Chapter 352: I Agree With Everything Miss Gu Says
After hanging up the video call, Mark looked at Gu Xiqiao with a conflicted expression on his face. She was still sitting in front of the computer and typing away. The lights in the laboratory were bright, reflecting her ice complexion that resembled snow, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath her eyelids.
She seemed to have finished typing at this time, and pressed the print button. She leaned back against the chair as she waited, looking elegant and indifferent.
Mark saw a few youngsters come in, looking in her direction dreamily, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he shook his head.
It was hard to imagine that so many futuristic studies and research had come from this girl in front of him that was below the age of twenty.
Gu Xiqiao took out the papers from the printer once the last line was printed, tidying them up. With the thought that Zhu Yuan should be back with Joyner soon, she sat back in the seat, pulling out her phone to boot up her game while she waited.
She logged into her Weibo, which she hadn’t seen for quite a while. Opening the homepage, there was a comment that had been pushed to the top by someone named Little Sun.
Little Sun: I say, you’re really something else. Letting one of the most famous directors in America think about you for so long , going onto everyone else’s Weibo every day just to find the goddess’ Weibo
“This means that I just climbed over from Emperor Li’s Weibo ”
“Climbing over from Emperor Li’s Weibo +1”
“When will you have a new drama, goddess? ”
Gu Xiqiao wordlessly swiped to Li Yu’s Weibo to find out what was happening, and the reason all came from the latest Weibo posted by Li Yu.
(Verified) Li Yu: Director Neil keeps asking me to lure this person [JPEG] into ‘Intergalactic Warfare 3′, what do you guys think?
The comment sections were all from great gods.
(Verified) Cheng Zhou: This lazy thing would rather play games than take a part in my movies, I don’t want to say anything else
(Verified) Song Guanjing: Intergalactic Warfare 3? If I had known, I would have taken part in this movie. Who knows, I might have been able to attend the grand annual gala once again!
(Verified) Ning Qing: Don’t be so rowdy, my Beauty Gu still needs to save the world.
“I seem to know something you guys have done ”
“My Beauty Gu still plays games, give me your ID, Director Cheng, I promise I won’t kill you ”
“I just said that Miss Gu seems freer than me, her in-game quests progress is faster than mine.”
“Up there, you seem to know something, please tell us”
“Don’t need to say so much, just go into Nine Heaven’s Server 1, you’ll know when you see it ”
***
Gu Xiqiao silently took a picture of her research, then a picture of the entire laboratory room, posting it on Weibo after.
(Verified) For A Millenium: Don’t say I don’t love you all [JPEG] [JPEG]
She didn’t wait for the fans’ feedback, closing Weibo immediately after. Before she quit, her eyes caught sight of another, not so popular topic.
‘Are you the only ones who think that the world has gotten stranger?’ The picture was of a strong man lifting up a car.
The topic wasn’t very popular, but Gu Xiqiao could naturally see that the picture attached had not been photoshopped. Her fingers reached out, pressing on her temple as she exited Weibo.
Although she had managed to divert similar topics with her own Weibo last time, it couldn’t go on like this. She leaned back against the chair, pressing a finger against her lips. If they couldn’t find a way to resolve this, then it would definitely affect ordinary people in the future.
She took out her phone again when she thought of this, and was about to make a call when Luo Wenlang gave her a call instead.
“Miss Gu.” Luo Wenlang’s voice was calm when she answered.
Glancing around at the people in the laboratory who were busy with their own research, she walked out of the room. “What’s wrong?”
“The great elder summoned everyone in the ancient martial arts world for a meeting today,” Luo Wenlang said, before pausing. “The local custodian of the secular world, Feng Jiu was also present today. Recently, there have been several unusual incidents happening in the secular world, and Feng Jiu…”
“I know.” Gu Xiqiao leaned against the wall, squinting her eyes as she looked out into the dim light outside. “It’s time for this matter to be made public, the ancient martial arts world has been hidden for so many years, it’s time for the public to know the truth.”
After hanging up the call, Gu Xiqiao sent another message to the great elder.
***
Luo Wenlang, who was standing outside the Elders’ Pavilion: … I haven’t even finished speaking, and you already know everything? Can you please let me have some screen time too?
But at least he knew what Gu Xiqiao was planning now, so he turned around and pushed the doors to enter the Elders’ Pavilion once again. The elders were all still seated, with Jiang Shuxuan at the head of the table. As an ordinary person, he had sat at the other end, not speaking and just watching the developments.
Feng Jiu had not noticed Luo Wenlang, and he was frowning at this time. “This incident has already affected the ordinary people, I’m afraid that it will cause panic among them.”
“You don’t have to explain.” Jiang Shuxuan raised his head, looking at Feng Jiu with his deep, charcoal eyes. “The next disaster will be a devastating one, and at that time, the impact towards these ordinary people will be a dozen times more than now.”
His hard, cold voice echoed through the room, and Feng Jiu looked like he had been struck by lightning, looking in disbelief at Jiang Shuxuan. He had initially wanted to suggest that the ancient martial arts world should be more secretive in their movements, but he didn’t expect these words to come out of Jiang Shuxuan’s mouth instead, and he almost knocked over the teacup by his hands.
The great elder, who had just read the message on his phone, turned it off and looked to Feng Jiu. “How do I put this without wasting time? In the following days, these kinds of troubles will just increase. Mr. Feng Jiu, I don’t have to tell you that what Young Master Jiang says is true. China will face unprecedented disaster in the coming days.”
Feng Jiu didn’t dare to clarify with Jiang Shuxuan, so he turned his attention to the great elder. “Great Elder, you’re saying that China will face unprecedented disasters?”
He looked at the indifferent expressions on everyone’s face, including the great elder. When he had first entered the ancient martial arts world, the youths of the place had been filled with smiles. He couldn’t help but ask, “You… you guys are joking, right?”
“No,” The great elder merely continued looking at Feng Jiu as he replied. “Have you seen the recent disasters in the United States and Japan? Those incidents are just the beginning.”
Feng Jiu leaned back in his chair, all air taken out of him, his heart pounding in his ribcage.
Ever since he started being the representative of the secular world in the ancient martial arts world, he had always treated these people as though they were gods. He felt that there was nothing in his world that they couldn’t do, but now they were telling him that the world was going to have unprecedented calamities?
“Great Elder, what do we do now?” One of the other elders asked. “Feng Jiu is already aware of this matter, are we going to involve the ordinary people in this too?”
The second elder shook his head. “No, if the ordinary people were to know about this, who knows how great a panic it will cause.”
There were two different opinions now, some advocated letting the ordinary people know, and the other was not.
