Cheng Zhiyue was about to rush forward and say something to her when Liu, who had just arrived, called out from afar, "Zhiyue, come back. Mother has something to tell you. Why are you hanging out with her? Aren't you tired?"
"I didn't see you feeling tired when you were acting with my stepmother before," Cheng Xiran said calmly.
Hearing this, Liu paced forward and scolded indirectly, "Cheng Xiran, you'd better not push your luck! Although someone helped you with the Ren Ning'er incident, no matter who that person is, they can only help you for a while, not for your whole life! Just wait and see. You'll have a hard time later!"
Cheng Xiran remained calm. Hearing her words, she even found it a bit laughable. "Zhuque, see the guests out. Make sure not to be negligent."
Liu and Cheng Zhiyue left angrily. Cheng Xiran let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Zhuque looked worried again. "Miss, although the old madam is in charge of all the affairs in the mansion for now, she's old. In fact, most of the internal and external matters are decided by Liu. Now that we've offended them, our future days might be tough."
"How tough can it be? All I want here is to have enough to eat, sleep well, and for grandmother to stay healthy. I've already let go of everything else."
Cheng Xiran propped her chin with both hands and looked at the moon in the sky in the distance. Somehow, she felt a sense of loss in her heart.
In Liu's room, the candlelight flickered, making Cheng Zhiyue's angry face look even more hideous.
But Liu was beaming with joy. "Come on, my good daughter. Now, Cheng Xiran is just barely surviving by relying on the prince. Look, in the entire prime minister's mansion, who isn't on your side?"
"But she's still so arrogant. We had everything ready last time, but she still managed to escape..."
Cheng Zhiyue was unwilling to accept this, and Liu naturally understood. After all, Cheng Xiran was the legitimate daughter, and the emperor favored her. Although she often encountered setbacks in the mansion, she was doing quite well outside.
Moreover, she was also involved with someone as important as Helian Duo.
"However, this isn't the time for you to worry about this..." Liu glanced at the gifts on the table and said proudly, "Gu Yuanqing is truly sincere to you. Although he's just a county magistrate for now, he's young and promising. He has a long way to go, and I think his future is bright. It's not worse than being with the regent."
"Listen to mother's advice. Get along with him for a while before making a decision. Wouldn't it be unfair to him if you just reject him right away?"
Liu tried hard to persuade her for a while, and finally, Cheng Zhiyue reluctantly listened to her words. She also promised her that she would get along well with Gu Yuanqing.
After all, he was the one her father had approved of, so she couldn't just bluntly refuse him.
However, her dream of becoming the regent's princess might be over. Although she was innocent, she could also notice the changes in her father these days. She always felt that something was about to happen.
So she didn't dare to disobey her father's order casually. After all, she was just a concubine daughter.
The next day, Cheng Xiran went to the newspaper office early. She stayed there for the whole morning but didn't see Helian Duo's people. Xue Lianyu wasn't there either. According to the shopkeeper, he had returned to Feiyu Mountain Villa.
Since both of them were absent at the same time, it seemed that they were really held up by something.