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Quan Shaoqing shook his head violently and said, "I’ve only heard things, how could I possibly know the whereabouts of your daughter."

"Why would Young Master Quan ask such a question?" Fu Qiuyi sensed a sliver of hope. There were no questions without reason in this world, and Quan Shaoqing had asked that for some reason.

Putting down his cup, Quan Shaoqing coughed lightly, stood up, and looked at Fu Qiuyi indifferently, "Actually, I’ve heard about your past. I was just curious."

"Young Master Quan, if you truly know the whereabouts of my daughter, please tell me. When she left, she was still so young, I don’t even know if she’s been well.

I owe her too much over these years..." Fu Qiuyi immediately clung to Quan Shaoqing.

Without giving him a reason, he insisted on getting some clarification, knowing that he knew something.

He wouldn’t let slip even a thread of hope.

Quan Shaoqing held his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Just now, in a moment of impatience, he had asked too directly. He hadn’t expected Fu Qiuyi to be so desperate in his search for his daughter that he wouldn’t even let him go.

Considering he might be his future father-in-law, he couldn’t afford to offend him now, but he couldn’t just admit to anything either.

What if he was lying? What would happen to Xiao Xi? That would be irresponsible towards her. He still needed to investigate, but first, he had to tell Gu Xiaoxi.

Quan Shaoqing ignored Fu Qiuyi and turned to walk towards the garden to look for Gu Xiaoxi and Zhang Jingyue.

Just as he stepped out the door, he heard a ruckus not far away.

Following that, he saw Zhang Jingyue running over from the small path of the wine cellar, covering her face and sobbing.

After bumping into him at the crossroads, she looked at him with pitifully large eyes, with tears the size of beans falling, displaying a look of holding back her words.

In the end, suppressing her grievances, she didn’t say a word and ran towards the hall.

Her expression was pitiful, clearly, she had been bullied terribly.

Quan Shaoqing instantly had a bad feeling.

He immediately hastened towards the small cabin where Zhang Jingyue had come from.

At the doorway, Gu Xiaoxi hurried out of the house looking somewhat panicked, and was reeking of alcohol.

"Xiao Xi, what’s wrong?" Quan Shaoqing instinctively assumed she was drunk and went up to support her.

Gu Xiaoxi grabbed his hand, then lifted one foot, expressing her disdain, "Zhang Jingyue suddenly went crazy and pushed me, making me knock over a jar of wine. Now my shoes are all wet."

"You didn’t hit her?" Quan Shaoqing asked instinctively.

"Why would I hit her?" Gu Xiaoxi wasn’t stupid; if she wanted to hit her, she would have done it outside. It wasn’t her place to discipline someone else’s children in their own house, especially not Zhang Jingyue’s.

"Then what happened between you two? I just saw her covering her face, running to the living room," Quan Shaoqing asked, even more puzzled.

Gu Xiaoxi glanced at the large villa not far away, her gaze carrying an endless chill, "She knows what she did. If she tries to accuse others first, I’ll make her lose face in front of all these noble families today."

Quan Shaoqing listened, puzzled, but seeing Gu Xiaoxi was unharmed, he was relieved.

"Take off your shoes, I’ll have Uncle Zhou get you a pair from the car." He knelt down, took off her shoes and carried them in his hand, then carried her to the resting room beside the banquet hall.

Moments later, Uncle Zhou arrived with a pair of clean high heels. Clearly, they were spare shoes prepared in advance, and they fit perfectly.

Just as Quan Shaoqing and Gu Xiaoxi finished getting ready, Old Master Zhang asked Quan Shaoqing to bring Gu Xiaoxi over, saying he had something to talk about.

Gu Xiaoxi understood in her heart that it couldn’t be anything good, with Zhang Jingyue always liking to stir up trouble for no reason.

Quan Shaoqing, holding Gu Xiaoxi’s hand, said worriedly, "Don’t be afraid, I’m here."

"You think too little of me. Do I look like someone who can be easily bullied?" Gu Xiaoxi grasped the small purse in her hand and, with a playful expression, hooked arms with Quan Shaoqing.

Seeing her confident, Quan Shaoqing finally felt at ease and led her towards the grand living room.

At that moment, inside the grand living room.

Zhang Jingyue sat next to Old Master Zhang, sobbing, one side of her face swollen, obviously struck by a person, with five visible handprints—she looked both wronged and pitiable.

As soon as Gu Xiaoxi appeared, everyone’s gaze turned to her, whispering to one another.

"She looks so sweet, but who knew she was so vicious at heart to dare to discipline the Miss of a family at such a gathering?"

"I think Young Master Quan has been fooled, how could he marry such a woman. Isn’t she like a tigress?"

"Look at Miss Zhang’s face, those five fingerprints are so clear."

