Chapter 323: Chapter 323

With An Ning's help, the subsequent matters undoubtedly proceeded very smoothly.

Upon receiving news from the system that the two individuals had been found, An Ning was at that moment strolling through a villa on London's Pall Mall Street with a certain someone.

After several months of construction, this place had undoubtedly transformed into something that perfectly matched An Ning's aesthetic.

The three-story villa was located near Buckingham Palace. Based on the certain someone's character of never moving an extra step unless absolutely necessary, it was only a few steps away from his workplace.

The newly planted camellias on the balcony, the wallpaper pasted in the bedroom, the large transparent glass windows, the fully equipped fencing room...

Given their shared lazy homebody nature, even the sofas in the living room and bedroom were exceptionally comfortable.

It must be said that whether it was the sufficiently quiet surroundings or other aspects, everything had been quite to her liking so far.

There was only one thing:

An Ning looked curiously at Mike beside her: "Are you really sure we don't need to reserve a dedicated room for Sherlock? If I remember correctly, Sherlock should be starting school this very year!"

"Oh, believe me, the guest room is more than sufficient. Once a room becomes Sherlock's exclusive domain, my dear, I guarantee you wouldn't want to see it in this villa, not even a single glance..."

As if recalling some unpleasant memories, Mycroft rarely showed a headache by massaging his temples.

Alright, no need to say more, she could fully imagine it now.

And if she remembered correctly, this detective gentleman's future specialty was chemistry!

Of course, that wouldn't stop this energetic individual from conducting a series of "sufficiently interesting" research, such as hundreds of different classifications of tobacco ash, human skeletons, even eyeballs...

After subconsciously taking a deep breath, An Ning quickly spoke with a smile: "Yes, Mike, you're right. I think the guest room will be quite sufficient for Sherlock..."

Bathed in the exceptionally warm sunlight outside the window, the two exchanged smiles, reaching agreement once again on how to deal with the unlucky brother issue.

After an exhilarating fencing practice, when An Ning returned in the evening, it was already quite late.

Coincidentally, on her way back, she happened to encounter Darcy who had just finished his business and was rushing back. Recognizing the carriage belonging to Pemberley Estate, An Ning quickly had her carriage stop.

"Cousin, are you returning so soon?"

After glancing at his visibly troubled expression, An Ning hardly needed to ask to know the answer.

Just by looking at his face, it was clear that his dealings with that Wickham fellow, and even the Bennet family, hadn't gone pleasantly.

As An Ning had speculated earlier, how could a debt-ridden gambler possibly let go of such an obviously plump money bag?

Without sufficient benefits, how could he easily commit to marriage, even though his previous actions had already ruined a young lady's reputation.

However, judging by the situation, her cousin actually hadn't generously paid a large sum of pounds to settle the matter. An Ning couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

To be honest, up to this point, An Ning didn't actually doubt the importance of his only younger sister Georgiana in her cousin's heart.

But as the saying goes.

Silent people are always overlooked and always end up at a disadvantage.

Compared to the lively, opinionated Miss Elizabeth who dared to speak her mind, Georgiana, who never wanted to trouble her brother, inevitably had her requests and even her feelings overlooked.

Especially when someone was in the throes of passionate love, or even unrequited love.

And An Ning had earlier simply shattered this self-deceiving illusion, making everything completely different.

Noticing that the siblings had things to discuss, Mycroft very gentlemanly made space for them.

Although from the moment he first saw the other man, with his analytical abilities, he had already deduced almost everything that had happened to him earlier.

Facing his calm yet somewhat knowing gaze, An Ning couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

The two spoke quietly for a while before Mycroft finally stood up and left.

Inside the carriage, the unfinished game remained, the interwoven black and white pieces clearly showing the intensity of the previous fierce battle at a single glance.

Darcy subconsciously averted his gaze. Perhaps thinking of something, strangely enough, Mr. Darcy's earlier melancholy mood instantly dissipated for the most part.

These two people were actually quite well-matched in some ways.

Thinking of Mr. Holmes's departing figure moments earlier, Darcy silently reflected to himself.

"Thank you for your help today, cousin. The facts prove that your reasoning was completely correct. The person was found not long ago."

After a moment of silence, looking at his cousin before him, Darcy spoke sincerely.

Near a gambling den in London.

Perfectly matching the profile she had provided.

This was also one of the reasons for Mr. Darcy's dark expression today.

Undoubtedly, all the signs today indicated that his cousin's earlier suspicions were not mistaken. Wickham, his childhood playmate, his father's godson, had completely fallen into depravity and was beyond redemption.

As the head of the Darcy family, years of heir education told him that once associated with such a person, what awaited him would be endless troubles.

Both for Georgiana and for the Darcy family.

How terrifying gamblers, especially penniless gamblers could be—Darcy had undoubtedly seen too much of this over the years.

Yet thinking of the innocently involved Miss Elizabeth, Darcy still couldn't help but feel genuine pain and conflict.

Hearing this, An Ning beside him merely nodded without saying anything more.

The carriage fell into silence once again, until Darcy finally couldn't resist speaking: "Cousin, don't you want to know what happened?"

"Is it difficult to guess? Judging by your earlier expression, cousin, I think you probably offered him a solution, such as sending Wickham far away. But for the sake of reputation, and for that deeply infatuated Miss Bennet, that family didn't agree, did they?"

Yes, recalling the earlier scenes of farce, Darcy rarely showed fatigue as he lowered his head.

"Don't worry, cousin!" After a moment of silence, An Ning finally spoke: "I believe that even without your intervention, that Mr. Bennet will find the most appropriate method!"

"Within a suitable timeframe, before it affects his daughters' reputations."

Facing her cousin's clearly incredulous look, as if unable to comprehend or believing that Mr. Bennet's character wouldn't permit such methods.

After all, this involved his own daughter.

To this, An Ning merely raised an eyebrow: "Even when weighing both sides of the scale, there should be some preference. Believe me, dear cousin, though it might be difficult, that Mr. Bennet will ultimately make a choice!"

"Even if it's for the sake of the other daughters in the family..."

"Or would cousin like to make a bet with me first?"