108. A Beauty's Curse

Wang Huaiyuan had never felt so majestic before. He puffed out his general’s belly, lifted his chin proudly, and looked down arrogantly at Gu Fei, who was much shorter in her wheelchair. Alongside Gu Fei was Feng Lizhi, but Wang didn’t even bother to acknowledge him at this moment.

The people around were drawn by his voice and turned to look over. The sensation of being the center of attention filled Wang’s heart with pride. Those who usually looked down on him would, on the day of his rise to power, have to kneel before him and beg for mercy one by one.

Gu Fei’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, her unusually large black pupils flashing with scorn. She seemed to glance casually at Mo Geyi in the distance, then a shadow of deep ink crossed the corner of her mouth. Her thin lips parted and she spat out a polished, rounded word: “Get lost!”

Feng Lizhi knew Gu Fei’s abilities well, so he had no intention of defending her, but upon hearing that word, he laughed aloud. His disdainful gaze swept over Wang Huaiyuan from head to toe.

“What a sharp-tongued girl…” Wang’s face flushed deep red. His finger trembling, he pointed at Gu Fei, unable to finish his angry words.

The onlookers whispered and laughed quietly, their murmurs like streams flowing into Wang’s ears, stirring resentment and bitterness within him.

“Someone, get this person out of here!” Wang, unable to tolerate it any longer, flicked his sleeve and summoned his men to give the order.

At once, a man nodded and moved forward. Ku Ma stepped out half a pace, shielding Gu Fei behind her. She even raised her hand in a knife-like gesture, ready to strike swiftly at Wang’s command.

“Stop!” Seeing Wang was serious, Feng Lizhi barked coldly. He looked down his nose at the man, his face filled with naked disgust. “Chairman Wang, you seem to have forgotten that Ah Fei also holds the position of Ink Envoy in the Commerce Association!”

The room erupted in astonishment. Members of both the Gu family and the Xiao Mo family frowned continuously.

Gu Fei sighed again, knowing Feng Lizhi meant well. Yet bringing this up at such a moment was inappropriate. Anyone with eyes could see Wang Huaiyuan had found a powerful backer and was bullying others through his influence. Her initial rudeness to him had been deliberate, a show meant for those watching behind his back.

Even Feng Puyu, standing nearby and stroking his silver beard, shook his head repeatedly. That grandson was good in many ways but had this temperament—he’d suffer losses sooner or later. He could tell that Gu Fei, daring to come to the grand ceremony today, had a plan to deal with things herself and didn’t need others meddling.

Sure enough, Wang Huaiyuan cast a veiled glance toward Mo Geyi in the distance. Noticing a barely perceptible nod from him, Wang snorted coldly. “Ink Envoy? Who told you she’s the Ink Envoy of the Commerce Association? The Yizhou Ink Commerce Association has only ever had five Envoys!”

Feng Lizhi wanted to say something more, but Gu Fei was quick and sharp. She grabbed him and said, “Lizhi, no need to get angry. If a dog bites you, do you really want to bite back?”

In those words, she likened Wang Huaiyuan to a mad dog.

Wang was furious, nearly leaping out of his skin, his expression turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

Gu Fei didn’t give him another chance to lash out. She glanced at him coldly, her voice like shards of ice, “Chairman Wang, in life, sometimes one must find a backer to live more easily. But how can you be sure the backer you found today won’t collapse tomorrow, or can protect you for a lifetime?”

Hearing this, the crowd suddenly understood. So this was it. No wonder this chairman who had no ink knowledge suddenly acted so imposing today—it turned out he had found a powerful tree to shelter under.

With that realization, those who already despised Wang Huaiyuan only looked down on him more.

Wang’s face shifted from black to dark blue, then from iron-like cyan to pale.

Gu Fei continued, “As for the position of Ink Envoy, I admit my lack of talent and virtue, and am unfit to hold it. Previously, I wanted to share the fragrant ink formula with the Commerce Association for everyone to study and improve upon, but you were so impatient. I only gave half the formula initially—the rest I never said I wouldn’t share. The Envoy title is secondary; the main thing is for everyone to understand the truth today.”

Now everyone understood—the root of the matter lay in that fragrant ink formula.

Mo Geyi, who had been watching from afar, furrowed his brows. Some things were slipping beyond his control. He had thought Gu Fei’s past actions were no big deal and hadn’t looked deeper. But now he realized the situation was far more complicated.

Thinking this through, he gracefully strode over, his cold eyes fixed on Wang Huaiyuan. “Yizhou Ink Envoy? Do you even know who my sister is? She is the Ink Envoy of the capital city. She’s perfectly qualified. I hear Chairman Wang doesn’t understand ink-making—I’m curious how you even got the chairman position.”

Mo Geyi’s words sparked wild speculation among the crowd about their relationship and intensified curiosity about Gu Fei’s past.

Gu Fei lowered her gaze, concealing the sharp edge within. Mo Geyi’s words seemed to defend her on the surface but secretly earned her many enemies, ensuring she would offend everyone in Yizhou’s ink industry.

