Chapter 358 The Dull Wife in Republic of China Literature (15)

Chapter 358: The Inflexible Wife in a Republic of China Story (15)

When Tang Qing appeared outside the door, Fang Zhuo was visibly stunned.

The figure approaching from afar seemed like an immortal walking on clouds—ethereally graceful and otherworldly.

The moment their eyes met, Fang Zhuo immediately averted his gaze!

Again!

He despised such attire the most, yet every time he faced Tang Qing, he would inevitably find himself captivated for a fleeting moment...

"You... why..." Didn't I tell you to change into a modern Western-style dress? "Why are you still wearing this?"

His tone was accusing. In Fang Zhuo’s eyes, Tang Qing ought to have worn a dress like Qu Wanran’s to best match his new Western suit.

As for the traditional qipao Tang Qing wore, though beautiful, it somehow felt gratingly out of place...

In response to the Young Master’s displeasure, Tang Qing simply asked, "Does it not look good?"

"Of course..."

He instinctively wanted to deny it, but the first word caught in his throat the moment he met Tang Qing’s piercingly clear gaze.

It was beautiful.

Surprisingly so, even.

But...

Such attire, such a style, had never been what he expected or desired.

The Young Master pursed his lips, hesitating several times as if wanting to say more, but ultimately, he opened the car door for Tang Qing.

Yan Ningcheng remained behind.

From the moment Tang Qing appeared, Young Master Yan fell silent. Under his watchful gaze, he could only watch helplessly as Tang Qing got into Fang Zhuo’s car.

Enough.

It was time to withdraw his gaze...

Reminding himself, Yan Ningcheng, digging self-destructively, dug his fingernails into his palms. Amid the sharp pain, he was acutely aware...

From the very moment Tang Qing appeared, his heartbeat had become erratic.

The fortified defenses he had so carefully constructed had just been violently rattled by this sudden surge of emotion!

Once again, he had overstepped.

He should have left after delivering the invitation, yet he couldn’t bear to leave.

Especially after hearing that Fang Zhuo had gone to find Tang Qing...

That unfamiliar, out-of-place hope instantly surged up!

He averted his eyes to hide the chaos and delusional thoughts within him; Yan Ningcheng did not want anyone to see this side of himself.

System announcement: "Detected an increase in Yan Ningcheng's affection value. Current affection value: 76 points."

At Duke Gelong's banquet, the moment Tang Qing appeared, she immediately commanded everyone's attention!

Amidst a sea of colorful Western-style dresses, only Tang Qing wore an ivory-white cheongsam.

It was out of place.

But...

She was too beautiful.

So beautiful that even the many distinguished guests present were momentarily mesmerized.

Nowadays, Western-style dresses were mostly white, adorned with intricate patterns and ornate lace, layered to create an image of exquisite elegance.

Yet compared to Tang Qing before them, they seemed overly flashy.

That moonlight-white, glistening under the lights with the unique luster of silk, instantly captivated everyone.

"Who is that?"

"Oh my god! Is she East Asian?"

"How can anyone look like that..."

Westerners tend to exaggerate, and in just that short moment, praise was already pouring in for Tang Qing!

Tang Qing’s face perfectly matched everyone’s description of Oriental beauty in the room.

She had a unique presence, like a magnolia about to bloom—once it opened, it would be sheer beauty.

"You... must be... Miss Tang!" Suddenly, a voice with heavily accented Chinese reached her ears—loud but awkward in pronunciation.

Fang Zhuo looked up and, upon recognizing the speaker...

His eyes widened in shock!

It was actually the notoriously hard-to-please Duke Gelong!

Having visited six times with his father, only to be thrown out each time along with their gifts, this was the first time Fang Zhuo had ever seen this ill-tempered Brit smile so obsequiously!

Not only did he smile, but the British duke actually spoke Chinese?

Before coming, Fang Zhuo had even prepared to act as a translator...

Never could he have expected that Duke Gelong would take the initiative to speak broken Chinese.

"Miss Tang... pleased to meet you."

Duke Gelong extended his hand, his eyes growing even brighter as he looked at Tang Qing before him!

Exactly as he’d imagined!

Indeed, only an Easterner... could look like this!

Fang Zhuo even noticed that after Tang Qing shook hands with Duke Gelong, the duke, approaching fifty, broke into a clearly satisfied smile on his face.

That look—one might assume even a kiss from God wouldn’t make him this happy.

"Yan... kept it... too close to his chest, only telling me now about the author of *Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River*..."

The Brit’s speech was awkward, but to accommodate Tang Qing, he kept on speaking Chinese.

"Miss Tang, I’d like to ask..."

"Do all Chinese people... learn calligraphy from childhood?"

"However, I’ve seen a lot of calligraphy, and Miss Tang’s piece... is truly remarkable!"

Just as Yan Ningcheng had described, this Duke Gelong was genuinely fascinated by traditional Chinese culture, bombarding Tang Qing with endless questions.

The duke even showed interest in Tang Qing’s outfit.

As they spoke, Duke Gelong finally couldn’t resist—he reached out to feel the brocade fabric of Tang Qing’s dress!

Just as his hand was about to make contact, Fang Zhuo suddenly sidestepped!

Precisely blocking the duke’s eager hand!

"It’s you!"

Recognizing the newcomer, Duke Gelong immediately shot back—this was the Fang family member he had kicked out several times recently!

"You and Miss Tang..."

Only then did he notice that, from the very beginning, this Fang family scion seemed to have been standing right beside Tang Qing.

They knew each other?

"She is my wife."

In his explanation, Fang Zhuo’s tone was not exactly friendly.

What was wrong with this Brit’s eyes!

He had come in with Tang Qing.

The Brit had been rambling on around Tang Qing for so long, only noticing him now!

That aside...

How could this man not know Tang Qing was his wife?

A surge of frustration suddenly welled up; Fang Zhuo instinctively took Tang Qing’s wrist, as if to prove something, and said slowly, "We meet again, Duke."

Such a beauty was already taken!

And to that slimy Fang family, no less!

This discovery hit the duke with regret, and he even blurted out, "Ah, what a pity..."

"To end up with you..."

"What's so bad about coming to me?!"

Fang Zhuo's face twitched visibly several times!

Remembering his father's instructions, he barely managed to suppress that impulse. Fang Zhuo put on a strained smile and said, "Your Grace."

"Ning Cheng has already reminded us that these past few days... we've been quite a bother."

Raising his champagne glass, Fang Zhuo took the initiative to admit fault, "We chose the wrong approach, still using outdated methods just to get by."

Their ingrained habit was always to think that sending some gifts could smooth everything over.

Unexpectedly, this time they had thoroughly messed with the wrong person.

"Coming here this time, we hope for Your Grace's guidance. Regarding our Fang family's plan to set up a factory in Nanyang, what exactly still needs improvement?"

"Oh, you mean that matter." Duke Gelong clearly wasn't keen on recalling business affairs, but out of consideration for Tang Qing, he impatiently said, "No aspect is acceptable."

"I have never seen such a disastrous plan!"

"I heard from Tang Qing... you should have studied abroad, how could there still be so many basic errors!"

Hearing this, that forced smile on Fang Zhuo's face completely crumbled!