After listening to Yun Xi's plans, Feng Yi couldn't help but be a little surprised. However, before he could even ask a question, Mu Feichi's eyes were already threatening him.
"Don't ask too many questions. Just do whatever she asks you to do."
Feng Yi smiled wryly. Mu Feichi should at least have let him finish his sentence, right?
"Boss, then you have to let me know what kind of effect she wants to achieve. If I go all out, things will definitely be done splendidly. Everything depends on how big of a sensation you want."
As he said this, Feng Yi turned and glanced at Yun Xi, waiting for her answer.
"The bigger, the better. This year, the Young Marshal plans to hand over the right to host the Weiya Banquet to the Han family. Because of this, the Han family will become the most-watched prominent family in Jingdu. Since they will be in the spotlight, naturally they can't make any mistakes. If at this time there was a sensational scandal in the city..."
"Okay, I understand. I will follow up on this matter right away."
"All right, this is your big chance. However, you have to disassociate yourself from me, and you can't let the Han family find out that you are with the Mu family. Otherwise, the Young Marshal will be called on to defend himself."
Feng Yi nodded. He didn't expect this little girl to understand all the ramifications of this so well.
Although the relationship between her and the Young Marshal wasn't clear since the Young Marshal was so attentive to her, it could be seen that their relationship was unusual, and he naturally dared not be careless.
"I understand. I know exactly what to do."
There was still a week to go until the Weiya Banquet, and the speed at which scandals spread was enough time to get news to spread throughout Jingdu.
As soon as Feng Yi left, Mu Feichi turned to her and said domineeringly, "Even if I get implicated, I'm not afraid of what others would say about me."
"But I am afraid. In front of the women in Jingdu, the Young Marshal's status is noble and lofty. I can't ruin your image in their minds."
She didn't want to ruin his sacred image in their minds because of something she had done in the pursuit of her own goals.
Although this godly man's lack of a bottom line when it came to her seemed domineering and unreasonable, it was also coquettish and cute.
"Then what do I look like in your mind?" Mu Feichi leaned over in front of her. At such a close distance, he could almost kiss her.
"The Young Marshal has a godlike existence."
"But I just want to be an ordinary person!"
"But you have been destined to be an extraordinary person ever since you were born."
Due to something like fate, people were mostly unable to change their status and background, which would follow people for the rest of their lives.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Let's go back to the house."
With that said, he shouted at Great White, turned around, and directly walked to his house.
Yun Xi looked at his arrogant figure and sighed slightly.
He didn't want to make her feel the sense of a lofty distance between them. However, this distance had always existed, and he could also sense that she had always felt inferior.
It seems that the ostrich mentality of this girl could only be dealt with by time.
He hoped that when she grew up when she was strong enough, she would have enough confidence and feel that she was qualified to stand beside him.
...
After the ten-day winter camp ended, Yun Xi returned to the Yun family's home directly from Tianyu Mountain where she'd been staying to recuperate.
Although she'd told her family that the training camp didn't have any access to the outside world, she still knew all about the situation at home.
The housekeeper reported to her all the time, and there was also her lifeline with her second aunt. She had been constantly made aware of the conflict between Liang Xiuqin and Chen Lixue.
When she got home, Yun Xi glanced at Liang Xiuqin, who had squandered a huge sum of money to remake herself. The money had indeed been worth it.
If nothing else, it had made Liang Xiuqin, the Deputy Director's wife, more confident and younger-looking.
However, Chen Lixue had become her foil as a result.
This contrast of course was going to increase the hatred between these two, and money would always be the bottomless pit between them.
Liang Xinyi had become Liang Xiuqin's cash cow.
When Yun Xi returned home, Liang Xiuqin started showing off her new hairstyle and new clothes.
To act as if she cared about her family, Yun Xi stopped and asked about her sisters. Yun Ziling was idly picking out New Year's clothes. Yun Chuhan was said to be reviewing her schoolwork at a classmate's house; she was the busiest person in the family.
Liang Xinyi was also here. This time, Liang Xinyi had crossed her bottom line, so Yun Xi wasn't going to be merciful with her in retaliation.
To her surprise, Yun Yuanfeng was also at home.
She didn't know if he had been waiting for her to get home or if he didn't have some kind of business entertainment today.
As far as she knew, the end of each year was the busiest time for the Energy Bureau, with the most social gatherings, the most New Year's Eve dinners, and the most benefits to reap.
It really surprised her that he, the deputy director, was able to be enjoying leisure time at home.
Seeing her come home, Yun Yuanfeng, his face full of pride and joy, looked up from the newspaper hurriedly.
"Yun Xi, I heard that you won one of only two places to represent our country in an overseas competition! You also won an international prize.
"Yes, Dad, how did you find out?"
Yun Xi watched the reactions of the people around her, as she replied calmly.
