Sitting on the couch, Si Yiyan fiddled with the dragon-shaped jade piece while watching the equestrian competition that Gu Yuehan had taken a video recording of. The massive screen size and high resolution made the competition look much more exciting and daunting compared to the tablet.
She was sharp, elegant and proud when he met her for the first time at Jo-ramst.
After getting to know her better, he felt that she was composed, rational, intelligent and full of wisdom.
During her homecoming party, all the attention was on her and she was just like a resplendent butterfly.
During her coming-of-age ceremony, she was full of prestige, class, elegance, and splendor, just like a glorious phoenix.
Yet, in front of him, she was just like a meek woman—tender, gentle, coquettish and petty.
In the video, she was now straddling the horse in a suave manner, clad in a silver horseback riding attire that accentuated her curves and figure. She had one hand on the reign and one hand on the whip, her beautiful brows extending towards the side of her face and her eyes lifted up. She looked proud, confident and full of vigor. Her rosy lips were curled into a sinister smirk and she looked rather intimidating.
The horse was subdued beneath her and subjected to her beckoning. She whipped the horse forcefully and her whip seemed to have cut through the air. It was his first time witnessing her carrying out a sport with such finesse.
He was dazed and fascinated.
He found it a shame that he had missed that scene.
The sounds of someone knocking on the door could be heard.
“Come in!” Si Yiyan exclaimed while switching off the crystal display.
Gu Yuehan pushed the door and entered together with Yueze and Xu Xianghu.
As soon as Xu Xianghu entered the study, he sprinted towards the couch and took a seat before grabbing the cup in front of Si Yiyan impatiently. “Ah, I’m parched.”
Si Yiyan raised his brows and a sullen expression formed on his face.
A cold shiver was sent down Xu Xianghu’s spine and he moved his hand away from the cup awkwardly. “Are you kidding me, Boss? You summoned us at such short notice. Surely you’re not going to forbid me from drinking a glass of water?”
Si Yiyan grabbed the cup and said coldly, “If you want to drink water, pour some for yourself. This is Ginseng tea made by your Sis-in-law. It helps with nourishing the blood.”
Xu Xianghu lamented in his head. I hate it when people value lust over brotherhood.
Gu Yuehan raised his eyelids, thinking to himself that his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. He refused to believe that a smug expression appeared on Si Yiyan’s face.
He could not help but be reminded of the time when Si Yiyan injured his arm. Back then, Wen Xinya had also spent all day serving Si Yiyan, wishing she could take care of all of his needs.
Yueze smiled and said, “I didn’t expect that Sis-in-law would be so meticulous in taking care of others!”
His minor injury did not warrant such exaggerated aftercare.
Si Yiyan smiled and raised his eyelids. “Yes, your Sis-in-law has learned about medical techniques and she knows quite a bit about herbal recipes and nourishing foods.”
He sounded rather proud of Wen Xinya, causing the rest to be speechless.
Si Yiyan could not be bothered to care about what they were thinking. After bragging about his gentle, meticulous and virtuous girlfriend, he began talking about serious matters. “I got you guys to come here today so that we can discuss something.”
He shifted his gaze onto the document on the coffee table, which was the same one that Wen Xinya had won during the competition.
Apart from Gu Yuehan, no one else knew about it yet.
Yueze stared at the document and asked curiously, “What’s this?”
“You’ll find out once you open it.” Xu Xianghu grabbed the document and untied the string of the document case before taking out the actual document.
Si Yiyan was not bothered by how rough Xu Xianghu was with handling the document. Instead, he sipped on the ginseng tea smugly. The supposedly bitter ginseng tea seemed to taste better because it was brewed by Wen Xinya. It was just the taste that he preferred.
Xu Xianghu shuddered and stared at the document with his eyes wide open. His eyeballs almost popped out and he looked a little daunting.
Yueze kicked him and said, “Hey, Xianghu, it’s just a document and yet you’re so astonished. Where did your bravery go?”
Xu Xianghu turned around and stared at Yueze, appalled and dumbfounded. “Yueze, pinch me!”
Yueze instinctively asked in bewilderment, “Are you sick in the head?”
Xu Xianghu answered, “I must be sick and giddy. That’s why I’m hallucinating.”
Gu Yuehan smirked, thinking to himself that the two of them were really a match made in heaven. “You’re not sick and you’re not giddy, either. Of course, you can’t possibly be hallucinating because this is indeed the transferral document from Duke Moville.”
Yueze was just as astounded as Xu Xianghu was. “Did I hear you correctly? Is this really the document?”
Gu Yuehan pursed his lips and stared at the document in Xu Xianghu’s hand. “You’ll find out if it’s true once you take a look at it.”
Yueze finally recovered from the shock and snatched the document away from Xu Xianghu. As he stared at the red seal, the first thing that came to his mind was that the document must be fake. The next thing that came to mind was that he had to verify the authenticity of the document.
Si Yiyan said coldly, “You don’t have to authenticate it. This document is genuine.”
A sudden silence filled the air.
Apart from the composed Gu Yuehan, Yueze and Xu Xianghu were both flustered and they looked deeply into each other’s eyes.
Knowing that they had been agitated, Si Yiyan asked, “Is there a problem?”
After the silence was broken, Xu Xianghu suddenly asked agitatedly, “Boss, what exactly is going on? How did you get this document? That Duke Moville is a sly and cunning old fogy. He had ulterior motives for inviting you to the banquet. How could he have given the document to us?”
Although Xu Xianghu seemed rather silly, he was actually smart and thoughtful. His intelligence was one of the reasons why he could be one of Lucifer’s leaders.
A frown creased Yueze’s forehead and he remarked, “What tricks are Duke Moville getting up to? Although most aristocratic families own such documents, they would be struck with a huge blow if they defy the political order. Hence, these documents have already been regarded as symbols of pride and power by the aristocrats. How could Duke Moville be willing to hand it over?”
Russians had never given such documents to foreigners. If word about it was to spread, they might just be accused of colluding with foreigners.
He did not feel thrilled or agitated about obtaining the document. Instead, he felt that there was something amiss with it.
Si Yiyan placed the cup back onto the coffee table before saying calmly, “I wasn’t the one who got this document. Your Sis-in-law was the one who obtained it after competing with Miss Avrora in horseback riding yesterday.”
Unlike Gu Yuehan, who remained cool and collected, Xu Xianghu and Yueze both widened their eyes and gasped in shock, overwhelmed with bewilderment.
