Xie Lang was truly startled by the suddenly-appeared woman. He stared at the two of them for quite a while before finally coming to his senses. Are they crazy? Did he know them well?
Xie Lang gave the shopkeeper a half-smile, barely managing to keep his composure. "Get them out of here," he said.
Unlike Shen Mingzhu, who was not good at remembering faces, Xie Lang had dealt with many people over the years. So, he generally had a slight impression of those he had met.
The women in front of him were the inexplicable sisters he had seen in the temple. They seemed to be surnamed Qu. As for other details, Xie Lang only remembered that they were truly inexplicable.
As he spoke, the shopkeeper and the waiters were about to step forward to stop the women. Unexpectedly, the sisters exchanged a glance, and Qu Yunhua actually said to Xie Lang, "Your Highness, it would be better if you listen to what we have to say. Otherwise..."
Xie Lang was a bit impatient. He raised his eyebrows at her and said, "What? Are you threatening me?"
Qu Yunhua didn't expect Xie Lang to be so fearless. For a moment, the smile on her face froze. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, "Mr. Wen, it would be better if you wait until I finish speaking."
Hearing the words "Mr. Wen," the shopkeeper couldn't help but turn to look at Xie Lang, his eyes full of surprise.
Hearing Qu Yunhua's words, Xie Lang glanced at the young girl beside him, who was looking at him eagerly. He couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, showing a bit of a playboy look on his face. He continued, "What Mr. Wen?
"I'm surnamed Xie. What does that have to do with Wen?" Xie Lang said calmly. "Everyone in the capital knows that I, Xie Lang, am the son of General Xie."
Qu Yunhua's expression darkened a bit more. The look in her eyes when she looked at Xie Lang also became a bit more solemn. She couldn't help but clench the handkerchief in her hand tightly. She took a deep breath, suppressing the pounding in her heart, and then continued, "Does it matter?
"Even if I have no evidence and no ability to find any evidence to prove that you, Your Highness, are Mr. Wen, there must be people watching you who want to take action. Those people are not as powerless as I am."
Xie Lang was so angry that he laughed. Looking at her coldly, he said, "Are you threatening me?"
Qu Yunhua trembled all over under Xie Lang's gaze. But when she saw her younger sister standing beside him, she still gritted her teeth and continued, "How dare I threaten you? I just want to cooperate with you."
Xie Lang let out a soft laugh with an unclear meaning.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper and the waiters had already sensibly closed the shop and guarded the door, fearing that others might hear the commotion inside.
Xie Lang's playboy look remained unchanged. Leaning against a pillar beside him, he said half-smilingly, "Do you know? If you continue talking and pestering me, I can't guarantee that you'll be able to open your eyes tomorrow."
Qu Yunhua immediately felt weak in the knees. A chill started to creep up in her heart. Her palms were sweating, and her whole body felt cold.
She had been extremely bold this time. She actually dared to come after Xie Lang to ask for benefits.
But... but if she and her sister didn't seize this opportunity to get close to Xie Lang, they would really have no hope at all.
Her husband had recently been bewitched by a young woman. Qu Yunhua gritted her teeth secretly. But her natal family was weak, and no one could support her. She had managed to become the main wife before, but now she could be pushed aside by other vixens.
Only if her sister could marry a good husband could she firmly hold her position as the main wife.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath, clenching the handkerchief in her palm tightly. Her voice trembled a bit as she said, "My sister and I have no ill intentions. We just want to cooperate with you.
"If anything happens to my sister and me, my maid will find a way to spread the news that you are Mr. Wen to others. Then..."
Qu Yunhua couldn't continue. She was startled by the cold look in Xie Lang's eyes. She stood there stunned. For a moment, her legs went weak, and she could only lean on the nearby object to steady herself. As a result, she accidentally knocked a porcelain vase to the ground.
"Crash—"
The series of crisp sounds pushed the tense atmosphere in the shop to a deeper level. Qu Yunli, who was standing in front of Xie Lang, trembled even more. She lowered her head tightly and didn't dare to say a word.
Xie Lang was deep in thought.
Mainly because he and Shen Mingzhu had been closely watched recently. If the fact that he was Mr. Wen were to be exposed, he didn't know how much trouble there would be.
Moreover, the Mr. Wen in Qu Yunhua's mouth was his merchant identity, not the painter in Shen Mingzhu's mouth.
Tsk, it was really troublesome.
Xie Lang let out a cold snort. He gave Qu Yunhua a solemn look and then continued, "Fine. I'd like to see what you have to say."
He had to solve this trouble quickly. He still had to take the gift back later. Xie Lang really didn't want to delay any longer. So, he nodded and led the women upstairs.
The shopkeeper didn't understand why Xie Lang was acting differently today. After all, the master used to prefer to deal with people directly instead of just putting them aside for the sake of quickness.
Qu Yunhua and Qu Yunli exchanged a glance. There was a bit of solemnity in their eyes, but they both let out a sigh of relief involuntarily.
They went upstairs and sat down.
Seeing Xie Lang's gaze on her, Qu Yunhua gritted her teeth and continued, "Mr. Wen, since you've been traveling around under this identity, I'm sure many people suspect that you have other identities.
"How about... how about you marry Yunli under the identity of Mr. Wen? We can continue to cover for you. It's a good thing, isn't it?"
Xie Lang thought that the two women wanted to have a proper cooperation with him, talk about the price, and make him give in. He never expected Qu Yunhua to come up with such a shocking idea.
He was stunned for a moment. No matter how he thought about it, he never expected Qu Yunhua to say such a stupid idea.
What kind of idea was this!
After hearing this, Xie Lang felt as if his mind couldn't keep up. Did he look like such an easy target that someone would come up with such an absurd idea for him?
He stood there stunned. Qu Yunhua and Qu Yunli exchanged a glance. They thought Xie Lang had agreed and was really thinking about this idea. So, Qu Yunhua winked at Qu Yunli, signaling her to strike while the iron was hot.
"Mr. Xie..."
Qu Yunli's face was full of shyness. She said in a delicate voice, "I will definitely maintain your identity well and never let others find any flaws."
As she said this, Qu Yunli took a step forward and was about to grab Xie Lang's sleeve.
Xie Lang suddenly came to his senses. Looking at her, he sneered and said, "Do you think I'm a fool?"
Qu Yunhua's face changed. Her heart was full of unwillingness.
"You... you don't agree?"
"Idiot." Xie Lang said. He gave the two women a deep look and then continued, "I won't kill you. But if you dare to spread this matter, your husband's official position might be in jeopardy.
"After all, it's always harder to live than to die." As he spoke, Xie Lang had already stood up. Looking down at the two women, his eyes were full of warning. "Exile is also very hard to bear, isn't it?"
Qu Yunhua's face turned ashen. She didn't dare to say anything more. Watching Xie Lang get up and leave, she even lost the reason to chase after him.