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Upon hearing Ye Xinhuan’s words, the countenances of the three men around Gu Xiaoxi changed.

However, Gu Xiaoxi, utterly unconcerned, raised her head with an icy gaze fixed on Ye Xinhuan and curled her lips into a cold chuckle, "I said, I’m talking to a dog; don’t take it personally."

With that, she pointed to a little black-haired dog beneath the table.

Don’t think she didn’t know that these two women had been hiding behind the curtains all along, sneaking peeks at her.

She didn’t sense anyone downstairs earlier, but after she went upstairs, she noticed the two sneaky women.

Everyone followed Gu Xiaoxi’s gaze and, indeed, saw a dog under the table.

Ji Hao looked at Ye Xinhuan, utterly bewildered, "Miss Ye, it’s not right to burst out and verbally attack someone. Just now, Miss Gu wasn’t talking to you!"

"I..." Ye Xinhuan was infuriated yet dared not express it, but she was sure that Gu Xiaoxi had just been insulting her. Looking at Ji Hao, she quickly adopted an apologetic and sad tone, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I thought she was scolding me."

Ji Hao looked from Gu Xiaoxi to Ai Xiang, unsure of what to say.

Ai Xiang, however, holding her wine glass, chuckled disdainfully, "The upbringing of our Ai family isn’t up for others to critique.

My sister is just direct by nature, and I may not have any strengths, but I do stand up for my family.

Miss Ye, you came up here and verbally attacked my sister, and you don’t even have the decency to apologize? "

Having been raised in a large family, Ye Xinhuan was very skilled at understanding people’s hearts.

Seeing Ji Hao’s displeased frown, she immediately took a wineglass from the table, poured herself a glass, and looked at Gu Xiaoxi, "I’m sorry, it was my fault earlier.

As long as you know you weren’t scolding me, that’s fine.

I hope we can be friends in the future."

Gu Xiaoxi lightly raised a smiling face, clinked her glass against the other’s, lifted her chin with proud detachment, and said, "Well said!"

She was never afraid of making enemies; if anyone was bold enough, let them come.

Ye Xinhuan clenched her fist tightly, rage burning in her heart, but she was forced to keep a smiling face.

"Miss Ai Zhen, do you know the price of this bottle of wine?" Ye Xinhuan felt somewhat embarrassed for having barged in earlier. Thus, she wanted to show off a bit of knowledge. Especially seeing Gu Xiaoxi looking like someone who only knew about eating, she wanted to make her lose face.

Little did she know, as soon as she finished speaking, Gu Xiaoxi glanced at her coolly and said, "I really don’t know how much it costs, but I’m sure that even the cheapest bottle in my house is more expensive than this one."

Ai Xiang’s lips twitched; that was a showstopper.

Ye Xinhuan, her chest heaving with anger, reminded herself not to get angry, especially not with a bumpkin.

So, she forced a laugh and shot back, "Then what kind of wine do you usually drink?"

"66’s Sugo Red, 72’s Gula, and of course, the most plentiful, 68’s Love Above All.

Because in ’68, the snowstorm in Edinburgh significantly enhanced the taste of the grapes, making the wines from that year incredibly valuable.

I estimate you’ve never even heard of them," spoke Gu Xiaoxi, her tone playful.

Lin Meiting’s mouth twitched violently, and she burst out laughing.

It wasn’t that she had never heard of them, they simply couldn’t exist. Especially from over sixty years ago - they weren’t even born then, and even their fathers were just children. It was impossible for such ancient wines to have been preserved until now.

"Miss Ai Zhen really has a sense of humor. This bottle of Great Fortune Ahead is a common sight at major banquets. Priced between two hundred thousand and five hundred thousand, it’s not overly common, making it a fine quality," said Ye Xinhuan.

Gu Xiaoxi sniffed the wine in her glass. In public, of course, the wine wasn’t bad, but compared to her family’s, it was hardly presentable.

Both Ai Xiang and Quan Youming were regular visitors to her family’s cellar.

But some things are better left unsaid; talking too much might reveal a lack of taste.

Ai Xiang was sipping her wine and thought if she really compared, she’d find this wine nothing special. The wines from the Quan Family’s cellar were addictive for being drunk too often.

Much of its collection had vintages of many years, whether it be Brandy, Daughter’s Red, Peach Blossom Wine, or Fine Quality Red Wine, all were of over twenty years.

His grandfather’s generation started the red wine business, and today the Quan Family’s wine company has spread globally. Not to mention what’s being drunk now, but seven percent of the world’s red wine brands come from their family.

Women might compare other things with Gu Xiaoxi, but not this.