"Your principal called, and now the entire villa complex knows that our Yun family's eldest daughter has won an international award that even the professors from the Academy of Sciences couldn't get! They also said that you're the youngest researcher in history who has won this award. You might not know it, but you have brought our family glory in the villa complex."
Yun Xi smiled indifferently. She wouldn't let go of this opportunity to gain an advantage for herself.
"The principal was exaggerating things a little too much. I'm just going to participate in a competition and get a prize, and, after New Year's, I'm going to go abroad to compete to win another prize. Dad, will you sponsor me?"
"Of course! This is a good thing, so Dad will definitely support you. Just tell Dad how much it costs, and Dad will give it to you afterwards."
"Okay, thanks." Yun Xi nodded and then turned to look at Yun Ziling, who had a disdainful expression on her face. "You're preparing new clothes for the New Year so soon? Oh right, I suddenly remembered that I don't have new clothes yet."
When she said this, Yun Yuanfeng gave her some money right away so that she could buy herself some new clothes.
He gave her money so generously that both Liang Xiuqin and Yun Ziling were green-eyed with envy.
Wasn't it just because her grades were better? Why did she get to reap all the rewards and benefits? It was infuriating!
"Mom, my sister's hundreds of yuan will be enough for her to buy many sets of clothes. I also want more clothes."
All of Liang Xiuqin's money had been squandered on giving herself a makeover, so there wasn't much left. She didn't want to reject Yun Ziling's request, so she could only grit her teeth and nod.
She glared at Yun Xi with displeasure but didn't say anything too harsh, especially in front of Yun Yuanfeng.
Yun Xi wasn't surprised by her mother's reaction, because she knew exactly how Liang Xiuqin was.
She can resist ridiculing her right now only because she had another punching bag.
After all, the news that she had gone to the winter camp for training had spread throughout the villa complex. Although everyone despised what Liang Xiuqin had done, Yun Xi was her daughter, so they would congratulate her when they encountered her.
This made Liang Xiuqin feel smug in front of Chen Lixue, especially because they both had daughters. Liang Xinyi's uselessness was in stark contrast to Yun Xi's excellence.
Even though she didn't like this daughter of hers, it was a joy for her to show off the contrast smugly in front of Chen Lixue.
So, Yun Xi was happy to act as the fuse between the two of them.
After all, she hadn't instigated the discord. Even if Chen Lixue wanted to vent it out on someone, Liang Xiuqin would be the first person she found, instead of her.
"Mom, your new hairstyle is so pretty. You look as young as a teenager!"
Who didn't know how to say flattering things? Especially regarding this kind of cliche compliment that was easy to say. Any woman would be happy to hear it.
"Well, well, it seems as if you can speak nicely to your mother." Liang Xiuqin chuckled smugly and shot a dirty look at Chen Lixue with her chin raised.
Yun Xi also took this opportunity to glance at Chen Lixue, who looked jealous, angry, and resentful. She saw this as a perfect opportunity to ask Yun Yuanfeng's opinion. "Dad, don't you agree that Mom looks younger after changing her hairstyle? Anyone who didn't know any better would think you'd married a new wife."
Although she'd said this jokingly, she was trying to get across a double meaning. She was not only praising Liang Xiuqin for looking young but also strengthening Yun Yuanfeng's pride in his wife's youthful appearance.
As for what to say and when she was a master.
Sure enough, Yun Yuanfeng was happy to hear what Yun Xi had said but laughed awkwardly. "Don't talk nonsense. Officials can't afford such rumours spread about them."
"Okay! I just got home. I'm going to take a bath and rest. No need to call me for lunch."
Yun Xi smiled to herself. She was content. The atmosphere in the living room was now extremely awkward. Some people were feeling smug, and some were envious.
But all this really had nothing to do with her. She was only the one who'd set the fire, and she could run away after igniting it.
It had been several days, and the wound on her shoulder was slowly healing. Although she could take care of herself, the act of taking off her clothes was still very painful.
Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at the wound on her shoulder and curled her lips into a mocking smile.
With this shot, she had let Liang Xinyi know that if she provoked her again, very likely all her efforts in the rest of her life would be in vain.
She took out some beef jerky from her drawer, turned on the computer, and sent another program to Grey Wolf. In a sense, Grey Wolf was now her teacher.
However, Grey Wolf was unusually cold and aloof. He didn't take a liking to anyone, but it wasn't only her. He was strict and cold to everyone, including Mu Feichi.
Mu Feichi had told her that Grey Wolf had inside information regarding the relationship details between all the families in Jingdu on file.
Although Grey Wolf was a hacker, he was also the person in charge of collecting intelligence for Mu Feichi.
If there was anything she needed to know, Grey Wolf was sure to have that information.
She wasn't sure if he would give it to her, but she had to at least ask him for access to it.
