Free Web NovelChapter 97: Chapter 96: Exposed (Monthly Ticket 130+)
Upon hearing this, Du Yundi hastily shook his head, "She, she’s coming in for the first time today. If I had known she was the type to come straight into the house, I would have stopped her no matter what."
Mrs. Zhen carefully observed Du Yundi’s expression. She saw that he was somewhat embarrassed and flustered, yet he didn’t seem to be lying.
Luckily, it’s her first time coming in. If it happened repeatedly, Du Yundi’s reputation would suffer.
However, Mrs. Zhen sensed from Du Yundi’s tone that he seemed to have some reservations about Shi Lian’er. Previously, Si Shui and Chang An clearly stated that their master was straightforward and hadn’t even thought in the direction of contemplating Shi Lian’er’s behavior. Could it be...
Mrs. Zhen’s face fell, and she said in a low voice, "Stop her? How would you stop her, a young lady? Tugging and pulling would be even more inappropriate."
"That’s not..." Du Yundi blushed, avoiding Mrs. Zhen’s gaze, "Didn’t I ask her brother to take her back?"
Du Yunluo sat to the side, not saying a word.
Judging by Du Yundi’s reaction, she vaguely felt something was off, so she ignored Mrs. Zhen’s frown and said, "Brother, could it be that you fancy Miss Shi?"
"Don’t talk nonsense!" Du Yundi’s voice suddenly rose, but he realized it was inappropriate and lowered his voice, "I care about my reputation too."
Du Yunluo blinked and then chuckled.
In usual situations like this, shouldn’t one say something like "Don’t ruin the lady’s reputation"?
Yet, Du Yundi outright said he was concerned about his own face.
It was evident that Du Yundi didn’t like Shi Lian’er, he was even avoiding her.
His current odd behavior was completely because his mother and sister found out about the incident of a young lady chasing him, making him feel awkward.
The more Du Yunluo thought about it, the funnier it seemed, prompting Mrs. Zhen to give her a couple of sharp glances. Still, she couldn’t hold back and ran inside clutching her stomach to laugh.
Du Yundi heard her laughter, pursed his lips tightly, and turned his head in silence.
Mrs. Zhen was perceptive. She could see through it clearly. Previously, she didn’t bring it up, fearing that speaking of it would make Du Yundi take it to heart, having the opposite effect. Now that Du Yundi was already aware, she needn’t worry about those things.
Patting her son’s hand, Mrs. Zhen earnestly said, "Regarding that Miss Shi’s attitude towards you, you should be clear about it yourself, so I can be at ease. You are the only son of your parents, with high expectations placed on you at the Lianfu Garden, you must maintain your integrity and not cause any unfavorable rumors that would sadden the Old Master and Old Madam."
Originally, I thought that if Miss Shi were sensible but just lacked attention to certain details regarding the separation of the sexes, a few hints would set her right. But seeing just now, she’s intent on being this way.
"You know to have Shi Shiren take her back, but you also have to understand, they are siblings after all. What if, just what if, some bad intentions arise? Placing your trust in her brother might ultimately cause you trouble.
"Don’t talk about harming a young woman’s reputation. If you stir up some commotion, your father, even the Old Master won’t be able to lift their heads. By then, she would have achieved what she wanted, and you would have no avenue to voice your grievances, forced to swallow it."
"The more distinguished you are, the more cautious you must be."
Though Mrs. Zhen spoke about Shi Shiren this way, Du Yundi didn’t entirely agree, but understanding Mrs. Zhen’s concern and having always been filial, he nodded.
Inside, Du Yunluo had laughed enough. Mrs. Zhen’s words fell into her ears without missing a word, causing her heart to sink suddenly.
She knew that Mrs. Zhen was absolutely right. What she was reminding of was precisely the situation Du Yundi found himself in a few years later.
Shi Family people are Shi Family people.
Shi Lian’er calculating Du Yundi, how could Shi Shiren be unaware?
Shi Shiren agreed to delay things until after Mrs. Tang gave birth, yet Shi Lian’er showed up crying at their door, claiming she was kicked out by Scholar Shi, clearly a play put on by the three of them.
Shi Lian’er’s reputation isn’t much of a concern, she clung to the promising Du Yundi, who was poised for promotion. If the news got out, how could the Du Family hold their heads high? A single report to the Imperial Study Room would be enough to send the Du Family reeling.
Du Yundi truly had to swallow his pride, bringing Shi Lian’er in.
With Shi Shiren’s rising status, Shi Lian’er wielded power and influence in the backyard.
Because of this, Mrs. Tang became estranged from Du Yundi, and their daughter was sickly. Even if they threw mountains of gold and silver to treat her, she didn’t survive to adulthood. Mrs. Tang’s sole heart and soul, nearly drove her insane.
Recalling those events, Du Yunluo was deeply frustrated.
Without those shameless people from the Shi Family, Du Yundi and Mrs. Tang would have lived harmoniously, their daughter safe and sound, preventing all these troubles from surfacing. frёewebηovel.cѳm
Du Yunluo’s serious expression caught Du Yundi’s attention. He was slightly startled, suddenly recalling the events at Fa Yin Temple.
At that time, Mu Lianxiao saved someone but quickly let go, maintaining his righteousness without leaving any handle for gossip.
If the person he saved that day wasn’t Du Yunluo, if that person hadn’t let go, pulling him into a mess, everyone would have mocked Mu Lianxiao, not the one causing the trouble.
The more distinguished you are, the more cautious you must be.
Du Yundi carefully pondered Mrs. Zhen’s words, finally agreeing earnestly, "Mother, it’s my oversight. I’ve learned from this and will be on guard in the future."
Mrs. Zhen nodded in satisfaction, seeing that Du Yundi had taken her words to heart.
Despite his embarrassment in front of his mother and younger sister, Du Yundi managed to express some thoughts, "Originally, I hadn’t thought of her that way, but after my eldest sister got married and I returned to the academy, she just seemed more and more peculiar to me.
"At first, I thought it was my misunderstanding, and without any evidence, discussing it with Shi Shiren would make me seem dubious, so I tried my best to avoid her.
"But today..."
Du Yunluo tilted her head, exchanged a glance with Mrs. Zhen, realizing her brother was not a hopeless bookworm. At least he had noticed Shi Lian’er’s intentions.
However, since Du Yundi knew, why did he still fall for it in his past life?
Was it because Shi Lian’er made no moves for years? Or because by then he was already married, with Mrs. Tang heavily pregnant, making him believe Shi Lian’er wouldn’t want to become a concubine, thinking he was safe? freёwebnovel.com
Du Yunluo couldn’t tell, but since Mrs. Zhen had already given such a reminder, if Du Yundi wasn’t careful, there were still those two cowards at the door fearing Mrs. Zhen’s reprimand.
Mrs. Zhen also remembered Si Shui and Chang An, called them in, sternly warned them, obtained their vow to protect Mr. Si from being taken advantage of by sinister people at all costs, and then let it go.
"Why have mother and sister come so suddenly?" Du Yundi seized the opportunity to ask.
Mrs. Zhen laughed and said, "It’s your maternal grandmother’s fiftieth birthday at the end of the month, and I haven’t visited for many years, so I’m taking the chance to pay my respects to her. Not just Yunluo, your father has also come along, and he should be talking with Mountain Master Han at the moment."
Thinking about his maternal family, Du Yundi also felt a yearning, but having recently asked for leave, he didn’t want to fall behind in his studies, so he didn’t mention it.
Du Yunluo leaned over and asked, "Has elder brother-in-law returned to the academy?"
