Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 275: Encounter

Chapter 275: Encounter

Ji Meiqing said she was thirsty and took a sip of tea. Zhang Xiaofei understood everything she was saying, and seeing that she had stopped, Zhang Xiaofei asked, "Then what does all this have to do with this dress?"

Ji Meiqing said, "Don't be impatient. I haven't finished yet. I know quite a few young men now, and I was originally going to see if there was anyone you liked. But since you're going to see the lanterns, you should seize this opportunity. There are many rich and powerful people in the capital. If you meet someone you like, wouldn't that be better than the person your father wants you to marry? Besides, you have to get married sooner or later anyway. Choosing someone you like will make you feel better, and it will also stop your father from pressuring you. This is the only solution I have right now. If you don't think it's appropriate, we can wait for Brother Lu to come back and discuss it further."

Zhang Xiaofei thought for a moment and said, "Xiaoqing, what you said makes a lot of sense. To be honest, I do want to find someone to take care of me, but what if I don't have one? Wouldn't I still have to obediently go back?"

“Then you’ll really have to leave it to fate. You can’t hide like this forever. Besides, if you haven’t met him among so many people, it means that you and the one your father introduced are quite destined for each other. You haven’t met him yet, so you can try to meet him privately beforehand.” Ji Meiqing analyzed for her.

Zhang Xiaofei was not a sentimental person to begin with. Seeing that a solution had been found, she felt relieved and suddenly thought of something and said, "Since we're going out on the Lantern Festival, we must disguise ourselves so they won't recognize us. I happen to want to eat at Yuanyanglou Restaurant today. I haven't tried it yet. Let's go find Brother Lu now and see if we can be recognized."

Seeing her eager expression, Ji Meiqing asked, "How are you going to disguise yourself?"

Zhang Xiaofei said it was a secret and left. A little while later, Granny Liu came in. Ji Meiqing was reading a book she hadn't finished a few days ago. When she saw Granny Liu come in, she asked, "Granny Liu, is there something you need? Why are you keeping your head down?"

When Granny Liu looked up, she said, "Xiao Qing, how was my disguise? Not bad, right? I'll pretend to be Granny Liu when the time comes."

Upon hearing the voices, Ji Meiqing recognized that the person beside her was not Granny Liu, but Zhang Xiaofei. She looked at Zhang Xiaofei in surprise and whispered, "Is this ancient imitation makeup? It's so realistic!"

Zhang Xiaofei interrupted her, "What are you muttering about? What makeup tutorial?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing. Didn't you want to go to the Mandarin Duck Tower? I didn't even recognize you, so the people outside would definitely not recognize you either. Let's go. Let's give it a try."

Ji Meiqing went out first, and everyone around her was there. Ji Meiqing sighed, "They're so dedicated." Then she went to a pre-arranged spot where they wouldn't be watched and waited. Then she saw Zhang Xiaofei, disguised, cautiously walking out, and then, as if she had nothing to lose, she quickly came over carrying a basket.

Surprisingly, they succeeded. No one noticed or followed them. Ji Meiqing and Zhang Xiaofei gave each other a high five, and Zhang Xiaofei happily said, "That's great!"

Although Ji Meiqing didn't want to dampen her spirits, she still said, "Don't be too happy yet. This is just a small step in your success."

"That's a success. Okay, I'm starving. Let's hurry up and get out of here. After so many days, I'm finally out."

The two arrived at Yuanyang Tower chatting and laughing. The waiter greeted Ji Meiqing, "Boss, it's been a long time since you've been here. Young Master Lu has been taking care of everything. We've missed you a lot."

"I think you all want me to give you a raise," Ji Meiqing said with a knowing smile.

"Boss, what are you saying? Oh, by the way, a young master has been coming here often lately."

Ji Meiqing recommended a few dishes to Zhang Xiaofei, then casually said, "What's so special about that?"

The waiter scratched his head and replied, "That's nothing unusual, but he always gets drunk every time he comes, and he won't listen to anyone's advice. I remember him quite well, so I'm telling the boss. I'll go get back to work now."

Ji Meiqing pulled Zhang Xiaofei to sit down on the first floor. Zhang Xiaofei asked, "Are we eating here? Why don't we go upstairs to find Brother Lu?"

“I like to blend in with the customers, and Brother Lu is busy, so let’s not bother him. Aren’t you hungry? The dishes I ordered for you are all signature dishes, and there’s also some peach blossom wine. Have some later,” Ji Meiqing explained.

"Yeah, it's great to own a restaurant, you can eat and drink whatever you want," Zhang Xiaofei said with an envious tone.

"Who said you can eat and drink whatever you want? Just because your family deals in silk doesn't mean you can wear whatever you want," Ji Meiqing retorted. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaofei gave a reply that made her want to vomit blood: "Yeah, from childhood to adulthood, clothes and handkerchiefs have always been whatever." Ji Meiqing rolled her eyes at her again, as if it were second nature.

After the dishes were served, the two began to enjoy them. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaofei's gaze fell on the doorway, and she quickly said to Ji Meiqing, "Xiaoqing, Xiaoqing, look at the doorway! What a handsome young man!"

Ji Meiqing said disdainfully, "Could you wipe your hands and mouth? That young master just came in; he can't run away." Because Ji Meiqing had her back to the door, she glanced at the doorway after speaking. Although she wasn't an expert on relationships, she could tell from Zhang Xiaofei's eyes that Zhang Xiaofei had some interest in this young master.

He called over the waiter who had greeted him earlier and asked, "What's the background of that young master who's a bit closer to the door?"

The waiter replied, "Boss, he's the person I just told you about."

"That guy who's been getting drunk a lot lately?" Ji Meiqing asked. The waiter nodded. "Alright, I understand. You can go back to your work."

After the waiter left, Ji Meiqing asked Zhang Xiaofei, "You heard it too. Now I have a question for you. Do you have feelings for that young master?"

Zhang Xiaofei blushed and said, "I... I don't know either. I just thought he was handsome."

Ji Meiqing said, "Alright then, you'd better ask yourself what's in your heart. Don't be in a hurry. This young master should be from the capital. But you'd better hurry. I will definitely help you. Sometimes love at first sight is not necessarily a bad thing." Ji Meiqing said wisely.

After they finished eating, they went upstairs together to find Lu Yu. Although Zhang Xiaofei's gaze wasn't fixed on that young master the whole time, it was almost there. When they got upstairs, Ji Meiqing told Lu Yu everything that had happened that day. Lu Yu put down his work and said, "That's one way, but after all, Xiaofei only glanced at that young master and didn't interact with him, so it's not good to draw any conclusions."

Ji Meiqing replied, "We can only take it one step at a time. If there are no other opportunities or chances by the Lantern Festival, we'll have to make a long-term plan."