The entire Elders Pavilion was as noisy as a fish market, and the great elder tried to calm them down by saying a few words, but to no avail. He couldn’t help but turn to Jiang Shuxuan, and then his phone, a sinking expression in his eyes.
“Miss Gu has said it,” A quiet voice came from the corner of the room at this time. It was soft and clear, but it managed to cut through the noise, and everyone stopped talking, looking at the end of the table where the voice came from.
Luo Wenlang was the one who had spoken, and he stood up, flashing them a smile. “This matter is to be made public.”
As soon as he said it, the entire place was a pin drop silence. The elders who had been previously arguing didn’t start again, and the second elder stood up, excitement in his eyes. “That’s right, we should reveal it to the public. I already had this thought in mind earlier!”
“I agree with what Miss Gu said.”
“We should indeed make it public.”
Great Elder: “…” Didn’t you guys just say that it wouldn’t be good to let the ordinary folks know about this?
The entire debate was over just because of a sentence said by an ordinary person, and Feng Jiu couldn’t help but look at the person who had spoken. No matter how he looked, Luo Wenlang was just an ordinary person, how could his words hold so much weight?
“Second Elder, who is that young man?” Feng Jiu looked at Luo Wenlang’s retreating back, and he couldn’t help but wonder about him. “He seems to be an ordinary person, but why did it seem like you all listened to his words?”
The second elder only smiled and said, “He is indeed an ordinary person, but he’s still the owner of Peace Manor, and this position alone is enough to have everyone in the ancient martial arts world acknowledge him.”
“Peace Manor?” Feng Jiu was surprised. What was that? “And the Miss Gu that he mentioned, who is she?”
“Peace Manor, a place where everyone in the ancient martial arts world is flocking to. As for Miss Gu..” The second elder eyed Feng Jiu. “Have you forgotten the matter in Mingzhou?”
“That Miss Gu?” Feng Jiu was really shocked right now. He had already known that Gu Xiqiao was powerful, but he didn’t expect that he had still underestimated her. She wasn’t even present in person, yet her one word had the obedience of every elder in the ancient martial arts world.
The second elder didn’t answer his question again. “Feng Jiu, go on back first. As for the public announcement, we have our own opinions on it.”
“But, the panic… and the upper management, this unreasonable decision definitely will not pass them.” Feng Jiu managed to gather himself before he replied, hesitating slightly.
If a calamity really was coming, then announcing it to the public was definitely one of the options. But they would also be facing a mass panic across the people, and he was worried that the country would not be able to appease them enough, and it would just be a big mess.
“Don’t worry, Miss Gu will handle this matter.” The second elder had the utmost faith in Gu Xiqiao, not bothered about this bit at all.
Feng Jiu looked at the second elder in surprise. “Do you have so much trust in Miss Gu?”
“Have you seen,” The second elder pointed towards the youngsters of the ancient martial arts world. “These people all know about the incoming disaster, but look at their faces. Do you see any hints of panic at all?”
Feng Jiu had noticed this earlier on. He had initially thought that these youngsters weren’t aware of the impending disasters, but now that he heard the second elder’s words, he was surprised once again. Looking at them, they seem to be full of vigor, and they all exuded a cold and calm aura. None of them were in the slightest panic at the thought of what was coming.
“If we didn’t have Miss Gu, our ancient martial arts world would most likely be in the same state of panic.” The second patted Feng Jiu on the shoulder. “We’re not the only ones who believe in her. You should go and see the people from Japan, were they in a panic after just experiencing a devastating volcanic eruption?”
The incident in Japan was a big sensation, and even Feng Jiu was keeping updated with it. He had also recalled speaking with the higher ups, telling them that the people of Japan presented a very united front. But now that he heard the second elder’s words, there seemed to be something else that he wasn’t aware of.
As expected, the second elder continued, ” Miss Gu was present on the scene when the volcano erupted.”
Feng Jiu was stunned, as expected. He obviously knew that the second elder wasn’t just stating something as simple. Piecing together everything that he had said, Feng Jiu raised his head suddenly to look at the older man. “Are you saying that Japan was also something that Miss Gu…”
The second elder neither confirmed nor deny these words, patting him on the shoulder once again as he sent him off at the edge of the ancient martial arts world.
“What nonsense were you talking about with him? When he sees Miss Gu’s methods in handling matters with his own eyes, he will naturally be stunned speechless then.”
The second elder laughed lightly. “We’ve been friends for many years, so I’m trying to give him an immunity shot first. Otherwise, he might even kneel down to worship Miss Gu when he sees her.”
The great elder: “…”
***
After Gu Xiqiao had spoken to Luo Wenlang, she shoved her phone back in her pocket, walking back to the laboratory. Zhu Yuan had already brought Joyner back.
“By all indication, there’s nothing wrong with her,” Zhu Yuan said as he looked at the report in his hands. He raised an eyebrow as he looked to Gu Xiqiao. “Or is there something that I missed?”
He obviously knew that Gu Xiqiao wouldn’t be pulling his leg in this matter, but all the medical checks from the machines had come back normal, which made him surprised.
“No, everything was correct.” Gu Xiqiao took the report from his hands, glancing at it before handing him the first report that she had typed out previously. “Look at this later, I’ll leave Joyner here. I’ll be busy in the next few days, so I’m leaving her in your care.”
Zhu Yuan nodded his head, resisting the urge to read through the new report in his hands right away that she had just given him. He was waiting for Gu Xiqiao’s next words.
Sure enough, after glancing around the entire place, Gu Xiqiao finally opened her mouth again. “Zhu Yuan, I know that everyone here has started to learn the martial arts technique, how is it going?”
“It’s going good, especially those two locals. I estimate that even a Fleet Foot martial artist from the ancient martial arts world won’t be able to beat them.” Zhu Yuan couldn’t help but eye Gu Xiqiao when she raised this matter. “Are you planning to build up a force to kick the ass of those in the ancient martial arts world? With the strength of these doctors, it’s a shame that they’re only doctors at this rate. Every one of them can be considered to be a top master in the ancient martial arts world.”
Silently inside, Zhu Yuan thought that those people from the ancient martial arts world would probably feel like dying on the inside if they found out that Gu Xiqiao had made a bunch of doctors master martial artists, right?”
“Training these doctors into such violent masters,” Zhu Yuan couldn’t help but say after a while of thinking, “Have you ever thought of how the patients would feel?”
“That’s good, it won’t be long before our medical corps will shine then.” Gu Xiqiao said instead, touching her chin thoughtfully, clearly anticipating this.
Zhu Yuan: “…” He could already imagine the consequences of releasing such a crazy group of doctors, and he silently shed some tears of sympathy for those people in the ancient martial arts world.
