The Jiang family home.
Jiang Huai arrived home slightly later than Jiang Su, having spent time at the police station giving a statement and handling the aftermath of the eight people who had simultaneously fallen unconscious in the teaching building.
The moment he stepped through the door, Jiang Su came bounding over to him. "Huai, how did things go?"
Jiang Huai gave him a cool, sidelong glance. "Naturally, the matter was suppressed. Otherwise, the news of a group of people sneaking into an abandoned teaching building to play Counter-Strike only to fall into a collective coma would have already turned the internet upside down."
Jiang Su immediately gave him a big thumbs up. "As expected of my brother! It's really hot outside, isn't it? I feel like it's quite stuffy in the house too; the air conditioning isn't cool enough..."
As Jiang Su complained, he made an exaggerated show of tugging at the collar of his T-shirt.
Jiang Huai's eyesthe classic, charming Peach Blossom Eyesnarrowed slightly. A hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile played on his lips as he spoke.
"That T-shirt looks decent. Is it new?"
Jiang Su blinked, completely ignoring the actual question as he replied in a smug, boastful tone, "What? Are you asking about this Jade Plaque around my neck? Yeah, Xuxu gave it to me. It's just like the ones she gave you and Eldest Uncle!"
Yao Lin walked over from the living room, and upon hearing this, she covertly rolled her eyes.
Jiang Su had already put on this exact performance in front of her the moment he stepped into the house.
She had asked him, "Why are you back so soon? Didn't you stay at the hospital for a detailed physical examination?"
Jiang Su had replied, "Aunt, what's the point of a checkup when I have this Jade Plaque? My sister said this is a protective talisman. Wearing it eliminates all illnesses. A physical exam is completely unnecessary."
She truly didn't understand it.
Not long ago, this Jiang Su couldn't stand the sight of Jiang Xuxu. How was it that after one trip out, he had returned as a completely different person?
He was even calling her "sister" with every breath!
Could he have been possessed?
Possessed by whatever spell Jiang Xuxu had cast on him.
Jiang Huai saw right through Jiang Su's deliberate posturing, but he played along, leaning in to take a closer look before nodding.
"It is indeed the same as mine, though the silver chain it's paired with is quite ordinary."
Jiang Su immediately grew excited. "Huai, don't you have those red strings? Give me one too, and I'll swap it out."
Jiang Huai's smile took on a deeper meaning. "Weren't you the one who said red strings were low class?"
Jiang Su's expression turned solemn.
"Who said they're low class! The red string has a long and storied history. It's the perfect interpretation of our Huaxia oriental traditiona beauty that is low key and subtle. If you want to talk about what best complements jade, it has to be a red string!"
The smile on Jiang Huai's face deepened. After a moment, he patted his brother on the shoulder.
"Not bad. Now that your brain has returned, your aesthetics have normalized as well. I'll have someone bring one to you in a moment."
With that, he headed upstairs.
Jiang Su stood rooted to the spot, and it took a long time for the realization to sink in. He nearly bristled with rage!
What kind of brother was that?! He basically just called him brainless!
When Jiang Xuxu returned to the Jiang residence from the hospital, she saw Jiang Su sitting on the stairs in the front hall. He was cradling her Little Beauty in his arms, diligently stroking its tail fur.
The boy who had previously been full of nothing but disdain for her pet had now turned into a total fox slave.
When he saw her, Jiang Su looked momentarily embarrassed, but he quickly recovered. He picked up Fox Beauty and walked toward her.
"Sister, you're back? Oh, I thought he looked a bit lonely in your room, so I let him out to play for a bit."
Jiang Xuxu wasn't quite used to the current Jiang Su. She gave a small hum of acknowledgment and reached out to take her pet back, but Jiang Su dodged slightly and gestured toward the side hall.
"Sister, someone is here to see you."
Jiang Xuxu was startled. She couldn't imagine who would come to the Jiang house to find her other than members of the Guan Family. Nevertheless, she gave up on taking Fox Beauty back, nodded, and headed toward the side hall.
As she reached the door, she heard Yao Lin speaking with someone inside. When she saw who was in the room, she felt a sense of "as expected."
The visitor was Li Qingzi.
Earlier that morning.
Li Qingzi, holding her newly acquired driver's license, had taken her car out for a drive near Haicheng University.
Thanks to its prestigious scenery, Haicheng University was opened to tourists every summer.
When Li Qingzi arrived, the area around the university was even more crowded than usual.
Seeing that the street ahead was almost blocked by traffic, she chose to turn around without hesitation. However, just as she made the turn and drove past an intersection, she accidentally clipped a pedestrian, sending him to the ground.
Li Qingzi snapped to her senses, immediately killed the engine, and hopped out of the car. She walked to the front of the vehicle and saw a refined, handsome young man.
He was dressed in a crisp shirt and black trousers. At first glance, he gave off the aura of a "campus god."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you... Are you alright?"
The young man gave her a faint smile. "I'm fine, it's just a pity about this."
Only then did Li Qingzi notice the bag he was carrying. It had fallen to the ground, and the plaster work inside was clearly shattered.
"How much does this cost? I'll compensate you." Li Qingzi pulled out her phone without a second thought.
The young man watched her movements, his eyes flickering with an unreadable light. He shook his head. "This... it isn't worth much. I made it myself. It was originally meant for an art competition this summer."
Upon hearing it was an exhibition piece, Li Qingzi's expression faltered.
This wasn't something easily compensated with money.
Seeing her reaction, the young man gave a somewhat helpless smile. "I suppose I just wasn't fated for that competition. It's alright, it wasn't your fault. You don't need to pay me back."
Li Qingzi was not the type of person to break someone's things and simply walk away.
"Everything has value. You can give me a quote."
She was thinking of paying him an amount equivalent to the competition's prize money, but the young man continued to shake his head. Then, he suddenly spoke up.
"If you truly want to make it up to me, perhaps you could be my hand model? Your hands are very beautiful, and coincidentally, my entry for this competition was a plaster cast of a hand model..."
Li Qingzi hadn't expected such a request. Before she could react, the man had already produced his phone.
"Could I add you on WeChat first?"
The man's attitude was polite, even possessing a certain gentlemanly grace. Without thinking too much, Li Qingzi reflexively reached for her phone.
However, just as she was about to accept the friend request, a memory of the words Jiang Xuxu had told her at the banquet suddenly flashed through her mind
"You've encountered some Rotten Peach Blossoms lately. Pay attention to anyone who makes you feel a sense of indebtedness of your own accord."
Originally, Li Qingzi hadn't taken it to heart.
But inexplicably, the moment she looked at the man in front of her, she felt a sudden "click" as his presence matched Jiang Xuxu's warning perfectly.
Rotten Peach Blossoms, a sense of indebtedness...
Didn't this fit the bill exactly?
Li Qingzi had never been a superstitious person.
But she was definitely someone who was cautious and knew how to take good advice.
The hand reaching for her phone pulled back. Instead, she drew a business card from her holder.
As she handed the card to him, Li Qingzi's demeanor turned cold and aloof.
"This is my personal assistant. You can contact her directly with any requirements. She will find you the most excellent hand model available, and I will settle all the expenses."
Without giving the man another chance to speak, Li Qingzi turned, got back into her car, and drove away.
The young man stood there, stunned. "...??"
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