Rebirth of an Idle Noblewoman

It wasn’t unreasonable for Luo Wenlang to be shocked. For Nine Heavens to be able to deal with the Chen family, Gu Xiqiao’s role in the entire thing was very important. Moreover, the Chen family was very confident, never cleaning up messes of those who went overboard, so some of the evidence collected was very detailed.

But the Bai family was different. As a very prestigious family in the Imperial Capital, the Bai family had everything done under wraps with no leaks, and they were also known to have a very good temperament. They had a lot of business partners, and Nine Heavens was just a new company in an emerging industry. No matter how fast it developed, it couldn’t hide the fact that Nine Heavens had a shallow foundation.

No contacts, shallow foundation, short of time, these were the main problems that Nine Heavens was facing right now.

Compared to the Bai family, Nine Heavens was like an ant trying to move an elephant.

However, something had happened in the Bai family. For the place to be struck by lightning for no reason, outsiders were guessing whether or not the Bai family had done something to make the heavens angry with them? Otherwise, why was it that Bai Villa was the only one that had been struck, when there were so many other villas in the mountainside?

Not only that, but some of the business partners had gone home, listening to their children’s stories which served to add fuel to the flames, and they started to harbor indescribable strange feelings toward the Bai family.

Some people immediately cut ties with the Bai family, in order to avoid any further risks in the future by being involved with them. Others felt that it was purely coincidence, and moved on from the matter quickly.

No matter what happens, the Bai family was still a powerful family. Even if the stock of their companies plummeted, they had such a strong background that they would still be able to support themselves through this difficult time.

Luo Wenlang was not aware, but the Chen family was very much the same. Collecting evidence was an easy thing to say, but very difficult to do. For Gu Xiqiao to be able to smash through the barriers and manage what she did, it was more than enough to prove how powerful she was in her capabilities.

Naturally, Gu Xiqiao didn’t enlighten him on all these matters.

“I know you’re worried that this plan will need a long time, but acquiring the Bai family is something that I will insist upon.” Gu Xiqiao had prepared the plan, and the acquisition of the Bai family was imperative to her. The sins that the Bai family had committed were too deep.

There had been an overwhelming amount of evil aura above Bai Villa, to the point it was almost suffocating, as though every one of them held a few lives in their hands.

It seemed to have become a tradition for the Bai family to kill people using the Soul Extinguishing Seal.

On the surface, they seemed to be a family that was kind to others, and didn’t take to heart any offense that others directed at them. On the back however, they were like a completely different family, not even letting a three-year-old go, using arrays that killed people without any visible signs. Their enemies would die, but they would still be able to maintain their reputation as they wouldn’t be found to be involved at all. The Bai family was indeed too horrifying and sinister.

If she didn’t destroy the Bai family, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

No matter what type of enemy she would face, no matter how big the storm ahead was, Gu Xiqiao was still Gu Xiqiao. She wouldn’t back down just because someone stood in her way, she would be as strong as her enemies were.

He knew that Gu Xiqiao was extremely capable, and the plans were meticulously comprehensive. If you were to read over the proposals and plans, you would think that a financial guru with many years of experience had been the one to write it, not a young girl like her. For the plans against the Bai family, she had been even more careful with the planning. “It’s not that it’s impossible if you were using this method…”

“I will definitely come up with a more refined plan. Otherwise, what will happen to all my employees if the company fails?” Gu Xiqiao leaned back against the chair, narrowing her eyes. She had never done something if she didn’t have the confidence it would work. “I thought you would disagree with me, since the Bai family has a great reputation at the moment after all.”

“Why would you think like that? Let me put it out straight then, I admire you unconditionally. Don’t talk about taking over the Bai family, even if you asked me to go into a mountain of daggers and seas of fire, I would do it without questioning you at all!” Luo Wenlang stated firmly, looking straight into Gu Xiqiao’s eyes, not wavering. He straightened up. “The Bai family does have a good reputation now, but being too perfect means that a person is also the most dangerous, and have many more things to hide underneath.”

Take Gu Xiqiao as an example. When she was in First City High, many people regarded her as a goddess, this was not any different when she came into A University. However, after getting along with her for a while, everyone knew of the few flaws that she had.

Firstly, her laziness. If she could sit, then she wouldn’t stand. If she could lie down, she wouldn’t sit.

Secondly, tight-fisted. Yes, that was right, such a rich and beautiful girl was actually very stingy.

Thirdly, she has a bad temper. Regardless of her usual cold and indifferent, elegant and noble look, if she was anxious or disturbed, she wouldn’t be able to stop her temper from erupting.

…

Those were the major ones, but Luo Wenlang was sure there were also a lot more minor ones which only people who spent every day with her and were closer to her would know.

In short, there was no such thing as a perfect person in this world. If there was such a person in which you couldn’t find any flaws in them, then this person was likely to be very terrifying on the inside.

“You really have good taste.” Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin, a little surprised at Luo Wenlang’s thoughts. The next beat, her gaze on him suddenly sharpened. “However, do you have time to do me a favor?”

“What is it?” Luo Wenlang was startled, a bit of disbelief seeping into him. She actually needed help with something?

In other words, you also have days like that?