Those people would realize when the time came, that not only that they couldn’t compare to the ordinary folks in the Peace Manor, they couldn’t even compare to a group of doctors…
Beauty Gu, you really wish for the world to be in chaos, don’t you?
Gu Xiqiao glanced at him, a mysterious smile on her face. She then took out a new, pale pink phone and handed it to Joyner. “Joyner, you have to stay here for medical treatments for a few days. You can use this phone to video call your brother every night.”
“I understand, Sister Gu. Don’t worry.” Joyner’s large, round eyes were fixed on Gu Xiqiao as she nodded her head obediently.
“Good.” Gu Xiqiao snapped her fingers, Haha and Jiji immediately appeared from whatever corner they had been at, running to her side hurriedly.
“We’ll be leaving first.” She picked up Haha in one arm, holding her phone in the other hand, seeing a text message that had just been sent over.
Xu Jing—[Beauty Gu, where are you?]
Gu Xiqiao tapped on her phone with one hand, replying quickly—[Soon.]
Though she and Xu Jing would often play together online and do quests together, and also contacted each other often on WeChat, it had been a long time since they met up in person.
“Haha, it’s been a while.” Xu Jing took Haha into her arms, then glanced at Jiji who was beside Gu Xiqiao. “I heard from school that you made a robot, and I still can’t believe it. Can you tell me what you can’t do, Beauty Gu?”
“Hmm…” Gu Xiqiao placed a finger on her chin, taking a sip of her coffee. “There’s nothing at the moment.”
“Pft—” Xu Jin almost spat out the coffee that she had just drank.
She looked towards Gu Xiqiao, opening her mouth as though to say something, when her phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and swiped the answer button, and her face drastically paled after hearing something from the other end.
Gu Xiqiao put down her cup, looking at Xu Jing. “I have a car.”
Xu Jing didn’t expect those words from Gu Xiqiao suddenly, and left together with her with her mind still preoccupied and in a dazed state.
***
The First Hospital.
“Grandpa, are you sure you’re alright?” A man in a black suit asked for the 362nd time. How could the two be fine when the car had been smashed into that state?
The gray-haired man didn’t speak, looking at the boy who was lying in the next bed. “Ah Zheng, I saw a purple light from your body when the accident happened.”
The boy on the bed looked back at the old man, but didn’t speak. He pulled out a silk pouch from his chest, and poured out some white powder from it.
The old man’s eyes widened. He obviously remembered that when they were walking in the morning, there had still been a complete paper crane inside the bag.
Chapter 353: Underestimating Her
‘I didn’t expect Xu Jing to be a second generation of a government official.’ Gu Xiqiao followed behind Xu Jing as she chatted with Jiji in her mind.
Jiji glanced around, it was the special section of the First Hospital. You wouldn’t be able to come in here if you didn’t have the money. [You didn’t want to check Xu Jing’s background previously, and it’s only obvious you didn’t know. But now that you know, do you have anything to say about it?]
‘The position of that official is quite high too.’ Gu Xiqiao sighed. ‘Do you think I should pretend to be angry then? After all, she deceived my poor, small, fragile mind.’
She had already checked, and it seemed like something had happened to Xu Jing’s relative. However, it was more of a scare than anything, and they were fine, so she wasn’t worried in the least.
[You’re just so full of s*t.] If Jiji could, it really wanted to roll its eyes all the way back in its mechanical body. [But since we don’t know what her grandfather was shocked by, it’s a bit strange.]
‘I also find that weird,’ Gu Xiqiao replied, touching her chin. ‘Oh, we’re here.’
Xu Jing, who was walking in front, stopped in front of a ward with soldiers standing outside. When she went in, she didn’t forget to instruct them, “The person behind me is my roommate, don’t stop her from following.”
‘Ah, she really has so much love for me.’ Gu Xiqiao touched her chin again. ‘For her not to forget about me in this situation.’
Jiji no longer has any desire to talk to Gu Xiqiao at this moment.
What Gu Xiqiao didn’t expect was for those soldiers to be familiar to her, it was Peng Zijie’s group of subordinates. They all looked at Gu Xiqiao, and for a moment, none of them reacted. In the end it was Liu Zi that managed to recover first. He called out in surprise, “Miss Gu!”
“Yeah,” Gu Xiqiao glanced at them, naturally remembering their faces due to her powerful memory. The last time she went to the Peng family residence to treat the old commander, the only one who spoke, Liu Zi, was the only one who knew IT and also wanted to dig into the wall of the medical world. “Are you guys guarding the door?”
“Yes, Miss Gu. Please go on in.” Liu Zi said quickly.
If it was anyone else, they might have stopped the person. But Gu Xiqiao was another matter.
She hadn’t planned on going in, but then she suddenly felt a familiar fluctuation from the room inside. Looking through the door, she pushed it open and leaned against the doorway, watching the group of people inside.
“What?!” Xu Jing was looking at the powder in the boy’s hand. She was naturally happy to hear that her grandfather and cousin were fine, but she couldn’t help the incredulous tone when she heard how it happened. “Grandpa, are you saying that the paper crane inside this saved you?”
Xu Zheng glanced at Xu Jing, before silently taking back the silk bag, not saying another word.
The tall man standing beside the bed also felt that it was nonsense, but he didn’t say much since the two were fine. He planned to have someone look into the matter without delay, and was going to do so when he turned and noticed the girl leaning on the door, and his brows furrowed.
The girl leaning on the door was holding a white dog in her arms, while her other hand was in her pocket. Her delicate chin was raised slightly, her attention on the occupants in the hospital bed. Her clear, bright eyes were gleaming thoughtfully.
“Who are you?” The man’s low, deep voice came.
The voice attracted the eyes of everyone else in the room, and they turned towards the door. Seeing that it was Gu Xiqiao, Xu Jing stood up immediately. She wanted to introduce her to her grandfather and cousin, now that she had confirmed they were fine. But she didn’t expect for Xu Zheng to climb out of bed at this moment, running towards Gu Xiqiao in hurried steps, reaching out to hand her the silk bag in his hands.
Xu Jing was also surprised at the turn of events.
“It shattered?” Gu Xiqiao knelt down slightly to look at him, a gentle smile on her face.
Xu Zheng nodded his head, saying, “It saved me and grandpa.”
“It was your good blessings.” Gu Xiqiao rubbed his head gently. “Go and lie down on the bed to rest.”
Xu Zheng turned around at that, heading towards the bed and climbing into it obediently. However, his gaze never left Gu Xiqiao.
The gray-haired old man looked at Gu Xiqiao, his eyes squinting slightly as he thought for a while, before recognizing her and was pleasantly surprised, “It’s you, that girl! The one who made that move to break out of the deadlock chess game!”
Gu Xiqiao merely smiled at him politely.
