Xu Wan was reminded of an embarrassing memory and gritted her teeth, saying, "He didn’t just find the best spot to watch—he even used firecrackers to blow my veil off."
"What???" Zhao Rong was shocked beyond belief. "That little rascal is such a troublemaker!"
"Yeah…"
"Didn’t you beat him up afterward?" Zhao Rong asked.
Xu Wan: "…" Well, family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public.
Not only did she not beat him, she didn’t even punish him. Saying it out loud would be even more humiliating.
"The ceremony is complete. Escort the bride to the bridal chamber."
The cheerful voice of the wedding matron rang out, and the crowd in the room dispersed. Xu Wan also pulled Zhao Rong to the corridor to avoid being jostled by the exiting crowd.
The bride was escorted to the bridal chamber, and the groom, surrounded by people, walked out. Chen Yunyu, with his jade-like face and starry eyes, looked every bit the elegant young gentleman—at least in appearance.
Too bad he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Xu Wan only glanced at him before turning back to continue her conversation with Zhao Rong.
However, Chen Yunyu’s gaze lingered for a moment. His eyes fell on a woman dressed in a luxurious purple gown. Her fair skin, calm eyes, and delicate, arched brows made her stunningly beautiful, impossible to look away from.
"Let’s go, groom. The bride’s already in the bridal chamber."
Chen Yunyu snapped out of his daze and quickly averted his gaze, hurrying after the bride.
On the way, he whispered to a servant, "Who was that woman in the purple dress under the eaves?"
The servant replied, "That’s your sister-in-law."
"…"
Xu Wan was completely unaware of the exchange and was still trying to talk to Zhao Rong when the sharp-eyed little troublemaker noticed her.
He came over gleefully to mock her, "Some people manage to offend others without even saying a word. Honestly, they’re nothing like me—so charming and likable."
As soon as Zong Jincheng arrived, Zhao Rong immediately clenched her fists, ready to defend Xu Wan. "Who says you’re likable? You’re the one who blew off Xu Wan’s veil with firecrackers. Anyone would call you a little rascal. It’s only because Xu Wan has a good temper that she didn’t beat you up. If it were me, I’d have smacked you eighteen times a day."
"Who’s a little rascal?" Zong Jincheng was indignant.
Zhao Rong was even more defiant. "You are, you little rascal. Are you so young that your ears don’t work properly?"
Zong Jincheng was furious. "How can a princess be so good at insulting people? Are you even a girl?"
Zhao Rong snorted. "Funny you should mention it. I happen to hold the title of the top female troublemaker in the palace. With my father and the Crown Prince doting on me, and a whole group of maids and eunuchs spoiling me, I’ve got way more influence than you, the so-called leader of the four little troublemakers of the capital."
Zong Jincheng was speechless for a moment, then retorted, "The Crown Prince likes me the most."
"He likes me the most—I’m his sister."
"He likes me the most—he even gave me a jade pendant."
"Well, he gave me a hairpin."
"He definitely likes me the most!"
"He likes me!"
"He likes me!"
"…"
These two childish brats went from arguing about who was the bigger troublemaker to who the Crown Prince liked more, their faces red with anger as they bickered in someone else’s house. Xu Wan wanted to cover her ears.
They were so loud.
She couldn’t help but wonder if they were siblings from the same womb.
When the wedding banquet ended, Zong Jincheng climbed into the carriage, still muttering about Zhao Rong. "Hmph, she’s only like this because she’s a princess. If she weren’t, she’d have been beaten up long ago. Who would indulge her like this?"
Xu Wan rolled her eyes and jabbed, "If you weren’t born into privilege, you’d have been beaten to death long ago too."
Zong Jincheng: "!"
She never had a kind word for him.
She always opposed him.
She’d rather side with an outsider like Princess Zhao Rong than help him.
Zong Jincheng was furious and shot back, "At least I’m better off than you. Your father doesn’t care about you, your mother doesn’t love you, and even your sister and brother-in-law don’t like you."
"Hmm?" Xu Wan raised an eyebrow. "What did you just see? How do you know Chen Yunyu dislikes me?"
She had only glanced at Chen Yunyu earlier and then focused on talking to Zhao Rong, noticing nothing else.
But Zong Jincheng had been at the door, sitting on Bu Yan’s shoulders, so he must have seen everything clearly.
Zong Jincheng crossed his arms and leaned back lazily in the carriage, smugly saying, "Of course I know. He looked at you several times and even asked who you were. I bet he wanted to write your name in his grudge book so he could get back at you later."
Xu Wan frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think everyone is as childish as you? A grudge book? Only someone as immature as you would keep one."
She didn’t need to think twice—she and Qin Ye were probably at the top of Zong Jincheng’s grudge list.
Zong Jincheng stuck out his tongue at her. "Say what you want, but you’re on your own. I’m definitely not going to help you. Hmph."
Xu Wan rolled her eyes and said, "Don’t flatter yourself, kid. I don’t need your help. Focus on your studies instead of getting beaten up by Qin Ye all the time."
"What did you say?" Zong Jincheng exploded at the mention of Qin Ye. "Who gets beaten up by Qin Ye all the time? We’re not even on the same ranking anymore!"
Xu Wan snorted. "Whether you’re on the same ranking or not, you’re still no match for him. The gap between you and Qin Ye is like heaven and earth. You’ll never catch up to him, no matter how hard you try."
"Ahhh! I’m going to kill you!" Zong Jincheng went berserk and lunged at her, ready to fight.
Xu Wan wasn’t one to back down either. Pinning down an eight-year-old was as easy as child’s play for her. She pressed the little troublemaker to the carriage floor, holding him down with both hands while lecturing him. "Still trying to rebel? Did you think I was weak?"
Zong Jincheng was stunned, completely overpowered.
He had been in plenty of fights growing up and had never lost to Zhai Yao and the others. Even if he couldn’t beat an adult man, he shouldn’t have been pinned down by a seemingly delicate woman like Xu Wan.
Where did she get all that strength?
What did she eat growing up?
Xu Wan, the overachiever, had done all kinds of hard labor since childhood. Even during college, she worked three jobs a day to earn money. Her physical and mental stamina far surpassed her peers.
Zong Jincheng was pinned down, but he could still talk. "Let go of me. Release me."
Xu Wan said, "I was just thinking about something, and you had to come looking for trouble. If you keep this up, I won’t even need Cui Liu to help me pin you down before I teach you a lesson."
Today, she had found out that Zhao Rong had been deceived by Chen Shigeng and was still figuring out how to make the princess see his true colors. She also learned that Chen Yunyu had looked at her several times, probably because Xu Lian'er had badmouthed her to him. She could expect trouble from him in the future.
Thinking about it, she seemed to clash with everyone in Duke Jin's Manor. Not a single person there was easy to deal with.
Zong Jincheng quickly said, "Fine, fine, I won’t bother you anymore. Let me go."
Xu Wan released him and flexed her wrist, still glaring at him.
Zong Jincheng’s face was filled with resentment.
He clearly wasn’t going to let this go.
Xu Wan saw through him but didn’t say anything. As they neared home, she noticed Zong Jincheng sitting still—he was usually the first to jump out of the carriage.
She smirked inwardly, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped out, quickly moving to the side.
The next moment, Zong Jincheng shot out of the carriage like a cannonball, shouting fiercely, "I’m going to crush you!"
