Chapter 414: Chapter 414
Xiang Chenyu stepped over the threshold with her luggage. It was a small courtyard house, neat and tidy, steeped in an air of antiquity.
"The room has been cleaned and prepared. Miss, please follow me."
"The bedding has been washed and freshly sun-dried. It still carries the scent of sunlight. Put down your luggage and rest for a while. Come to the main hall for dinner afterward."
"Aunt Qing, thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, Miss, there’s no need for such words. This is what I’m here to do."
"During your stay in Qingzhou, I’ll take care of your daily needs. Otherwise, you might forget to eat when you’re busy, and the Madam would worry." Official source is n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
Xiang Chenyu replied helplessly, "Speak of the devil."
Her mother’s call came through.
After dealing with her mother and having dinner, Xiang Chenyu completed her nightly washing and returned to her room. She opened her laptop bag, took out her notebook computer, and powered it on. Then she pulled out a leather-bound notebook from the bag. As she opened it, a photo slipped out of the gap.
Bending over to pick it up, she saw a young boy in the photo, around twelve or thirteen years old. His lips were rosy, his teeth gleaming white, making him exceptionally handsome. What captivated her most was his smile, radiant and sunny, with eyes so deep and bright they seemed to hold a universe of stars.
Staring at the boy in the photo, Xiang Chenyu fell into a daze.
The email notification chime from her laptop startled her back to reality.
"Boss, I’ve sent you the material you wanted. Let me know if you have any questions."
Xiang Chenyu glanced at her phone and began reviewing the information. The more she read, the deeper her frown became.
Months ago, a woman named Zhou Qin brought a jade pendant to Qingge Auction House for pawning, triggering a series of events.
Unaware of the pendant’s true value, Zhou Qin was deceived by a greedy owner into pawning it for just ten thousand yuan. At the subsequent auction, the pendant sold for an astronomical ten billion yuan.
The identity of the person who won the pendant remains shrouded in mystery. But after obtaining it, this figure vanished without a trace. Qingge Group was enraged by this turn of events—having the prize snatched away just before biting into it. Yet, this person held blackmail material against Qingge Group’s CEO, Han Qi, forcing the company into silence. Instead of notifying the authorities, they resorted to private investigations.
Soon after, Qingge Group received a thousand yuan as an anonymous transfer with a note saying: "Tit for tat, nothing less."
Dai Zhong was so incensed he nearly lost his temper.
Qingge Auction House had indeed acted unscrupulously by pawning the pendant for a measly sum while reselling it at ten billion. This blatant provocation by the other party—redeeming at precisely the same value without letting them profit even a single yuan—was sheer humiliation.
Though Dai Zhong scoured the world, he couldn’t even catch a glimpse of this elusive person. It was as though they’d vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Even hiring hackers proved futile.
Whoever this person was, their seamless navigation through the city implied either top-tier hacking assistance or that the individual themselves was a tech expert par excellence.
This mysterious person—just who were they? Amid treasures and riches, why would they single out this particular pendant?
Although the pendant had great value, it was far from priceless, hardly warranting such intricate scheming to acquire it.
The answer was clear: this pendant held extraordinary significance to that person.
Xiang Chenyu lightly tapped her finger against the desk. Both the origins and whereabouts of the pendant had to be investigated.
Remembering the cryptic words Old Madam Yu had said to her before she departed, Xiang Chenyu sneered coldly.
Old Madam Yu had entrusted her with a major responsibility—a so-called honor to the Xiang family that Xiang Chenyu scoffed at.
"When the tiger leaves the mountain, the monkeys rule the land."
However, for the Xiang family’s sake, she had no choice but to maintain a facade.
It was only later, after her mother’s revelations about the pendant’s connection to Sang Ziming, that her trip to Qingzhou became one she willingly embarked upon.
She had to unravel the secrets behind the pendant’s past. Perhaps...just perhaps, it had something to do with him.
Xiang Chenyu’s breathing quickened slightly as she clenched her fist involuntarily.
Cold wind slipped through the cracks in the window, fluttering through the pages of the leather-bound notebook—flipping, as though traversing lengths of time gone by.
In spring, the apricot blossoms adorned every branch. A kite accidentally soared into their midst, leaving a little girl distraught beneath the apricot tree.
The boy, framed by the faint chill of the apricot blossoms, strode toward her under the blazing sunlight.
He was very tall, like a god descending from myth, suddenly stepping into her world.
On his tiptoes, he easily retrieved the kite and then knelt down to hand it to her. "Little Miss, here, take this."
The little girl stared blankly. She had never seen someone so strikingly beautiful before. His smile was as warm as the sun overhead.
"Don’t cry, alright? Next time, if something happens, just come find me. I live in the loft by the apricot grove."
"Ali, what are you chatting about with this little kid? Do you think she understands? Old Nine is urging us—hurry up and leave."
The boy ruffled her hair lightly. "Don’t wander off on your own. This place is big; it’s easy to get lost."
Seeing the approaching servant chasing after her, the boy seemed reassured. Rising to his feet, he started to leave.
A tiny hand gripped the hem of his clothing.
The little girl, her head stubbornly tilted upward, spoke in a crisp, serious childish voice that only made her seem endearingly adorable.
"Big brother, my name is Chenyu—as in the Chenyu of ’beauty that shames fish and birds.’ What’s your name?"
The boy affectionately patted her twin braids. "Ah, Chenyu. You’ll grow up to be a stunning beauty."
His companion was urging him once more. "Yu Fuli, are you raising a daughter here or what?"
With a wave of his hand, the boy walked away into the springtime of apricot blossoms, his figure fading into the distance—a casual, unforgettable silhouette left behind.
That silhouette forever etched itself into the fabric of time.
The boy in the photo, with his vivid brows and bright eyes, was as he had been the day they first met.
"Everyone says you’re gone, but I don’t believe them. Brother Li, I swear I’ll find you."