The entire time, Xu Jing and the man just looked at Gu Xiqiao with a surprised expression on their faces.
[I was just saying how is it possible that you can’t calculate how they got out of danger. Of course you wouldn’t have been able to, it was something that you did by your own hands after all.] Jiji said from Gu Xiqiao’s mind at this time.
Gu Xiqiao touched her nose, slightly embarrassed. She had almost forgotten, but it wasn’t like she expected them to have any relation to Xu Jing in the first place.
“Jing Jing, you know this lady?” The old man turned his eyes to his granddaughter.
Xu Jing finally collected herself, and said excitedly, “Grandpa, this is my roommate that I told you about, Gu Xiqiao.”
“Miss Gu.” The tall man was still frowning, his eyes full of scrutiny as he looked at her. “How did you get in?” He knew that Peng Zijie’s most trusted subordinates were standing guard outside, how could they just allow some stranger in?
There was also the matter of that paper crane in Xu Zheng’s hands, which made him feel more agitated. Gu Xiqiao’s appearance was just too coincidental, and strange.
“Cousin!” Xu Jing frowned, wanting to say something.
“Miss Gu?” A young man with a shaved head came in, astonishment on his usually cold face, followed by surprise when he saw her.
Gu Xiqiao raised her head, seeing that it was Peng Zijie, who had yet to change out of his military uniform. She nodded her head in greeting, then said to Xu Jing in a low voice, “I have something to do, Xu Jing. I’ll take my leave first.”
Xu Jing turned to Gu Xiqiao, then dully said, “I’ll send you off.”
“Beauty Gu, was the paper crane in my cousin’s hands real?” When they reached the elevator, Xu Jing finally couldn’t hold back anymore, and asked her. She hadn’t taken it seriously in the beginning, but if it was something that Gu Xiqiao had done, she actually would believe it a little.
She must be going out of her mind for thinking that.
Gu XIqiao merely smiled at her. “Why don’t you take a guess?”
Saying that, the elevator door slid shut.
Xu Jing, who had been left outside the elevator: “…” Guess? Guess your head?!
***
“Zijie, you know that girl?” The cold, tall man turned to Peng Zijie, his brows still in the same furrowed state. Not only did Peng Zijie look like he knew her, there was also a hint of respect in his eyes when he had caught sight of her. He had never seen Peng Zijie like that before.
And also those subordinates of Peng Zijie standing guard outside the door, they usually only listened to Peng ZIjie’s words, and this was also the first time he saw them being so respectful to another person.
Peng Zijie first asked about the old man’s condition, before standing up slowly to look at him. “Xu Ming, in the entire capital, there are only a few people who don’t recognize her.”
“What do you mean?” Xu Ming’s heart thumped in his chest.
Seeing that Xu Ming really wasn’t aware of anything, Peng ZIjie looked him in the eyes. “You should be keeping up with the news, right?”
Xu Ming was silent.
“Your aunt is a news anchor, and you don’t even watch the news.” Peng ZIjie pursed his lips. “How about I put it this way for you? Weren’t you looking for someone from Nine Heavens recently, intending to ask them to make a batch of sophisticated detectors for you?”
Xu Ming nodded his head, this matter was something that was well known, and for Peng ZIjie to know was not something surprising. “But those people didn’t agree, and I’m still thinking of how to proceed.”
“I’m telling you now, you messed up.” Peng Zijie shook his head. “I’m guessing that you won’t even be able to talk to the person in charge from Nine Heavens from tomorrow on.”
“How would you know that?” Xu Ming said, narrowing his eyes.
Peng Zijie didn’t reply, patting him on the shoulder instead. “You know about Nine Heavens, but did you know that the boss of Nine Heavens was that Miss Gu just now? Do you know about the mysterious lab where countless doctors clamored to appear in the capital suddenly? Do you know why the company that Ying Xu led, how did it suddenly become godlike? Let me tell you, everything is connected to Miss Gu. Were you thinking that Miss Gu had some ulterior motives just now?”
Although he wasn’t from the ancient martial arts world, the bodyguard next to him was, and he naturally knew of Gu Xiqiao’s feats in that world, as well as the various worships of the higher-ups in the various power worlds. Especially after he heard that the recent political changes in the United States were also linked to Gu Xiqiao.
When he had first heard about it, Peng Zijie couldn’t believe it. He then recalled suddenly about how she had been playing around in the Imperial Capital, and he naturally didn’t doubt her strength after that.
Peng Zijie had said a lot, and it was all in a tone of admiration, which made Xu Ming stunned.
At this time, Xu Jing came back from outside. She had heard Peng Zijie’s words. She didn’t really know the man, and it was more accurate to say that apart from her grandfather and Xu Zheng, she rarely even saw Xu Ming. She glanced at her cousin and said, “You did mess up. You even drove away Grandpa and Ah Zheng’s savior.”
“Ah Zheng, tell me, was Beauty Gu the one who gave you the paper crane?” Xu Jing asked gently after she walked up to her younger cousin.
Xu Zheng finally looked up at her, nodding his head. “Yeah.”
“I already thought that she wasn’t some ordinary girl.” The old man who had been pretending to sleep finally opened his eyes, a bright smile on his face. “With such great chess skills, she obviously wasn’t some common girl.”
“You actually believe that?” Xu Ming raised an eyebrow, looking at the people in the room. It was just a paper crane, wasn’t that a bit too far fetched?
Peng Zijie looked to Xu Ming again. “Don’t underestimate her.” What kind of ordinary person would be able to garner the worship of the entire ancient martial arts world?
***
At this time, Gu Xiqiao had already arrived in the ancient martial arts world in her little pink car.
“Miss Gu,” Butler Jiang greeted her, reaching out for her keys to take her car and driving it to the garage. “Madam is waiting for you to have dinner inside.”
Gu Xiqiao handed over the keys, taking Haha into her arms and heading inside.
“Qiao Qiao, tell me, the things that happen in America and Japan, are they related to you?” The moment she stepped in, Shu Chen couldn’t help the question that she had been bursting to ask, a face that was interested in gossip on her face.
Gu Xiqiao: “…” What should she say?
Jiang Han coughed into his hands, placing down his phone with an indifferent expression on his face. “Let’s eat.”
Shu Chen shot him a look, then silently turned on her phone to check the WeChat chat group.
Madam Gao: [Link] Look at what she did in America, and Yi Tong also posted a video. Miss Gu is amazing, even a Buddhist like me, my blood is boiling with passion!
Tang Yanling: My daughter, awesome and cool!
Jiang Han: If my future daughter-in-law isn’t great, then who else would be ╮（╯▽╰）╭
Madam Gao: It’s my fault for not having a son to pair with Miss Gu.