Wang Huaiyuan was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered. He bowed humbly, full of obvious flattery. “Yes, Young Master Mo, you are right. I was blind and foolish, I wrongly accused Miss Gu.”

He turned to Gu Fei, bowing repeatedly. “Miss Gu, please forgive my ignorance. Don’t take it to heart.”

Feng Lizhi sneered and, no longer wishing to see Wang’s ugly display, turned aside to look at other ink pellets.

Gu Fei only tilted her head slightly, staring at Mo Geyi with eyes as clear and distinct as pure ice water, capable of making one ashamed of their own filth. “I almost forgot—since my brother is an Ink Master of the capital city, naturally he has the authority to demote the county Commerce Association’s position.”

The Ink Commerce Association was structured by rank: from common members to Ink Laborers, Ink Envoys, Ink Masters, and Ink Scholars. Only the capital city had the rank above Ink Envoy. In a county like Yizhou, Ink Envoy was already a high title.

Gu Fei’s words stirred a storm, surprising everyone. Mo Geyi was young but already a capital Ink Master; his noble status was clear.

Mo Geyi responded with a gentle smile, his eyes sparkling with affection when looking at Gu Fei. To the unaware, it seemed he cared deeply for her.

“Disperse now. Don’t disturb our sibling reunion,” Mo Geyi waved his hand, signaling the crowd to leave. Then he lightly tugged Gu Fei’s wheelchair, gesturing to a quiet place.

Ku Ma was alert and watchful, her drooping eyelids flickering with sharp light.

Gu Fei refused without hesitation, flicking the nonexistent dust off her skirt with a carefree air. “What a pity. Little sister still wants to look around the ink pellets a bit more, so I won’t accompany big brother.”

She signaled Ku Ma to head toward the row of ink pellets.

Mo Geyi wasn’t annoyed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, patient as a seasoned hunter, not worried at all that Gu Fei might slip from his grasp.

Once at a distance, Ku Ma glanced at Mo Geyi, then whispered to Gu Fei, “Miss, should I arrange for You Er to come over? After all, Young Master You Hu instructed me when he left…”

“Ku Ma,” Gu Fei interrupted with a meaningful sideways glance, “Nothing will happen today. No one knows Mo Geyi better than I do. Since he hasn’t exposed my identity now, it means he’s waiting for a heavy blow to land on me another day.”

She paused, twirling her pinky and brushing some stray hair behind her ear. “The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall. He’s just waiting for me to tumble into the abyss from the peak. So nothing will happen in the next couple of days.”

Indeed, nothing would happen. He wouldn’t attack her directly; he would seek revenge through Feng Lizhi, watching her fall into despair like Bo Ren before he’d relent.

From beginning to end, Mo Geyi never played a dark game; he used open tactics. Though Gu Fei was fully aware, she could only watch helplessly.

Gu Fei also thought of her brother Mo Xuan. She didn’t know how his humiliation ended, but it surely wasn’t a good outcome.

So, true blood siblings? They used such methods against her.

Her heart hardened, a faint red glow like fireflies rising from her dark eyes. She clenched the wheelchair’s armrest tightly, cutting off her retreat and deciding to fight Mo Geyi to the death.

“Ku Ma,” she whispered, voice low and faint, “Go to Linlang Pavilion again and borrow some men for me. I want to sever Mo Geyi’s hands and feet completely. Let’s see how ambitious he remains.”

“Yes, I’ve noted it. I’ll go shortly,” Ku Ma’s nasolabial folds deepened, sensing Gu Fei’s ruthless determination and growing fierce herself.

The first day of the Ink Commerce Association’s grand ceremony ended quickly. Toward the end, many families spotted rare ink pellets and bought them along with the formulas on the spot.

Because Mo Geyi disrupted the order of the ceremony, the ink pellet contest originally scheduled for the second day was postponed by one day. The third day would see the battle between Mo Geyi and Feng Lizhi, their pellets cured and dried, with a winner decided before the event continued as usual.

However, the second day wasn’t wasted. The five Ink Envoys conferred and decided to move the ink master exchange event to the second day instead.

As Gu Fei was about to leave Songbai Manor, she received this notice. Feng Lizhi excitedly ran up to invite her, saying several famous ink masters in Yizhou had agreed to gather for an exchange.

Unexpectedly, Gu Fei smiled and politely declined, rubbing her forehead and using feeling unwell as an excuse to send Feng Lizhi away.

But just as she stepped outside, before she could even get into her carriage, she saw Feng Puyu and others standing in a corner, seemingly waiting for her.

Gu Fei’s brow twitched. She respected this honorable elder and dared not be reckless, yet she didn’t want a close relationship. She knew she was far from being an upright person. Close ties with someone like him would inevitably lead to conflicts of interest. She was also unwilling to be drawn into schemes.

“Ah,” Feng Puyu sighed, stroking his silver beard. After a long pause, he spoke slowly, “I always knew, if Lizhi got close to you, trouble would come one day. A beauty brings disaster, a beauty brings disaster…”

[End of excerpt]

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