At this moment, Old Master Zhang’s face turned ugly, and upon seeing Gu Xiaoxi, his expression grew even more unfriendly, yet he did not say anything to Gu Xiaoxi.

Instead, he turned to Quan Shaoqing with a stern tone, "Shaoqing, although Miss Gu is a guest at my place, it’s not right for her to hurt someone. "

"What exactly are you implying, Grandfather?" Quan Shaoqing looked expressionless as he glanced at Zhang Jingyue, then turned to Old Master Zhang with an equally serious tone.

"I know you dote on Miss Gu, but you can’t spoil her too much.

Is it wrong for Jingyue to like you? She just had a dispute with Gu Xiaoxi, and she resorted to hitting.

This is still at the Zhang residence, who gave her the courage to do this!

" Old Master Zhang spoke with a cold tone. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingyue’s parents also huddled around their daughter, faces full of pity.

Now, almost everyone in the banquet hall had gathered around, pointing at Gu Xiaoxi.

They were saying she had no manners, didn’t understand the rules, was completely lawless.

Quan Shaoqing’s expression turned completely dark at this point.

In the past, when Gu Xiaoxi said that Zhang Jingyue loved to lie, he somewhat doubted it, but now, he believed it completely.

And to act so convincingly, he was also impressed. Such a woman would be a waste if she didn’t become an actor.

"I think there’s been a misunderstanding here. Grandfather, how can you believe one-sided statements when you didn’t see with your own eyes." Quan Shaoqing still maintained his graceful demeanor, but his stance became more resolute, and anger was suppressed between his brows.

Old Master Zhang didn’t dare to completely fall out with Quan Shaoqing and risk truly offending him, but seeing his granddaughter crying like a pear blossom bathed in rain, he couldn’t suppress his annoyance at Gu Xiaoxi, "Shaoqing, am I to believe I’ve wronged her?

Miss Fu Xin just happened to pass by earlier and heard their quarrel and the sound of a slap.

If it wasn’t Miss Gu who hit her, could it be that she hit herself? "

Quan Shaoqing narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting to Fu Xin.

Fu Xin was startled at first, then quickly regained her composure and hurriedly explained, "I was going to find Sister Jingyue.

At the door, I heard their argument and was too scared to go in.

Then I heard something like a slap, a very loud noise, and then Sister Jingyue cried and ran out from that wine-making building. "

Gu Xiaoxi stood by Quan Shaoqing’s side, her expression remained indifferent, not uttering a word. She didn’t defend herself in the slightest, which, to the onlookers, seemed like an unrepentant admission of guilt.

Quan Shaoqing held Gu Xiaoxi’s hand, having witnessed for himself Zhang Jingyue’s scheming.

She had caused trouble and then escalated it to the heavens, inciting others to criticize Gu Xiaoxi, leaving him no chance to defend her.

What a scheme!

Quan Shaoqing turned his head to look at Gu Xiaoxi, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

The world of women was truly complex and full of unforeseeable defenses.

Seeing how composed Gu Xiaoxi was, he believed in her, and more so believed that she could exonerate herself, "What’s your explanation then? "

Standing amid the crowd, Gu Xiaoxi looked at Quan Shaoqing and suddenly burst into laughter.

She laughed exaggeratedly and then walked up to Zhang Jingyue, extended her five fingers playfully and said, "Don’t think my hands are delicate, they possess immense strength." As she spoke, she casually picked up an apple from the table, which was larger than her hand.

Suddenly she squeezed it, and the apple was crushed effortlessly in her hand.

Everyone watching shuddered at the sight, what a violent girl.

Zhang Jingyue, while shedding tears, began to feel anxious, not knowing what Gu Xiaoxi was up to and wishing that her grandfather would quickly send her away, lest the night bring more troubles.

Thus, she cried timidly at Gu Xiaoxi, "Are you still trying to threaten me now? Grandfather, do you not love me anymore? She’s so malicious, send her away! "

"Miss Zhang, indeed you’re not wrong. I really am a bit malicious.

I definitely would slap someone I dislike until their face is disfigured.

That slap mark is too light; my cultivation can’t produce this kind of effect that is neither disfiguring nor genuinely swollen," Gu Xiaoxi viciously tossed away the apple, flicking the moisture off her fingers, her demeanor still arrogant. It was as if she was saying, if she hit someone, it would be like crushing an apple, capable of blooming someone’s face.

It was clear to everyone that Gu Xiaoxi was essentially denying she had hit Zhang Jingyue.

Old Master Zhang rarely exploded in public, but now he was so furious his eyes seemed to spew fire, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Gu Xiaoxi, are you implying that my granddaughter would hit herself?"

At this moment, everyone was looking at Gu Xiaoxi, convinced she was lying. Trying to create a narrative to exculpate herself!

But no matter what, without evidence, it was just talk.