Jiang Han: Even if you had one, she still wouldn’t be yours!
Shu Chen raised her head, looking at Jiang Han with a serious look on her face. “…”
However, the last sentence that Madam Gao had sent caught her attention. Alarms rang in her heart as she took a screenshot of it, and forwarded it to Jiang Shuxuan— [JPEG]
[Son, don’t you have any opinion on this?]
Jiang Shuxuan had just reached a tall mountain at this time, watching the malicious auras pour out from the bottom. “Has someone taken this mission?”
“One of the younger disciples from the ancient martial arts world has taken it.” Yi Tong said at a glance, letting out a sigh.
If it were in the past, where would any of those youngsters from the ancient martial arts world dare to take on these missions? But now, all of those youngsters have taken on the difficult missions, which was something that couldn’t be imagined before this.
As expected, Miss Gu was really awesome!
Jiang Shuxuan pursed his lips, his expression growing colder than ever, as though engraved into his very skin. “Let’s go back.”
At the same time, he pulled out his phone and replied to his mother’s message—[Soon.]
Taking one last glance at the place, Yi Tong marked something the location down, sending it to the team that had taken on the task, and left the place with Jiang Shuxuan.
Shu Chen smiled broadly after receiving Jiang Shuxuan’s message. Come to think of it, it was easier to dupe her son ever since he got amnesia, huh?
Gu Xiqiao looked at Shu Chen, who was smiling strangely and suddenly felt a chill coming up her back. She rubbed her arms, slightly puzzled as she made her way towards Peace Manor.
At Peace Manor, Alang was sitting by the gate, patching his wounds up. The first day, five people had come to challenge him, and he was completely beaten up in just the first round.
“How do you feel?” A cool, clear voice came.
Alang raised his head, seeing Gu Xiqiao. He stood up and said, “Miss Gu, I will work hard!”
“Good luck.” Gu Xiqiao flashed him a smile, then walked towards Yao Jiamu on the other side.
After Gu Xiqiao had left, only did Alang let out a hiss of pain.
Jiji shot him a sympathetic look. “Who are you acting tough for?”
“Master Jiji!” Alang looked at Jiji, sitting down back on the ground, feeling the tears sting at the corner of his eyes. “Why is everyone in the ancient martial arts world so… great?” He struggled to find an appropriate world. They weren’t only great, compared to the power worlds in America and Japan, these youngsters from the ancient martial arts world were simply at an impossible level, okay?
“Are you saying they’re very aggressive?” Jiji grinned.
Alang nodded silently. Ah, that was exactly what he was trying to express.
Jiji patted his shoulder, once again a sympathetic look on his face. “Beauty Gu was the one who trained them, how can they not turn out the same?”
Alang: “…” He was just thinking why was it that these people fought in such a familiar way?!
“Alang,” Gu Xiqiao said as she came back to him after exchanging a few words with Yao Jiamu, Cecily and a few others. “Take out the ancient book that I gave you last time.”
Alang immediately took out the tattered strange book and handed it to her.
Gu Xiqiao opened it, flipping through it for a few seconds, then took out a sword that was in her other hand as she narrowed her eyes, looking at him. “Look properly, I will only demonstrate this once today.”
Alang watched intently as Gu Xiqiao performed the sword dance with flawless perfection.
Clang!
Finally, the sword was plunged into the muddy ground.
“Wake up.” Jiji poked Alang, who was still staring at her in shock.
Alang immediately shook himself out of his daze. Then he took the sword to the entrance of Peace Manor, accepting the challenges from the people waiting for him. He had been brought into the ancient martial arts world by Gu Xiqiao, he was envied and even hated by countless people. There were many who came to challenge him, and also many onlookers.
In the first day of the challenges, he had been completely abused by the people from the ancient martial arts world.
An ordinary person with no special powers.
“Second Elder, how long do you think Alang can last?” The great elder and everyone else were placing their bets once again.
“Seeing that Alang was just an ordinary person before this, and with Miss Gu’s speed, he should be able to face off the group from the ancient martial arts world in about half a month.” The second elder said, stroking his beard.
An ordinary person, to face the youngsters of the ancient martial arts world who had great strength, it was something that was unimaginable in the past. The elders felt that they were completely in high regard for Gu Xiqiao.
However…
Alang continued to be abused the next day, and he didn’t back down, but continued to inherit the glorious tradition of being under Gu Xiqiao, getting more courageous after facing many obstacles.
Until the third day, when Alang finally managed to draw with that bunch of youngsters, and the group of elders was rendered speechless.
The fifth day, it was Alang’s turn to abuse his opponents!
Seeing those youngsters from the ancient martial arts world who had been improving leaps and bounds get slapped to the side one by one just by a palm, the great elder heaved a long sigh. “As expected from someone that she had handpicked. Fifteen days, five days. As expected, we really underestimated her.”
The second elder hadn’t been the only one to say fifteen days, but now he didn’t want to say anything at all. He merely wiped the cold sweat that had broken out, and said, “They’re crazy.”
Chapter 354: Have You Offended Her?
When Alang first came to the ancient martial arts world, he probably had a little better physique than most ordinary people did. Everyone knew that he was an ordinary person who had never practiced martial arts before. It was unexpected that in just a short few days, he would already be able to completely abuse the people from the ancient martial arts world.
Knowing that this person had been handpicked by Gu Xiqiao to enter the Peace Squad, everyone knew that this person must be something special, just the same as Wei Chenyan, who had been shoved in by her previously. But no one would expect that his improvement wouldn’t lose to Wei Chenyan, and even far exceeded him instead!
Forget about the current ancient martial arts world, you couldn’t even find such a person in the entire history of the ancient martial arts world!
But when you think of it, how many normal people were there by Gu Xiqiao’s side and Peace Manor?
The person that had been beaten down by Alang’s palm was lying on the ground, trying to shake himself out of his daze.
Fifteen days, he was thinking silently. Five days? The elders had really underestimated Miss Gu once again, the young man thought as he slowly peeled himself off the ground, looking at Alang with envy and hatred in his eyes once again.
“Who else?” Alang was still standing on the stage, his blood-red eyes glancing around the area, his Chinese spoken in a rough manner.
Seeing the young man that had been beaten, those people scattered immediately.
It had already reached this state, who else would dare to challenge him!
“I say Alang, what have you been doing recently?” The second elder couldn’t help but ask. Even if you were learning to read, it would take ten to fifteen days, right?
“Second Elder, I really believe that you’d rather not know.” Alang wasn’t the one who replied, but Wu Hongwen, who was looking at the second elder with a deep, knowing look.
He’d rather not know? The second elder had not been as curious before his words, but now that Wu Hongwen had said that, his interest was piqued higher.
