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Old Master Zhang had finished speaking.

Zhang Jingyue immediately nodded demurely, her eyes hiding a cold indifference as she looked at Gu Xiaoxi, obediently saying to the old man, "Yes, Grandpa!"

"Since she’s a comrade-in-arms, Miss Xiaoxi is a guest upon arrival. Why don’t you take her to play in the garden and, by the way, show her some of Grandpa’s collection?" Old Master Zhang said to Gu Xiaoxi with a smile. He obviously seemed quite fond of Gu Xiaoxi.

Incredibly, he even wanted to show his prized collection to Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi smiled politely, turning to look at Zhang Jingyue, her expression briefly turning cool, "Then I shall make myself at home."

Standing up to leave, Quan Shaoqing gripped her hand, concerned, "Don’t wander off. I’ll come find you soon."

Gu Xiaoxi nodded, then turned toward Zhang Jingyue and walked over to her.

Zhang Jingyue’s face was beaming with a smile, but her heart was filled with rage. Speaking to Gu Xiaoxi, her tone was restrained, "Let’s go! I think we have a lot to talk about."

"I think I also have a lot to say to you," said Gu Xiaoxi, clicking her high heels and following behind Zhang Jingyue, turning and heading toward the garden outside. She was not afraid of her, and she was even less afraid of her tricks.

When dealing with an enemy, the most fearsome are those who are two-faced and deceitful. Or, like Old Master Zhang, who clearly dislikes you but pretends to be extremely kind—such people make it impossible to guess when they will unexpectedly show you hostility.

As for Zhang Jingyue, she was too easily revealing her own thoughts, which made her not frightening at all.

Gu Xiaoxi looked around and couldn’t help but sigh at the atmosphere in the room, thinking that people who had been officials really handled things differently. There were calculations and caution everywhere.

At seven o’clock, it was getting a bit dark outside.

But the garden was as brightly lit as daylight, with some guests strolling around.

As they encountered Zhang Jingyue, they all greeted her and praised how beautiful the Zhang family’s garden was, offering complimentary words.

Gu Xiaoxi surveyed her surroundings, thinking that compared to Young Master Quan’s home, the scenery here was far inferior. On the other side of the garden, there were two dilapidated old houses, where dim lights under the eaves gave a deathly still impression.

"Over there is where my grandfather brews his own wine. I’ll take you there to have a look," Zhang Jingyue glanced around; there were people everywhere. That place seemed eerie and deserted, but it was suitable for her conversation with Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi held her clutch and toyed with her phone, giving Zhang Jingyue a cursory glance, "There’s nothing interesting about a wine cellar. Are you inviting me for a drink?"

"Are you scared? That wine cellar is just a place where Grandpa brews wine when he’s bored.

He not only drinks it himself but also gives it away to lots of people.

Everyone says his wine is very good. Considering you’re a guest, I’ll treat you to a taste of his treasured wine," Zhang Jingyue strode up the stone path to the cottage.

Gu Xiaoxi watched her back, not believing for a second that she was that generous. But she followed anyway.

Meanwhile, at the banquet hall, more and more people were arriving. This included Fu Qiuyi and Fu Xin, both busy joining in the celebrations for Old Master Zhang’s birthday.

Fu Qiuyi could be described as an uninvited guest.

However, now that he had come, even someone as respected as Master Zhang had to give him some face.

After all, he was wealthy enough to rival countries.

The old man was also very fond of Fu Xin, directly asking her to go to the garden to find Zhang Jingyue to play, mentioning that Gu Xiaoxi was also there, and that the girls, being around the same age, might have much in common to talk about.

Quan Shaoqing wasn’t worried about Gu Xiaoxi’s safety, since even he couldn’t beat her in terms of physical strength.

One Zhang Jingyue plus one Fu Xin, or even adding a peerless master to the mix, might not necessarily be able to beat her.

Now, Quan Shaoqing was actually more interested in Fu Xin.

After everyone had mingled with Master Zhang, they dispersed.

Fu Qiuyi took the initiative to approach Quan Shaoqing and said with a smile, "It’s my fault for not recognizing a great man in front of me. I didn’t recognize Young Master Quan, so let me toast to you as an apology." With that, he picked up a cup and handed it to Quan Shaoqing.

Quan Shaoqing sat on the sofa and gave Fu Qiuyi a once-over before stretching out his hand, lazily accepting the white liquor passed to him, and sniffed at the rim of the glass, "This seems like the fragrant Peach Blossom Wine, a skill that rivals that of a master."

