☆, The Fool
“If things turn out as you said a year from now, I’ll definitely take care of Zhu Yuanbin for you,” Lin Yujia said with a smile as the dishes were brought to the table.
Xiao Banli took a sip of water and nodded. In truth, as long as Zhu Yuanbin leaves the Ouyang family, he no longer poses a threat to her. But such a pest would cause harm sooner or later.
A year isn’t long—it will pass quickly. If Lin Yujia doesn’t deal with Zhu Yuanbin, she will find a way to handle him herself.
“Master Lin, why don’t you just return Zhu Yuanbin to me…” Ouyang Que’s narrow phoenix eyes slightly squinted as he glanced at Xiao Banli on his right side. That rough, scarred area on her face was now as white as snow, with smooth, beautiful lines—a stunning face.
Lin Yujia cleared his throat and returned his gaze to Ouyang Que. “That won’t do. I just promised to let him stay by my side for a while.”
Xiao Banli remained silent. She hadn’t known Zhu Yuanbin in her past life, and in this life, she knew he wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t know whether he would cause trouble for Lin Yujia. Even if he did, that would be Lin Yujia’s own responsibility.
Lin Yujia wanted to extract more words from Xiao Banli, but she kept her lips sealed, unwilling to speak further. When she married Lin Yujia, it coincided with the turmoil in his family. His sister eventually did take a large portion of his inheritance, leading to a dispute between his parents that caused his mother to fall ill, staying in the hospital for two years. During the first two years of their marriage, they were very sweet together. She took great care of his mother, but unfortunately, a mere woman like Yuan Muxiao could erase more than two years of happiness.
After the meal…
Ouyang Que drove, taking Xiao Banli back to the orphanage. Xiao Banli handed all the money to the director, who was so moved that she cried. Xiao Banli was the first child to leave the orphanage and come back with money.
While Xiao Banli chatted with the director, Ouyang Que leaned against the door, watching Xiao Banli. In the moonlight, her beautiful face looked like that of a fairy—both real and ethereal.
Ouyang Que was willing to bet that in his life, Xiao Banli was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her delicate willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows were naturally graceful even without any grooming, her eyes bright and moist, her skin fairer than snow. When she smiled, she had a small dimple, and when her eyes narrowed, it gave off a touch of sensuality. The corner of her lips curled slightly, giving her a hint of mischief. When her eyes fixed on someone seriously, they emitted an aura that was definitely not innocent or pure—it had a compelling intensity that was hard to look away from.
Tonight, for no particular reason, he had observed her expressions and came to this conclusion.
“Young master, do you know how people talk about you outside?” Xiao Banli, gazing out the window, suddenly turned to look at Ouyang Que. Ouyang Que steered the wheel, turned to glance at her, and nodded. “I know.”
“Young master, do you want the entire Ouyang family to belong to you?” Xiao Banli looked at Ouyang Que fearlessly.
Ouyang Que turned the steering wheel again, glanced at her, his eyes deepening slightly. “No one wants to live a life controlled by others, especially by the people closest to them.”
Xiao Banli turned her head again, staring out at the swiftly passing scenery, remaining silent.
The car grew quiet.
After a long while, Xiao Banli’s crisp voice slowly broke the silence, “Young master, since the outside world says you are a fool, let’s make it true. A fool—no one will ever be wary of you.”
Outside the car, the road was dark with no streetlights. Ouyang Que switched on the headlights, which blinked intermittently.
“I had the same idea.” Even though Ouyang Honghui had given him the shares, he still didn’t trust him and had sent Yuan Muxiao to supervise him. Wasn’t that just to guard against him?
Since everyone wanted him to act foolish, he would play the fool for everyone to see.
When they arrived home, the lights in the hall were brightly lit. Xiao Banli and Ouyang Que thought that Xiao Fen hadn’t gone to bed yet. But as soon as they stepped inside, they saw that only Yuan Muxiao was in the hall.
Yuan Muxiao stood up when she saw Xiao Banli’s unscathed right cheek and pointed at her angrily. “Hmph, I knew this face of yours wouldn’t be hidden forever! You said you just wanted to stay in the Ouyang family, but I don’t believe you. You must have some ulterior motive. Que, this woman is so malicious! She put live earthworms in Madam’s bowl. Lock her up! Or send her to the main house so that the main lady can teach her a lesson!”
Ouyang Que narrowed his phoenix eyes.
Then, Xiao Banli took a step forward, closing the distance between her and Yuan Muxiao. Lazily, she said, “Yes, I put the live earthworms in there. I just like creating mysteries and playing games. Sending me to the main house would be perfect. I can climb into the main lord’s bed. Unlike you, who went to hug his thigh but was sent back to Que’s side without success.”
