Yang Ruxin didn’t think the second young miss from the Shen Family came because she was really thirsty. It had been more than an hour since Chun Tao came in to order food, and only now did she come in. Moreover, Shen Jiashi had been here earlier, and she hadn’t come in to greet her. So, this young miss had come specifically for her.
"Miss Shen, if you have something to say, please speak directly," Yang Ruxin led her to a table in the corner to sit down, "I don’t like beating around the bush."
Shen Yilan was startled, and then her eyes suddenly reddened, "Really, it’s nothing... I... I just really admire Miss Yang..." She had thought about framing Yang Ruxin before, but after seeing the people from the Governor’s Office and her own stepmother coming to give gifts, she knew it was a bad idea. Thus, having thought it through, Miss Shen decisively changed her tactics; she wanted to be friends with Yang Ruxin.
Yang Ruxin slightly raised an eyebrow.
"The Shen Family is large and prosperous, and my uncle holds an important position," Shen Yilan looked down at the soup bowl in front of her, "As the so-called second young miss of the Shen Family, I may seem to have endless glory, but actually..." She looked up at Yang Ruxin with a bitter smile, "actually, it’s all just a facade..."
Yang Ruxin didn’t speak, just looked indifferently at the other party. They had only heard each other’s names before, and this was their first meeting, yet the other party was pouring out her heart to her? They couldn’t even be considered friends yet, so what exactly did this Miss Shen want to do?
"Hehe..." Shen Yilan suddenly laughed at herself, "Xinxin, may I call you that?"
"A name is but a label; it doesn’t matter," Yang Ruxin nodded slightly.
"Xinxin, I am born to an Aunt and am a concubine-born daughter," Shen Yilan said with a bitter smile, "but I am also a person, I want my own life too. Yet, I was born to be a bargaining chip for my family. Once I’m deemed valueless, I’ll be kicked aside..."
Yang Ruxin opened her mouth intending to say something, but the other person continued to speak.
"Look at me, seeing Xinxin makes me feel like I’ve found a kindred spirit..." As she spoke, Shen Yilan even raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, then stood up, "Your family’s pancakes are delicious, and the soup is exquisitely flavorful. Thank you for listening to me, I should leave now..." Then, with a slight nod of her head, she truly turned and left.
Yang Ruxin frowned. Although she knew about those distinctions of legitimate and illegitimate daughters within the large clans, she wasn’t foolish enough that a few sympathetic words would make her feel pity or actually consider the other a confidante. On the contrary, her wariness was heightened.
However, since Shen Yilan hadn’t revealed her true intentions, there was no point in Yang Ruxin taking any specific action. For now, it was best to adopt a strategy of stoic defense.
Shen Yilan walked slowly but with graceful steps, fully demonstrating the demeanor of a maiden from a grand family.
In fact, she had hoped Yang Ruxin would call after her, saying something, but there was no such voice to be heard until she stepped out of the shop. Shen Yilan felt somewhat resentful, but she could only suppress that feeling for the time being, confident that she could become close friends with her.
"Big sister," a few maidservants ran over at this moment, with Sini tugging at Yang Ruxin’s sleeve, "Was that the young lady just now?"
Yang Ruxin blinked.
"Big sister, watching her walk seemed so tiresome," Erya shook her head in an old-fashioned manner, "She could have exited in two or three steps, yet she took eight..."
"That step could’ve been descended with a single lift of the foot, yet she needed a maid to assist her, tsk tsk..." Zhou Ying also shook her head, "Too tiring indeed."