Her inquiry was quickly answered. Grey Wolf's reply was as curt and no-nonsense as usual: "Wait just a minute. I'll send it to you."
After a while, she received the information that she'd requested from Grey Wolf, and she opened it and perused it.
It was about the project that the Han family had been in charge of recently. She closely examined the two projects that had been taken away from Han Zhongteng. It had indeed been an enormous project.
Yun Xi didn't think it would be easy for the Han family to fix this loophole after the Spring Festival. Although they'd cooperated with the Chen family before, the cooperation hadn't started yet and it takes time to make a profit.
At this time, if she set another trap for the Han family, the Han family was probably going to have a hard time during the first half of this year.
If Han Yaotian had to rob Peter to pay Paul to sustain the finances of the Han family, he was definitely going to be tempted to get involved in drug dealing.
This was the fastest money-making business. Since the Han family had tasted the sweetness and the ease of making money this way, it would be impossible for them to give it up so easily.
Besides, Han Wanling was still connected to Crocodile, so Yun Xi was pretty sure that she would be able to drag her underwater too.
Then, when she opened another document, Yun Xi unexpectedly discovered that the Qiao family, who she had been paying attention to, had finally made its move.
According to her memories from her last life, the Qiao family indeed should have made its move around this time.
After her rebirth, she hadn't crossed paths with the Qiao family, so it had been impossible to disrupt any of the developments of their family. Therefore, now when she saw that the Qiao family was beginning to emerge, she knew that she and Qiao Ximin were about to meet again.
Now, in her new reborn life, she was really interested to see what kind of person Qiao Ximin had become during this time when she hadn't had any contact with Qiao Ximin's social circle.
In her last life, Qiao Ximin had met her when she was in college, and Qiao Ximin had never mentioned anything about her past to Yun Xi.
Now, however, Yun Xi was going to be able to participate in her past and hopefully derive a lot of pleasure doing it.
And, along the way, Yun Xi was going to drag Qiao Ximin down the road of eternal doom.
At dinnertime, Yun Xi's second aunt came over. Recently, she had been buying New Year's goods. Her experience was on a par with Liang Xiuqin's. The New Year's goods were all well-considered, and Grandfather Yun was very pleased.
When the housekeeper came to call Yun Xi down to eat, Yun Xi came downstairs. She knew that the housekeeper was going to announce the good news that she had arranged.
This morning, the three prominent clans had issued announcements all at the same time. Starting this year, the right to host the Weiya Banquet had been delegated to the four distinguished families.
From now on, it would be held in turn among the seven sects every year. The Han family was the sect that had been picked to host the Banquet this year.
The recent turmoil in the Han family had been grave and, since they had also offended the Young Marshal, the Mu family had been secretly giving the Han family a hard time.
Now that this news had come out, all the rumours about the Han family were dispelled. Everyone thought this was a precursor to the Han family's crisis being lifted.
Some people also thought that this was the Mu family's way out for the Han family. If the Han family didn't act gratefully, it was likely that the Han family would be in an even more difficult situation in the future.
The Han family naturally knew all the things that the outside world was thinking about too, so they didn't dare to neglect the honour of hosting the Weiya Banquet. As soon as they'd received the news, they hurriedly started to make preparations.
It was dinnertime, but the news had spread throughout Jingdu long ago.
The timing was tight. Already all the hotels and restaurants had been taking reservations for New Year's Eve dinners, and many hotels were fully booked.
The hotels that the Han family owned were also fully booked. If the Han family tried to transfer out some of those with reservations, it might have a big impact on the reputation of the Han family's hotel business.
Likewise, it could also affect the Banquet.
Therefore, now, the first order of business was to find a suitable place for the banquet in the shortest amount of time. Therefore, it would either have to be in a clubhouse or a manor.
Clubhouses had a certain reputation in Jingdu, especially because in this era the facilities in the clubhouses weren't as high-end and extravagant as they had been in previous generations. It seemed as if the Han family would definitely have to choose a manor in the end.
In Jingdu, the manor that was the most high-end had to be the Yao family's manor in Rongxi.
It wasn't that far from Jingdu, and all the facilities were very complete. The Huo family had held a banquet there five or six years ago. Although it had been renovated since then, it had a good reputation.
The place that the Han family would have to choose in the end would definitely be this place. After all, it was the same place that the Huo family had chosen, and, following that example, at least they wouldn't be offending anyone.
Yun Xi heard Liang Xiuqin and her second aunt discussing the Weiya Banquet in the living room when she got downstairs. It would definitely be impossible for a small family like theirs to be invited.
Three century-old prominent clans, four distinguished families, seven families in total, were going to gather the most elite, the richest, and the most powerful figures from Jingdu's upper-class society. Anyone would want to join in the fun and get to meet these people.
More importantly, if one could meet someone of the right age there, it could become the basis for a powerful marriage.