“Come on, Er Qiao is calling for you,” Wu Hongwen said as he patted Alang’s shoulder.
The elders who were left behind outside, were feeling a little complicated inside.
In Peace Manor, Wu Hongwen brought Alang in to see Gu Xiqiao sitting on one of the chairs, reading a book.
“The second elder wanted to know how Alang suddenly became so powerful.” Wu Hongwen plopped himself down on one of the chairs, a wide grin stretching on his face when he thought about it.
Luo Wenlang was initially chatting with Gu Xiqiao, but he wasn’t annoyed at being interrupted by Wu Hongwen, but turned his gaze towards Alang instead.
When Gu Xiqiao heard Wu Hongwen’s words, she raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Would I dare to?” Wu Hongwen shot back, leaning back against the chair. “If I were to tell them that Peace Manor and the cave outside there isn’t any normal place, that one day in here equals to seven days outside, and more importantly, the training field we have is an exact replica of the Trial Tower that they have, wait no, the upgraded version, I mean, and everything was made by you, don’t you think they’d go out of their minds?”
Luo Wenlang turned away, smiling. Think? You mean, they’d for sure go nuts.
The Trial Tower was the treasure of the ancient martial arts world, if the elders were to find out this little detail, that Gu Xiqiao could replicate the most treasured item of the ancient martial arts world with the use of talismans, how could they not go crazy?
“They can accept you guys the way you are, it’s just a cave after all,” Gu Xiqiao replied calmly, flipping another page on her book.
“Is that the same thing?” Wu Hongwen retorted. “How can we perform such an impossible feat, compared to that cave?”
Gu Xiqiao glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, her mouth twitching slightly. “You underestimate yourself.”
Every single person in the Peace Squad had started out as an ordinary person and had grown to what they were today, how could any of them be considered ordinary?
“Miss Gu!” Cecil and the rest who had just had a round with Xixi came in with a face flushed with excitement, seeing this group sitting leisurely in the room.
Gu Xiqiao squinted her eyes, looking in their direction. Her mental powers swept out to probe at them, knowing that these people have worked hard in the past few days. “Not bad.”
Getting her acknowledgment and praise, the group from America was bursting with excitement.
“Where’s your sister?” Gu Xiqiao glanced around, and noticed that there was less than one person in the group of ten.
Cecil tried his best to contain the excitement in his heart as he replied, “My sister is still fighting with Xixi, she said that she’d pull off one of Xixi’s feathers today.”
“Then she’ll have to pay a big price for that,” Gu Xiqiao said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Xixi’s feathers are not that easy to pull.”
Cecil and the others were impressed. When Gu Xiqiao had led the Peace Team in America, he had already known that Xixi was amazing. But after he had the chance to come into contact and fight against it, only did he comprehend just how amazing the bird was. His body was made of flames, water and fire didn’t work against him, and it was as hard as iron. Basically, this bird did not have a single weakness.
“By the way, my sister also asked when she’d be able to fight against you.” Cecil suddenly recalled his sister’s bold words, mainly because she had been improving quickly recently, and felt like her strength had grown to another level, and wanted to test where Gu Xiqiao’s power level was at.
Hearing Cecil’s words, Luo Wenlang and Wu Hongwen couldn’t help but look in his direction.
After such a long time, there was actually still someone who wanted to challenge Gu Xiqiao. Thinking back to their own Peace Squad, where everyone wanted to challenge her every one to two days, and was thoroughly beaten to the ground every single time.
From that time till now, no one dared to say they wanted to challenge Gu Xiqiao anymore, and now they were hearing those words again?
It seems that there’s going to be a great show to watch.
Wu Hongwen chuckled lowly.
“Fight me?” Gu Xiqiao was smiling softly, the corners of her lips lifting up into a more sinister one. “These days I’ve only been watching the Peace Squad fight, it’s really hard to be an ordinary person. It just happens that I’ve been idle for quite a while, and bored. Tell your sister, I’ll be waiting for her.”
F*ck! That was a little cool, okay?! Everyone present, including those from America felt their hearts beating faster than before!
Gu Xiqiao shoved the book into her pocket, looking at the people around her who were in a daze. “Alright, Little Wu, take them into the cave today. It’s getting late, so I’m going back first.”
After saying that, she walked out towards the door.
It was difficult to see Gu Xiqiao in person, and obviously everyone here wanted her to stay longer, but they couldn’t form the words at this time, and just moved to the side, making way for her to walk out.
When the thin, slender figure disappeared from their sight, Cecil and the others finally came back to themselves.
“Sh*t, I haven’t even asked her a single question!”
“Miss Gu left just like that?!”
Wu Hongwen watched Gu Xiqiao leave, then turned to Cecil and the others. A malicious grin stretched across his face, and he said, “Come on, I’ll bring you guys to the caves.”
Cecil naturally knew that Peace Manor had a cave, but none of them had ever been in it. Now that he had heard Gu Xiqiao talking about the cave, he knew that it definitely wasn’t some ordinary cave. Gu Xiqiao had always been springing surprises on them, and so everyone was full of anticipation as they moved.
They also called Cecily, who had still been fighting Xixi, before heading into the caves.
On the way there, Cecily kept shooting glances at Alang.
“Sis, why do you keep looking at him?” Cecil asked in a teasing tone, after noticing what she was doing.
Cecily rolled her eyes, before saying in a low voice, “Can’t you feel the terrifying aura rolling off him?”
He hadn’t noticed it at all, but now that she mentioned it, he too turned his gaze towards Alang. With that one look, he nearly slipped and fell on his butt.
“… Wasn’t he just an ordinary person a few days ago?” Cecil could feel his voice breaking, what the heck had Alang been eating the past few days?
Cecily glanced at him. “Have you forgotten what Qiao Qiao said last time?”
“What?” Cecil asked, still in a state of shock.
“Asking Alang to beat you in a few days.” Cecily shoved her hands into her pockets. “I think Alang’s strength is already there. Bro, I have faith in you.”
As though he had heard their words, Alang looked at Cecil. Under the light, his blood-red eyes glinted coldly.
Cecil: “…” It seems like I’m going to die.
But before he went down, he’d pull his sister down with him. “Sis, I told Miss Gu that you wanted to have a fight with her.”
Having said that, he ran forward to Wu Hongwen’s side before she could react, and started asking him about the cave.
Wu Hongwen had brought them to the side of the cave, exchanging a few words with Yao Jiamu. He then turned to Cecil, chuckling lightly. “Miss Cecily, please come into our cyberspace.”
WTF? Cyberspace?!
The words were enough to shock everyone present.
The group walked into the cave with unknown feelings, and after entering, it was unknown what they were feeling as they personally experienced the training ground that had been built by Gu Xiqiao that was not any less than the Trial Tower of the ancient martial arts world.
