Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next day, Gu Xiqiao and Jiang Shuxuan returned to the Imperial Capital together.
“Mother, you’ll stay in the ancient martial arts world.” Jiang Shuxuan said. “The Jiang family can’t go without someone in charge.”
Shu Chen had actually packed up her bags, but after hearing this she pondered for a bit before agreeing, “Alright, but you better take good care of Qiao Qiao, got it? Don’t let anyone bully her!
“Understood.” Jiang Shuxuan nodded.
He took out his car keys and sat in the driver’s seat before revving up the engine.
“Aunt Shu.” Gu Xiqiao couldn’t help but yawn even as she was bidding Shu Chen goodbye. “I’ve finished the painting, it’s in Brother Jiang’s study.”
“That fast?” Shu Chen was a little surprised because even though she didn’t know much about oil paintings or art in general, she knew that such a painting would need at least a week to finish. How did she finish it in a single night?
Upon thinking of this, Shu Chen walked upstairs, and the painting was placed right where someone that entered the room could see.
The painting was of a beautiful woman in a purple qipao dress, and the contrast of colors used made the picture seem quite stylized and spatial.
“Madam, so this is Miss Gu’s painting? How beautiful.” The maid that passed by on her way to clean up saw this painting, and even someone such as her who didn’t have the slightest bit of an artistic eye knew that this was a good work of art. How could those colors look so good when put together?
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Shu Chen muttered, “Who knows how long it took for her to finish this…”
Upon thinking of how the girl was still yawning when they left earlier, she felt quite sorry towards her but also quite touched, and she immediately got someone to get it framed so that she could hang it up in her bedroom to look at it daily!
***
The black Bugatti drove into the residential area, attracting the gaze of the passersby.
Even though this sort of luxury car was quite commonplace in the Imperial Capital, it never failed to be an eye-catcher whenever one appeared on the streets.
Jiang Shuxuan drove his car into the garage, before looking over at the girl that had rolled down her seat and passed out the moment they bid farewell to Shu Chen.
He looked at her sleeping visage and affectionately brushed his pale fingers against her forehead, her face warm against his snow cold fingers, and as if she felt this coldness, she stirred a little but didn’t wake up.
Jiang Shuxuan immediately withdrew his hand and got off the car as softly as he could, not wanting to wake her up.
After he got off the car, he leaned his back on it and made a box of cigarettes appear in his hand along with a white flash. With a cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other, he called a number and held it to his ear. “Great Elder, I’ll be heading somewhere in a few days.”
The great elder was surprised at this sudden declaration. “What about the matter with Miss Gu?”
“I was just about to tell you, so…” Jiang Shuxuan told the great elder everything slowly before hanging up on the phone.
The great elder couldn’t help but get chills up his spine as he looked at his phone—Jiang Tong wanted to burn Gu Xiqiao to death, but Jiang Shuxuan wanted to make Jiang Tong’s world a living hell!
After a short moment of silence, he set down his phone and looked at the document on his desk.
“Great Elder, this is the information you wanted me to investigate on Gu Xiqiao, please take a look.” The second elder pushed the document towards him. “Miss Gu is young but her feats and capabilities are much to be feared and respected. I feel this incident isn’t over just yet.”
The expression of shock reappeared on the great elder’s face as he read through the documents. He had thought that the girl was the disciple of a hidden master, but upon investigation, she had already turned the entire Imperial Capital upside down!
Now, who would be so blind as to offend Nine Heavens?
“This is…” The great elder broke out in cold sweat as he reached the end of the document before he looked up at the other elder and asked, “How did you get your hands on this information?”
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t tried to investigate Gu Xiqiao before, but back then all they got was a blank slate that they couldn’t get through even with their confidential permissions, and now the second elder got all this secret information with such ease?
“I don’t know, it just came up when I tried to investigate.” The second elder shook his head. “More importantly, what I’m wary of is that she’s already calculated the ancient martial arts world into her machinations.”
To him, nothing was more important than the ancient martial arts world.
“What do you mean?” The great elder asked. “Do you think she has the ability to do so?”
Even though he was quite astonished at Gu Xiqiao’s feats in the secular world, he was still skeptical of how a twenty-year-old could turn the ancient martial arts world upside down. Their families and forces weren’t as weak as the ones outside, after all!
“Yes, I do.” The second elder inhaled deeply. “Just now, someone from England contacted me.”
“England?” The great elder was quite confused as to why he suddenly mentioned the unrelated country.
“Yes, you should know that Miss Gu has good relations with Leader Wanqi, right?” The great elder nodded, and to this, the second elder said. “Well did you know that the reason he could take over the position as heir was because of Miss Gu?”
And so, the poor document was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.
He felt another chill as he remembered what Jiang Shuxuan told him, and if he was worried that Gu Xiqiao was a calamity before, now he was worried about what would happen if they did anything to her. This was a terrifying couple, and sooner or later, Jiang Tong, Dubhe, and the entire martial arts world would be spun into their dangerous web!
“This won’t do, I’ll go see Jiang Tong!”
***
Meanwhile, Jiang Tong was in her home with two bodyguards, and upon seeing the great elder, she was surprised for a moment before standing up. “Great Elder?”
“Miss Jiang Tong, I just want to ask something.” The great elder cupped one palm over his fist and bowed slightly, before continuing, “Do you have bad blood with Miss Gu?”
Judging by how Jiang Tong had acted yesterday, he knew that Jiang Tong hated Gu Xiqiao to her core.
If they let Jiang Tong do as she wished any further, the ancient martial arts world might lay witness to a one-sided abuse.
