Translator: _Min
The lady boss quickly brought two bowls of beef noodles to the table. As she placed them down, the dim light of the restaurant illuminated Si Fuqingâs face, causing her pupils to dilate in shock. âYou⦠you⦠youâ¦â
Si Fuqing hadnât bothered with any disguise; her face was bare.
With an excited clap, the lady boss exclaimed, âIâm a fan of yours! You are so beautiful!â
Si Fuqing just stared, dumbfounded.
Is this really happening?
âTodayâs your birthday, so these noodles are on the house,â the lady boss declared firmly. âYou must enjoy your birthday. This new year of your life will surely wash away past hardships.â
Si Fuqing paused, then smiled, âThank you, Auntie.â
The lady boss chuckled and walked away.
Yu Xiheng tilted his head, commenting, âYour fans really do span a wide range of ages.â
Si Fuqing blinked, âI am quite popular with the older crowd.â
Hearing this, Yu Xiheng turned back with a soft, faint smile in his eyes, âI do like that.â
Si Fuqing took a bite of her noodles, âOf course, Iâve made you quite a bit of money and I overlook the times youâve wronged me. If you didnât like me, Iâd resign and find someone else who does.â
Yu Xiheng fell silent, unusually so.
He pondered what kind of environment she had been brought up in to develop such an unwise mind.
By the time they finished their meal, it was past two in the morning.
Only the street lamps remained on either side of the road.
Before leaving, Si Fuqing secretly placed some cash and a few of her signed photos under the bowl.
Carrying signed photos indeed proved to be a good habit. âAlright, go home and rest,â Yu Xiheng said quietly, watching her. âHave fun.â Si Fuqing waved goodbye to him and headed home.
Ye Zhenmian and Nian Tingchu had left early and were already asleep.
Nian Yiâan had classes the next day and had also retired early.
The bedroom was silent. Si Fuqing moved lazily to the window as she heard a noise. âThird senior sister, isnât this technically breaking and entering?â
âI didnât want to use the front door; too much hassle,â Yuejian replied, flipping her hair. âHere, a gift for you. I couldnât bring much since Iâve been constrained in movement lately. â
Si Fuqing took the gift box solemnly, âThird senior sister, Iâve finally realized that good people do get rewarded.â
Yuejian wondered if her little junior sister had stumbled upon some profound philosophical insight that might aid her own spiritual understanding.
Curious, she humbly asked, âHow so?â
âJust look at how diligently Iâve been working; my boss is thrilled and has showered me with so many gifts, â Si Fuqing said with a determined fist. âAs a good employee, I should work even harder to bring more success to my boss.â
Yuejian was silent.
She couldnât help but think there was wisdom in those words.
Embracing her arms, Yue Jian raised an eyebrow, âWell said. Our little junior sister always thinks of others first, which is why everyone loves you. You should indeed work hard.â
She might not remember Yu Xihengâs face, but she observed everything he did.
They were all seasoned foxes; how could she not see through his thoughts?
Yet, what she saw, she chose not to mention.
After many years of spoiling her younger sister, would she let someone else
easily steal her away?
Now, it seemed she didnât need to intervene; her little junior sister could handle things on her own.
Yuejian felt quite pleased with herself.
She thought she had a good temper
If it had been their eldest senior brother or the second senior brother, they would have already sabotaged the relationship.
Lucky it was her.
âIâm off,â Yuejian said with a smirk. âIâm off to have fun at the bar. You should rest.â
Overnight, netizens were still dissecting a Weibo post by Lin Jihuan.
The photo only captured a few hands, one adorned with an eighty-million watch, leaving the rest indiscernible.
[Just from this eighty-million watch, I can tell Si Fuqingâs birthday party was definitely more upscale than person named Ji. Stop degrading one to praise another as if being from a wealthy family is all that.]
[Indeed, even the top family, the Yuâs, didnât own such an expensive watch]
This RM watch, a limited edition with only ten pieces worldwide, was the second to appear in public.
The first was previously worn by the Duke of Muston.
Yet, the photo clearly showed a womanâs hand, and even with keen eyes, netizens couldnât figure out whose it was.