Yuan Muxiao widened her eyes, looking at Xiao Banli, who had changed both in appearance and attitude. Impulsively, she said, “Who said I didn’t manage to get close to the main lord…”
Uh… At this point, Yuan Muxiao realized that she seemed to have fallen into Xiao Banli’s trap. She quickly changed her tone, “I’ve always been begging to return to Que’s side. The third lady has always treated me the best.”
Ouyang Que and Xiao Banli exchanged a glance. Well, she did manage to hug the thigh, so now she would be doing Ouyang Honghui’s bidding.
“I’ll do as you say and lock Xiao Banli up. Putting live earthworms in my mother’s bowl is unforgivable.” Ouyang Que said, then patted his pants and turned to walk toward his room.
Soon, only Xiao Banli and Yuan Muxiao were left in the hall.
Yuan Muxiao looked at Xiao Banli smugly. “Lock you up? You’ll be staying for another three years, hahaha. I’ll let you out only when you’ve gone mad. I’ve never seen someone so stupid. They’re going to lock you up, and you still refuse to leave.”
Xiao Banli coldly snorted.
Then she turned and left the hall.
Yuan Muxiao watched the retreating figure, a vicious light flashing in her eyes, quickly disappearing. She then turned and walked towards the main door, making a call to have a car sent for her. She got in, and the car headed straight toward Ouyang’s main household.
The next day, a major incident occurred at the main household. The main lady caught a young maid, naked, lying on the lounge chair in the study, resting. It was obvious what this meant: she was trying to seduce Ouyang Honghui. When Ouyang Honghui entered the main house, he saw the girl he had just been fond of kneeling on the ground, her clothes scattered everywhere. He was surprised and asked, “What’s going on?”
Miao Qing kicked Yuan Muxiao and said harshly, “How dare she lie naked in your study like this? What’s going on? She looks like she’s only 17, underage! Ouyang Honghui, you dare to lay hands on such a young girl?”
Ouyang Honghui furrowed his brows. He liked the girl, but he knew it was too early. He wasn’t that desperate. Could it be that the girl couldn’t control herself?
“Xiao Xiao, what’s going on?”
Yuan Muxiao trembled. How would she know what was going on? She had accidentally fallen asleep on the way to Ouyang Honghui’s study. When she woke up, she found herself in the study, naked. Before she could react, the main lady burst in with people, forcing her off the bed. No matter how much she begged, they wouldn’t let her go.
“Master, master, I really don’t know what happened. I was just sitting in the car.” Yuan Muxiao met Ouyang Honghui’s eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably. Everyone knew that the main lady was more ruthless than the second lady. The second lady would simply get rid of you, but the main lady would torment you slowly, never letting you die but never allowing you to live peacefully either.
Ouyang Honghui looked at the girl in front of him, crying pitifully, and his heart ached. She was just a young thing, but she could still help him with things.
“Is the driver in the car someone you know?”
“Ouyang Honghui, what are you implying? She seduced you first, and now you want to protect her? Do you think I’ll agree to that?” Miao Qing stepped forward. She saw the emotion in her husband’s eyes and sneered… Her cold gaze swept once again over Yuan Muxiao. “Don’t think that just because the master is here, you’ll be protected. Someone, drag Yuan Muxiao to the backyard and lock her up.”
“No, Madam, I really didn’t mean to seduce the master. Madam… please, I beg you…” Yuan Muxiao struggled to break free from the guards’ grip in fear.
“Wait.” Ouyang Honghui shouted loudly.
Everyone froze. Miao Qing’s face turned ugly. She had planned to deal with the girl in front of Ouyang Honghui, because if she could handle this situation, it would mean the girl wasn’t important. But now…
“Miao Qing, you’re being impulsive. Do you remember she’s the one I sent to be by Que’er’s side?” Ouyang Honghui stepped forward and put his arm around Miao Qing’s shoulders. “I promised you that I wouldn’t find women among the maids again, and I will keep that promise. Don’t you think this is absurd? Wasn’t someone who told you that she was in my study?”
Miao Qing’s anger cooled a little as she thought back. Indeed, a maid had mentioned that someone was in the study. “Yes, someone did tell me that there was someone in the study.”
“Xiao Xiao is the one I sent to be in charge by Que’er’s side. The maid who notified you—was she from your room?”
Miao Qing thought for a moment.
“No, but I can’t remember which room she’s from.”
“Alright, let’s leave this matter for now. I’ve estimated that it’s probably Que’er’s doing. Maybe even the driver was swapped,” Ouyang Honghui said with a smile. “Que’er, you’re still too inexperienced.”
Yuan Muxiao stretched her ears to listen to their conversation and let out a sigh of relief when she heard this.
Just then, suddenly, a man rushed into the hall. The man knelt down on the floor, grabbed Ouyang Honghui’s leg, and cried out, “Dad…”