My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Hearing the clear call coming from the stairwell, Wayne pulled himself out of his chaotic thoughts and turned around.

Chris was seen lifting her skirt as she descended the steps.

Her usually loose, flowing hair was now neatly coiled at the back of her head, with only a few strands of golden hair hanging freely to one side. The girl's appearance was dignified and graceful, yet lively and playful.

He laughed, rose, first placing his top hat on his chest in a slight bow to Chris, then putting it back on and extending his hand to her. "Beautiful lady, would you care to dance with me tonight?"

Chris blushed slightly and turned her face away.

"You asked too soon."

"...Okay, I'll ask again later."

Before he could say anything more embarrassing, Wayne caught a glimpse of Mrs. Ashville walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, and quickly straightened his face to appear dignified.

"Sorry, kids, you've been waiting a long time."

Wayne shook his head and explained Duke Elliott's whereabouts.

Ashville couldn't help but show the same troubled expression as Elliott earlier: "So that lady was also invited? This is really..."

Before Mrs. Cherry came into the public eye, the Wincher family had little contact with her. However, Chris had privately invited her to serve as a judge for a publishing house because she admired her paintings.

However, even this level of interaction came to an end when her relationship with the king came to light.

Wayne hadn't heard Mrs. Cherry's name from Chris in a long time.

“Chris, if Mrs. Cherry speaks to you alone later, find an excuse to come back to me,” Mrs. Ashville instructed solemnly. “Don’t talk to her for too long, but don’t be harsh either, lest some people misunderstand our family’s position.”

"understood."

Chris pouted, her tone not very pleasant. "When I saw her paintings before, I thought she was a very pure and passionate person. She clearly had a lot of personal insights into art, so how could she..."

“You can’t judge a person’s true nature by their appearance,” Wayne said.

As the king's mistress, Lady Cherry may have gained immense power and the attention of millions, but she was destined to be unappreciated by public opinion.

Thinking about her true identity, Wayne felt a pang of emotion.

Stance is such a strange thing.

Because of his extremely poor impression of His Majesty the King, he didn't even dislike the scheming Mrs. Cherry as much anymore.

Wayne admired her courage, but not her methods. Once Lady Cherry's secret was revealed, His Majesty the King would probably want to tear her to pieces more than anyone else.

Given the enormous risks, what exactly drove her to take such a gamble?

Chapter 614 Making the Most of Everything

Mrs. Cherry hasn't had a proper rest in a long time.

A thick layer of foundation concealed her slightly haggard face, while a bright blush spread from the corner of her eyes. After several applications, she once again appeared in front of the dressing mirror as a radiant noblewoman.

The enviable fame, fortune, and power seemed to be within her grasp very soon. It was as if, if she were willing to speak a few kind words to His Majesty the King, even if she wanted to pluck the stars and the moon, the ruler of the nation would not refuse her.

To anyone around you, this would be something to be happy about.

But actually, she didn't come here to get these things.

"Madam! Look at this gemstone necklace! This is a gift His Majesty specially gave you, instructing you to wear it tonight!" The maid standing to the side, overjoyed by the rising status of her mistress, couldn't hide her envy and longing.

Yes, these people can only see the vanity in front of them, regarding the rewards from superiors as the greatest honor of their lives. Therefore, before they have even expressed their joy, they take it for granted that they feel extremely honored.

Mrs. Cherry smiled calmly.

"I have done nothing for His Majesty, and I am truly unworthy of these gifts..."

"No." A calm and proud voice came from the direction of the door. "From now on, as long as you stay by my side, you will have already made a great contribution to the kingdom."

Mrs. Cherry's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.

……

Royal Palace Banquet Hall.

“Wayne, come over here quickly, I’ll introduce you to some friends.”

The moment Wayne stepped onto the soft, thick carpet in the banquet hall, he was immediately spotted by the sharp-eyed Chairman Harold.

Wayne nodded slightly to his mother and Chris beside him, then picked up a wine glass from the stack on the table and walked over the crowd toward Harold.

