Chapter 111 - 107: It’s Fate

Because the teacher rescheduled classes the day before, Qiao Yuxian’s classes on this day didn’t end until four in the afternoon. Shang Chen had her class schedule, so he came early to pick her up. Qiao Yuxian left the school and directly got into his car. Shang Chen waited for her to settle in and started the car. "Let’s not go back to Fenglin Villa yet," Qiao Yuxian said while tapping a few times on her phone, "let’s go to this place." Shang Chen hadn’t had the chance to ask what "this place" was when the car navigation system chimed in. Shang Chen looked at the car navigation system in surprise: "?????" He stared at the navigation for a while, then turned to look at Qiao Yuxian. Qiao Yuxian was focused on her phone and said without looking up, "Watch the road, why are you looking at me?" Shang Chen turned his attention back to the road and after a while said, "You..." Qiao Yuxian glanced up at him. Shang Chen mouthed something but didn’t say anything, after a few seconds, he said again, "You..." Still, he failed to get the words out. After waiting for a while, seeing that he didn’t say anything, Qiao Yuxian lowered her gaze and looked at her phone again. Just as she lowered her head, Shang Chen spoke again, "You..." "Has your system crashed?" Qiao Yuxian looked at him again and said, "Or does your language system only know this one word now?" "I..." Shang Chen said again. "Oh. Okay. Got it," Qiao Yuxian said, "only two words left now." Shang Chen, so surprised he couldn’t speak properly: "......" The entire way, Shang Chen never managed to organize his words and say anything. When they arrived at their destination, Qiao Yuxian got out, and Shang Chen followed her out. He looked up at the tea house in front. A three-story, retro-style Chinese building, reminiscent of a small town in Jiangnan. Above the entrance hung a sign with the three large characters "Xianhe Pavilion." On either side of the entrance hang large red lanterns, each inscribed with the characters "Idle People." Qiao Yuxian entered the tea house, Shang Chen followed right behind her. As soon as one enters, the first impression is how well the place is decorated; it feels very atmospheric, with a sensation of distant mountains and clouds, almost ethereal. The second feeling is... this place is really quiet. Qiao Yuxian walked in a few steps and said, "Business is great, not a single customer." Shang Chen: "......" Behind an indoor rockery, Liu Zhou, who was sitting, heard their voices and poked his head out to look at the door. Seeing Qiao Yuxian, his face broke into a smile, and he walked out saying, "Sister Xian, how come you have time to visit today?" "I’m here to see Zhaocai," Qiao Yuxian said, looking at his long gown, "What are you up to?" All the employees here wear this attire: the men wear long gowns, and the women wear mamian skirts. It makes one feel like they have stepped into another time as soon as they enter. Liu Zhou let down the cuffs he had rolled up, looking like a gentleman from the Republic of China, he said, "Trying to put some dry ice in the pool under the rockery." "To make people feel like they’re stepping on clouds, feeling heavenly?" Qiao Yuxian asked. Liu Zhou walked closer, nodded, greeted Shang Chen behind her, then said to Qiao Yuxian, "Almost. Zhaocai is in the back." "Mm." Qiao Yuxian walked towards the backyard. Shang Chen followed her for a few steps, she turned back and said, "There are a lot of plants and flowers here, see any you like? Take a few pots home." Shang Chen paused his steps and looked at her. Qiao Yuxian met his gaze for two seconds then said, "If you can’t take them whole, you can pluck some and take them back." Liu Zhou’s temples twitched. Shang Chen looked at her for a few more seconds then turned to Liu Zhou. With a stoic face, waiting for Liu Zhou to nod. Liu Zhou paused for a moment, then nodded, "Mr. Shang, feel free." Given permission, Shang Chen immediately headed straight for a small-leaved red sandalwood tree. Liu Zhou took a light breath and exchanged a glance with Qiao Yuxian, and together they headed to the backyard. The backyard has a courtyard, and further in is where Liu Zhou usually resides. Qiao Yuxian entered the living room ahead of Liu Zhou, and as soon as she entered, she shouted, "Zhaocai, Zhaocai, Zhaocai." Soon, the sound of claws scratching the floor was heard, and a figure flashed by, with Zhaocai leaping straight into Qiao Yuxian’s arms. The impact caused Qiao Yuxian to stagger back a few steps, then she hugged its neck, petting the long fur on its neck. Zhaocai is a border collie. When Qiao Yuxian first started taking care of it, it was very small, a little boy with typical black and white fur. But as it grew up, the black part of the fur became lighter, gradually turning into a kind of gray-blue color. "Zhaocai. Sister really missed