Chapter 355: Xu Mingxian
Chapter 355: Xu Mingxian
Ren Zinan had the appearance of a good-for-nothing young master, and Feng Xuanrui found him extremely irritating. He didn't hold back his displeasure, furrowing his brows and saying, "Move aside, I'm taking my sister back to the rear courtyard."
Ren Zinan acted as if he couldn't read the mood, chuckling as he said, "It's still early, no need to be in such a hurry. Let me take a good look at our little sister."
As he spoke, he took out his folding fan and attempted to use it to lift Suisu's chin, his actions casual and frivolous.
Feng Xuanrui, upon seeing this, immediately raised his hand to swat Ren Zinan's fan away, his face showing a hint of anger. "Ren Zinan, don't go too far. She's my sister, a princess of the Wang Manor!"
If they had a good relationship, Feng Xuanrui wouldn't have minded having another cousin or two.
But the way Ren Zinan was treating Suisu with such casualness?
Feng Xuanrui was displeased!
Just because he was young didn't mean he was ignorant of the world.
Ren Zinan's frivolous behavior disgusted him.
He turned cold, not caring about sparing Ren Zinan's face, which left the latter feeling rather displeased.
However, Ren Zinan had thick skin. His expression shifted a few times before he quickly recovered his smile and said, "If you don't want me to touch her, then fine. But why are you hitting your older cousin?"
Feng Xuanrui didn't bother responding and instead turned to pick up Suisu, preparing to leave.
Suisu didn't like this sudden cousin either.
The way he looked at her...
How should she describe it?
It was even worse than the way the butcher had looked at her.
She snuggled gently in her brother's arms, her cute round eyes warily scanning their surroundings, afraid that someone might try to touch her face or her little hat.
The little girl's cautious demeanor was adorable, and it made Ren Zinan's fingers itch with the urge to touch her.
But seeing Feng Xuanrui looking like a cautious little leopard, Ren Zinan grit his teeth and forced a smile, saying, "Don't be so petty. She's my sister, too."
Finally, Feng Xuanbin caught up, the little chubby boy panting from exhaustion. Hearing this, he immediately exploded, "She's my sister! My sister! How is she your sister? Don't you have your own sister?"
Ren Zinan was taken aback, and just as he was about to retort, Yingzhi rushed over and jumped, punching him in the lower back. "Take my punch!"
Yingzhi had been practicing martial arts, and although she was young, this punch, while not extremely painful, was delivered with precise force.
Ren Zinan, all show and no substance, cried out in pain and took several steps back after that punch.
Xu Mingxian happened to be standing right behind him, and with this collision, half of the wine in his cup spilled, some soaking his own clothes and the rest soaking the back of Ren Zinan's robe.
Everyone rushed forward, concerned. "Are you alright?"
"Are you hurt?"
"Your clothes are wet!"
...
After asking these questions, some of them looked up, intending to see who had thrown the punch.
Yingzhi had rushed over too quickly, and some of them hadn't caught a clear glimpse of her face.
When they turned their heads and saw Yingzhi's raised chin, they quietly averted their gazes.
The little ancestor of the Great Princess's manor?
Best not to offend her.
Well, they weren't sworn brothers or anything, so there was no need to stand up for him at this time.
Xu Mingxian was displeased about the spilled wine, and with all the recent troubles in the manor, he was feeling rather irritable.
So, when Ren Zinan stood up, Xu Mingxian furrowed his brows and complained, "You're not a good cousin at all. Your younger cousins don't even respect you."
Having lost face and taken a punch, Ren Zinan was already feeling sour.
Here is the rewritten chapter with the requested changes:
Ren Zinan was still fuming, and Xu Mingxian's meddling was getting on his nerves.
Once Ren Zinan had composed himself, he shot a disdainful glance at his now wine-stained outer robe and glared at Xu Mingxian. "Who do you think you are, lecturing me? How I treat my cousins is none of your business."
Ren Zinan continued, with a derisive hum, "If you have the time to meddle in my affairs, why don't you focus on your own family? I hear the identities of your sisters have been swapped, and you didn't even bother to uphold justice for them. With all the extra sisters you've taken in, you should be spending time fostering better relationships with them. Your family has so many issues, yet you still have the energy to concern yourself with others?"
Ren Zinan was naturally blunt, and when it came to Xu Mingxian, he held nothing back.
He knew exactly where it hurt and wasn't afraid to poke at those wounds.
Xu Mingxian was seething with rage; his handsome face had turned a shade of purple.
He raised his hand and gritted his teeth as he said, "You're ungrateful!"
With that, he turned to storm off.
Ren Zinan couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, this is too much. You're talking about gratitude? Take a look at your own family and tell me, which of those deeds sounds like something a good person would do?"
Xu Mingxian was the eldest son of the Marquis of Jin, and being both the eldest and born of the primary wife, he held himself in high regard and looked down on others.
The only reason he associated with Ren Zinan and his group was to take advantage of their noble status for his own benefit.
At this moment, after being thoroughly rebuked by Ren Zinan, his expression turned even uglier, and he stood there, his body stiff, clearly not intending to leave just yet.
However, Ren Zinan had no intention of letting him off the hook.
After being wronged elsewhere, he certainly wasn't going to let this opportunity for revenge slip away.
So, he picked up the fallen folding fan, opened it with a flourish, and said with a smile, "Oh, that's right. I heard that a few days ago, your two concubines got into a fight and caused quite a scene on the street. Didn't you discipline them?"
The Marquis of Jin was known for his dissolute ways, and over the years, he had done countless despicable things.
Xu Mingxian, being his son, was a chip off the old block and was no better than his father.
Even though he had already come of age, his marriage was still undecided, but he had already followed in his father's footsteps and taken on several concubines.
And he had quite a few of them.
A few days ago, two of his concubines had run into each other on the street and ended up in a heated argument that turned physical.
It was said that the scene they had made was quite... scandalous.
Ren Zinan was curious as to how Xu Mingxian had managed to escape punishment for this incident.
He certainly didn't look like he had been disciplined in any way.
However, upon thinking about Lady Xu's doting on her grandson, Ren Zinan could understand why.
Most likely, Lady Xu had intervened, and with the Marquis of Jin being indifferent, and Lady Xu being preoccupied with the matter of switching the identities of her two daughters, she probably hadn't had the time to deal with her son.
A mother's indulgence often spoils her children.
Ren Zinan himself was a prime example, and he knew all too well what Xu Mingxian's situation was like.
After giving Xu Mingxian a piece of his mind, Ren Zinan wasn't quite done with him yet. He turned his head and looked towards Xu Mingxian's half-brother, the second son of the Marquis of Jin, Xu Mingfeng, who was hiding in the crowd. With a smile, Ren Zinan said, "I heard that you, as a good younger brother, have a rather ambiguous relationship with one of your brother's beautiful concubines. Is that true? Come on, brother, tell us about it."
Xu Mingfeng was taken aback. He hadn't expected to be brought up while hiding in the crowd, and here was Ren Zinan, exposing his secret without a care for the consequences.
Xu Mingfeng's face alternated between red and white as he met Xu Mingxian's probing gaze. He waved his hands frantically and denied, "No, no, he's lying!"
(End of Chapter)
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