Reflecting on her own words, she felt too ashamed to recall how she had spoken them, truly mortified.
Having finished speaking, Feng Jin had no interest in lingering and walked directly into the mansion. Ling Muzhu, having watched enough of the spectacle, followed Feng Jin inside.
Ling Wan hesitated, delaying her return to the mansion. Clenching the hem of her dress, she was about to walk towards Sheng Xubai when Ling Muzhu's voice came from behind, "Second Sister, why are you still wasting time here? The Sheng family are all incredibly arrogant. We don't deserve to breathe the same air as them. We should hurry back to the mansion."
Previously, Ling Muzhu had held a somewhat favorable impression of the Sheng family. However, after learning of this matter, he held a deep-seated disdain for them. He directly pulled Ling Wan's hand and led her into the mansion, then promptly ordered a servant to quickly close the main gate.
"All of you, keep your eyes open from now on. The Sheng family must never set foot inside this mansion again. Otherwise, I'll break your legs!"
"Yes, Second Young Master!" the servants hurriedly replied. They all knew how unruly Ling Muzhu used to be and were somewhat intimidated by him. They quickly agreed.
Ling Wan remained preoccupied, being pulled back by Ling Muzhu.
"Sister-in-law, you shouldn't have bothered with Sheng Xubai. You should have let him fend for himself. Look at how arrogant the Sheng family is. If they truly had any backbone, they wouldn't be here begging for help..."
Ling Muzhu's pent-up anger had nowhere to go, so he could only vent through words, finding some comfort in doing so.
After scolding for a while, he felt his throat dry. He drank several mouthfuls of hot water, and his throat felt much better.
"Sister-in-law, why aren't you saying anything?"
"What do you want me to say? You've said it all. I see how passionate and excited you are. If I were to say anything more, wouldn't I be stealing your thunder? That wouldn't be appropriate!"
She felt as though he wanted to say everything himself. What else could she say? Any further words would be superfluous. Besides, being a listener felt quite good; it was nice that someone else was doing the talking.
Ling Muzhu sat opposite Feng Jin, looking a bit dejected. "Sister-in-law, even a simple response from you would be good. This makes me feel quite awkward. And Second Sister, why are you also..."
It was only then that Ling Muzhu realized Ling Wan was no longer there. He looked around and asked with slight confusion, "Sister-in-law, where did Second Sister go? Wasn't she just here? Why is she gone?"
Feng Jin put down her teacup and said softly with a knowing air, "Naturally, she has matters to attend to. You're a man, why are you so inclined to pry into everything?"
After being lectured by Feng Jin, Ling Muzhu meekly shut his mouth. If she didn't want him to ask, he wouldn't ask. It wasn't a big deal.
...
"Open the gate." Ling Wan ran over, panting as she spoke to the servant at the gate.
"This..." The servants exchanged glances, unable to decide for a moment. None dared to step forward; they all stood frozen in place.
"Why are you still standing there? Didn't you understand what I said? Open the gate!"
Having spent a long time with Feng Jin, Ling Wan had absorbed two or three parts of Feng Jin's demeanor. Indeed, when she finally showed her anger, the servants hurried to open the mansion gate.
Ling Wan dashed out of the gate with great speed, but the area outside was empty. The Sheng family was long gone.
Looking around and surveying the surroundings, she still couldn't find familiar figures. Ling Wan's brow furrowed slightly. She stopped someone and asked, "Madam, did you see a family that was here just now?"
"Little girl, they left a long time ago. Do you know them?"
Ling Wan instinctively shook her head and denied it, "No..."
"It's good that you don't know them. That family is not easy to deal with. If a gentle and weak young lady like you went there, wouldn't you be like a lamb entering a tiger's den? It's better not to know them."
The old woman mumbled on, shaking her head, and slowly ambled away.
Ling Wan was left standing alone. The light in her eyes gradually dimmed. She sighed slightly and then slowly moved to leave.
"Second Miss Ling... Second Miss Ling..."
Ling Wan walked forward slowly, seemingly not hearing someone calling her from behind. It was only when a man suddenly appeared before her that she snapped back to her senses.
"Who are you?" Ling Wan looked at the man who had suddenly run in front of her. She was startled for a moment, then quickly asked, her voice filled with surprise.
"Second Miss, I am someone close to Young Master Sheng. My master asked me to wait here, saying that I should give this to Second Miss when I see her."
"I can't accept this. Please take it back..."
Before Ling Wan could finish her refusal, the man thrust a blue box into her hand and quickly left.
"You... stop!"
Ling Wan shouted loudly behind him, but to no avail. The man had already disappeared without a trace.
Looking at the blue brocade box in her hand, Ling Wan felt as if it weighed ten thousand pounds. For a moment, she didn't know what to do with it. Now that the person was gone, she didn't know how to return it even if she wanted to.
"Why are you standing outside the mansion!"
A familiar and frightening voice reached her ears. Ling Wan shivered instinctively, hastily hiding the box in her sleeve. She turned around in a panic, her voice trembling slightly as she called out, "Eldest Brother."
Ling Mohan nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Why are you standing here alone? Why don't you go back inside?"
"I... I just came to see... to see if the Sheng family had left..." Ling Wan's teeth chattered slightly as she spoke due to her fear. She was terribly frightened, yet she had to force herself to appear calm.
"As a young lady, you should not associate too much with the Sheng family in the future. It will not be good for your reputation."
This was the first time her eldest brother had spoken to her like this. Ling Wan was so shocked that she almost forgot to reply, her dazed eyes fixed on Ling Mohan.
Ling Mohan noticed Ling Wan's odd behavior and turned to look. He saw Ling Wan staring at him blankly, and his thoughts instantly drifted back to over a decade ago, when Ling Wan was only three or four years old.
She was short and small, and she loved to cling to their mother, always secretly looking at him from behind their mother. When discovered, she would hide behind their mother like a startled little rabbit.