Satisfied, Yara Lu immediately dismissed Celia."Celia, there's nothing left for you to do. You may leave now."
Celia said nothing more and quietly turned away.
At that moment, Ji Yunfan hurried after her."Celia, isn't it better this way? You don't have to design Yara's wedding dress, which means you'll have more time to spend with me."
Celia glanced at him. "Young Master Ji, I heard Yara's biological mother left a string of bells for President Fu, didn't she?"
At the mention of Yara's biological mother, Xia Si, Ji Yunfan immediately pressed a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture."Celia, you mustn't mention Xia Si's name in front of the Lu family. It's forbidden. She's a taboo to them."
"My aunt treated Yara as if she were her own child. From the day Yara was born, the Lu family regarded her as my aunt's daughter in every way."
A taboo? Celia's curiosity deepened."Why is Xia Si forbidden in the Lu family?"
"Because Xia Si was a temptress," Ji Yunfan lowered his voice. "She came to the capital seeking revenge and deliberately set her sights on my uncle."
"My uncle, Lu Sinian, was once one of the most admired men in the imperial capital, renowned for his brilliance. On the day he was born, a wandering master came to the Lu family to read his fortune. He predicted that Lu Sinian was destined to face a great trial in love."
"To help my uncle overcome this calamity, the master gave him a string of prayer beads. My uncle was drawn to Buddhism—calm, disciplined. Every March, he would retreat to a monastery for half a month with Madam Lu. Because of his devoutness and character, people called him the 'Living Son of the Buddha.'"
"Over the years, countless wealthy and powerful women tried to get close to him, but he showed no interest. Everyone thought he had escaped his fate—until that woman, Xia Si, appeared."
"She was cunning enough to disguise herself as a man and even sneaked into the monastery, pretending to be one of the disciples there. Can you imagine? A woman daring to play such tricks in a holy place!"
Celia was instantly absorbed. Nathaniel Fu had never told her the full story of Xia Si and Lu Sinian. Was this truly a tale of a seductress dragging a devout man from his spiritual path into the mortal world?
"Young Master Ji, are you saying Xia Si lured your uncle away from his vows?"
"Of course. One day, the prayer beads my uncle always wore somehow tangled around Xia Si's pale fingertips…"
Celia's first thought was that the wandering master who gave those beads would be furious.
"Young Master Ji, was there only one set of those bells?" Celia asked, returning to her original point.
She needed to know how her fate was connected to Xia Si, the Lu family, and even Yara Lu herself.
Ji Yunfan paused. "There were two sets. Xia Si left one with President Fu, and the other…"
But he suddenly cut himself off.
Why stop now? Celia's heart pounded anxiously. This was the moment she might finally uncover the truth about her past."Young Master Ji, what about the other set?"
Ji Yunfan's gaze lingered on her delicate, beautiful face. Then, instead of answering, he chuckled."Celia, if you want to know the rest, I can tell you—but not for free. These are Lu family secrets. I overheard them from my father. Even if you asked Yara directly, she wouldn't know."
Celia's eyes sharpened. "What do you want in exchange?"
"I want to go on a date with you."
A date? That was all?
Celia's clear eyes shimmered faintly. "Fine."
"Really?" Ji Yunfan lit up, almost like an excited boy. "You'll go out with me? Then let's visit the hot springs. I heard the Fu Group's Huashang Tiangong Hot Springs are like paradise on earth. We can go together and have some fun."