My older sister is a villainous rich girl

The performance eventually came to a perfect end.

The enthusiastic applause lasted for a long time, and Chris breathed a sigh of relief.

I had thought Wayne would sneak into the audience during the show, but he didn't show up until the end. On the contrary, Ge Li, whom I never got along with, sat next to me the whole time, watching the performance intently, as if it were just a coincidence that I had run into a friend.

Although Chris had some doubts about Goli's intentions, she did not intend to investigate further.

She wasn't interested in the Edgeworth family's affairs, and since they weren't really interfering with her happy life, Chris didn't care who considered her a rival.

However, isn't it sometimes interesting to appreciate how others try their best to get close to you, only to be forced to face reality and end up as losers?

Thinking of this, Chris couldn't help but reveal a mysterious smile that exuded the composure of a powerful figure.

“Miss Chris,” Ge Li suddenly spoke.

"Ok?"

"I wonder if you'll be free next week? The Lily Society and the Orchestra are planning to jointly host a charity gala for the capital's high-ranking officials, and I'd like you to represent the Lily Society."

The wording of the speech was formal and calm.

Such events are not uncommon. In the royal capital of Lornes, where nobles are everywhere, countless banquets are held every week under various pretexts, which is also the most common form of social interaction for noble ladies.

However, it was indeed surprising that she, as a member of the Edgeworth family, would invite him.

Chapter 626 Okay, I understand.

“I don’t recall Wayne mentioning any joint activities with the orchestra to me,” Chris said, without giving a direct answer.

"Really? Perhaps he thinks it's unnecessary to tell you this kind of thing."

Ge Li answered calmly.

Actually, Ge Li hadn't discussed this matter with Wayne beforehand, but she wasn't worried that Wayne would deny it, since he had already promised to give her a chance to use the Lily Society's name.

The conditions sounded like a sincere offer, but for Kareem, they were nothing more than a tasteless burden. At Seiki Academy, there was nothing that Miss Kareem could accomplish without using the name of the Lily Society.

Therefore, instead of wasting it carelessly, it's more meaningful to use it to annoy him a little.

"Hmm..." Chris looked slightly conflicted, as if she was thinking about what reason to give for refusing.

“If you’re not willing to come forward, then let Wayne come to me in person.”

"Never mind, I'll go."

The moment he finished speaking, he got the result he wanted.

Ge Li curled the corners of his mouth slightly.

Hmph, Wayne Wincher, your "either/or" trick is indeed very useful.

……

It wasn't until late at night, and the noisy crowd had dispersed, that Wayne finally finished the final wrap-up work and announced the successful conclusion of the performance.

"I'm sorry, have you been waiting long?"

Seeing Chris waiting for him obediently in the ventilated corridor outside, Wayne was a little touched.

In that instant, only one thought occupied his mind:

If a girl is willing to brave the cold wind to pick you up from get off work, then marry her.

"Why don't you find a place to sit for a while?"

Chris's eyes, exceptionally bright in the moonlight, gazed at him, and she shook her head. "I'm the one who should apologize. I was originally one of the organizers, but you handled most of the things, Wayne. In the end, I just happily watched the performance and didn't care about anything."

Wayne smiled. "If you can feel happy, that's enough."

He stepped forward, naturally took off his coat and draped it over Chris, and gave her a hug.

"You've been busy all day, are you hungry? What would you like to eat when you get back?"

Generally speaking, food can usually dispel most of Chris's low moods. Normally, upon hearing this, she would have excitedly grabbed him and listed all the things she wanted to eat.

But Chris was unusually quiet today.

"Sigh." All that could be heard was her sigh.

"Wayne, did you promise Ge Li something?"

The unexpected problem almost caused Wayne to strain his back.

The smile on his lips froze for a second, and Wayne instinctively stopped his body from overreacting.

She asked, "What does that mean?"

"Sigh." Wayne sighed casually, "I did promise her something, um... it was really hard to refuse."

Chris nodded and said seriously, "Okay, I understand."

Just as Wayne's heart was about to race uncontrollably, Chris promptly followed up with, "I'll take charge of the joint activities with the orchestra."

Wayne: ? ? ?

He finally realized that Golly had probably said something to Chris.

"What, did Ge Li come looking for you just now?" I asked casually, it shouldn't arouse suspicion, right?

“Yes.” Chris said, a hint of doubt in her eyes. “But I always feel that her purpose isn’t just to invite me to the event…”

Wayne hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He had already managed to settle Ross temporarily, but this was not a long-term solution.

He never considered betraying Chris, but what truly worried him was how long he could keep his secret hidden.

If it were merely a matter of his lineage, with Duke Elliott willing to back him up, he could easily use Elliott to gradually eliminate these potential threats.

Even if he were ever exposed, Wayne was completely confident that as long as he was willing to remain behind the scenes, the Wincher family would still accept him.

but--

If the matter of Ge Li were to be leaked, the situation would be quite different.

……

In the working-class district of Wangdu, there is an unassuming hot pot restaurant.

Since a noble lady with a passion for food invented hot pot many years ago, this novel cooking method has become all the rage.

For people with limited financial means, dishes made by simply stewing together a bunch of ingredients are not uncommon. However, the secret of hot pot lies in its broth. With a carefully prepared broth and fresh, delicious ingredients, once you've tasted it, you'll find it hard to resist its allure.

Of course, proud nobles would never dine in such a place.

An ordinary black horse-drawn carriage passed by the entrance of the hot pot restaurant, turned its head, and drove inside.

Shortly afterward, two burly men in matching dark uniforms closed the iron gate facing the street and hung up a sign that read "Temporarily Closed".