The ancient martial arts world had the Trial Tower, it was something that everyone in the power worlds knew. It was because of this that the people from the ancient martial arts world had strength levels that were slightly higher than the others in the power world. However, you’re telling them that, Gu Xiqiao, she… she actually managed to replicate that Trial Tower?!
“Mr. Yao, let me ask,” After a long while, Cecil finally found his tongue again, and struggled to speak. “Your elders, do they know that this thing exists?”
“Nope.” Yao Jiamu shook his head. “They’d go nuts if they did.”
They’d definitely go nuts, if even these people from America were going crazy, forget about those elders in the ancient martial arts world who had always regarded the Trial Tower as the most sacred treasure. If they knew that Gu Xiqiao was even able to make such a thing, how could they not go out of their mind?
“Miss Gu is really just… too crazy,” Cecil had gradually calmed down, and could finally only say that.
To be able to replicate the Trial Tower, you had to have some crazy bones in your body, right? After all, it’s something that not just anyone could do?!
Was she crazy? It was crazy among the crazy. Luo Wenlang, who had been following behind everyone a bit further off, went to his table after hearing Cecil’s words. He flashed him a smile. “Miss Gu said it once in the interview, you’re not living right if you’re not crazy.”
You’re not living right if you’re not crazy. Those from America weren’t really well versed Chinese, but even they could feel the craziness behind the words that Luo Wenlang had just said. (T/N: The author says, 不疯魔,不成活, which can basically mean ‘nothing short of obsession will bring you success’. The other elaboration on it is, if you don’t practice like an obsessive person before you go on stage and walk through the fires of hell, don’t dream of going up on stage to perform. It’s also similar to the phrase: To be successful in politics you need three things: The first is money. The second is money. The third is money.)
Luo Wenlang picked up a bunch of documents and walked out, but not after a few steps, his phone rang and he pulled it out to answer.
Yu Ning’s voice came from the other side. “Why didn’t you pick up earlier? I thought you also put me on your blacklist.”
“You’re quite self aware at least.” Luo Wenlang’s expression remained unchanged, knowing that it was because there was no signal in the cave just now, and not because of the reason Yu Ning mentioned. “Why are you looking for me?”
“Not much, really. It’s just the Xu family from the capital is looking for Miss Gu, help me pass on the message.” Yu Ning said. “Ah, that’s right, also help me ask her about the product in Nine Heavens. This arm-flinging of a shopkeeper that she’s been doing has gone on long enough, don’t ya think?” (T/N: Arm-flinging shopkeeper would mean that she has asked others to work but does nothing herself.)
“The Xu family from the capital?” Luo Wenlang repeated, before frowning. “Why, you want another decoding route again? You might as well just hand over the world’s number one hacker title to Miss Gu and be done.”
“Luo Wenlang, are you sure you want to do this?” Yu Ning said calmly. “I’ll make it so that you won’t be able to use your computer for the next few days.”
Luo Wenlang didn’t bother to reply, hanging up the call immediately.
Yu Ning, who was currently in Nine Heavens: “…”
***
After Gu Xiqiao left Peace Manor, she headed towards the Jiang family residence.
At this moment, the cold mechanical sound that hadn’t rung in her mind for a long time suddenly sounded, [Random Mission activated: Rescue Baili Wenxi. Mission completion reward: 100 points! Penalty for mission failure, first-level punishment!]
Her footsteps halted.
Jiji obviously heard this voice too, and it raised its head, looking at Gu Xiqiao in concern.
Gu Xiqiao didn’t move, and about two minutes later, the air distorted and she disappeared.
Not far away from where she once stood, a group of youngsters had been trying to gather up the courage to approach her, and when they finally did and started walking towards her, they saw her entire person disappearing from the spot.
“…”
***
Baili Wenxi had not been back in the ancient martial arts world for a long time, though she knew that Gu Xiqiao was there. After the last meeting between them, she hadn’t had the courage to face her once again. Not only her, she seldom even met up with the people from the Baili family since then.
She looked up to see a man dressed in black appearing in front of her suddenly, his hand reaching out to grab her neck just as sudden as he had appeared. Her vision blurred slightly at the lack of air as the grip on her next tightened.
As a person from the ancient martial arts world, the reason she had gone into the secular world and the entertainment industry was because she didn’t have an ounce of chi in her body. She didn’t have the formation talents from the Baili family side either, and so when she was faced with such a strong opponent, she had no way of defending herself at all.
Her eyes slid close slowly.
Clack!
The white smart phone fell to the ground.
Fu Wei’s anxious voice came from the phone, “Wenxi? What’s the matter? Why did you stop talking suddenly?”
The next moment, the grip on her neck loosened and she fell to the ground. Gasping for breath, Baili Wenxi thanked her savior, “Cough, cough… thank… thank you.”
Raising her head slightly as she heaved another breath, she caught sight of the person who had just saved her.
Then she was stunned speechless.
A white, slender hand was holding the neck of the man who had just held hers, and the dim street light reflected on her delicate silhouette. She was wearing a white ox fur coat, and you couldn’t tell whether her face or her coat was whiter.
Even without looking at her face, Baili Wenxi could recognize who it was by the fur coat the girl wore. Her fingers trembled a little, turning to look at the disbelief eyes of the man. This was the first time that she could study Gu Xiqiao up close and in an open manner.
What caught her eyes were those icy, coal eyes. It was like there was a layer of frost in them, and the cold glint in them made it hard for others to look directly into them.
In all the pictures that she had of Gu Xiqiao, she always had a gentle expression on her face. But tonight, there was no smile on her face, a hard and cold expression was visible instead, and even her eyebrows seemed sharper than usual, and you could practically feel the chill radiating from her body.
Gu Xiqiao wasn’t looking at Baili Wenxi, but at the man in black who she held by the neck. He looked to be around his thirties, and was looking at her with eyes filled with horror and panic. How could you not panic in this situation?
He had thought that he would be able to complete this task easily tonight, but he didn’t expect for this little girl to suddenly make an appearance in the middle. Though he said it was a little girl, she had easily picked him up with one hand! More importantly, he couldn’t muster any strength in his body at all!
Gu Xiqiao continued looking at the man she held in her hand, her gaze still icy. Even though she wasn’t as tall as this man, her eyes seemed to hold a hint of condescending aura.
Bang!
She loosened her hold and threw the man onto the ground.
Then she pulled out a tissue from her pocket, using it to slowly and carefully wipe her hands.
The man who was tossed to the ground struggled to pick himself up, and was just about to run away, when a voice suddenly came from behind him. The voice was clear and calm, but it made his back stiffen, and his body froze in place.
