Chapter 101: Desperate Gamble

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Hua Xiaocui had been hiding in the kitchen, spying for quite a while. Once Xian Yuqing went upstairs, she couldn’t help but follow and gossip: “Miss, that young master from the Xi family really likes you, doesn’t he?”

Xian Yuqing gently tapped Hua Xiaocui’s forehead with her book. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

Hua Xiaocui dodged back and retorted, “I’m not guessing! The way young master Xi looks at you—it’s just like those guys in TV dramas looking at the girl they like.”

“Heh, do you even know who young master Xi is?” Xian Yuqing put the book back on the shelf and introduced him to Hua Xiaocui. “He’s a famed musical genius known overseas. Besides, the Xi family is a prestigious household in the Imperial City. He’s surrounded by all kinds of women. Why would he like me?”

Xian Yuqing thought young master Xi barely knew her and didn’t understand her well, so there was no way he could like her. It was probably just because she had helped him before and he felt somewhat grateful.

Hua Xiaocui wasn’t convinced. “Those other girls can’t compare to you! You’re prettier, smarter, kind-hearted—unique!”

“You just don’t have much experience, that’s why you think I’m unique.”

“Well, anyway, I think young master Xi likes you. And he likes you a lot!” Hua Xiaocui exaggerated dramatically.

Xian Yuqing laughed, “Have you ever liked anyone?”

Though younger, Hua Xiaocui spoke with the air of a seasoned love expert: “Ha, miss, don’t underestimate me. I may never have liked anyone, but I’ve watched tons of dramas! Liking someone means always wanting to see her, get close to her, and when you look at the one you like, your eyes shine. If rejected, you become like a frost-bitten eggplant—just like young master Xi!”

Xian Yuqing scoffed, “Small but crafty,” then dropped the subject.

Hua Xiaocui rolled her eyes but continued, “However, the way Captain Jiang defended you just now was even cooler. Having someone like Captain Jiang by your side is absolute security!”

Her words caught the attention of Su Cha, who had just entered. She immediately scolded, “Hua Xiaocui, are you bored or what?”

Hua Xiaocui knew Su Cha didn’t like her chattering, so she obediently shut up and dashed downstairs.

Su Cha was furious. “Miss, that Hua Xiaocui talks nonsense all day. Don’t listen to her!”

Xian Yuqing didn’t respond but changed the topic. “The scarf you bought for Aunt Rong—help me exchange it for knee pads for elderly people.”

That day, Jiang Xiaoling had brought a scarf for Aunt Rong, so Xian Yuqing decided to have Su Cha swap it for knee pads instead.

“Understood.” Su Cha accepted the task and then asked, “Miss, are you really going to the Mo family’s banquet tomorrow?”

“That depends on whether my elder brother agrees.”

Just as Xian Yuqing finished speaking, a call came from Nangong Ao, who consented to her attending the banquet—on the condition that Su Cha and Jiang Mohe accompany her.

These were tense times, and Nangong Ao’s decision was fraught with hesitation.

Originally, he was opposed.

But Bai Luomei advised him that as long as those lurking in the shadows remained unexposed, they would never be at ease. It was better to expose the target openly and lure the snakes out!

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“Nuo Mei, you know how important Qingqing is to the Nangong family, don’t you?” Nangong Ao sat in the ZR Group president’s office, his face grave as he spoke to Bai Luomei.

Bai Luomei nodded solemnly, “Precisely because of that, using Miss Xian Yu as bait will reveal how much the enemy knows about the Nangong family’s secrets!”

Nangong Ao understood this logic, but such a risky move could backfire disastrously—not only would his grandmother blame him, but the future of the Nangong family could become precarious.

Yet, passively taking blows was no solution!

Rubbing the black silver totem ring on his finger—the symbol of the Nangong family’s authority—he lowered his gaze. “Make all the necessary arrangements. Nothing must go wrong.”

“Yes!”

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The Mo family descended from a line of officialdom in the Imperial City. The current patriarch, Old Master Mo, had two sons who both held high government positions in the city.

Therefore, the Mo family rarely held banquets. Even for Old Master Mo’s sixtieth birthday, only close friends and relatives were invited.

This time, however, the Mo family was holding a grand banquet at their mountain villa, inviting prestigious families from across the Imperial City.