The online chatter hardly impacted the Ji family, who wouldnât stoop to compare themselves with a celebrity.
Moreover, two directors from the Heaven Earth Alliance had arrived today, helping Old Master Ji put aside the previous dayâs displeasures.
âDirector MO, Director Luo, welcome,â Old Master Ji greeted them personally.
âSorry to trouble you. Our Qingwei is frail and canât be exposed to the elements.
After the banquet, I hope you could offer her some guidance.â
Without the news of Ji Qingwei scoring 700 in the Seven Schools Joint Examination, these two wouldnât have bothered coming.
âSure,â Director Moâs normally stoic expression softened slightly. âMiss Jiâs artistic talent is quite impressive. Weâre just here to take a look.â The two were invited to the main table.
Old Master Ji couldnât help but inquire, âWhat about Director Gu?â
While all three were directors, Gu Huiyanâs reputation far outstripped the others.
Director Luo frowned, âHeâs on a business trip; even I donât know where.â
Old Master Ji was slightly disappointed, but it couldnât be helped.
He went off to prepare, leaving the two directors to converse.
âPity Gu Huiyan left so soon; he would have definitely joined us,â Director Luo shook his head. âBut itâs probably for the best. With him around, how would we even recruit disciples?â
âGu Huiyan doesnât know what heâs missing,â Director MO commented dryly.
âHe goes his way; we go ours. He doesnât understand the significance of scoring 700 in the Seven Schools Joint Examination.â
A score of 700 meant a ranking within the top hundred in the international joint examination.
With ten months until the next exam, a fully recovered Ji Qingwei could potentially rank even higher.
If she broke into the top fifty, sheâd surely earn a pass to the coveted Free State.
Ji Qingwei was indeed worth cultivating.
Director Luo nodded, âRight, maintaining good relations with the Ji family could benefit us too.â
Guests streamed into the venue one by one.
The Yu familv was well-reDresented: aside from Yu Yao. both the Old Master
Yu and Old Lady Yu were present.
Old Lady Yu was aware of Yu Yaoâs feelings for Ji Qingwei, yet she still harbored some dissatisfaction towards Ji Qingwei.
After all, her health was clearly fragile; what would happen if she became seriously ill one day?
Old Lady Yu had consistently held back from approving the relationship between Yu Yao and Ji Qingwei.
Under the arrangement of the servants, all the guests were seated.
The banquet officially started at twelve oâclock.
The guests were also aware that Ji Qingwei would not be appearing, and there were no surprises.
Just then, a loud âthumpâ echoed from the inner chamber.
âQingwei!â Lady Ji screamed in horror, âDoctor, we need a doctor quickly! â The banquet hall instantly descended into chaos.
Yu Yaoâs expression changed drastically, and he rushed over immediately. Director MO, was taken aback. âWhat happened?â
âApologies, apologies,â the butler hastily apologized. âOur miss has poor health, and it seems she has coughed up blood. We are very sorry.â
âCoughed up blood?â Director MO frowned deeply. âCoughing up blood on a birthday isnât a good omen.â
Why didJi Qingwei suddenly cough up blood now?
Didnât the Ji family take good care ofher health?
Director MO thought about leaving.
But because of matters concerning the Free State, he did not leave.
Outside, Ji Longtai was in contact with a professor from the Great Xia University, unaware of the incident inside.
âThis is the situation,â Ji Longtai said, lowering his posture significantly. âWe would like to request an honorary certificate from your esteemed institution. Unfortunately, Qingwei couldnât submit her essay this time; had she done so, she would definitely have scored 700 points and taken first place. She herself is quite regretful.â
âHold on,â the professor was surprised. âWhat do you mean, âfirst placeâ?â
âThe first place in the Seven Schools Joint Examination, â Ji Longtai said matter-of-factly. âOur Qingwei is capable of scoring 700 points.â
âEven if she scored full marks on her essay, she couldnât surpass the first place,â the professor explained. âBecause the top score is a perfect score across all subjects, 750 points.. How do you propose to surpass that?â