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"No!" Gu Xiaoxi rejected outright.

She sensed something was off with Mi Xi, and felt that it would be best to stay put for now.

After hanging up, she went straight home.

Mr. Ye and Mrs. Ye had prepared a late-night snack for Gu Xiaoxi, which she ate a little of at home.

"Yuwei, it’s the first time I see you working overtime this late, is work very tiring?" Mrs. Ye asked worriedly while cleaning up the kitchen.

Eating the delicious meal, Gu Xiaoxi shook her head, "No, it’s fine. Just had some sudden matters to deal with today, so I worked overtime."

"Seeing your boss frequently driving you home, he values you a lot!" Father Ye also teased with a smile.

But Gu Xiaoxi replied, "Dad, you’re overthinking it, I’m just a secretary."

"Hehe, then keep up the good work. But when will your assignment be completed?" Mother Ye asked.

Because of Mi Xi’s strange reactions lately, she feared he had sent someone to watch them, hence after Mother Ye asked this,

Gu Xiaoxi shook her head at her, which was the rule, until the task was over.

She was their daughter, and about the task, she would not speak a word.

Mr. Ye and Mrs. Ye asked no further.

"Mom, I’m full. I’m going to sleep now, feeling a bit tired." Gu Xiaoxi stood up and returned to her room.

She turned on her computer, connected to the internet, and accessed the surveillance IP of Quan Shaoqing’s house.

At Jinhua Garden, the peach trees were blooming brilliantly, the entire estate looked likes the Immortal Realm in the camera’s view.

Gu Xiaoxi understood why Quan Shaoqing planted so many peach trees—for the beautiful scenery, which was satisfying even if it blossomed only once a year.

Quan Shaoqing stood on the balcony of his room, not expecting that his illness would last for days.

The garden was brimming with flowers, but it was only he who enjoyed them...

Where was she?

Was she safe?

"You’ve just recovered from an illness, better go back and lie down properly. If you catch a cold again, it will delay a lot of work," Ai Xiang advised, holding a coat while walking up to him and handing it to him.

Quan Shaoqing took it, draping it over his shoulders, and asked, "Ai Xiang, do you have someone you like?"

To what seemed a casual question, Ai Xiang instinctively stiffened.

"I do!" Ai Xiang said, "When I was very young, a little girl saved me. Later, she left, leaving only a Butterfly Orchid behind."

"When you were a child?" Quan Shaoqing frowned with puzzlement, "Did you understand emotions back then?"

If that were truly the case, he’d consider Ai Xiang a master!

"Right! Although it was only a fondness back then, I promised her that I would marry her in the future. But after she left, I never saw her again," Ai Xiang spoke with a low tone.

"I never heard you talk about this before," Quan Shaoqing said, perplexed.

"You never asked!" Ai Xiang responded, speechless.

Quan Shaoqing searched the pockets of his coat, intending to find cigarettes, but found nothing.

He gave up and instructed the butler, "Go to the wine cellar and bring over a few bottles of wine."

Uncle Zhou obediently went to the wine cellar, but he only brought back one bottle.

Quan Shaoqing gazed at him, "What’s the matter, the wine is mine, aren’t you willing to get it when asked?"

Uncle Zhou hurriedly pleaded innocence. "Young Master, you’ve just gotten a little better from your illness and can’t drink alcohol; you have to be obedient. This wine is for Mr. Ai."

"Pfft!" Ai Xiang couldn’t help but laugh out loud, happily taking the wine Uncle Zhou passed to her, grinning at Quan Shaoqing, "Good! People taking medicine can’t drink!"

Quan Shaoqing’s face then darkened completely.

"Go get my cigarettes for me!" Quan Shaoqing said impatiently. Nearly thirty years old and still being called good? He couldn’t help but feel chills.

It took a good while for Uncle Zhou to bring a single cigarette, "Young Master, try to smoke less, your health is important. For those who care about you and those you care about, you must look after yourself."

Quan Shaoqing’s fingers, as they took the cigarette, trembled so subtly it was barely noticeable.

He had many people he cared about, and many cared for him.

But she was not among them...

Quan Shaoqing took the lighter and lit the cigarette, inhaling deeply, only to get choked by the smoke.

As a long-term smoker, he, too, faced such an embarrassing moment. "Seems like I need to quit," he said.

"Right! Young Master, you’ve finally come to your senses," Uncle Zhou quickly chimed in.

"Go about your business!" Quan Shaoqing’s temper flared for no reason, a casual remark about quitting smoking turned into a frustration as his butler eagerly agreed.

Uncle Zhou turned and left swiftly, simply being a straightforward man.

After all, as long as the Young Master didn’t smoke, he wasn’t afraid of a little anger.

