Jiang Xuxu remembered that when she first left the Guan Family, Guan Ruirui had acted all high and mighty, claiming that Xuxu liked Pei Yuancheng.
And now, Pei Yuancheng himself was saying she liked him.
So, who exactly was the one starting these rumors about her?
Pei Yuancheng was taken aback by Jiang Xuxu's words for a moment. But in the next second, he looked at her as if she were a small girlfriend throwing a tantrum. He gave a faint smile.
"Everyone knows it; I don't need anyone to tell me. I can see it for myself."
Pei Yuancheng looked at her, his face full of confidence.
"During that time, you were always by my side. You followed me wherever I went, bought me breakfast, and came to watch my games... Even though you never said it out loud, I knew."
Jiang Xuxu's mouth twitched violently at his words.
"The only reason I never said it out loud is because I don't like you. As for why I was following you—trust me, you really don't want to know the reason."
Jiang Xuxu's denial was excessively blunt. Pei Yuancheng was visibly stunned for a moment, but he remained convinced that his judgment was correct.
"Why are you denying your feelings for me? Is it because of Ruirui? Or does your current family refuse to let you be with me?"
Jiang Xuxu was truly speechless now.
She had finally witnessed how some people were so narcissistic that they were incapable of hearing anyone else's voice.
Lacking the patience to continue bickering over such questions, Jiang Xuxu simply got into the car.
Pei Yuancheng gritted his teeth, racking his brain for a way to make her stay, when he saw the rear window roll down.
Pei Yuancheng's expression shifted instantly, and he flashed another confident, gentle smile toward the car.
However, Jiang Xuxu merely swept a cold gaze over his face and asked, "That excuse just now—you must have spent two days thinking it up, right?"
Did he think he was writing a script for some old-fashioned romance novel, claiming he was forced to agree to be with Guan Ruirui for her sake?
A flicker of hidden embarrassment flashed in Pei Yuancheng's eyes. He opened his mouth to explain, but Jiang Xuxu had already slowly rolled up the window and instructed the driver to go.
Pei Yuancheng watched the car drive away, his eyes flashing with a mix of shame and rage.
To him, that wasn't some excuse!
It was clearly a way for her to save face!
He thought he was being kind by giving her a way out, and with her obsession with him, he expected her to grab onto it immediately.
Given her current status, he would have even agreed to break up with Guan Ruirui on the spot if she had asked.
And yet...
She was actually so ungrateful.
As expected, once she climbed into the Jiang Family, she became different.
Inside the car, the moment the window closed, Jiang Xuxu pushed Pei Yuancheng to the back of her mind. She heard the familiar chime of a phone notification and tapped it open. Her eyes flickered slightly.
"Uncle Hai, don't head back to the Jiang house yet. Take me somewhere else."
The driver in the front seat acknowledged the request. Following the address Jiang Xuxu provided, the car drove toward a development zone in the suburbs.
Although it was a development zone, the lack of successful investment made the surroundings look quite desolate.
Uncle Hai looked at the environment and felt a bit uneasy. "Miss, what are you doing in a place like this? How about I accompany you inside?"
As the driver specially arranged by Jiang Huai, Uncle Hai also bore the responsibility of protecting the young lady's safety.
"It's fine. Just wait outside," Jiang Xuxu paused, then added, "I won't be coming out very soon. You can find a place to rest first, or just head back."
Uncle Hai replied seriously, "I will wait for you right here."
Seeing his persistence, Jiang Xuxu didn't force the issue and walked into the development zone alone.
Passing two desolate buildings, she walked straight into an inconspicuous red brick building in the middle of the park.
Entering the building and heading downstairs, she walked through a long corridor. When she opened the door at the end, a whole new world revealed itself.
Inside the basement was a vast, luxuriously decorated underground auction house. The space wasn't huge, with no more than three hundred people present.
A waiter stepped forward and asked respectfully, "Miss, please show your invitation."
Just as Jiang Xuxu was about to speak, a pleasant male voice came from another exit. "She is my guest."
Seeing the newcomer, the waiter's attitude became even more respectful. "Manager."
The man addressed as the Manager had a feminine cast to his features, possessing an ambiguous beauty that made it hard to distinguish his gender at a glance. His beautiful fox-like eyes seemed to carry a hint of flirtatiousness at all times.
He wore an exquisite, deep purple Tang Suit, and his slightly long hair was tied casually behind his head. He exuded a sense of mysterious Eastern charm. Looking at Jiang Xuxu, he simply hooked a finger at her.
It was an ambiguous gesture.
Jiang Xuxu was long accustomed to his personality and followed him to a room behind the auction house.
The room was furnished in a very antique style, clearly matching his personal temperament.
A screen divided the room in half; one side was a reception area, while the other seemed to be an item display area filled with various objects soon to be auctioned. It was different from a typical auction house that only sold antiques and art.
The things Yi Zhan sold here were weird and varied. As long as you wanted it and as long as he had it, a deal could be made.
Even if you wanted something he didn't have, he could find a way to get it for you.
"Where is the thing you mentioned?"
The moment she entered the room, Jiang Xuxu asked impatiently.
Yi Zhan saw her "fidgety" look and merely arched an eye. He turned to rummage through the display area, muttering to himself as he searched.
"This one... no."
"This one isn't it either."
"Ah, so that piece of human bone was here..."
"This box... Oh, found it."
Yi Zhan walked out holding a long box. He looked at her, his fox-like eyes full of cunning. "I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. Take a look first."
He opened the box as he spoke.
Inside the box lay what appeared to be a withered branch.
It was a peach branch, charred black from top to bottom also known as Lightning-Struck Peach Wood. In the Mystic Arts circle, it was considered a ritual object for warding off evil.
Good Lightning-Struck Peach Wood was hard to find, let alone the Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Wood that Jiang Xuxu was searching for.
A magical artifact possessing a thousand years of lightning power would be treated as a legendary heirloom in any Mystic Arts family. It was impressive that Yi Zhan had actually managed to find one.
Just by looking at the faint traces of lightning and fire aura emanating from the wood, one could tell it was extraordinary.
Unfortunately.
"This isn't the branch I'm looking for."
The confident expression on Yi Zhan's face cracked slightly. He stared at her.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Wood? You should be lucky there's even one."
He nudged the box closer to her. "Why don't you look closer? After all, all tree branches look more or less the same."
Without even looking, Jiang Xuxu pushed it back to him, her expression serious.
"I am certain. My branch is different. Besides, I told you from the start that I'm not looking for this for the sake of finding a magical artifact."
Rather, she was looking for the person who owned that artifact.
Her Master.
Her teacher had promised to stay with her until she turned eighteen, but then she had suddenly vanished.
No matter how Xuxu performed divinations or calculations, she could never capture even a trace of her aura.
It was as if she had never existed in this world at all.
Now, aside from starting with the magical artifacts her Master used to carry, Jiang Xuxu had no other way to find a lead on her.
Seeing her certain attitude, Yi Zhan clicked his tongue. He casually tossed the Lightning-Struck Wood which he had been treating as a treasure just moments ago behind him. "Tsk, wasted effort again."
Hearing the loud thump as the box hit the table, Jiang Xuxu's heart ached.
Even if it wasn't the one she was looking for, that was still a genuine piece of Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Wood!!
"This is not the attitude one should have toward a Mystic Arts treasure!"
"Apologize to it, now."
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