“I have a roommate who writes a column for the magazine in the editorial department,” Gu Xiqiao said, still looking at Luo Wenlang, “In order to interview you, she waited for three days in the Faculty of Management and Economics. When she got the news that you were absent and away, she was heartbroken, in a pain that was no different than dying. Could you give her a chance to have a small interview with you?”

Luo Wenlang had a lot of possibilities running through his mind about what Gu Xiqiao would need his help for, since it must be a big deal for her to ask him for help. He never expected this answer from her, and he felt slightly dumbfounded and cheated, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry about it. This was probably Gu Xiqiao’s charm on its own.

She was a person who was very considerate of her friends. As long as she acknowledged them, she would use everything in her power to help them out.

For example, Mu Zong, Yao Jiamu, Wu Hongwen, Xiao Yun, and himself.

“I don’t really have the time for face-to-face interviews, but you can pass me her number. Since it’s a college magazine, it doesn’t need to be too grand, right?” Luo Wenlang replied as he thought about it, he really was tied up in Nine Heavens recently.

***

And so, for Xu Jing who had suddenly received a call from Luo Wenlang felt like she was in a dream. When the gentle voice came through the phone, she felt her face flush immediately.

There were quite a few rumors about Luo Wenlang in school, he was after all placed second in the entire country in the national finals, and was only a few points behind Gu Xiqiao. However, there was too little information about him that was available, and even the photos they had were his passport photo. He was also quite handsome, not at all like a die-hard study nerd. And so with just a photo ID of him, he had managed to be one of the male gods on campus.

When she received his call, Xu Jing was stunned for a few seconds before being able to react.

When she heard that the purpose of the call was Luo Wenlang accepting the interview, Xu Jing struggled to suppress the excitement that threatened to burst from within her, opening her notebook with trembling hands to note down the details.

An interview for a college magazine wouldn’t involve too many personal questions, but Xu Jing fired question after question, birthday, hobby, age… and even questions on whether there was a lady companion in the picture.

In the past, Luo Wenlang wouldn’t be bothered with such trivial things, but since it was Gu Xiqiao who had entrusted him with this task, he patiently answered them all.

When he hung up the call, he was obviously relieved that it was finally over. The other party was slightly mind-boggling to him, and it was a little tough for him to handle her.

***

Gu Xiqiao’s plans for the Bai family had been fine tuned, but she didn’t carry it out immediately as the Mid-Autumn Festival had arrived. Not only did she planned to spend time with her group of friends from the Imperial Capital, she also needed to handle the sins committed by the Bai family.

Once the full moon was over, it would be impossible to save the victims who were cursed by the Bai family.

When was the last Mid-Autumn Festival again? Gu Xiqiao scrunched up her face as she thought about it. She had no memories of how she had celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival in her past life, or whether she had lived through it in the first place.

Xiao Yun and Wu Hongwen knew that Gu Xiqiao would be at home, and so they had arrived earlier in the afternoon, and they were the earliest to reach.

As soon as they caught sight of her, Xiao Yun began chattering away. “Er Qiao, let me tell you, I have accepted a role in a movie, and it’ll start in a few days.” She was obviously very happy.

Xiao Yun was usually a cold and indifferent person, but once she saw Gu Xiqiao and Wu Hongwen, she turned into someone that she couldn’t even recognize anymore.

Speaking of the movie, she herself had been surprised at it. It was the only film this year that was being directed by a famous local director, Cheng Zhou. She hadn’t held out much hope when she went to the audition after receiving a call from her teacher, as there were many other first-rate female stars who had also gone for the audition. She almost didn’t believe it when the director chose her.

In fact, her acting skills were not as good as those first-rate stars, but Cheng Zhou only said one thing, that her acting was very uplifting and inspiring, and that it was like she was born to be an actress, although there were still many areas that needed polishing and refining.

“You’ve told me this at least ten times while we were on the way here, I hope you’re not planning to do the same to Er Qiao.” Wu Hongwen groaned as he gave Xiao Yun a pointed look.

Gu Xiqiao was initially sitting at the window side as she painted, but once the two arrived, she had kept away her things. “The future star Xiao Yun is just too excited and happy. Since this is the first time, Little Wu, you have to be more understanding.”

The future star, Xiao Yun: Er Qiao, take back those words and we’ll still be friends when we meet in the future!

Gu Xiqiao pretended that she didn’t see the somewhat annoyed expression on Xiao Yun’s face, calling for Haha instead. “Haha, come over here. Come and meet the future superstar, Xiao Yun. You won’t get to see her once she gets hot and popular in the future.”

The future superstar, Xiao Yun: This is the end of this friendship, no explanation needed!

Wu Hongwen smiled as he watched their interaction, and then he suddenly asked, “Where’s Xixi? Why is it not here? Also, where’s Mrs. Zhang, did she go out to buy groceries?”

“Xixi went out to find Brother Jiang. As for Mrs. Zhang, I gave her the day off since today is the Mid-Autumn Festival.” Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes, she seemed to have forgotten the most important thing. So, it seemed like, today, she had to cook?

When she realized that, Wu Hongwen and Xiao Yun had also reached the same conclusion. They glanced at each other, beaming. When they thought about Gu Xiqiao’s cooking skills in the kitchen, they couldn’t help but feel the drool gathering in their mouth.

After the two, the next to arrive was Luo Wenlang and Yao Jiamu.