"Just now, Mr. Feng Lin told me that these are wines personally brewed by the old master. The wine in this cup has been stored for ten years and was just dug out yesterday. Its aroma spreads for miles, and it’s our luck to be able to drink it," Fu Qiuyi stated, playing the gracious host.

Quan Shaoqing let out a soft chuckle, his bright and profound eyes concealing a hint of murderous intent as he suddenly changed the topic, his voice turning cold, "I want to ask Mr. Fu a question."

"If there’s anything you want to ask, just say it! I’ll definitely tell you what I know," Fu Qiuyi smiled amiably. Rarely seeing Quan Shaoqing show such interest in him, he naturally wouldn’t pass up the chance to make a connection.

"I heard that you had a wife sixteen years ago, and a child as well. I want to ask, where have they gone?" As soon as he finished speaking, Quan Shaoqing’s gaze was tightly fixed on the man’s expression.

As expected, Fu Qiuyi’s face immediately showed an expression of shock, even the rigid muscles and petrified smile were perceptible.

After a while, he turned to smile at Quan Shaoqing and asked, "How would Young Master Quan know about these things?"

"I heard about it and was just curious why your wife hasn’t appeared for so many years. Has she passed away?" Quan Shaoqing swirled the little bit of liquid in his glass, then gently took a sip. The casual question seemed unintentional yet intentional.

Fu Qiuyi’s expression darkened for a moment, and he sat in silence beside Quan Shaoqing for quite a while.

Then he sighed and said with a heavy gaze, "When my ex-wife and I got married, we were both young. I was twenty-four, she was twenty. We were only married for a year. I had just graduated from college at that time, couldn’t find a job, and had to support a family, so I could only work for others, being a third-rate chef.

She followed me and felt that life was hard, so she left on her own.

After she left, she left our one-year-old daughter with me.

I looked after my daughter while taking on multiple jobs.

It was not easy to raise her until she was three, but due to my negligence, I lost her. "

Seeing the pained expression on Fu Qiuyi’s face, which didn’t seem feigned, Quan Shaoqing asked with curiosity, "How could you lose her?"

This was completely different from what Gu Xiaoxi remembered.

"That day, at noon, on the street, I suddenly realized my wallet was gone.

That was all the living expenses for me and my daughter.

When I turned around, I happened to see the thief with my wallet, and I.

.." Fu Qiuyi choked up here, tears in his eyes.

Starting from scratch, having been through poverty, those bitter memories were indeed too painful to recall.

"Then you left the child to chase after the wallet, and in the end, you lost the child," Quan Shaoqing stated coldly. Although this explanation made sense, abandoning a daughter for a wallet for a long time seemed utterly derelict for a father.

"No, it wasn’t like that. I did chase after the wallet, right around a corner not far from where my child was..." Fu Qiuyi recalled the past, tears of heartache spilling from his eyes.

Back then, he and his daughter were only a hundred meters apart. He caught the thief at a corner, out of sight of his daughter, where he was stabbed several times by the thief.

He fought desperately to protect the wallet and was seriously injured. Wanting to go back for his child, he never expected that because of his severe injuries and excessive blood loss, he would be drained of his strength and in the end, he couldn’t even utter a word.

As he collapsed, he watched with open eyes as his well-behaved daughter stood by the roadside, waiting for him to return. But in the end, he didn’t even call out her name before he passed out.

When he awoke in the hospital, it had already been three days.

He had nearly died at that time. As soon as he woke up, he struggled to get up, asking everyone to help look for his daughter. However, before he could leave the hospital, his wound split open, and he fell into a coma for another three days.

By the time he woke up again, alerted the police, and asked for help to find her, the daughter had long since disappeared.

With that, Fu Qiuyi turned his face away and quietly wiped away his tears.

Back then, he was just a nobody. He posted advertisements everywhere to find his daughter, asked friends for help, searched train and bus stations, and any crowded places. But he found nothing.

His daughter seemed to have vanished into thin air.

After that, he worked hard to earn money to find his daughter. He fought his way up and then conducted a nationwide search.

Alas, to this day, there has been no word.

After hearing his story, Quan Shaoqing frowned, not sure whether to believe him. Although touching and indeed showing his own difficulties.

Sixteen years had passed, and words alone weren’t proof. He still needed to find evidence. If what he said was true, then Gu Xiaoxi had truly wronged a good father, and the misunderstanding between them was indeed deep.

"Why does Young Master Quan ask such questions? Could it be that you know the whereabouts of my daughter?" Fu Qiuyi asked with red eyes, his emotions running high as he eagerly pressed Quan Shaoqing for an answer, obviously clinging to a sliver of hope.