As the chairman of the board of Qingxi Academy, a prestigious institution in the kingdom, Harold enjoys a high reputation in all sectors of society, and naturally, he is surrounded by a large crowd on such occasions.

"Everyone, please allow me to formally introduce you. This is my junior brother's prized disciple, the current president of the Lily Club of Qingxi Academy, Mr. Wayne Wincher!"

He looked energetic and had a ruddy complexion.

They've tied themselves to the boat without a second thought; are they already going to make the most of it so soon?

Wayne obligingly put on an awkward yet polite smile and raised his glass to each person present.

As he scanned the crowd, Wayne noticed that most of these people came from wealthy families. Surprisingly, Marquis O'Neill, with whom he had been spending considerable time recently, was also present.

Upon seeing Wayne, he exclaimed with great delight, "Chairman Harold, you should have introduced such a talented young master as Wayne to everyone sooner!"

Harold's expression was momentarily surprised upon hearing Marquis O'Neill's undisguised praise.

Ignoring Harold, Wayne naturally continued O'Neal's line of thought.

"I am just an ordinary student at Seiki Academy. If I can become a pillar of the nation like my father in the future, I will be extremely honored."

“Young Master Wayne, you are too modest.” For some reason, Marquis O’Neill abruptly steered the conversation towards Finance Minister Franz. “Speaking of which, Minister Franz seems to be preparing to drastically cut government spending recently…”

As soon as the topic came up, the people around immediately couldn't hold back their opinions and began to complain.

"While Your Excellency Franz is exceptionally capable, you seem to place too much importance on money. Without sufficient investment, how can you expect to reap substantial rewards?"

"Exactly! Not only has the Kingdom's military budget been cut year after year, but recently there have been rumors that even the expenditures at Qingxi Academy will be reduced. This is simply outrageous!"

"Alas, if only Minister Franz had the foresight of Duke Eliot."

Under the barrage of criticism from these people, Wayne suddenly realized something was wrong.

These people... do they think they can gain favor by attacking Franz?

Just then, a strange feeling suddenly came from behind.

Before he could turn around, Franz Edgeworth's rather annoyed voice came from behind him: "Gentlemen, since you have such a strong opinion of me, why don't we go and argue with His Majesty?"

Wayne gritted his teeth in exasperation and gave Harold a disgruntled glance.

Harold, on the other hand, had an outsider's expression, as if he was waiting to see a good show, completely unaware that he had dragged Wayne into the mess.

The crowd, who had been speaking righteously just moments before, fell silent instantly. Some even turned their gazes toward Wayne, subtly surrounding him and adopting an attitude of prioritizing his opinion.

Knowing that now was not the time to back down, Wien could only chuckle softly. "Your Excellency Franz, since you have become His Majesty's knife, why be so harsh on the resentment of those who are slaughtered?"

To be honest, Wayne actually supports cutting government spending.

Incidentally, it would be even better if these extravagant royal expenditures could also be abolished.

The lights in the banquet hall were so bright they were almost blinding, and Mr. Franz, a high-ranking official of the kingdom, felt that his luck was particularly bad today.

He wouldn't have appeared in this unwelcome setting if it hadn't been on a whim, when he suddenly wanted to bring his daughter along to discuss academic matters with the chairman of Seiki Academy.

If it weren't for hearing Elliott Winch's unpleasant name, he wouldn't have been able to interrupt.

Now that everyone around him is putting him and the younger generation of the Wen Che family in the middle, making him the one to deal with him... it makes him seem a bit beneath him.

Franz squinted at the boy in front of him.

He was tall and handsome, and had the youthful spirit that a young hero should have.

But unlike the young men I'd seen before, his perfectly timed responses lacked the naiveté often seen in fledglings. On the contrary, they were remarkably mature.

For a moment, Franz was unsure how to answer him.

On the other side, before Franz's slightly plump figure, what caught Wien's eye was Goth's face, which was tinged with displeasure.

Under her gaze, Wayne felt more embarrassed than ever before.