They looked at Gu Xiqiao who was busy in the kitchen, and concern flashed in their eyes. Yao Jiamu looked to Wu Hongwen. “Is it really alright… not to give her a hand in the kitchen?”

He thought about Gu Xiqiao’s slender hands, the pale fingers that were smooth and never rough, seemingly to be hands that had never touched chores before. His eyes held the doubt that he felt inside, did she really know how to cook?

Wu Hongwen let out a sigh, slightly embarrassed, “Er Qiao won’t let us in the kitchen, else she’d throw a tantrum. Little Mutou, even if you can’t eat the food she gives you later, just pretend that it’s delicious.” Although the words were nonsense, he said it with a deadpan expression.

The main point was that Yao Jiamu, and even Luo Wenlang believed it.

Xiao Yun acted as though she didn’t hear anything, she felt that even if they had spoken the truth, no one would believe them. With the way Gu Xiqiao was, she herself wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t eaten her cooking before. Gu Xiqiao was not only able to cook, but her skills had even reached this wonderful extent?

The doorbell rang again, and since Wu Hongwen was the nearest, he jumped up to open the door.

***

Gu Xiqiao had sent the address to Xu Jing earlier that morning. When she had reached the area, it was full of luxury cars, and she felt that as someone from a rich family, she had taken a million points of damage to her heart. From Gu Xiqiao’s behavior, dressing and attitude, it was obvious that she was not someone with a normal background.

However, when Xu Jing had arrived at the area, she felt that even her dog’s eyes had been blinded by the view, especially after she entered the building and found that there was even a butler! This was just… she didn’t even know when the Imperial Capital had become so high-end.

When she found the Gu Xiqiao’s unit number, she had to double-check her phone to ensure that she had gotten the right place before ringing the doorbell.

The door opened quickly, and a handsome face appeared in front of her, and the first thought in Xu Jing’s mind was: Dammit, you pressed the wrong doorbell!

Otherwise, why would the unapproachable male god that was known to be a student that was reserved, aloof but nice, be here?!

She took a step back, glancing at the house number again, going through the numbers one by one. She kept staring at it, as though the numbers would change if she stared hard enough, but even after her eyes watered slightly from staring at it too long, the numbers were still the same as the one on her phone, there was no mistake. Also, Beauty Gu wouldn’t be so careless as to send her the wrong address.

And so, Xu Jing brought her gaze back to the person in front of her with some difficulty and asked, “Excuse me, is Gu Xiqiao here?”

Wu Hongwen had some faint impression of Xu Jing, and he leaned forward slightly. “I know, you should be Er Qiao’s roommate, right? She’s in, hurry in.”

Swallowing heavily after receiving an affirmative answer, finally processing the fact that Wu Hongwen and Beauty Gu knew each other, she was then further surprised by the person sitting on the sofa who had lifted his head to look at her after she had entered.

Wasn’t that handsome, gentle and beautiful man wearing glasses sitting on the sofa, Luo Wenlang?!

Xu Jing was taken aback once again, the surprises were coming continuously, she needed time to calm her racing heart.

Wu Hongwen, who had come back in after closing the doors: This roommate of Er Qiao’s, was there a loose screw in her head?

However, Xu Jing was unable to calm down. She couldn’t have guessed that Gu Xiqiao was actually acquainted with these two people! Thinking about the phone call that she had received from Luo Wenlang two days ago, the mystery of his sudden acceptance was finally solved! It was no wonder that Luo Wenlang, who was known to be withdrawn, cold and mysterious would suddenly ask for her phone number to ask for an interview. Even if somebody told her that this wasn’t something Gu Xiqiao had a hand in, she wouldn’t believe it!

Xu Jing sat down on the sofa, but she was still in the same state. The attitudes of the people around her were warm and friendly, and very different from what she had imagined.

When she heard that Gu Xiqiao was cooking in the kitchen, her reaction was no different from those few. ‘Are you sure she can cook? Will it be edible?’ It wouldn’t give them food poisoning, right?

When Jiang Shuxuan pushed open the door, he saw the room full of people. He was still holding his phone in his hand as his gaze swept through the room, and then he nodded slightly to them in greeting. He had always been polite toward Gu Xiqiao’s friends.

Only, his deep gaze landed on Wu Hongwen and paused for a moment, obviously recalling the words that Bai Xinran had spoken the other day. Even though he knew there was nothing between the two, he still felt some unhappiness tugging at his heart. The tone of his voice lowered as he continued his call. “That’s all then, I’m hanging up.”

On the other side of the call, the young attendant that had been frightened by Jiang Shuxuan was wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. Although he knew that the Young Master Jiang was not in front of him, he still felt the chilling aura that seemed to seep through the other end of the phone, and cold sweat broke out on his person. “Okay, understood. I will relay your message to the master.”

After hanging up the call, Jiang Shuxuan put down his phone and rolled up his snow-white sleeves, changing his shoes to a pair of indoor slippers. The slippers had been purchased by Gu Xiqiao. It was blue and had prints of a pig’s head, and it looked rather childish. Jiang Shuxuan was a handsome man with stunning features, as well as having an intimidating temperament. For him to wear the pair of slippers, it really didn’t match his image and looked out of place on his feet.

It gave others a feeling of extraordinary joy, somehow.