Gu Xiqiao, who was standing next to the man, parted her lips slightly to speak, “I advise you not to run, at least you’ll still have your life if you don’t.”
After wiping her hands, she balled up the tissue and threw it into the trash can that was ten meters away.
Only after she was done did she pull out her phone, making a call to Yi Tong and rattling off the address she was at. “There’s someone here that you need to take back to the ancient martial arts world.”
Yi Tong hung up the phone, gesturing with his hands. “Go, go, go! Miss Gu has something for us to do!”
“Say, how do you think MIss Gu knows that we’re nearby?” Jiu Tong scratched his head, puzzled when he had heard the address that Gu Xiqiao had given Yi Tong.
Yi Tong had already gotten used to it, and smiled. “Nothing can escape her eyes if she wants to know something.”
The remaining other members of the Tong team had another level of understanding towards Gu Xiqiao, and their faces were full of shock.
Yi Tong was indeed not too far from where Gu Xiqiao was, and she was leaning against a street lamp, playing her phone as she waited for them. Her head was lowered, her hair covering the expression in her eyes. Baili Wenxi had already picked herself up from the ground, and was watching her from the side. She didn’t dare to approach Gu Xiqiao to speak, and could only watch her from where she was.
“Miss Gu!” Yi Tong and the others arrived five minutes after the call.
“Yeah.” Gu Xiqiao kept her phone away, raising her head to look at Yi Tong. Her mouth curved up slightly into a flat smile, then she gestured with her fingers towards the man in black. “Bring this person back. Also, have someone escort Madam Baili back.”
It was then that Yi Tong noticed Baili Wenxi standing at the side, and he was taken aback for a moment, before bowing. “Yes, Miss Gu!”
Gu Xiqiao nodded, then turned around, her figure blending into the night.
Baili Wenxi watched the slender figure disappear and smiled bitterly. Up till the end, she hadn’t said anything.
“I say, of all the people you have to provoke, it had to be Miss Gu.” Yi Tong glanced at the man in black on the ground, his gaze full of sympathy. “And a Fleet Foot level too, such a pity… Jiu Tong, take two people with you and escort Madam Baili back.”
After Jiu Tong had left, Yi Tong took out his phone, thinking about sending a message to Jiang Shuxuan.
—[Big boss, Miss Gu just asked us to take a person back, I feel there’s something strange about him.]
—[Oh, right, Miss Gu was with Madam Baili just now.]
After sending it out, he suddenly recalled that Jiang Shuxuan had amnesia, and wouldn’t remember who Baili Wenxi was, so he sent another follow up—[It’s Miss Gu’s biological mother, the one who didn’t want her since she was a child. You didn’t like her from the beginning.]
***
In the Jiang family residence, Butler Jiang was cleaning the entire house with a group of servants. At this moment, a tall figure suddenly came in from the outside.
Butler Jiang put down his tools, standing to the side immediately. “Young Master.”
“Hm.” Jiang Shuxuan paused in his steps, the cold aura excluding from his figure. His face looked dignified as ever as his onyx eyes swept across the entire living room.
Butler Jiang, who has received unanimous praise from the Jiang family, immediately understood what Jiang Shuxuan wanted. “Young Master, Miss Gu has gone to Peace Manor. She’ll probably be back a bit later.”
Jiang Shuxuan pursed his lips, after acknowledging the butler’s words, he walked upstairs without another word.
Instead of heading into the room to change out of his clothes, he headed to the study instead.
The study was set up according to his minimalistic style, a wicker chair near the window, light blue curtains that were pulled back, and the windows were also half-open. There were few people who would enter his study, even his parents wouldn’t come in here on usual days.
Jiang Shuxuan’s eyes swept through the room. He was unfamiliar with everything in the Jiang family, and that included this room.
His cold gaze finally settled on a box made of unknown material. Walking towards it, he took out a silver key from his chest pocket, inserting the key and opening the box with a ‘click’.
For a box that he had placed in such a solemn manner, it should contain some important things in it.
When he opened it however, he discovered that there were some documents, as well as two certificates inside it. When he saw it, his eyes darkened. As he reached out to take them out, Butler Jiang’s voice came from downstairs.
“Miss Gu.”
Jiang Shuxuan’s hands paused, then he closed the box immediately, putting the box back into place.
***
Downstairs, Haha ran and hugged Gu Xiqiao’s legs as soon as it saw her return. She bent down to pick him up, then turned to the butler. “Butler Jiang, where’s Aunt Shu?”
“Madam has gone out to play fight with the landlord,” Butler Jiang smiled as he replied. (T/N: Fight The Landlord is a card game)
Fight The Landlord? Since when did she have such a hobby? Gu Xiqiao raised an eyebrow in surprise at the butler’s reply.
Originally, Shu Chen didn’t have these hobbies, Butler Jiang thought to himself. In the beginning, Shu Chen, the madam of the Jiang family, was a cold, indifferent woman. Most of the people wouldn’t even dare to approach her to strike up any form of conversation, and the number of people who would speak to Shu Chen could be counted on one hand.
But it was different now. Since Miss Gu’s appearance, the Jiang family had gotten livelier. The young master who used to hold everyone at arm’s length had also changed to be more human.
And Shu Chen had become a crazy demon that was obsessed and dazzled with her daughter-in-law.
As the two were speaking, a tall figure came down the stairs. Wasn’t that Jiang Shuxuan?
Gu Xiqiao turned and gave him a smile, her eyes a little clouded. “You’re back, Brother Jiang.”
“Yeah.” Jiang Shuxuan responded faintly, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly at the sight of her.
“Dinner is also about to begin. I’ll call for Madam to return.” Seeing that everyone was more or less home, Butler Jiang hurried off to call Shu Chen.
Gu Xiqiao nodded, putting Haha down onto the ground. She smiled at Jiang Shuxuan again. “I’ll go and shower first.”
He nodded, watching her head upstairs.
The expression on her face had been calm, and no different than usual, but Jiang Shuxuan’s brows furrowed the moment she was out of sight. He stood beside the sofa, looking down at Haha who had been left on the ground. Reaching up to pinch his nose, he spoke in a cold, low voice. “Did you offend her?”
Haha raised its head, its round, beady eyes looking straight at Jiang Shuxuan. “Woof.”
Jiang Shuxuan looked at it, then ignored it. He turned to head upstairs too, when the phone rang twice.
As he continued to walk, he pulled out the phone to look at the screen. It was two messages, and the moment he read it, he stopped in his steps, his cold eyes turning as deep as an unending abyss. Thin lips pressed together tightly, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Young Master?” Butler Jiang, who had just put down the phone, felt a chill from behind him, and couldn’t help but turn around to look at the man who was halfway up the stairs.