"You all go back first. Don't stand here. Ling Wan, I'm entrusting the children to you. You must take good care of them."
Her mind was made up. Regardless of whether Ling Mohan was inside or not, she was determined to go in and see what Gu Beichen was up to today.
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Jin strode in. The three behind her were frantic. Ling Wan, unable to hold back, was about to step inside when Gu Beichen blocked her path.
"You are an unmarried young lady, so it's best you don't go in. As for your sister-in-law, I will take good care of her. You three should take the children and go back. Nothing will happen."
Gu Beichen blocked their way and ordered his men to escort Ling Wan and the others back.
"Second Miss, what should we do?" Cai Qing was unsure and asked Ling Wan for her decision.
"I... I..."
Ling Wan was in a dilemma, her fingers tightly gripping her dress. This was the first time she had encountered such a big matter, and she didn't know how to make up her mind.
"Young Madam will be fine. Let's go back to the manor first. Even if something really happens, our efforts would be futile. The most important thing now is to ensure our own safety and the young master's safety."
Chu Qing said calmly, reassuring the flustered Cai Qing and Chu Qing.
Even if they went in, they would only damage their own reputations and achieve nothing. What they could do was trust their young madam and ensure the safe return of the two young masters to home.
"Alright, let's go back then." Ling Wan thought for a moment and agreed with Chu Qing's statement. It happened that there were people offering free escort. If they missed this opportunity and went back alone, the road would be dangerous.
...
As Feng Jin stepped inside, she was met with countless gazes.
"It's rare for a woman to visit a brothel. Usually, men are the ones who frequent them."
"This girl is truly beautiful, outshining even the top courtesans here."
Feng Jin's ears were filled with vulgar words from the surroundings, and her expression turned grim. A glint of silver flashed in her hand. The men who were just chattering and spewing insults immediately fell silent, their mouths wide open but unable to utter a single sound.
"If you dare to speak nonsense again, I will take your lives!" Feng Jin's voice was extremely cold. As her words fell, the surroundings immediately quieted down. They had all realized that this beautiful woman before them was not to be trifled with.
Feng Jin glanced coldly at the few people and walked towards the second floor. She had seen Gu Beichen coming down from the second floor earlier. If Ling Mohan was here, he would be with Gu Beichen.
As long as she found Gu Beichen, she would find Ling Mohan.
Feng Jin went up to the second floor and began searching room by room. She didn't bother opening the doors, instead kicking them open with a single kick, startling the men and women inside who were at the height of their pleasure.
The madam rushed to follow Feng Jin, this unpredictable ancestor, and said pleasantries: "Miss, this is a brothel. It's not appropriate for a young lady like you to be here. If you're looking for someone, tell me, and I'll have someone help you search thoroughly."
If this continued, her business would be ruined. Just by looking at Feng Jin's attire, the madam was certain that Feng Jin was of unusual status, likely a wife from a prominent family.
She had seen such matters more than once or twice. Even if a wife from a prominent family knew her husband was cheating here, she would quietly send someone to pick him up to save face.
However, it was the first time someone like Feng Jin had come charging in to search personally. Such a grand display made the madam unable to cope for a moment, and she could only follow Feng Jin and persuade her kindly.
After all, without knowing the identity of the visitor, she dared not call people to directly drive Feng Jin away. If she offended a big shot, her business would be over.
Gu Beichen watched the scene from hiding, a smile on his lips. Feng Jin indeed had a knack for this. Such a direct approach to searching for someone was truly rare in the world. He suspected Ling Mohan would be in trouble.
After watching enough of the show, Gu Beichen walked to the door of the room and pushed it open, his gaze falling on the two people still playing chess.
His brows furrowed slightly, mixed with a hint of confusion. He looked at them and said, "With all the commotion outside, didn't you two hear anything?"
The commotion was so loud that it could be heard even from ten meters away. How could these two act as if they hadn't heard anything and continue playing chess? They had been playing this same game since he went out, and they were still playing it now that he had returned.
"Shut up!" Chu Chenyi's voice, laced with anger, rang out. His gaze remained fixed on the chessboard. He had just thought of a way to break through the game, but Gu Beichen's two sentences had interrupted his train of thought. It seemed this game was truly destined to be lost.
Ling Mohan, on the other hand, remained composed, his expression calm and unaffected.
After a moment, Chu Chenyi's white piece fell onto the chessboard. He said reluctantly, "I lose."
Ling Mohan put back the black piece he was fiddling with, showing no trace of joy from winning. It was as if everything was within his expectations.
"Speak, what exactly is happening outside?"
He had heard the commotion earlier but had been engrossed in thinking about the chess game. He had no energy to pay attention to anything else. After much thought, he finally lost miserably, and only then did Chu Chenyi start to care about other matters.
Gu Beichen did not answer Chu Chenyi's question first. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ling Mohan and asked, "Don't you want to know?"
Ling Mohan paused in his action of clearing the chessboard. He lifted his eyes and looked at Gu Beichen with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot. He parted his thin lips and uttered two words: "No." Then he went back to his own affairs.
He had been tricked into coming here by Gu Beichen, so naturally, he wouldn't care about anything else.
"You will eventually..."
Before Gu Beichen could finish speaking, the tightly closed door was forcefully kicked open from the outside.
The three people in the room heard the sound and turned their heads in unison. Upon seeing who was at the door, Chu Chenyi froze in place, thinking he was mistaken.