Wu Hongwen waited for Jiang Shuxuan to leave the room and into the kitchen, before he opened his mouth and whispered to Yao Jiamu, “I bet you two cucumbers that the slippers Master Jiang is wearing was something Er Qiao bought.”

Yao Jiamu: What a coincidence, that was exactly my thoughts.

Wu Hongwen: … then there’s no meaning to this.

Xu Jing looked at Jiang Shuxuan, and felt that if she spent a few more days with this group of people, everyone on the outside would be ugly in comparison in the future!

***

There were quite a few people that were eating lunch, so Gu Xiqiao had prepared a lot of dishes. The dishes were actually prepared by Mrs. Zhang earlier before she had left, and Gu Xiqiao just needed to cook it.

“Is there anything that I can do?” A familiar voice suddenly sounded beside her ear, his tone slightly lower than usual.

Because he was so much taller, he would bend his head down when he spoke to her. For Jiang Shuxuan to lower his head in this life, the person he did it for clearly had no appreciation for it at all. Every time he lowered his head, Gu Xiqiao would look at him coldly.

Did. She. Really. Look. Like. She. Was. That. Bloody. Short?!

When she would raise this issue previously, Jiang Shuxuan would laugh lightly and then look at her solemnly. “You’re just a head shorter than me.”

“What can you do?” Gu Xiqiao didn’t like anyone present when she was cooking, as she didn’t feel comfortable. Just like the time in N City when she had cooked for the first time, she had chased everyone out of the kitchen.

But this time, there was an extra presence in the kitchen, and she wasn’t uncomfortable in the least. Instead, she cast a sidelong glance at him, the disdain clear on her face.

Jiang Shuxuan didn’t care much for her expression, picking up a vegetable for the first time with hands that had only ever held a pen and sword, and slowly washing it under the faucet.

His movements were stiff, but because his expression was serious and earnestly asking for advice, Gu Xiqiao hummed, and didn’t nitpick at the things he did.

Doing things for the first time, Jiang Shuxuan felt that he still had room for improvement.

He watched Gu Xiqiao pour the oil into the pan, then slipped the meat slices onto it. He narrowed his eyes when a layer of oily smoke immediately rose from it, and glanced up at the ventilator above the pan. Flicking a finger, a layer of chi emerged from his fingertips to form a barrier in front of Gu Xiqiao.

Gu Xiqiao could naturally feel the silent actions that Jiang Shuxuan had done, and felt her heart warm at his concern. However, wasn’t this a little too overprotective?

Seeing that the oily fumes no longer touched her, Jiang Shuxuan lowered his hands in satisfaction. He continued to watch as Gu Xiqiao bustled around the small kitchen, and a strange sense of contentment swelling in his heart. However, his brows wrinkled again when he thought of the intrusive group that was waiting in the living room.

He reached up with his hands to massage his temples, and let out a low chuckle after a while.

He was never someone who liked excitement, and if it wasn’t necessary, he would never appear at the meals of the Jiang family. It’s not like anyone in the Jiang family could beat him anyway, and everything depended on one’s strength.

But here and now, with so many people in the house, he didn’t feel disagreeable about it at all. He could tell that Gu Xiqiao was really happy about this gathering.

It was fine then, as long as she was happy. After he had met her, what part of his usual principles did he still keep to anyway?

The people who were waiting outside suddenly caught a whiff of the strong fragrance that seeped out from the kitchen. Luo Wenlang, who was the first to smell it, couldn’t help but look toward the kitchen, which was the source of where the smell came from.

The scent was amazingly mouth watering, and Yao Jiamu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Don’t tell me, this is Miss Gu’s doing!”

“Probably.” Wu Hongwen said, keeping his face straight as he shrugged. Inside however, was a different story. ‘Just wait, you guys will feel a slap in your face, just like how I felt when I first found out!’

Gu Xiqiao quickly steamed the fish, sprinkling the top of it with some homemade sauce. There was a sweet smell in the air then, the fish was tender and soft, the soup was clear and mellow, which made people want to dig in as soon as they were able to.

Jiang Shuxuan brought the dishes out, and Wu Hongwen jumped up when he saw it. He had been around Yin Shaoyuan for a long time, and he obviously knew that Jiang Shuxuan’s status was not low, and was really a young master. So when he saw him bringing out the dishes to be served, he immediately jumped to relieve him from the task. “Boss Jiang, why don’t you take a rest, I can do this.”

“It’s fine, I can handle it.” Jiang Shuxuan spared Wu Hongwena glance, his gaze was extremely frosty, and his tone left no room for argument.

Wu Hongwen felt himself freeze in his place. Did he offend Boss Jiang in some way, otherwise why was his gaze so much more chilling toward him today?

Seeing the dishes that were slowly piling up on the table, Luo Wenlang’s shock morphed into a form of numbness, and finally, he just really, really, really wanted to dig in now! Could he eat now?!

They had initially thought that Gu Xiqiao didn’t know how to cook, and even discussed that they had to pretend it was good even if it wasn’t. But now it looks like it was biting them back in the ass, and thinking of this, Yao Jiamu sent a glance at Wu Hongwen. His face was completely void of surprise, and his eyes were staring at the dishes on the table intently, a look of desire on his face.

Yao Jiamu knew in that instant that Wu Hongwen had made an ass out of him!

Once the dishes were all served, they gathered at the table and like lightning started to pile the food on their plate. The moment they bit into the meatballs, the rich flavor burst in their mouths. The taste was so delicious that they almost bite their own tongue in a hurry to eat more!

