Chapter 330 - 330 The Young Master Seems Different_l
“Wh…What? Young Master… You want to spread rumors about the Second Miss?” Xiaonan looked at Wei Yichen in astonishment.
In their place of confinement, only Wei Yichen had seen Wei Qingwan. Xiaonan and the others were kept somewhere else, and thus, until now, they remained unaware of Wei Qingwan’s circumstances.
“No, it is not a rumor. It is indeed something that she, Wei Qingwan, has done. To provide a basis, you will reveal the address of the embroidery shop, as well as how Wei Qingwan manages to find time to meet the man every day on her way home from school,” Wei Yichen said.
Xiaonan took a while to process this information.
So it was true that the Second Miss had done such things, and their capture by the bandits was the unfortunate result of their search for her.
Even knowing the reason, Xiaonan was shocked, because spreading rumors behind one’s back to tarnish someone’s reputation was not something their young master would normally do.
“But, Young Master, spreading such rumors may harm the reputation of the eldest Miss. Consequently, this could affect her future marriage as well. What should we do? After all, the eldest Miss is the one who saved us…” Xiaonan voiced his concerns.
If one woman of the Wei family is dishonored, then all are dishonored.
“We have nothing to worry about. Ruoruo has no desire to marry early, and if her reputation is damaged, it might discourage those ambitious men in Government City who wish to marry into the Wei family.”
Wei Yichen was firm and showed no sign of hesitance or indecision in this matter.
Xiaonan felt that his young master was somewhat unfamiliar, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong.
After Wei Yichen got dressed, he instructed Xiaonan to leave. He then called for another servant, asking for an update on the current situation in the household.
After learning that Wei Ruo was having a confrontation with Wei Qingwan in front of their parents, Wei Yichen ordered someone to assist him to Cangyun Garden.
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Inside Cangyun Garden, Wei Ruo made a statement that astonished Wei Mingting and Madam Yun:
“What I mean is, the Second Sister has acted improperly, secretly meeting a man. To protect the reputation of the Second Sister, Big Brother chose to conceal it, letting the other servants return home first and declaring that the person has been found.”
Such a response was obviously unacceptable to Madam Yun.
“Don’t spout nonsense. Wanwan knows the rules best and would never secretly meet with a man. Utter nonsense!”
In Madam Yun’s mind, this was absolutely not something that her obedient, sensible, and gentle adopted daughter could do.
At this point, Wei Qingwan also began to defend herself. With tears welling in her eyes, she looked at Wei Ruo and cried, “Sister, I know you’ve never liked me. I can accept it if you blame me and hate me, but why do you invent such rumors to ruin my reputation?”
“Rumors? The shopkeeper of that embroidery shop remembers you,” Wei Ruo said.
Wei Qingwan’s face turned pale. She had no idea how Wei Ruo could know so much.
Was it possible that Big Brother had woken up last night?
“What embroidery shop? Sister, what are you talking about?” Wei Qingwan wore a bewildered expression, looking innocent.
“Do I need to bring the owner of the embroidery shop here to confront you?” Wei Ruo said.
Naturally, Wei Ruo wouldn’t confront Wei Qingwan without any preparation. If she could learn about the circumstances of the kidnapping from Chu Lan, then, of course, she could also learn about the place where Wei Qingwan held secret meetings and other relevant details.
Yesterday afternoon, not only Wei Qingwan had time to send a message out, but Wei Ruo also had time to send a letter to find a witness.
Wei Qingwan’s face turned even paler, but she insisted that she hadn’t done what was claimed: “I do not know what Sister is talking about. What embroidery shop’s owner? What secret meetings with a man? Yes, Big Brother did indeed go out looking for me that day. In that sense, it is my fault the trouble occurred. If Sister wants to blame me for that, I have nothing to say. I am willing to accept punishment. But I absolutely cannot admit to a crime as severe as secretly meeting with a man…”
Each of Wei Qingwan’s words sounded sincere and plaintive, causing an aching pain in Madam Yun’s heart.
She couldn’t help but admonish Wei Ruo: “Ruoruo, you have done a great deed in saving your big brother, and your mother is very grateful. If you did so with your big brother’s best interest in your mind, then your mother will not blame you. But by spreading rumors about Wanwan, I truly cannot condone.
Wei Ruo was not in a hurry. She turned to Wei Mingting and said, “Father, what do you think? Would you like to meet the owner of the embroidery shop I mentioned?”
Throughout the entire conversation, Wei Mingting kept silent, his expression serious and solemn. Between furrowed brows, he carried an aura of stern severity, attentively listening to everyone’s words.
“Bring that person over, I will verify it myself,” Wei Mingting declared.
“Alright.” Wei Ruo turned around, about to instruct someone to fetch the owner of the embroidery shop.
“There’s no need.”
Wei Yichen entered the room.
Upon Wei Yichen’s entrance, the four people inside the room all turned to look at him.
Madam Yun rushed forward: “Yichen, how did you get here? Are you feeling better? You should be resting in bed after this major illness, you mustn’t get up and move around casually. What if you catch a cold again?”
“I am fine,” Wei Yichen said, while looking around the room. His gaze finally fell on Wei Qingwan.
When Wei Qingwan saw Wei Yichen awake, she looked panicked for a moment, then quickly stepped towards Wei Yichen.
“Big Brother, so you’re okay now? That’s great!” Wei Qingwan looked at him with concern in her eyes.
Wei Yichen said nothing, only shifting his gaze to Wei Ruo.
Weu Ruo stood still, her expression neutral as she watched the others, including Wei Yichen.
From Wei Ruo’s actions, it was clear that she did not share Wei Qingwan’s concern for her sibling.
Wei Qingwan noticed Wei Yichen looking at Wei Ruo and continued: “Big Brother, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have returned home late that day. Everything that happened was an accident, not what I wanted. I didn’t mean to get you involved or to cause you to suffer for my sake!”
What Wei Qingwan ostensibly referred to was her late return home, but what she actually meant was known only to her and Wei Yichen.
Wei Qingwan continued, “Big Brother, I was really, really worried about you. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t deserve to live! I was so scared then, completely at a loss for what to do…”
Wei Qingwan tightly gripped Wei Yichen’s sleeve, her teary eyes staring at him. In a spot only noticeable to her and Wei Yichen, she conveyed a plea.
She knew how much her big brother adored and cherished her. In the past, whenever she had made a small mistake, Big Brother would gently reassure her that it was okay and never get angry at her.
Now, she could only hope that this once, just this once, her big brother would protect her again.
At that moment, Wei Ruo asked Wei Yichen, “What did you mean when you said “there’s no need” earlier?”