Gu Xiaoxi could probably drink the red wine you couldn’t afford in your whole life, like it was tea.

As Ai Xiang sat smiling silently, she knew her family also had many treasures stashed away, and she wasn’t afraid Gu Xiaoxi would bluff in her sister’s name. If nothing else, they could just continue to frequent Shaoqing’s cellar after this affair and take some of the finer stuff back home.

Gu Xiaoxi looked at Ai Xiang, who had an evident calculating expression, clearly up to no good.

For the moment, she just smiled and changed the subject, "I’m full. I hear there’s a performance tonight; brother, let’s go watch."

"Sure!" Ai Xiang stood up without hesitation, her expression tender and doting, "Looks like it’s about time to start."

Speaking of which, the two said their farewells to Ji Hao and Zhu Jun, "Since you both have guests, we’ll be leaving first."

"Okay, see you later," Ji Hao immediately responded with a smile.

Although he did not know why Gu Xiaoxi had developed a grudge with Ye Xinhuan, from Ye Xinhuan’s words and behavior, he could tell there was indeed an intention to provoke.

After Ai Xiang and her ’sister’ left, Ji Hao turned his gaze towards Ye Xinhuan and Lin Meiting with a stern expression, "I don’t know what your intentions are, but you must not offend anyone here. There are many people here who you cannot afford to slight."

"Is there something special about Miss Ai Zhen? We did not mean to target her, merely curious, what could make the two brothers treat her with such respect?" Ye Xinhuan immediately switched to a smiling expression and politely asked.

Ji Hao stood up, his gaze becoming cold as he said, "Offend a peerless divine doctor, and you will understand the intricate dynamics here. Since Ai Xiang is my friend, her sister is naturally my friend as well. You two, be more careful with your words in the future. Also, when you have time, try to be more cultured; don’t come across so unsophisticated and lacking in class.

The red wine that Gu Xiaoxi mentioned is an ancestor of the current red wine industry. "

With that, Ji Hao and Zhu Jun left together. Ye Xinhuan and Lin Meiting stood there stunned, unable to react for a long time.

When they did react, they were seething with rage.

Ji Hao had actually criticized her for being uncultured, unsophisticated, and lacking in class on account of Gu Xiaoxi!

"Xinhuan, this woman is not simple. Clearly, she was the one who intentionally insulted people, and now she’s finding ways to demean us. We haven’t done anything wrong!" Lin Meiting frowned, although Zhu Jun had not said a word. His attitude, like Ji Hao’s, was one of appreciation for Gu Xiaoxi.

This made her feel very unagreeable. That woman didn’t have any of the qualities of a lady; what was there to admire about Ai Zhen?

"What’s there to fear? The road ahead is still long, and I want to see what she’s capable of." Ye Xinhuan reignited her fighting spirit, determined to tarnish Gu Xiaoxi’s image in everyone’s minds no matter what.

She couldn’t let Ji Hao and Zhu Jun take a liking to her.

...

Gu Xiaoxi arrived at the performance venue just as many others flocked to the scene. It was said to be a world-class grand performance, and as a soldier with a dull life and nothing to do, she naturally wanted to come and enjoy it.

She and Ai Xiang entered together, but due to the crowd, she accidentally stepped on someone’s foot. When she looked up, she locked eyes with the person she had bumped into.

His pair of red eyes were so distinctive that she remembered him.

"I’m sorry?" she immediately apologized politely.

"No problem!" he replied with generous smile. And he spoke the language of Liuli Country very well.

Gu Xiaoxi did not pay much attention to the interaction and simply found a place to sit down with Ai Xiang.

She had just sat down when someone took the seat next to her.

It was the same person who made her feel very uneasy.

"Miss Ai won’t mind me sitting next to you, will she?" Yi Si asked with a light smile, his tone utterly amiable.

Gu Xiaoxi was speechless; the place wasn’t hers after all, so he could sit wherever he wanted.

She simply nodded and said nothing more.

Repeated encounters gave her the feeling of a lingering ghost.

She always felt that such coincidences couldn’t be that common in the world.

Yet, she had to admit that being on the same boat, it was normal to run into each other multiple times.

Soon, Ji Hao and Zhu Jun also arrived and found seats next to Ai Xiang.

The venue was still quite crowded.

A moment later, the performance began.

It was a large-scale visual dance, acrobatics, and magic show, all of which were a world-class artistic feast.

Gu Xiaoxi found the performances very interesting, especially the bustling nature of the event, which gave an exhilarating feeling.

What moved her the most was the Valentine’s Day play. The performers were fully engaged, bringing the body language of lovers to full and vivid expression.