But in terms of speed, who could beat Jiang Shuxuan at this table? He not only grabbed his own food quickly, he even took a portion for Gu Xiqiao.

As for Luo Wenlin who couldn’t compete with anyone here, he looked toward Luo Wenlang with a pitiful face.

Luo Wenlang placed the chicken that he was about to put in his mouth in Luo Wenlin’s bowl at the last minute: … your elder brother has wronged you!

After eating, Luo Wenlang didn’t immediately return to the office, instead staying to watch Wu Hongwen and others as they played games.

Luo Wenlang wasn’t someone who played games, and Xu Jing hadn’t played Nine Heavens before. However, after seeing Wu Hongwen play for a while, their interest had been piqued. Xiao Yun even went to Gu Xiqiao’s room to borrow a few extra virtual helmets.

“Smoke On Water?” Xu Jing hadn’t even registered yet, but when she saw the members of Wu Hongwen’s party, she couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. Thanks to Sun Jiajia, even she knew that there was such a god-like player in the game.

Wu Hongwen glanced up at her. “If you don’t play the game, how do you know about Smoke On Water?”

“Our other roommate plays, and she always mentioned that they had the support of the second best player on the PK rank list.” Xu Jing replied, and then she glanced at the golden character of Wu Hongwen on the screen, and thought that he must be a great player too.

Wu Hongwen let out a sad sigh. “An old timer who always gets crushed over and over by Er Qiao, why doesn’t your roommate worship Er Qiao instead? She’s the top player on the PK list with a 100% win rate.”

Now Xu Jing was stunned again. She looked at Wu Hongwen’s friends list, which he clicked and a little lolita character appeared, with the name ‘For A Millenium’ on the top of her head, and a golden title underneath it, ‘The World’s Greatest Master’.

Thinking of how Sun Jiajia had been bragging nonstop about the second-place player, Xu Jing thought that Gu Xiqiao could really hold in her feelings. If it were her, she would have already used the great master title to throw in Sun Jiajia’s face!

But it can be seen that Gu Xqiaio’s personality was a little weird, and the circuits in her brain functioned differently than regular people.

Luo Wenlang, who was chatting with Luo Wenlin at the side: You’re surprised with just this? If you guys knew that Gu Xiqiao was the one behind the scenes of Nine Heavens, wouldn’t you guys get another shock of your lives and feel like dying from the revelation then?

***

Today was the day of the full moon, and Gu Xiqiao left after eating, taking Jiang Shuxuan and Yao Jiamu with her.

Boss Bai was waiting anxiously for their arrival, and the hall had been arranged earlier with an incense table in it. He sat on the chair, feeling somewhat uneasy. The feeling was coming back again, the pressure that he felt on his person, and even if he sat in one place, he had a nagging feeling that the roof would cave in on him.

Yao Jiamu had sent him a message earlier, informing him that Gu Xiqiao would be arriving soon, but he was still nervous as long as he didn’t see her in person.

“Yao Jiamu has arrived with some other people.” Ah Gen knocked on the door frame after a short while.

Boss Bai stood up immediately. “Bring them in, quickly!” He had wanted to receive them personally, but thinking about his unlucky streak, he halted in his steps, not wanting to meet anymore misfortune.

“Boss Bai.” It wasn’t long before he heard the clear, melodious voice ring out. He raised his head consciously, seeing the people who stepped into the room under the moonlight.

“Great Master Gu!” Boss Bai exclaimed with some unrestrained joy in his voice and face. “You’re finally here!”

Gu Xiqiao squinted slightly as she looked up at the moon in the sky, it was particularly round tonight, because it was the fifteenth of the month, and it excluded a faint silvery light. In contrast, Boss Bai was exuding a faint scent of death on his person.

Yao Jiamu was well prepared, having asked Gu Xiqiao earlier on what he needed to pay attention to. The yard had been cleared, and only a Yin-Yang Eight Trigram Array on the ground was present.

“Just what the hell is this?” Jiang Shuxuan couldn’t help the furrowing of his brows, looking at the shattered magnetic field around Boss Bai. It was similar to what had happened to Gu Xiqiao previously, and he still didn’t know what the cause of it was.

Even though he was a prodigy in ancient martial arts, and there were only a handful of people who were able to compare with him in terms of power, but in terms of formations and array, he had not touched on those before.

Not everyone had a virtual space like Gu Xiqiao, and had endless amount of time to explore things like she had done.

Gu Xiqiao instructed Boss Bai to sit in the middle of the Eight Trigram Array, then she turned to Jiang Shuxuan. “Brother Jiang, where is Xixi?”

Jiang Shuxuan raised his hand to draw a symbol in the air, and a black hole appeared suddenly, the huge form of Xixi coming out from it. “Chirp chiiiiirp! Beauty Qiao, Xixi has missed you!”

Xixi, who had been let out, didn’t hesitate to rush toward Gu Xiqiao, but was slapped to the side without mercy by Jiang Shuxuan.

Boss Bai felt faint watching the scene in front of him, these were all things that were beyond his imagination. But thinking back to the miracles that he had witnessed, he still couldn’t get over the marvel of them, and the bird that was bigger than a human was able to talk?

Didn’t they say that animals couldn’t become spirits after China was built?

