t know her well; we just met once at a banquet.”
“You’re kind, but you should be cautious around others.”
“Thank you, young master. I’ll take your advice. I should be going now.”

Song Yanli watched Pei Lingyi leave and stood there for a long time, lost in thought.
“Hey, you’re smitten with that lady, aren’t you?” Sun Lin patted Song Yanli’s back, bringing him back to reality.

“Sun Lin, be careful what you say. I just wanted to warn her,” Song Yanli replied.

Sun Lin returned to his seat and chuckled. “You were right to warn her. The woman who dressed up as a man earlier didn’t even know the rules and was shouting loudly. She was really rude.”

Song Yanli frowned but didn’t say anything else.
There was an unspoken rule among the tea houses on Chengxian Street: the prices were higher than those on other streets, and the taste was not as good.
The reason was that the tea and pastries here were designed for older scholars, with a focus on light and bitter flavors that were less delicious than those on other streets.
However, they were made with expensive medicinal herbs that were beneficial to the body.

That’s why no one supported Xue Yiran’s complaints earlier. Everyone knew that if you wanted good tea and pastries, you should go to Full Moon Tower or Xinghua Street, not Chengxian Street.
Moreover, Xue Yiran was the type of person who liked to cause trouble. The tea and pastries here were only slightly more expensive than market prices, but she insisted on ordering the most expensive ones and then couldn’t pay for them, blaming the shopkeeper.

So, of course, no one was willing to help her.
Pei Lingyi sat in her carriage, thinking about the events of the day, and was surprised to find an unexpected benefit.
Song Yanli was originally Xue Yiran’s confidant, but after entering officialdom, he became a role model for scholars from humble backgrounds due to his talent and integrity, earning the emperor’s trust.
Unexpectedly, he was also at the tea house today.

In her dream, she didn’t know how Xue Yiran and Song Yanli became acquainted, but based on today’s situation, it seemed that she had not only thwarted Xue Yiran’s plans but also disrupted her initial meeting with Song Yanli.
She carefully recalled the situation at the tea house and pieced together their acquaintance.

If she hadn’t intervened, the course of events would have been different. Xue Yiran would have scolded the shopkeeper for overpricing, and Song Yanli would have mistakenly thought she was like those who sought to ingratiate themselves with the powerful.

However, Song Yanli was a man of integrity and would have been drawn to Xue Yiran’s boldness, and they would have become friends by chance.

This explained everything.

But it seemed that their meeting had been inadvertently prevented by her.

And that was… just perfect.