you." Qiao Yuxian lowered her head and nudged its forehead with her own. As soon as it saw her, Zhaocai acted like crazy, jumped off her, spun around, and then threw itself back at her, its tail wagging so fast it almost created an afterimage. Its mouth was open, surrounded by a hint of pink, and along with its lovely appearance, it really seemed to be smiling. Qiao Yuxian gently held its two front paws, letting its back paws step on the ground, calling its name while bouncing along in time with its wagging tail. The man and the dog were caught up in the joy of reunion when Liu Zhou entered the living room. As soon as it heard the footsteps, Zhaocai stopped immediately. It lowered its paws from Qiao Yuxian’s hand, stopped wagging its tail, closed its mouth, and sat on the ground, tilting its head and giving Liu Zhou a sideways glance. Liu Zhou looked at its proud demeanor: "......" He deliberately stayed outside for a while longer, giving it time to go crazy. This dog, apart from Sister Xian, it’s indifferent to anyone else. Playing aloof and indifferent. "Here I am pampering you with good food and drinks, and this is how you look at me." Liu Zhou said coldly. Zhaocai lifted its chin even higher, looking quite self-assured. Qiao Yuxian laughed and petted its head. Zhaocai became even more arrogant. Liu Zhou glanced at it, not bothering with it, and went to find some tea leaves. A complete set of tea utensils was laid out on the coffee table. Liu Zhou returned with the tea leaves, and Qiao Yuxian and Zhaocai were already seated. Zhaocai sat beside her, wagging its tail, enjoying the affection. As soon as Liu Zhou came out, it immediately turned aloof. Liu Zhou was used to this and sat opposite them to brew tea. Qiao Yuxian stroked Zhaocai, watching him warm the tea utensils and said, "How much did we lose this month?" Liu Zhou looked up at her and smiled, "Not too much. There have been customers, just today happens to be quiet." The tea house is not in a great location, and the interior is lavish with expensive decorations. Several staff have been hired, and their uniforms are funded by the tea house, with salaries paid each month and benefits provided during holidays. However, despite all this... The tea house, has no business! "Years ago, I just wanted a place to stay, a status," Liu Zhou said, "Profit or loss doesn’t matter. If there are too many people, it would be hard to have free time when something comes up." Qiao Yuxian chuckled. After warming the tools, Liu Zhou took some tea leaves and placed them in the main brewing vessel, adding water, rinsing the tea: "Last night at the Gu Mansion..." "Not much of a harvest," Qiao Yuxian murmured, "Either Gu Linhai is innocent, or he’s a deeply cunning old fox. Let’s wait and see if they want to continue living quietly for a while or will rip off their masks and take action." Liu Zhou nodded, "Gu Linhai and Mr. Gu’s relationship?" "Seems quite good. As people say, Gu Linhai treats Gu Yanjing well, speaks highly of him, and Gu Yanjing respects him a lot," Qiao Yuxian squeezed the back of Zhaocai’s neck, "Yesterday, their family even gave me a big red envelope." Gu Linhai lives in Jin City, away from the Capital City. All these years, whenever someone mentions Gu Yanjing, he praises him, showing uncle-like concern for his nephew. In last night’s encounter, it appeared to be true. "With a new bride visiting, it’s expected," Liu Zhou said with a smile. Qiao Yuxian glanced at him. Liu Zhou adjusted his demeanor and said, "If it really involves Gu Linhai, what will Mr. Gu do then?" The uncle-nephew relationship seems good, if Gu Linhai is affected, Gu Yanjing likely wouldn’t stand by. Qiao Yuxian furrowed her brows worriedly, holding Zhaocai, "I don’t know." Liu Zhou looked at her. Qiao Yuxian leaned back in her chair and said, "It’s destiny. Out of so many men, it’s just that one look! Just fell for him. This is my fate." Liu Zhou listened to her analyzing her own destiny, "I thought you approached Gu Yanjing deliberately to understand the Gu Family." "I’m not crazy," Qiao Yuxian replied proudly, "With my conditions, money, influence, skills, and this beautiful face, would I really marry myself off for a bit of business?" Liu Zhou chuckled. "Besides, apart from Gu Linhai who established his own family, the Gu Family doesn’t have anything that catches my eye. Grandma trusts Grandpa Gu, and I trust her," Qiao Yuxian said. Liu Zhou nodded. Qiao Yuxian watched the tea in the fairness cup, after a moment of silence, she sighed slowly, "I want to maintain love and solve problems. We’ll see what happens. Maybe I’ll be lucky and find a way to have both. Anyway, I hope for a great future with Gu Yanjing. Plus... the line with Gu Linhai is still unknown." Liu Zhou placed the brewed tea in front of her, "Wishing your heart’s desire comes true." "Thank you for your kind words."