In the end, Gu Xiqiao borrowed the power of the jade pendant on Jiang Shuxuan’s neck. She walked to the middle of the Eight Trigram Array, waving her hands casually to produce a few other jades with spiritual aura in them. She placed them in specific positions on the Eight Trigram Array, and when the ancient jade from Jiang Shuxuan was placed down, a blast of silver light burst out.

Countless of silver lights poured down from the moon, resembling a silvery waterfall.

“This… she’s changing the fates.” Feeling the profound energy and chi radiating from Gu Xiqiao, Jiang Shuxuan finally realized something. When did that happen, she seemed to have advanced unknowingly?

“Xixi, fire!”

On her command, Xixi opened its mouth, spitting fire. Black? Ops, wrong one!

Withdrawing the black fire, it immediately changed it to the vivid, bright red flames instead. As a divine beast of heaven and earth, the energy in its flame was extremely pure.

The sky gradually darkened, and the people standing outside the Eight Trigram Array couldn’t see the two figures who stood inside it. Jiang Shuxuan could only rely on his connection to the jade pendant to assure himself that Gu Xiqiao was fine. Changing the fates… Jiang Shuxuan felt a stab of fear when he thought of these words.

Since ancient times, wasn’t being able to change the fates a great power of the ancient martial arts world?

How great was Gu Xiqiao, being able to take advantage of the power of heaven and earth, using Natural Force to forcefully change the fates?

Really, when it involved her, every day was a new surprise. One day, if she were to tell him that she would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, he wouldn’t find it surprising at all.

The effect lasted for almost an hour before the silver lights faded slowly, revealing the slim figure behind it.

Gu Xiqiao held the pendant in her hands, coming up to Jiang Shuxuan and placing it around his neck once again. She then turned to Yao Jiamu. “Sit still for the night, Boss Bai will be fine.”

“Thank you.” Yao Jiamu said gravely, and then he remembered what Boss Bai had entrusted to him. “Boss Bai has prepared two boxes of antiques, I’ll get someone to send it over to you soon.”

In order to collect all the items, Boss Bai had also exerted quite some effort, and Gu Xiqiao was well aware of it. “You’ve really put a lot of thought into this.”

Yao Jiamu rubbed his chin. “This is nothing, really.” When Boss Bai woke up tomorrow, Yao Jiamu would pester him send another sum along to Gu Xiqiao, he thought inside.

Boss Bai: Am I still your godfather or not? Why do you treat me like this?

***

Bai Xinran had been having bad days consistently for a while, what irked her the most was that Gu Xiqiao was still alive and well. Knowing that the master was coming to her house tonight, Bai Xinran went back to the dorms quietly and retrieved the talisman underneath Gu Xiqiao’s bed.

She not only wanted to kill Gu Xiqiao, she wanted all of those people who had laughed at her to also die!

The talisman was still at its original place, not looking like anyone had touched it. Bai Xinran let out a sigh of relief, and she picked up the talisman, writing the names of all the people on the back side of the paper.

Clack!

The room light was turned on suddenly, lighting up the room instantly. “Bai Xinran, what the hell are you doing?”

“Ah.” Bai Xinran was sitting on the ground, her expression horrified as she stared at the two people who had appeared in front of her suddenly. She scooted backward. “You, you… are you ghosts or humans?”

The two faces under the lights were gorgeous to the point that they looked a bit unreal.

Gu Xiqiao took a step forward, raising her hand slightly. The paper in Bai Xinran’s hands floated upward into the air. “Didn’t I warn you not to mess with me, otherwise I would take care of the entire Bai family?”

Bai Xinran leaned against the bed, trembling in fear. She could feel the frosty chill that radiated off Gu Xiqiao, the faint gaze piercing through her heart, she was serious about this!

She had never felt as much regret as she did in this moment, she watched as Gu Xiqiao turned the talisman, which was almost impossible to destroy whether by fire or water, into ashes with just a flick of her fingers, which leaked through the gaps in her hand.

Bai Xinran’s eyes widened at that, a look of disbelief on her face. The priest had mentioned before, once the array was successful, it was impossible for the talisman to be destroyed. No one in the world would be able to do it. However, the talisman was no different than ordinary paper in Gu Xiqiao’s hands!

Surprised, fear, and regret! Bai Xinran had no other thoughts, even knowing Jiang Shuxuan’s unmoving attitude, she didn’t have any awareness to notice that he was also present.

Run! That was the only thought in Bai Xinran’s mind!

She pulled herself up, seeing Gu Xiqiao still smiling and watching her without moving from her spot. Bai Xinran felt a burst of courage as she took off toward the door suddenly.

Jiang Shuxuan narrowed his eyes, and flicked his finger, a frost blade materializing and flew out.

Boom!

Before Bai Xinran could make it out the door, she was thrown back by a blast of energy.

“I’ve always carried out the words that I say.” Gu Xiqiao’s complexion was eerily white under the lights, elegant eyebrows and a gentle smile on her face.

Bai Xinran could feel the coldness from the smile on her face.

With just a thought, a pale yellow talisman paper appeared in Gu Xiqiao’s palm. “I won’t let you die, I want you to watch with your own eyes as the Bai family comes to an end, while you can do nothing about it.”