"Good evening, Mr. Franz and Miss Geli." He tried to ignore Geli's gaze and focused his attention only on Franz's face.

Franz had fair skin, a short beard, and wore a dark suit with a red tie at the collar. It was truly a father-daughter relationship; the arrogant way he held his chin high as he sized her up was exactly the same as Ge Li's usual demeanor.

“Mr. Wayne Wincher, I thought you were too busy to have time to gossip behind people’s backs,” Goethe said with a nonchalant sarcasm.

Chapter 615 A Brief Conversation

This is truly a huge mess, as I haven't said a single bad word about Franz.

"When it comes to being busy, I can't compare to you, Miss Ge Li."

Wayne looked at Geli with a helpless expression. "I wanted to discuss my Teacher's Day project with the head of the orchestra, but Miss Geli is always too busy to deal with someone as idle as me. Am I not allowed to gossip a little behind her back?"

Franz relaxed.

This kid is only concerned with stealing the limelight from Ge Li, so I don't have to lower myself to argue with him.

Ge Li was immediately furious. "I never..."

“Geli,” Franz interrupted her with great composure, “Since President Wayne has a favor to ask, it wouldn’t hurt to lend the Lily Society a hand—”

Franz deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the words "Lily Society".

Clearly, what he meant was that it was all for the sake of the Lily Society.

Ge Li took a deep breath, slightly frustrated, and tried to compose himself, his tone returning to calm. "Of course, I won't refuse the Lily Society's request. But to expect the orchestra to contribute its labor just by talking is a bit presumptuous of President Wayne."

These words were practically a direct accusation against Wayne, implying that he was overly self-important.

Wayne wasn't annoyed and readily replied, "The reward I offer will naturally satisfy Miss Ge Li. How about we talk in private?"

He gestured to a table not far away.

Goethe looked up at Franz, who nodded slightly.

"Coincidentally, I also have something I'd like to discuss with Mr. Harold. Would that be convenient for you?"

Franz knew in his heart that what had just happened was most likely Harold using the Wincher boy to sow discord between him and others.

...He must have had a lot of complaints about his proposal to cut funding for Seiki Academy.

Hmph, I originally wanted to personally contribute more funds to help my daughter gain more prestige, but it seems there's no need for that now.

In just one glance, Franz had already devised at least seven or eight ways to subtly suggest to Harold that "the cooked duck had flown away." He loved to lure people in with delicious bait and then enjoy watching their regretful expressions.

But he didn't know that even the wisest can make a mistake, and Harold wasn't the only one eyeing his swan meat.

They kept a slight distance, and although they could still see the crowd, they were much more relaxed when talking to each other. Wayne secretly breathed a sigh of relief and explained his idea of ​​having the orchestral instructors perform on stage.

Ge Li seemed surprised that he would actually talk about serious matters, and glanced at him with a look of astonishment.

"If I were to organize it, it would indeed save both time and effort."

Ge Li was not trying to boast at all; he was simply stating a fact.

"Because the instructors are more skilled in music theory and technique, they don't need to spend as much time practicing as the ordinary members. Even if it's just because of my personal connection, they will do their best."

At this point, she raised her voice slightly. "The only question is, what are you going to use to convince me?"

Miss Kareem, with her arms crossed over her chest, clearly showed her dissatisfaction.

Wien immediately raised his right hand, palm facing outward. "I assure you, I was absolutely not saying anything bad about Mr. Franz. If you had spoken any later, I would have changed the subject."

"Does it matter?" Ge Li asked indifferently.

Her resentment stemmed from more than just a few words spoken by others.

Wayne glanced guiltily at Franz and lowered his voice even further.

“Of course it’s important! At least I have great respect for Mr. Franz, and I don’t want to have any misunderstandings with you about that.”

When he said these words, Wayne's eyes were very sincere.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, the two of them understood the implication of his words.

Ge Li chuckled: "If you could say these words directly to my father, perhaps I would be more moved."

...This is really difficult.

When I first met Miss Ge Li, I never imagined she would be such a difficult girl to deal with.

Wayne silently lamented for himself.