Chapter 40: Don’t Hold Us Back

“…” For a moment, Xi Junle was at a loss for words.

How had their conversation drifted to that tiresome old topic again?

Ever since he had turned eighteen and come of age, his mother had been preoccupied with his future marriage, leaving him quite helpless. Not to mention that he had no time for such things—even if he did, he would still need to meet someone who truly captured his heart.

Seeing her son pretending as if nothing was amiss, Mrs. Xi went straight to the point, “What do you think of Miss Xianyu?”

Without waiting for a response, she continued, answering her own question, “I think that young lady is rather wonderful—beautiful, genuine, unpretentious, well-mannered, and full of spirit…”

The more Mrs. Xi praised her, the harder she found it to stop.

Xi Junle couldn’t help but laugh. “Mother, where are you going with this?”

Mrs. Xi countered, “Are you really going to claim you have no interest in that girl? Weren’t you chatting and laughing with her at the ball last night?”

He fell silent.

When had he ever been laughing and chatting with her? He had only spoken to Xianyu Zhen a bit more because she seemed to need help, that was all.

But Mrs. Xi knew her son’s temperament well—he was always cold and indifferent toward women, to the point where she had once doubted his orientation.

Last night, seeing Xi Junle not only take the initiative to approach Xianyu Zhen but also instruct a waiter to attend to her, had been unprecedented!

Noticing his silence, Mrs. Xi narrowed her eyes. “What, have you forgotten how she saved you?”

“As you said, she’s just a young girl. Don’t frighten her off!”

Last night, after visiting the police station and reviewing the guest list, he discovered Xianyu Zhen was a freshman at Liyang Academy, only eighteen or nineteen years old. And yet his mother had these kinds of intentions!

Mrs. Xi huffed, “Well, if you’re not going to take care of my daughter-in-law’s affairs, then I will. Just don’t get in my way!”

Xi Junle was speechless.

Now that his mother was fired up again, there was no talking her down. Let her be; after all, when it came to his marriage, the final say rested with his grandfather.

“Don’t be fooled by her being a distant relative of the Nangong family. As long as she carries their blood, there will be plenty of suitors lining up.”

Mrs. Xi couldn’t help but remind her son, “If you don’t seize the opportunity, you might just miss your chance!”

Unable to bear his mother’s wishful thinking any longer, Xi Junle simply left the hospital room.

Outside, his agent Sun Ge asked cautiously, “Junle, are you thinking about settling down?”

Xi Junle shot him a glance. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

Sun Ge breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good! Your career is at its peak right now—getting married at this point would cost you fans.”

Xi Junle, cold and aloof as ever, replied, “It’s simply not on my mind yet; it has nothing to do with fans.”

Sun Ge was left speechless.

Indeed, since when did Xi Junle ever need to worry about his fans? He was the kind of young master who, if not in the music world, would simply go home and inherit his family fortune!

--------

The entire afternoon, Xianyu Zhen was kept busy.

First, Mrs. Nangong called. Even though Su Cha had already reported her situation, she still called herself, full of concern and reminders, only relaxing after speaking directly.

Next came Ning Wenyen. Though Xianyu Zhen repeatedly assured her she was unhurt, she insisted on coming by in person.

Lu Yansen, who had just gotten his driver’s license this year, brought Ning Wenyen and Mao Wantou over.

Aunt Rong, hearing these were Xianyu Zhen’s foster mother and close friends, welcomed them with great warmth.

Mao Wantou, always brash and outspoken, sighed as soon as she sat down. “Idle Fish, I thought your life as a rich heiress was all comfort and ease. Who knew it would be like something out of a movie—caught up in an ‘attack’ and everything?”

Aunt Rong hurried to explain, “The young master is very concerned for Miss Biao; there are always people assigned to protect her!”

As she spoke, she glanced at Ning Wenyen and, seeing her composed, finally relaxed.

Ning Wenyen knew the Nangong family wasn’t to blame, so she simply reminded Xianyu Zhen, “If anything like this happens again, you must tell me right away. Don’t make me worry about you!”

“Yes, I will.” Xianyu Zhen nodded, reassuring her, “It wasn’t as serious as the news reported. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Lu Yansen chimed in, “Exactly! Sometimes the news exaggerates things just to grab attention.”

Mao Wantou shot him a sideways glance. “Sometimes the news is even more deceptive than that!”

Lu Yansen looked a bit embarrassed. “I was just trying to comfort Auntie…”

Mao Wantou snorted.

Used to their bickering, Xianyu Zhen ignored them and started chatting with Ning Wenyen about amusing happenings at school, steering the conversation away.

Aunt Rong and Su Cha retreated to the kitchen, giving them space to talk freely.

Then, Mao Wantou whispered, “Today Zuo Qingqing said in our old class group that the attack was because of an item the Xi family put up for auction. Is it true?”

Xianyu Zhen frowned. Until the case was solved, spreading such rumors could be considered slander. That Zuo Qingqing really had no sense of discretion!

“We’ll know once the investigation is concluded,” Xianyu Zhen answered, and Mao Wantou didn’t push further, instead shifting to gossip about Xi Junle.

“Our musical genius—is he just as charming in person as he is on screen?” Mao Wantou teased. “He must have beautiful women flocking around him, right? Did you get to talk to him?”

Lu Yansen, also a fan, couldn’t help but chime in, “Did Master Xi perform live at all last night?”

Xianyu Zhen laughed. “Are you here out of concern for me or just to get the inside scoop on your idol?”

Mao Wantou clicked her tongue. “Of course I’m concerned about you… and whether there’s any gossip between you and our idol!”

She then grinned at Ning Wenyen. “Isn’t that right, Auntie?”

Ning Wenyen simply smiled, saying nothing.

All she wanted was for Xianyu Zhen to be safe and healthy; everything else was secondary.

By evening, Ning Wenyen and the others didn’t stay for dinner and soon left.

After washing up, Xianyu Zhen checked her phone for any reply from “Mr. J,” but there was still none.

Earlier, after coming out of the study, Jiang Mohe had left the residence immediately. Xianyu Zhen hadn’t had a chance to ask whether he’d been punished by the young master, so she’d messaged him: Did big brother blame you for what happened last night?

But the message still showed as “unread.”

Had he not seen it? she wondered. Or was he simply too busy?

Her guess was right.

At that moment, Jiang Mohe and Bai Luomei had just arrived at an underground night market in the northern district of the Imperial City.

Here, the lights were dim, but the place was bustling with people.

The shops inside looked ordinary, seemingly dealing in everyday goods, but those who knew how to read the signs could easily distinguish which ones hid more clandestine operations.

Bai Luomei was a regular in this place, though she usually came to gather intelligence.

Tonight, she was here to make trouble.

After an afternoon of careful investigation, she and Jiang Mohe had finally identified the shop “Wild Outdoor Gear” as their target.

It looked unremarkable from the outside, but for the past two or three years, it had served as the Imperial City base of the “Zhengxuan Sect,” an organization dedicated to confronting supernatural threats and a constant thorn in the Nangong family’s side.

This time, the attack on the Dihong Tower and the attempt to steal the auction item had been orchestrated from this very outpost.