The yellow paper floated up, flying toward Bai Xinran’s forehead and merging into her brain in an instant. The expressions in Bai Xinran’s eyes faded away into emptiness, and her face became dull and jaw slacked.

No one would know, but her insides and mind could clearly see what was going on!

A normal person whose mind was extremely clear would seem to be someone with dementia, it was a cruel feeling. Bai Xinran wanted to shout and struggle, but the nurse that was assigned to her would only treat her more ruthlessly than the last one.

She would watch as the Bai family gradually sinks deeper into trouble, as her father got older and gaunt, and watched as those victims that had been cursed by them came back to life, one by one.

She would want to tell her father that the person behind the scenes was Gu Xiqiao, but all she would manage to do was let out a long string of garbles.

For the rest of her life, she would live in endless regret and suffering.

***

After dealing with Bai Xinran, Gu Xiqiao felt the air in the dorm room improved.

But in the following days, Sun Jiajia who previously only knew how to follow behind Bai Xinran had changed. She learned how to apply makeup, how to dress herself up in glamorous clothes, and when she had to deal with Gu Xiqiao and Xu Jing, there was a faint air of arrogance around her.

Gu Xiqiao was seldom in the dormitory because she was busy dealing with the Bai family affairs, but she had been pestered by Professor Jiang into coming today, and so she went to the labs.

In the laboratory, Lin Xia was busy carrying out his experiments. When he saw Gu Xiqiao, he paused in his work.

Professor Jiang had given him Gu Xiqiao’s report to look over, and after reading it, Lin Xia only had one thought in his head, insane.

They weren’t sure how, but Professor Ban had gotten word about the report, and tried every means he could to get his hands on it. Professor Jiang kept everything tightly under wraps, and didn’t allow him to read it at all. The two could be regarded as friends for almost half their life, and in order to understand Professor Jiang, there came a day when finally, Professor Ban had stolen the report!

Professor Jiang was extremely angry, and severely scolded Professor Ban for his actions.

However, Professor Ban said nothing. After reading the report, he began to hound Professor Jiang to get Gu Xiqiao to perform the entire experiment in the laboratory in person.

Because if you were to mention the problems of the rejection period, almost everyone who studied biology would know that the cells of two different animals were difficult to fuse due to the cell surface protein and the difference in their nuclear DNA. Even if they were successfully fused, they wouldn’t survive long, and would quickly enter the aging stage. At most, they would survive for three days.

But the cells that Gu Xiqiao had left the last time were still dividing, acting no different than normal cells.

Disregarding Professor Ban, even Professor Jiang was surprised and doubtful. After a few more days, he finally agreed to the proposal, and started to badger Gu Xiqiao in coming back to the laboratory.

Gu Xiqiao, who had learned the truth from Lin Xia: “…”

Professor Ban and Professor Jiang arrived quickly, almost in tandem. Bumping into each other at the entrance of the lab, they didn’t even have time to quarrel before rushing inside.

“Professor Jiang.” Gu Xiqiao glanced at Professor Jiang, and turned to the old man beside him. “Professor Ban.”

Professor Ban looked at the girl in front of him, a delicate appearance and great temperament, no less than those noble daughters from the big families in the Imperial Capital. Who wouldn’t want such a well-behaved and beautiful apprentice?

“Old Jiang is too rigid in his work, would you consider studying under me instead? Pity an old man like me, I don’t have any students under me yet,” Professor Ban said sadly.

The group of students who were under Professor Ban in the labs: …Teacher, don’t treat your normal students like idiots that don’t exist once you see a genius. Although our intelligence is not as high, we still have our dignity!

Being able to enter A University was definitely something to boast about, but of course, these people also had times when they completely admired someone.

Firstly, this was an era of looks. Just based on Gu Xiqiao’s appearance, no matter where you go, it’s also particularly popular, right?

And then, what kind of insane person would be able to obtain a perfect score in the first test? What else could they say? There was only one test in A University, and the questions were extremely difficult, the teachers were merciless. Most of the students who could obtain 60 marks were already thanking the heavens and earth, even those who scored 70 marks. Only those with extremely good luck would make it into the bracket of 80 marks!

There were even some questions which the teachers didn’t know the answers to, and those were the medical questions.

However, this crazy person named Gu Xiqiao had actually managed to score an almost perfect score in the test, which was 95 marks. There were also rumors that there was a disagreement between the two grading teachers regarding the last question in the paper, and had in the end compromised by giving her an extra 5 marks.

In the Faculty of Medicine, Gu Xiqiao’s reputation was practically divine.

At the same time, Luo Wenlang from the Faculty of Management and Economics had also displayed the same kind of insanity, scoring an almost perfect score in the test.

As expected, the story of Shang Zhongyong was indeed just a myth, about how geniuses would eventually become ordinary people. These two insane people had tested into A University with such crazy results, and they still kept up their insanity after that!

In just an instant, the two had completely dominated the limelight and overshadowed the rest of the students in their year. Many people were crying, being able to be in the same generation as these two people, it was really such a sad thing, because other people who wanted to shine would be outshined by their glorious light.

The two people involved in this matter naturally were unaware of this, and Gu Xiqiao spent the entire afternoon in the laboratory, explaining the rejection period thoroughly.

Being constantly badgered by two old codgers to the point she wanted to puke blood, she was relieved to be finally set free after that. She dragged her feet back to her dorm then, looking like someone with nothing to live for.

