Chapter 29

Inside the foreign goods store, the argument continued unabated, with many onlookers gathered to watch the commotion. 

Unconsciously, Meng Xinliang had moved to Ning Zhen’s side. 

As Ning Zhen’s cousins were quarreling with Su Rong’s friends, Meng Xinliang suddenly spoke quietly to Ning Zhen. 

He asked, “Fourth Miss, have you been in touch with Yunnuo recently?” 

Ning Zhen was startled. 

Then she realized he was referring to her cousin Yunnuo. 

“Yes,” Ning Zhen replied. “While I was studying abroad, our schools were nearby, so we met on weekends. After I returned, she also sent me a telegram.” 

“She’s doing well?” he asked. 

“She’s doing fine,” Ning Zhen responded. 

“I heard she got married. Does she have a child now?” Meng Xinliang asked again. 

His voice was very low, with a subtle tremor. 

Ning Zhen looked up at him. 

His complexion was pale, and his gaze was calm, as if she had imagined the tremor. 

“…She doesn’t have children yet,” Ning Zhen replied, feeling somewhat anxious. 

Meng Xinliang had brought up Yunnuo, Ning Zhen’s uncle’s daughter.  

Ning Zhen and her cousin had always been close, and Yunnuo often visited their home; the two were like sisters. 

Later, their uncle sent Yunnuo abroad to study. It happened so quickly that Ning Zhen hadn’t even known before her cousin was put on a ship. 

Because Yunnuo was in London, Ning Zhen’s family felt comfortable letting her study abroad too. 

Once she arrived, the cousins didn’t live together, but they met up when they could. Yunnuo had even taught her how to drive. 

Yunnuo initially studied languages, but later switched to medicine. 

Medical school was extremely expensive, and professors were reluctant to accept female students. However, Yunnuo’s exceptional grades persuaded her professor to make an exception. 

Her professor’s program required six years to complete, and graduates needed to work at his clinic for another year. 

Most programs didn’t take that long—three or four years were typical. 

Faced with these challenges, Yunnuo found a solution: she sent a telegram to her father, claiming she had married abroad and asked him to send her dowry. 

Her father promptly sent a large sum of money. 

“With money in hand, the six years of tuition and living expenses were covered. And my father wouldn’t rush me back; he’d rather I marry abroad,” Yunnuo had said. 

This was Yunnuo’s secret, and she had asked Ning Zhen not to tell the family. 

In letters to her father, Yunnuo claimed she had married the son of a rice merchant from Southeast Asia. 

When Ning Zhen’s parents and brothers asked about it, Ning Zhen had to feign ignorance, vaguely saying that her brother-in-law didn’t live in London. 

She feared that if her uncle found out the truth, he would rush to London and break Yunnuo’s legs. 

Meng Xinliang’s sudden inquiry about this caught Ning Zhen off guard. She hadn’t expected him to ask, so when she lied, her eyes wavered. 

This wasn’t good—it could lead to trouble. 

Ning Zhen only knew that Meng Xinliang had some connections with her older brother. She didn’t know that he was also acquainted with her cousin—Yunnuo had never mentioned him. 

She glanced at Meng Xinliang again. 

He seemed emotionally detached, not even looking closely at her. 

Ning Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. 

She looked at Meng Xinliang, and he returned her gaze. Both of them wanted to say something, but neither knew what to say. 

Just then, Sheng Changyu arrived. 

“Stop eyeing men! The Governor is here!” Jin Nuan jabbed Ning Zhen sharply in the waist. 

They were in the middle of an argument, and here Ning Zhen was exchanging glances with a man. 

Ning Zhen turned her head, and her eyes met Sheng Changyu’s as he entered. 

His dark, intense gaze locked on Ning Zhen, and his expression darkened the moment he saw her. His hand clenched slightly, the muscles in his arm tensing under his shirt as if filling with blood. 

Ning Zhen suspected he wanted to hit someone. 

She bit her lip slightly and whispered to Jin Nuan, “If things go south, take the two cousins and run.” 

Jin Nuan’s face turned pale. “What about you?” 

“I’m the wife of the Sheng family. If he hits me, he’ll disgrace himself too,” Ning Zhen said. 

It could shame the Sheng family, but she wouldn’t let it shame her own. 

Ning Zhen couldn’t accept the idea of her younger brothers being beaten by the Governor in front of the Su family. 