One was a genius that was the object of the fear and respect of everyone in the Imperial Capital while the other was a flower bud raised delicately in the greenhouse called the ancient martial arts world, and probably not even ten Jiang Tongs would be a match for Gu Xiqiao. Just judging by how she acted and what she did earlier, it was clear how underhanded she was.
Upon thinking of this, the great elder felt a migraine coming on again.
“Great Elder, I’m not quite sure what you mean.” Upon hearing this, Jiang Tong’s smile faltered slightly.
“Just listen to me, alright? Miss Gu has already left the ancient martial arts world, so I hope you can let this pass. Please don’t provoke her any further, understood?” The great elder was quite serious when he said this, and all he wished for right now was for Jiang Tong not to stir up any trouble.
Jiang Tong’s expression froze for a moment as she nodded mechanically, lowering her head and hiding her expression from the great elder.
Upon seeing this, the great elder turned around and left. He already did all he could, and if anything happened in the future it wouldn’t be his responsibility!
After he left, Jiang Tong’s phone vibrated, and upon tapping it open there was a message from an anonymous sender—[Just do what I ask of you. Don’t go up against her by yourself, you will definitely lose.]
“Tong Tong.” Jiang Lian walked in. “Did you hear what the head elder said? Don’t get involved with Gu Xiqiao any further. All you have to do now is be a good successor and be the object of admiration and respect.”
He knew better than Jiang Tong about how Jiang Shuxuan wouldn’t take kindly to this, and after hearing what the great elder said from outside the door, he came in and advised Jiang Tong once again.
“Alright, alright, I know already!” Jiang Tong waved her hand impatiently, gesturing for the man to leave.
Jiang Lian didn’t speak any further—His daughter was the successor to a ‘god’ after all, so there wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Jiang Tong was already enraged by what the great elder said, then she got that message, and even her own father came to talk her down?
Gu Xiqiao! Gu Xiqiao! What was so special about that b*tch?!
After being bullied by Jiang Shuxuan the other day and after the events of today, Jiang Tong breathed deeply before scoffing. “She’s just a calamity! No amount of protection would change that, and if she doesn’t open her eyes to reality, I’ll let her know what’s what!”
She had already been humiliated by Gu Xiqiao time and time again, and so how could she let things pass without stepping her into the ground?
***
“I wouldn’t want you to let me go, now would I?” Gu Xiqiao had gotten into her home at this point and was currently patting Haha’s furry head lazily. “How could we continue the show if you gave up so easily?”
“Beauty Qiao!” Jiji was tapping on the computer across her, and it suddenly asked curiously, “Why did you let me hand that information to the second elder?”
“Take off those clothes before you talk to me.” Gu Xiqiao didn’t want to look at the robot any further, who gave it that sense of fashion?
“Are you going to make me a big and strong body?” Jiji was a little excited.
1
Gu Xiqiao took out her phone and set it on the table, before squinting and not saying anything.
Jiji: “…”
Jiang Shuxuan walked out with a plate of sliced fruits and set it where she could get it, and right at that moment, Gu Xiqiao’s phone rang so he handed it to her, duly noting that it was Cheng Zhou that was calling her.
Gu Xiqiao took the phone while Haha got off of Gu Xiqiao under Jiang Shuxuan’s gaze, laying down next to her feet.
“Ah, there you are! I didn’t think you would pick up!” Cheng Zhou was quite excited upon knowing that his number wasn’t blocked by Gu Xiqiao.
That morning he came to his office with all his employees buzzing over something, and realized that what they were fussing so much about was a certain post that had gone viral overnight!
Cheng Zhou knew that it was Gu Xiqiao’s from the moment he was told that the post went viral just through the sheer amount and passion of her fans so he immediately called her, and he hadn’t expected the call to go through so easily.
Gu Xiqiao was silent for a single second before she said, “Well, I should be hanging up now.”
“Wait, it’s something important!” Cheng Zhou was afraid that the girl would hang up just like that and rushed to stop her. “Since you’re back, I wanted to arrange the premiere date of ‘Divergent Paths’. No point in spending money on promotion with you here, after all!”
‘Divergent Paths’ had been edited early on, but Gu Xiqiao had Cheng Zhou postpone it so as to not affect Ning Qing’s odds of getting an award, and it was just about the right time to let it onto the silver screen.
“Alright, I’ll call you later!” Cheng Zhou was quite excited as he hung up the phone.
Gu Xiqiao ate a slice of apple before she put down her phone again. “Brother Jiang, I’m going to fetch Little Hua, are you coming with me?”
Since it was a Sunday, Hua Youlin went to Luo Wenlin’s place, which was at a staff dorm that Gu Xiqiao had rented for her employees. Jiang Shuxuan wanted to go with her, but the next second he shook his head. “I won’t be going, but stay safe okay?”
After escorting her downstairs, Jiang Shuxuan returned to his study.
A while later, someone knocked on the door, and Mrs. Zhang was the one that opened it.
“Mr. Yi Tong, yes? Sir Jiang is in his study, please make yourself at home.” Mrs. Zhang smiled amiably and directed him in the direction of the study.
Yi Tong thanked her and walked up the stairs before handing what was in his hands to Jiang Shuxuan. “Boss, why did you suddenly change your mind?”
Didn’t he just say not to care about Jiang Tong the other day?
Jiang Shuxuan didn’t reply, only putting down his porcelain cup and looking out the window.
If someone wanted a show, he and Gu Xiqiao would gladly cooperate, and he wouldn’t blame Jiang Tong if she just followed what she was told to act as, but now she was looking for trouble on her own accord!
Yi Tong looked at the cracks on the cup, wondering how it wasn’t crumbling to pieces on the spot.