“What’s the matter, you look like life screwed you over,” Xu Jing said, looking at Gu Xiqiao’s appearance in surprise.

Gu Xiqiao sighed. “Buddha said, the less you desire, the less annoyance there is. Jing Jing, you basically mention desire in every sentence you say, could it be possible your life has deteriorated to this extent already?”

“No, no, no! On the contrary, I’m doing very well recently!” Xu Jing was proud when she said that, the two articles on Gu Xiqiao and Luo Wenlang had garnered a lot of popularity. There had never been a time on campus when the college magazine had sold more than a thousand copies.

But this time, more than ten thousand copies had been sold! This was the highest record ever, and it had all been thanks to Xu Jing’s two articles.

It was inevitable, Luo Wenlang was mysterious to the point that even the teachers couldn’t find him.

Gu Xiqiao at least still attended classes diligently in the earlier stages, and disappeared into thin air at the later stages. A lot of students on the forums were yelling out for pictures of her, in high-definition or uncensored. However, don’t talk about high-definition or uncensored, you couldn’t even find the person’s silhouette!

That’s why, when the college magazine produced high-definition, uncensored pictures of the two popular students, the magazines flew off the racks quickly, running out of print every day.

Seemingly knowing that Xu Jing had an indescribable relationship with the two, the editor-in-chief had consistently brought up Xu Jing’s contribution repeatedly, how would you not feel proud about it? Clinging to someone famous suddenly didn’t feel very bad at all.

While the two were chatting, the door was pushed open suddenly, and Sun Jiajia stepped in with her high heels.

Just a few days of not seeing each other, Gu Xiqiao felt that Sun Jiajia had changed a lot. Disregarding her character, even her appearance had changed. She had permed her hair, turning those straight locks into wavy curls, with delicate makeup on her face that turned her initially dark, squarish looking face into a smaller, more dainty white face.

An ordinary, plain local girl had instantly transformed into a rich beauty from the city.

***

Seeing Gu Xiqiao, Sun Jiajia was startled for a moment. Gu Xiqiao had not been in the dorms for a long while. At first, she had been excited because she didn’t attend classes, that would mean that Gu Xiqiao wouldn’t be able to pass her exams when the time comes!

But when Sun Jiajia saw the results of the exams, her heart shattered.

On the report card which also displayed the class positions, Gu Xiqiao was still placed at the first, while she only obtained 60 marks, which was considered to be a lower grade.

Sun Jiajia, who had always prided herself on her achievements, couldn’t withstand the blow from this matter. She had gone to the grove to cry in secret, and then met her life savior during that time. She had taught her how to apply makeup, how to buy clothes, and how to change herself.

The first time she had applied makeup, Sun Jiajia couldn’t believe that the smiling figure on the mirror turned out to be herself!

Not long after, she had met her true love again, and when she thought of him, she couldn’t help the fuzzy warm feelings that bloomed in her heart.

“Gu Xiqiao, why are you back here?” Sun Jiajia sat on the stool, picking up her mirror to touch up on her makeup. “I haven’t seen your boyfriend yet. Bring him along when we go out for a meal, my boyfriend owns a bar, so you can open your eyes to the world when you come along.”

Even though she had a boyfriend, her heart still throbbed when Sun Jiajia thought about Jiang Shuxuan. That perfectly cold face that looked like it was carved from ice, it was not one that was easily forgettable.

Thinking back to the surprised expression on Gu Xiqiao’s face when she entered just now, Sun Jiajia wanted to see more of it. What kind of expression would Gu Xiqiao’s boyfriend have when he saw a completely different person?

She reached up with her hands to stroke her white cheek, and for the first time, she looked forward to seeing someone again.

She no longer felt inferior nor less worthy of anyone else!

“He’s busy,” Gu Xiqiao replied, glancing at Sun Jiajia again, her eyes narrowing slightly. There was something off about her.

“No matter how busy he is, there will always be time to spend with his girlfriend.” Sun Jiajia turned and picked up her bag. “Look at my boyfriend, he’s busy running a business, but he still takes time out to accompany me.”

“Oh.” Gu Xiqiao turned away, making a noise of agreement.

“Oh? You give me just a ‘oh’ after such a provocation from me?” Sun Jiajia looked at Gu Xiqiao, but didn’t say anything further, leaving in a hurry.

“Really, one day in heaven is one year on earth, I just left for a few days, and such a big change has occurred in the human world.” Gu Xiqiao clasped both hands behind her head, letting out an overexaggerated heavy sigh.

Xu Jing couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her lips. “So then, Miss Immortal, what have you seen?”

Gu Xiqiao squinted her eyes at Xu Jing. “You will have a love affair.”

Xu Jing: “…”

She felt like she still couldn’t win against Gu Xiqiao, her opponent was just too good. Every time she would be the one who was on the receiving end. “Sun Jiajia recently got a boyfriend, I heard that he’s the kind that has dealings with both worlds, and has quite a sum of money.”

Xu Jing started to explain Sun Jiajia’s situation, and most of it was things that she had heard from others, but it didn’t seem to be too far off from the facts.

“I see.” Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and then she jumped down from the bed suddenly. “I remember something important that I needed to do, I’m leaving first then!”

Today was the day that Xiao Yun began her shooting, and she had promised she would be there!