“It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Qu.” Yan Yu bowed to her and smiled, acting like a righteous noble young master.

Qu Moying pressed her lips into a straight line. She was blind enough in her past life, and she still had the same problem in this life. She couldn’t believe that she even regarded a playboy like him as a dignified young master!

But fortunately, she had learned not to easily let her guard down even when a person treated her kindly.

“Second Young Master Yan?” The Old Lady turned into her calm self already. She raised her eyes and sized up the young man in front of her.

“Yes, I am,” Yan Yu said, beamingly. “Is there anything that I can help you with, Mrs. Qu?”

After he finished the words, his eyes fell on Qu Moying. Everyone could tell he had peeked the Fourth Lady with a smile many times since he entered the yard.

Qu Moying stepped forward and walked up to Yan Yu. She pointed at the clothes and the jewelry box on the stone table and said in a flat tone, “You are Second Young Master Yan, right? Do these things belong to you?”

“They are indeed mine.” Yan Yu smiled while staring at her. It was the first time that he had carefully looked at this lady. Under the veil, her lips were light pink, matching well with her fair skin. Even though her eyes were covered, she naturally exuded an aura of elegance and confidence, not as ugly as the rumors said.

However, her appearance didn’t matter. A person with an ugly heart was more unlikable than one with an ugly face.

“Second Young Master Yan, why did you give these things to my Second Sister? When did you give these to her? She rarely went out of the mansion. How did you do it?” Qu Moying looked into his eyes calmly without any timid expression.

Yan Yu was a good-looking guy, but his appearance was not comparable to Pei Yuanjun’s. Even Pei Yuanjun couldn’t make her blush, let alone Yan Yu.

The so-called love was the most fragile thing in the world, and she would never trust it again. Only a relationship with clarified benefits would be the most stable one.

Yan Yu had met many noble ladies and oftentimes felt disgusted by their hypocritical behaviors. Many of them spoke ill of him behind his back but pretended to be shy and well-mannered while facing him. The Fourth Lady seemed to be different. Her confidence and straightforward attitude left him a good impression, and her words sounded even more interesting than her unexpected behavior.

“What are you talking about, Fourth Lady Qu?” Yan Yu asked her as he patted his paper fan on his palm. He gave a sophisticated glance at Qu Caiyue, who was sobbing on the ground, and then his eyes moved back on Qu Moying.

“Second Young Master Yan, have we met before?” Qu Moying suddenly changed the topic.

Yan Yu looked a bit hesitant for a second, surprised by the abrupt question from her, but then he gave her a smile, “We met earlier today for the first time!”

There was nothing wrong with him sending her a gift on the first day they met. After all, the arrow of love could hit one’s heart really fast.

“Thank you for your help at the market, Second Young Master Yan,” Qu Moying curtsied to him and said naturally. Her behavior was well-mannered but also kept her a proper distance from the young man.

Not knowing her intention, Yan Yu started to act more discreetly. He bowed back and cupped his hands in front of his chest. “Fourth Lady Qu, you are welcome. You don’t need to mention it.”

The Old Lady quietly watched these two talking.

“Although I owe you a favor, I still have to ask you about it since it’s related to my family’s reputation. When did you give the gift to my Second Sister? My family has very strict management of our mansion, and we don’t think it’s possible for you to have the chance to give it to her. My grandmother is furious about this. Second Young Master Yan, please help clarify the situation or this matter will be reported to your family.”

The smile on Qu Moying’s face disappeared immediately as she put on a stern look. She pressed her lips hard. Even though her eyes were covered by the veil, Yan Yu could still feel her cold gaze.

Subconsciously, Yan Yu turned his head to look at Qu Qiuyan. Something was definitely wrong. What did she mean by he gave the gift to Qu Caiyue? Wasn’t it supposed to be sent to Qu Moying? Did they screw it up?

If so, he could not continue their plan, or his father would probably beat him until his legs were broken.

Their original plan was to make people believe he and Fourth Lady Qu fell in love with each other at first sight. It would be considered as disobeying the etiquette at the most. In the worst situation, if the Qu Family had to ask the Yan Family for an explanation, he could just take Qu Moying in as his concubine. Being a wife would be impossible for her anyway, and his father wouldn’t say anything about it. Everyone knew that a noble lady who strictly obeyed the engagement rule could be a wife, and a girl who secretly dated a man could only be a concubine.

Qu Moying lowered herself to have a secret relationship with him in the story that they made up. Of course, she only deserved to be a concubine.

However, the current situation didn’t seem right for the young master. If his father knew that he tried to frame a lady, that would be a disaster!

Yan Yu looked away and smiled awkwardly, “I-I have no idea about it. Maybe my servant misunderstood something.”

“What do you mean by your servant misunderstood something?” Qu Moying didn’t intend to give him any space to get around with it.

“The clothes and the earrings indeed belong to me, but I didn’t let my servant send them to the Second Lady of your family. They…they are a gift for another lady. My servant must’ve gone to the wrong place,” Yan Yu had to make up an explanation. For the first time, he was glad that the Fourth Lady was wearing a veil, or he doubted if he could finish his words smoothly while looking into her eyes.

What an embarrassing situation! They failed their plan and even got Qu Caiyue involved.

Moreover, he didn’t even want a girl like Qu Caiyue to be his concubine!