Everyone whispered, wondering if Old Master Mo was seeking a future bride for his grandson Mo Haoyuan.

The family’s eldest grandson was already engaged, but Mo Haoyuan, now a senior in university, remained unmarried.

Mo Haoyuan was raised closely by Old Master Mo and was dearly loved by him. It was only natural for the old man to want to find a match for his beloved grandson.

In truth, Mo Haoyuan already had a preferred partner, known to Old Master Mo and his parents, though not yet announced.

Mo Haoyuan understood that his grandfather’s reason for hosting this banquet was something else entirely.

At that moment, he sat in Old Master Mo’s study, accompanying him as they watched surveillance footage of the banquet hall’s entrance.

Though nearing eighty, Old Master Mo’s body was frail compared to before, sometimes needing a wheelchair, but his spirit remained sharp.

Wearing reading glasses, he stared intently at the handsome young men and beautiful women on the screen, repeatedly asking, “Has she arrived yet?”

Mo Haoyuan replied, “Grandfather, I’ve told Captain Li. As soon as she arrives, we’ll notify you immediately.”

Old Master Mo scoffed, “They haven’t met her in person. What if they mistake someone just by a photo?”

“How could that happen? There’s an invitation too!”

“Hmph... but what if she doesn’t come?”

Sometimes, Old Master Mo acted like a child, leaving Mo Haoyuan helpless. “Second Young Master Lu said she will attend.”

“Hmph, the Nangong family’s boy is the most unreliable!”

Mo Haoyuan was speechless.

Not long ago, while Old Master Mo was recuperating in the hospital, he claimed to have seen the descendant of an old acquaintance. He urgently summoned Mo Haoyuan and asked him to investigate.

If not for Mo Haoyuan’s close relationship with his father and Director Qiao, gaining access to the surveillance footage would have been impossible for him to find a stranger he had only briefly encountered.

What surprised him most was that the person his grandfather was searching for was none other than his junior—Xian Yuqing.

After learning that Xian Yuqing was a distant relative of the Nangong family, Old Master Mo became even more convinced she was the one he sought. Despite opposition from the family, he insisted on holding this banquet!

Mo Haoyuan couldn’t fathom why his grandfather went through such great lengths instead of meeting Xian Yuqing directly.

Perhaps there were hidden reasons none of them understood.

“Ah, she’s here!” Old Master Mo suddenly shouted, pointing excitedly at a girl on the screen wearing a pale pink floral qipao that reached just below the knee.

It was her. Exactly her!

Previously at the hospital, he had thought the resemblance was only about fifty or sixty percent, but now, dressed in the qipao, she looked strikingly alike.

Ah, back then, his moonlight goddess had stood in the center of the banquet hall in a pink cherry blossom qipao, turning to smile coyly at him...

Seeing Old Master Mo lost in his memories, Mo Haoyuan refrained from disturbing him.

Since returning from a trip to the southern city over ten years ago, Old Master Mo seemed to have suffered a major blow, his health fluctuating and his mind sometimes clear, sometimes confused.

This time, in search of the descendant of an old acquaintance, he had been lucid the longest.

“Alas!” Old Master Mo sighed deeply.

Mo Haoyuan asked, “Grandfather, shall I have junior sister Xian Yu come up to see you?”

Old Master Mo hesitated, looking both eager and fearful. “No, no. I’m afraid if I see her, I’ll blurt out the truth from back then. That would frighten her!”

So it was better to just watch from afar. After all, the banquet hall was covered with surveillance cameras everywhere.

Mo Haoyuan was puzzled. “What truth from back then?”

“That is... that is...” Old Master Mo’s eyes grew distant and misty, “It was a massacre that wiped out an entire family...”

A massacre?! Mo Haoyuan’s heart skipped a beat.

“I can’t say... I can’t say. It was too cruel...” Old Master Mo murmured to himself, “Those executioners, those thugs, those despicable killers...”

Seeing his grandfather seemed to be relapsing, Mo Haoyuan quickly sent a servant to fetch the family doctor.

After settling Old Master Mo, the banquet had already begun.

As Mo Haoyuan was about to enter the main hall, a sudden loud explosion echoed, followed by screams...

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