Therefore, as soon as the news leaked out, the entire upper society of Jingdu was immediately buzzing about it.
It didn't even matter whether one got an invitation letter. Being an attendant at the manor would also be a good opportunity.
Therefore, many people were going to use every kind of ruse and all kinds of excuses to sneak in.
Liang Xiuqin had that same idea. The second aunt was the only daughter of the Yao family. She was very much loved by the Old Master. Liang Xiuqin was certain that it would be easy for her to arrange for a few attendants to get inside.
And if Yun Ziling could get in and meet an heir of a wealthy family, it wouldn't be difficult for her to marry into a wealthy family in the future.
Liang Xiuqin's wishful thinking was well thought out, and the second aunt naturally understood her thoughts, but she just played dumb and stalled for time until Yun Xi came downstairs.
Yun Xi went downstairs and glanced at the people in the living room. Unsurprisingly, she saw that Yun Chuhan was just as anxious.
Mu Feichi would also be going to this banquet. Yun Ziling might be unwilling to be a waiter, but Yun Chuhan would definitely accept it.
She was probably anxious as well, and she really wanted to participate too, didn't she?
In her last life, Yun Chuhan was willing to do everything for Mu Feichi.
However, her face wasn't pretty enough. She had undergone plastic surgery so many times that she couldn't remember how she looked like before. In the end, her face looked so artificial that it was unbearable to look at.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she would just be dreaming of getting close to that god-like man.
"Grandpa, second aunt." Yun Xi called out to Yao Ying, then turned around and walked towards her.
"Yun Xi, you're awake. Let me tell you the good news."
Yun Xi blinked questioningly, then approached her with a feigned curious look on her face. "What's the good news? Is it that Haoze did well on the exam?"
"His grades rank among the top three in the class every year, so I'm not worried. He is very sensible and obedient."
When speaking of her precious son, Yao Ying's face was full of contentment and happiness. She could see the jealousy and disdain of Liang Xiuqin and Chen Lixue, who both had no sons.
"That's good. Boys of his age are now in the rebellious period, so it's rare for Haoze to be so obedient. My second aunt and second uncle raised him well! What about my second uncle? Why isn't he here?"
"Your second uncle made an appointment with a friend to play golf today, and he hasn't come back yet! And it's thanks to you that his illness was cured. Otherwise, how can he participate in these sort of activities?"
Illnesses leave as slow as molasses in January. Once her second uncle recovered from his illness, his friends invited him to more and more gatherings, and he was no longer behaving like a sick child. As such, his life began to become more fulfilling.
Yun Xi felt very pleased. This was the result that every doctor hoped to get.
Upon the mention of this, the old man chimed in, "Yun Xi, I heard that you have won an international prize? As your grandpa, I feel so proud of you, especially in front of my chess friends. And you even cured your second uncle's illness. What major and what school do you plan to choose for the college entrance examination?"
"Grandpa, in terms of my major, it might be medical. If I win in the finals of the biology competition this time, perhaps foreign universities will admit me as an exception. But I still want to stay at Jing University in the country. After all, it's the best university in the country, and I don't want to be too far away from home, because I can't bear to part with you all."
"That's good to hear, but it all depends on your ambition. Wherever you want to study, our family will support you."
It was rare for the family to raise such an excellent child, so naturally, her grandfather supported everything she wanted to take on.
Yun Xi nodded, then turned to look at her second aunt. "What is the good news that the second aunt wanted to tell me?"
Liang Xiuqin knew what Yao Ying was going to say as soon as she heard this conversation. She didn't want Yun Xi to steal her opportunity, so she quickly interrupted before anyone else could speak"
"It's nothing you'll be interested in. Besides, if you go to that kind of place, I'll be worried that you'll embarrass us!"
"What place?" Yun Xi looked at Liang Xiuqin puzzledly, then deliberately playing dumb, she looked at her second aunt.
Liang Xiuqin wanted to say something else, but Yao Ying gave her a warning glare. "Yun Xi is sensible and sophisticated, and even Old Madam Shen likes her, so why would it be embarrassing for her to go to such a place?!"
"Second aunt, is it some sort of upper society event?" Yun Xi asked.
"Yes. The three prominent clans and the four distinguished families will be holding a banquet in our Yao family manor. Those who will be there are all people such as the blue-blood families, business elites and government officials. If you want to see the world and make connections, then you can go to the manor as an attendant to help and expand your network."
"Oh, what a coincidence! I just received a call from Grandpa Jiang. He said that I was invited to attend as Jiang Henglin's fiancée, so I don't need to be an attendant. I can just go to the event."
"Really? That's great!" Yao Ying was happy to hear this.
Initially, she was worried that Yun Xi might feel insulted by being a waiter, but it turned out that she had nothing to worry about. Yun Xi did not have VIP status, which was undoubtedly more prestigious than being an attendant.