“Young Master Wayne, the mastermind behind this place is one of our undercover agents. It has changed hands several times, so there’s no way we’ll trace it back to Laird.”

As Ross led the way, he enthusiastically introduced the place.

Wayne looked around. The restaurant's environment and decor were quite nice, but there were no customers inside at all. And, unlike typical hot pot restaurants, it didn't have that enticing aroma wafting from afar.

Suspicious, very suspicious.

Seemingly knowing what he was thinking, Ross casually picked up a menu and showed it to Wayne.

The prices of the dishes listed above far exceed the average consumer level.

Good heavens, so this is a shady restaurant after all. No wonder all the waiters are tall, burly men; ordinary people wouldn't dare to eat here.

Wayne put down the menu, somewhat speechless. "So, your people usually contact each other through this shop?"

"Yes, I have summoned several trusted men to meet with you. If you have any instructions, you can leave me a message here."

Compared to the Laird family, Wayne actually cares more about the rebels.

After inspecting the area for a moment, Wayne followed Ross to a private room on the second floor, from which they could see the street below. "Have there been any orders from the rebels lately?"

He didn't sit down, and Ross didn't dare to either, so they could only stand to the side.

“The rebels’ affairs in the capital have been entirely entrusted to Lord Bulwer,” Ross said, his eyes lowered. “They have a cooperative relationship with us, and Lord Norman wouldn’t comply with any unreasonable requests. However, Bulwer doesn’t seem to be paying attention to Lord Norman’s whereabouts, and there’s been no new information from within the rebel ranks. I suspect…”

He hesitated, not saying it directly, but the deeper meaning was self-evident.

"Has any news about me been reported to the rebel headquarters?" Wayne asked.

Ross shook his head.

“Apart from a few absolutely reliable confidants, no one knows of your existence. Lord Norman has always been elusive. I suggest you act in Lord Norman's name for now. As long as our internal operations are normal, the rebels will not notice any difference from before.”

"Unless—they already knew Lord Norman's whereabouts."

Wayne then realized that Ross also wanted to confirm some things with him.

Chapter 627 Can such a shortcoming be remedied?

After some time, the black carriage drove out and left in another direction.

Inside the carriage, Wayne closed his eyes and pondered the information he possessed.

The rebel army was internally divided and disharmony was rampant, with little understanding between Bulwer and other restoration forces. Ross, in particular, expressed considerable resentment towards Bulwer during their conversations.

However, Wayne knew very well that in Bulwer's view, Norman had already been "dealt with" by Echos, and even Norman himself probably couldn't risk Echos's warnings to track down Norman's whereabouts.

Wayne didn’t know where Norman had been taken, but he knew that Duke Elliott would not easily let Norman appear before him again.

This, in turn, created space for him to do some underhanded things in Norman's name.

With his right hand slowly tapping the handrail inside the carriage, Wayne pondered for a moment, then took out paper and pen from a carved wooden box and wrote down some words in a flowing style.

The carriage circled most of the city walls of the capital before finally stopping in front of the Lornes Union Post Office.

Wayne, who came down from the back of the carriage, pulled down the brim of his hat and stepped inside.

He had written down all the misfortunes he had encountered, fully expressing his pain, confusion, and struggle in the words. Now, he was going to deposit this crucial letter in advance, so that if things changed, Duke Elliott would naturally receive Wayne's personal explanation.

This was a backup plan that Wayne had left for himself, just in case.

To be fair, the Duke and Duchess Elliott had not treated him badly at all. Regardless of whether they had other motives or were only training him for Chris's future, Wayne was grateful for their kindness.

While staying by Chris's side was certainly his wish, Wayne would not allow himself to be manipulated if his identity were ever exposed.

Even if he has to leave the capital one day in the future, he will return in a better form.

……

Although she accepted the invitation from Ge Li, Chris did not intend to go alone.

Lacking trust in the Edgeworth family, she prepared to bring her two bodyguards, Molly and Eve, along with a group of maids and family guards.

As the daughter of a duke with a notorious reputation, it's only natural for her to have a grand entrance. Even if she's criticized behind her back by some malicious people, it's better than regretting it after something goes wrong.

I originally wanted to bring Wayne along, but for some reason, the phrase "Let Wayne come to me in person" that Ge Li had mentioned suddenly flashed through my mind, and that thought vanished like foam on the beach.

Although Wayne almost never mentions Ge Li's name in front of him, they have been classmates and in the same club for so many years... their relationship is not actually that distant, is it?

Chris couldn't help but have this thought pop into her mind.

Unconsciously, he frowned slightly, a vague and inexplicable emotion lingering in his heart.

She shook her head and patted her face to suppress the inexplicable unease that had arisen in her heart.

Wayne is so devoted to her, how could she doubt his stance? It must be because she's been a bit distracted lately that her judgment has been clouded!

However, setting aside these ulterior motives, what she clearly perceived was that she could not tolerate that possibility.

—Wayne is hiding the possibility of being close to other girls.

When Wayne came downstairs with a cup of coffee, he saw Chris sitting on the sofa, all ready to go, but seemingly a little unhappy, staring blankly at the door.

The maids around her, who were helping her with her luggage, had clear roles and worked quickly and efficiently without making too much noise to disturb the young lady's contemplation.

In contrast, Wayne felt completely out of place, dressed in a casual bathrobe and looking rather lazy.

However, as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was others who were. He naturally leaned back on the sofa, admiring the beautiful woman lost in thought.

Perhaps because Wayne had been staring at her for too long, Chris's eyelashes trembled, and she finally stopped pretending to ignore him.

"What are you looking at?"

Without hesitation, Wayne replied, "It's hard to look away from such a beautiful Miss Chris."