“For another lady? Do you mind telling us which family she is from? Why did your servant come to my grandmother’s yard and claim that she was looking for me?” Qu Moying didn’t want to take any step back. She was told earlier that a strange maid ran into the Old Lady’s yard and said she was here for the Fourth Lady.

Her yard and the Old Lady’s yard were separated by Qu Xuexin’s yard. She doubted if anyone would mistake the location.

The Old Lady’s eyes fell on Yan Yu as she found him suspicious.

“We didn’t mean to interfere in your life, Second Young Master Yan. We don’t care whom you want to send the gift to. However, now that my Second Sister is involved, you have to tell us the truth. One of our maids also saw you wandering around with your servant near my grandmother’s house in our yard. What’s your intention?”

Qu Moying continued to interrogate him without even giving him time to come up with another explanation.

Her successive questions gave Yan Yu a hard time. The playboy’s smirk on his face disappeared and was replaced by a sophisticated look. His eyes fell back on Qu Moying’s face again as he was deep in his thoughts.

“Second Young Master Yan, tell us the truth!” the Old Lady said coldly.

“Mrs. Qu, it’s quite embarrassing to talk about it in public. I made a promise to someone and sent my servant to pass the gift because I was told that she lives here. I took a walk around but found out this was the Qu Family’s yard. I felt strange about it, so I asked my maid to take a look inside in the name of a lady in your family, to see if the location was really mistaken. But I didn’t mean to offend Fourth Lady Qu. I sincerely apologize for my rudeness.”

Yan Yu came up with an explanation and responded quickly. He bowed to Qu Moying deeply and wore a regretful look on his face.

“As for the gifts, Mrs. Qu, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you whom the receiver should be for the sake of protecting a lady’s name,” Yan Yu made an ambiguous statement.

Under the Old Lady’s cold gaze, he lowered his head in embarrassment.

His words were just a formality, and everyone was aware of the truth. However, if they had to come to a conclusion, it would be a lose-lose situation for both families.

Yan Yu started to feel regretful. Inexplicably, he wanted to see Qu Moying’s expression, so he raised his head subconsciously. Before his eyes met hers, he realized his rudeness and looked back at the ground again.

The whole yard fell into silence. Even Qu Caiyue didn’t dare to utter a sound. The Old Lady said slowly, “Since Second Young Master Yan’s gift went to the wrong place, please take it back. Also, please stay away from my second granddaughter, Second Young Master Yan.”

“Y-Yes. You have my promise.” The Old Lady’s answer was a big relief for Yan Yu. Still feeling the gaze from Qu Moying, his face somehow blushed. Even a person like him felt embarrassed for how farfetched this explanation was. Still, it was the best outcome that everyone chose to accept.

The Old Lady didn’t want Qu Caiyue to marry him as a concubine. Neither did he want to marry her. They still maintained the last bit of dignity for both families.

“Mrs. Qu, I will prepare a valuable gift for you after I go back home. Otherwise, my apology cannot be expressed properly,” said Yan Yu.

“There’s no need, Second Young Master Yan. Let’s call it a day!” The Old Lady signaled him to leave, “Please, Second Young Master Yan, this way!”

Yan Yu lifted his head and peeked at Qu Moying, who had already turned around and stood beside the Old Lady. His face still blushed with awkwardness.

“Fourth Lady Qu…”

“Second Young Master Yan, please leave,” Qu Moying interrupted him in a flat tone.

Yan Yu had no idea what to say, but the embarrassment gave him the urge to say something. He asked his servant to take the small package, bowed to the Old Lady, and turned around to leave.

When he got outside and saw the curious gazes those onlookers projected, he felt more displeased. He thought they were talking about Qu Moying before since the plan was to frame her, so he didn’t really pay attention to them. Now it became his turn to be involved with someone he didn’t like.

“Keep these carefully. Don’t ever mistake it again!” He gave a cold glare at the young servant and the maid who followed him out.

“Yes, Second Young Master. We will never do it again!” The two servants lowered their heads immediately.

People’s curious gazes left him nowhere to hide. He turned around and left quickly, feeling a flame of rage stuck in his chest that he couldn’t vent it out…

Was everything Yu Qingmeng and Qu Qiuyan said true? Qu Moying didn’t look like a malicious person, yet Qu Qiuyan’s attitude irritated him a bit. The plan was started by her and Yu Qingmeng, but Qu Qiuyan didn’t do anything except for watching the innocent Second Lady getting punished.

He didn’t expect a woman to settle the situation, but her indifference was for sure not pleasing. Then a sudden idea came across his mind – did they lie to him?

He hadn’t thought about this before since he grew up with Xu Lipeng and fully trusted him. Seeing his close friend being forced to marry a shrew, he felt very aggrieved for him. With Yu Qingmeng’s words and Qu Qiuyan, Qu Moying’s own sister’s confirmation, he never doubted them.

After meeting Fourth Lady Qu in person, he couldn’t help but doubt if he was wrong…

The yard became quieter after Yan Yu left. With the Old Lady in silence, no one dared to talk. Meanwhile, Qu Caiyue still knelt on the ground, wiping tears off her cheek.

The Old Lady glanced over people’s faces one by one, and her icy gaze eventually fell on Qu Qiuyan, who had been quiet this whole time. Then she questioned her in a cold voice, “Yan, tell me what’s going on.”

The Old Lady was not an idiot. She had noticed all their petty communications…