At the same time, Ning Zhen noticed Yao Wenluo, who had come over to watch the scene unfold, and suddenly understood why Sheng Changyu had appeared. 

Everyone in the foreign goods store could feel Sheng Changyu’s anger. Instinctively, they tensed up, shoulders hunched, as if trying to shrink away and hide. 

“Stand up straight!” Sheng Changyu commanded. 

His voice was not soft, and at the same time, his adjutants cocked their guns, pointing them at the store. 

Ninety percent of the onlookers fled in fear, leaving only the most reckless and curious behind, standing cautiously behind the adjutants. 

Ning Zhen’s heart tightened, and she pulled Jin Nuan behind her. 

She straightened her posture as well. 

Inside, the room fell silent, except for Meng Xinliang, who smiled lightly. “Governor, no need to get so worked up. The kids are just quarreling, it’s nothing serious.” 

Sheng Changyu cast him a cold glance. “Deputy Leader Meng, last time your men dared provoke even me. Have you been getting too lax lately?” 

“I’ve already dealt with those two, and I explained everything to Chief of Staff Cheng. Looks like the Governor has been busy, and this little matter didn’t reach your ears,” Meng Xinliang replied with a smile. 

Then he added, “Put the guns away. It’s fine to scold or hit the kids, but don’t shoot. What if one accidentally goes off?” 

Ning Zhen detected something unusual in his tone. 

Sheng Changyu suddenly and alertly looked up. 

Following his gaze, Ning Zhen spotted gun barrels from hidden windows on the second floor, aimed directly at those below. 

The hidden guns were aimed with deadly precision. 

A cold shiver ran through Ning Zhen. 

Sheng Changyu let out a cold laugh. “Quite the ambush.” 

Meng Xinliang said, “Those are my men. They can be a bit ignorant. Governor, no need for guns here. This is my shop, a place of business. Bloodshed here would be inauspicious. Would you grant me this favor?” 

—Your guns won’t fire, and neither will mine. 

No one was allowed to kill on his turf, not even a military governor controlling four provinces. 

Sheng Changyu didn’t order his adjutants to lower their guns, his expression still cold. “Did I give the order to shoot?” 

Meng Xinliang chuckled. “Good, then I’ll thank the Governor in advance.” 

The guns weren’t lowered, but the promise was made. Whoever fired first would be at a disadvantage. 

Still brimming with fury, Sheng Changyu approached the group that had been arguing. 

He pointed at Su Rong. “You dared provoke my wife?” 

Su Rong’s legs trembled in fear. 

From behind, Yao Wenluo stepped forward and said to Sheng Changyu, “Ah Yu, it was Ning Zhen’s family who bullied him first, and he was just defending himself.” 

Su Rong, seizing this lifeline, added, “Yes, Governor, it was Ning Zhen’s people who blocked our path. I was just asking them to move.” 

Yao Wenluo chimed in again, “Young Master Su didn’t provoke the Madam. It was Madam who first insulted Su Qing’er and even threatened to dig up her grave, wasn’t that right?” 

Su Rong:  

That wasn’t exactly what was said, and it definitely wasn’t Ning Zhen who started it. 

In truth, he had deliberately mocked Ning Zhen because he didn’t like her. 

Now, Su Rong was unsure whether Yao Wenluo’s words were a trap or an opportunity, and he didn’t dare respond. 

“Shut up. Who asked for your opinion?” Sheng Changyu’s voice wasn’t loud, but his gaze swept over Yao Wenluo. “Say one more word, and don’t blame me for being rude.” 

Yao Wenluo:  

She bit her lip and retreated a few steps, but still refused to leave. 

“Speak up. How did you make trouble for my wife?” Sheng Changyu demanded again, turning to Su Rong. 

Terrified of Sheng Changyu, Su Rong was so frightened by the icy interrogation that he collapsed to his knees. 

“Governor, please ask Madam. I didn’t trouble her. She—she insulted us first, and insulted Qing’er too,” Su Rong stammered, his voice shaking as if on the verge of tears. 

Sheng Changyu raised his booted foot and kicked him hard in the chest. “Ask Madam? Who do you think you are? You dare confront my wife? Do you even deserve that?” 

The crowd:  

Yao Wenluo clenched her jaw so hard her back teeth ground together, her face twisting with suppressed anger. 

Was this all a performance? And for whose benefit?