The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Appearance

What!
Li Miaozhu shed a few tears, originally intending to gain Xiao Huaijin’s sympathy. However, upon hearing those people’s words, she was almost scared to death.

Xiao Huaijin looked at her with a complex expression and sighed, “Miaozhu, tonight…you really caused a commotion. How could you allow your household servants to do such outrageous things?”

“It’s not true…how could it be? How could Lian Xiang be inside?” She shook her head incredulously, her voice filled with fear.

“Brother Huaijin, believe me, I never let them do such things.” Li Miaozhu seemed to have lost her mind, rushing through the crowd to the door of the hall.

The scene inside was too filthy, and almost no one could bear to look at it. However, the young masters who often frequented brothels looked at her with amusement. The woman in red pushed open the door in disbelief, and what she saw was two entwined bodies.

“Ugh…” She couldn’t speak after just one glance, quickly turning her head away, which prompted the dandies beside her to burst into laughter.

But Li Miaozhu couldn’t focus on arguing with others. Even though she only glanced, she was certain that the woman inside was Lian Xiang, who had followed her since childhood.

How could this be…why, why, why did Pei Lingyi become Lian Xiang?

She couldn’t understand it no matter how hard she thought. Xiao Huaijin’s disappointed gaze occupied her entire mind, and Li Miaozhu’s heart was tangled with chaos, surrounded by people she had summoned to watch the show.

Now that she had seen the filth inside the hall, people’s eyes were involuntarily on her, with a hint of ridicule. Li Miaozhu was born noble and had never endured such humiliation. Yet, she couldn’t defend herself.

Changle had already composed herself. As the first person to see that scene, the impact on her was earth-shattering. Seeing Li Miaozhu’s distracted state, she couldn’t help but step forward to mock her, “Tsk, tsk, I thought you, Miss Li, were going to put on a good show today. It turns out the discipline in the Duke’s mansion is like this. You’re really bringing shame to the Li family.”

Thus, Changle mentioned the Li family, and Li Miaozhu’s face, which had been lowered, suddenly lifted, her eyes sharp and venomous, startling Changle.

She quickly patted her chest, but before she could speak, Li Miaozhu interrupted her, “You say the Li family’s discipline is bad? Is Pei Lingyi any better? I saw her walking towards the Changing Clothes Hall. Although the person in the hall tonight isn’t her, she’s still not returned from the banquet. Who knows if she’s meeting someone in private?”

Perhaps she was enraged by Changle, or perhaps it was the scrutinizing gazes of those around her, but as soon as she thought of Xiao Huaijin’s disappointed gaze, she couldn’t hold back anymore.

She decided to drag Pei Lingyi down with her.

The woman in red had a frenzied expression, and her eyes suddenly burst with fierce light, making people’s hearts skip a beat.

Her originally beautiful face now looked ferocious, indiscriminately scanning every person from before.

Zhang Zhishu had been bewildered by Li Miaozhu since the beginning, thinking the person inside was really Pei Lingyi.
But after a while, it turned out to be her household servant.

Now, seeing her accusations, he couldn’t help but feel resentful and argued with her, “Miss Li! Please be cautious with your words. Miss Pei is as gentle as a breeze on a clear day. Why do you keep slandering her?”

The woman sneered, “Ha…I’m slandering her? Zhang Zhishu! You saw her come to the Changing Clothes Hall to change clothes, didn’t you?”

At once, the scene became chaotic.

Li Miaozhu and her followers insisted that Pei Lingyi wasn’t at the banquet tonight, while Zhang Zhishu said it was all the woman’s conspiracy.

Neither of them would give in, causing everyone on the scene to be unsure whom to believe.

Xiao Huaijin stood still, but Li Miaozhu’s words were like a bolt out of the blue, shattering the gentle image of her that had long been in his heart.

Now…he understood everything.

He was kind, but not foolish. The cousin who had always been obedient in front of him was actually a woman with vicious thoughts and a heart of snakes, capable of ruining someone’s reputation.

How was he supposed to deal with this?

The woman’s delicate and charming appearance kept flashing in his mind. How did she manage to escape?

In an instant, the noise around him seemed out of place. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly.
How was he supposed to face her?

Li Miaozhu was fixated on Pei Lingyi’s current whereabouts, which were unknown, and somehow, she seemed to have gained the upper hand.

“Enough!”

The man’s voice was as cold as ice, causing everyone present to freeze for a moment.

Xiao Huaijin walked away slowly, his eyes filled with disappointment towards the woman in red.

Li Miaozhu had never seen Xiao Huaijin like this before. Since she had known him, he had never lost his temper. But today, his expression was one she had never seen.

Disappointment, coldness, and iciness. Just one glance made her feel like she was plunged into an icy abyss.

He knew…he knew everything.

He knew she was a vicious woman who would stop at nothing.

Xiao Huaijin’s fingers, with distinct joints, rested on his forehead, and the fine strands of hair covered the inexplicable emotions in his eyes. He wanted to reveal the truth in his heart.

He couldn’t just watch as a noble woman like orchids was slandered by his own cousin, even if it meant going against his mother empress’s wishes.

His lips parted slightly, as if he was about to reveal Pei Lingyi’s whereabouts.

But he was interrupted by a soft voice, “Miss Li wasn’t doubting that I wasn’t at the banquet? Now that I’ve appeared, can I prove my innocence?”

The crowd looked towards the source of the voice.

Under the glow of the glass palace lanterns, she looked like a fairy slowly descending from the moon, dressed in simple clothes and adorned with hairpins, her beauty ethereal and stunning.

The woman’s voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly reached every ear.

Changle was the first to link arms with her, pouting, “Jiaojiao, where did you go? You don’t know that someone was spreading rumors that you were meeting someone in private while you were away.”

Pei Lingyi gently patted her arm to calm her down, then walked slowly towards Li Miaozhu, her voice soft, “Miss Li must have some misunderstanding. I was splashed with wine by Young Master Zhang at the banquet, so I naturally went to change clothes. How did it become meeting someone in private in your words?”

Li Miaozhu looked at the woman in front of her incredulously. Although her face was a bit pale, she looked perfectly normal, without any signs of being drugged.

“No…you…how is this possible?” She was incoherent, her eyes filled with shock and doubt.