Ai Xiang had already laughed herself to the point of being red-faced, "It seems you really have no shortage of people who care about you!"

"Even alcohol can’t shut you up!" Quan Shaoqing snorted coldly.

...

Gu Xiaoxi watched Quan Shaoqing on the monitor, realizing that without her, he wasn’t alone after all.

At least, there were so many people who cared about him, right by his side.

Thinking of this, Gu Xiaoxi felt content.

She took out the Peach Blossom Wine she had brought back from Fragrance Flower Village, sat in front of the computer, and enjoyed the scenery of Jinhua Garden with Quan Shaoqing.

It was not until Quan Shaoqing and Ai Xiang had returned to their rooms that Gu Xiaoxi shut down the computer, sat alone by the bay window in her room, opened the window, and drank alone.

The aroma of the liquor was strong, almost fragrant for miles.

Soon, Mr. Ye and Mrs. Ye smelled it and said to Gu Xiaoxi, "Girl, go to bed early tonight. Drinking is harmful to a woman’s health."

"Okay! I know," Gu Xiaoxi covered the wine jug, and for some reason, she couldn’t sleep.

Although she was very tired, she felt no desire to sleep.

Perhaps it was longing that made her feel very lonely; she needed to find something to do.

She couldn’t open the Crystal, so there was no way to practice cultivation.

So, she thought she might as well go out for a run.

Or find a place to practice with her dagger.

She hesitated for a long time.

Gu Xiaoxi thought she might as well go for a run!

Practicing with a dagger, she feared damaging public property and frightening others.

After all, every plant and tree on the streets was built by the effort of sanitation workers and the huge expense of the state, not like the wild grass in the mountains or the fish in the waters...

Carrying a jug of wine on her run, an hour later, Gu Xiaoxi sat on a small path by the roadside, gasping for breath.

At that moment, behind her, a man was proposing to a woman.

The man was handsome and drove a luxury car.

The woman was beautiful, but dressed plainly.

The successful proposal was within Gu Xiaoxi’s expectations.

But just as the man took the woman’s hand to leave,

Another man rushed onto the scene and grabbed the girl’s hand.

"You can’t go! Mei Zi, you said you’d only ever liked me in this life. Why would you agree to his proposal?"

The girl almost evasively shook off the hand of the man who had rushed up, "We’ve already broken up. I will not marry you, and my mother would never agree to my marrying a man who has nothing."

The proposing man stepped forward, kicked the latecomer to the ground, and furiously cursed, "Poor bastard, just look at yourself. You still want to compete with me for a woman."

With that, the man in the luxury car took the beauty’s hand, stepped on the gas, and left.

Leaving behind the beaten man, lying on the ground, heartbroken.

Seeing this, Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t help but shake her head.

She was sure that the girl would regret it one day; abandoning a loved one to marry for money instead.

And money is the least valuable thing in the world.

Diligent people can earn it with their own two hands, but love cannot be won even with a hundred hands.

Gu Xiaoxi, finding the scene boring, walked away briskly.

To her, these people were just passersby in her life.

She couldn’t even keep her own lover, so why bother with other people’s feelings?

The more she feared being alone, the lonelier she felt...

Walking on the bustling street, Gu Xiaoxi unknowingly arrived at the city center’s bridge.

The rolling river flowed tirelessly; she sat on the bridge, looking at the endless water surface, gazing at the mirages on both riverbanks.

She wanted to ask the ocean a question: how to love someone perfectly, without causing hurt to anyone.

Before she could finish pondering her question, someone approached the railing beside her.

Gu Xiaoxi turned her head and took a closer look; wasn’t it the man whose girlfriend had just run off with someone else?

At that moment, the man looked disheveled, with his face and body covered in dust.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Gu Xiaoxi sat at the bridgehead and asked.

"Same as you, I want to die!" the man replied, his spirit crushed.

Gu Xiaoxi laughed, "I’m not like you. I’m here to make a wish to the ocean."

"Oh! I was actually hoping to find someone to jump with, so I’d have company on Netherworld Road. Since you’re not jumping, I’m going to do it," the man said, preparing to jump.

Gu Xiaoxi immediately reached out to stop him, still smiling, "Don’t! Listen to what I have to say first."

"You’re not jumping, what else is there to say!" the man obviously was impatient.

At this point, the actions of the two had unwittingly attracted the attention of passersby.

People crowded around, and some concerned individuals quickly shouted, "Young man, please don’t jump!"

Seeing the crowd approaching, the heartbroken man hugged the railing frantically and said, "Don’t move, or I’ll jump right now."

This caused those who wanted to help him to back off.

Of course, no one dared to approach Gu Xiaoxi either, since she was only a meter away from the man.

Everyone thought she too was preparing to jump into the sea.