TRBDM -Chapter 143 May I Call You Wanrou?

“Luo Feiyang, what do you want?”

Faced with Luo Feiyang’s repeated provocations, the usually gentle Xie Wanrou couldn’t help but get a little annoyed.

“Xie Wanrou, the fabric you picked—isn’t it for a man? Is it for Master Jiang?”

Luo Feiyang had come in while Xie Wanrou was selecting fabric, but she had been so focused that she hadn’t noticed him.

“Who I pick fabric for is none of your business,” Xie Wanrou said coldly.

“How is it none of my business? If it’s for Master Jiang, then it concerns me.”

There was a hidden meaning in Luo Feiyang’s words. Xie Wanrou didn’t catch it at first and instinctively asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“Hmph.”

Luo Feiyang let out a self-satisfied hum—exactly waiting for her to ask that question. She glanced around, leaned close to Xie Wanrou, and whispered, “Because… at Qishan, something happened between him and me.”

“You went to Qishan too?” Xie Wanrou was surprised.

“Yes, I was there as well,” Luo Feiyang lifted her eyebrows, eyes full of triumph.

Xie Wanrou frowned but quickly sensed something was off.

“Weren’t you passionately involved with Lei Lieshan? He was exiled, and you didn’t follow him. How could you possibly claim the deep affection you once pretended to have while scheming over my dowry?”

Luo Feiyang didn’t expect Xie Wanrou—once so easily manipulated—to become so sharp-tongued, almost leaving her speechless.

“Don’t slander me. I have nothing to do with Lei Lieshan. But you… you married into the Lei family and then divorced. The Lei family was punished—how could you forget about yourself, the one who slipped through the cracks?”

“Go back and read the laws of the Dachong Dynasty, and you’ll understand why.”

Xie Wanrou didn’t want to get tangled up in her drama.

“Move aside, I’m going out.”

“No, not unless you promise me that you’ll never see Master Jiang again.”

Xiao Die couldn’t take it anymore. “Miss Luo, whether my lady sees Master Jiang or not has nothing to do with you. You’re not Madam Jiang.”

“Not now, but that doesn’t mean not in the future. The position of Madam Jiang—I am determined to claim it.”

Xie Wanrou was truly puzzled. Where did Luo Feiyang’s confidence come from?

The Jiang family’s threshold had been trampled by countless matchmakers. How many noble girls in the capital dreamed of marrying into the Jiang family? And yet Luo Feiyang thought she could?

“Let me tell you, at the Qishan relay station, Master Jiang and I stayed in the same room,” Luo Feiyang curled her lips into a smug smile.

“!”

The same room?

Sharing a room?

Xie Wanrou felt as if something had stabbed her heart—aching and stinging all at once.

Xiao Die turned pale, silently scolding them both for lacking morality. A single man and woman sharing a room—what kind of propriety is this?

And Master Jiang… he really was something. Since he was entangled with Luo Feiyang, why bother attracting my lady?

Saying he liked the pastries she made, forcing her to wake early every day to prepare ingredients in the sweltering summer heat, yet she never complained.

Giving her jade flutes, gifting incense, even asking for a purse voluntarily.

She had thought he was a gentleman, but secretly, he was so shameless.

He knew Luo Feiyang had been improper with Lei Lieshan, causing her lady so much suffering, yet he was still swayed by her. Truly disappointing.

Xie Wanrou’s breath became a little rapid. After calming herself, she suddenly smiled:

“Luo Feiyang, I don’t believe a single word of what you just said.”

Luo Feiyang, who had been smugly enjoying Xie Wanrou’s forlorn and pitiful expression, froze. “What did you say?”

“I don’t believe you.”

Master Jiang was not that kind of person—noble and upright, with clear distinctions between right and wrong.

Someone arrogant, reckless, and shameless like Luo Feiyang would be utterly contemptible in Master Jiang’s eyes. He would never harbor improper thoughts toward her, nor would he tolerate her flirtatious and reckless behavior.

That’s why she didn’t believe her.

Luo Feiyang grew anxious. “Everything I said is true! He and I were indeed in the same room!”

“Who did you say shared a room with you?”

A cold, sharp voice cut in abruptly.

Goosebumps ran down Luo Feiyang’s arms. She turned in disbelief—and sure enough, she saw Jiang Yuelin’s face, dark with anger.

“I asked you—who shared a room with you?”

Jiang Yuelin’s aura pressed down heavily, making Luo Feiyang almost unable to lift her head.

The customers and the owner of the Silk and Satin Shop were drawn by the commotion, craning their necks to see.

Luo Feiyang straightened her neck and, shamelessly, said, “I shared a room with you, as it was. I didn’t lie.”

“The ‘sharing a room’ you mentioned—are you referring to sneaking into my room while I was asleep, trying to steal my money on the sly?”

“Steal? I—”

She didn’t even finish her sentence before Jiang Yuelin’s piercing gaze froze her.

Luo Feiyang had intended to seduce him—she had even taken off her outer robe.

But with so many people around, if this got out, her reputation would be ruined.

She bit her lip hard, saying not another word.

“Luo Feiyang, you’ve been reckless again and again. Don’t blame me for being ruthless. Your father serves as a deputy general under Lei Lieshan and misappropriates military funds. And you, dressed as a man, infiltrated the camp without reporting it. The two offenses combined—Deputy General Luo, your father, won’t get off with just a demotion.”

Luo Feiyang’s eyes widened. “Are you threatening me?”

“Yes, I’m threatening you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Hmph, you’re all in cahoots, just picking on me.”

With that, she stomped off, wiping her tears as she went.

After the crowd dispersed, Jiang Yuelin approached Xie Wanrou.

The earlier commanding presence had softened, replaced with a careful gentleness. “Miss Xie, don’t believe a word Luo Feiyang said. Nothing happened between her and me—it’s all lies.”

“I’m not an idiot. Of course I don’t believe it.”

Xie Wanrou’s words finally put Jiang Yuelin’s worried heart at ease.

He had nearly panicked when he heard Luo Feiyang say “sharing a room,” terrified that Xie Wanrou might misunderstand him. He had almost forgotten how to walk.

“But… how did she sink so low as to live off stealing money?” Xie Wanrou wondered.

“…”

The story about stealing money was a lie Jiang Yuelin had made up.

Indeed, one lie required countless others to cover it up.

“There’s a teahouse ahead. Let’s go have some tea. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Yuelin booked a private room on the second floor, so they could speak without interruption.

“Actually, she didn’t steal any money.”

“So she…”

Jiang Yuelin told her the truth.

Xie Wanrou didn’t expect that Luo Feiyang could be so shameless, capable of even trying to pick locks to seduce someone.

“After I chased her away, I immediately checked out and left the inn, traveling nonstop straight back to the capital without resting for a moment.”

Once in the capital, he went straight to the Mingde Marquisate, without stopping anywhere else.

Of course, Jiang Yuelin didn’t mention that part.

His anxious eagerness to explain made Xie Wanrou find him endearing.

“Master Jiang, I believe you.”

Having known Jiang Yuelin for so long, Xie Wanrou wouldn’t be fooled by Luo Feiyang’s provocations.

Jiang Yuelin was a pure moon, a white crane among the clouds—no one could sully him.

After laying everything out, Jiang Yuelin finally felt at ease. After a while, he asked softly:

“Miss Xie… may I call you Wanrou?”