0009 009 Xi Jin Xiaoyao Xian
If someone hadn't already cleaned the floor in the morning, Qi Shuyao's skirt would have been covered in dust just by going downstairs. The craftsmanship of this skirt was truly excellent, with hidden details in the hem, yet it didn't feel heavy to wear and was easy to walk in. After arriving in the living room, she skipped around a few times but didn't see anything extra.
"There's no gift here, you're lying."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Cheng walked in with two men in black suits. One of the men was carrying a beautifully packaged wooden gift box, while the other man handed over and signed documents with Qi Yu before leaving.
The process was very efficient and skillful. Qi Shuyao often packed things like this at home, so she could roughly guess what was inside: a necklace she had just bought? A bracelet? Earrings? It couldn't be a ring, could it? The box was so big.
Qi Yu gestured for her to open it, and without further ado, she unwrapped the package and opened the lid, but her hand froze in mid-air.
A diamond-studded crown gleamed dazzlingly under the overhead light. The dense array of large diamonds could probably cure 99% of people with trypophobia. Holding it in your hand felt like holding a solid ball.
“It was just photographed yesterday and delivered today by express. It’s a unique royal item from the Kingdom of Kosovo. Queen Iliel wore it during her coronation. It’s a gift for my little princess.”
"Wow……"
Even Qi Shuyao, who grew up surrounded by diamonds, was dazzled by this object. She admitted that she was just that shallow and vain at this moment. The bigger the diamond, the more she wanted it. The crown, which she felt was too heavy to hold in her hands, was placed on her head and she could not feel its weight. She could even tilt her head back higher.
"Why would you want to give me a crown? I can't wear it out more than a few times."
"Something that makes me happy just looking at it at home, of course I have to bring it back for you."
Qi Shuyao carefully picked up the crown and placed it on her head. She walked to the mirror. This heavy crown was indeed worthy of being used for coronation. Only the Queen could bear the weight of these diamonds. As soon as she put it on, her neck made a creaking sound.
"Okay, take it off now. You can wear it again when the banquet starts tonight."
"No! I need to practice holding her up, otherwise I won't be able to walk in a while."
Like a proud little phoenix, she tentatively surveyed her domain, displaying her beauty in the process. Her expression was cold, yet undeniably adorable. Before long, she couldn't maintain her serious demeanor and burst into laughter. Qi Yu loved seeing her overflowing with joy at the gift he'd given her. His eyes were fixed on her, but then, a warm little figure leaned close beside him, her skin soft and smooth, quickly leaving a light, watery kiss on his cheek.
"Dad, you're so sweet! How did you know I've liked this for so long?"
"I know what you're thinking."
As if to verify, he handed the tablet beside him to Qi Shuyao. A video was playing on the screen. The elderly butler led the person filming the video through a huge garden, carefully introducing each place: the entire moved mountain, the dense forest, the pavilions and courtyards on the lake, the small courtyards full of cherry blossoms, and the endless courtyards, all of which were enclosed by a wall that stretched along the whole street, proclaiming its private ownership.
"Is this a newly developed tourist area? It's not in Jingyang, is it? It looks damp."
"Silly girl, you've lived in the Tang family courtyard for so long and you still don't realize it's a gift for you."
"Huh?" She turned around abruptly to look at Qi Yu, and the crown she had placed on her head swayed off course, but he caught it with lightning speed.
"You liked that place, and since the Tang family's ancestor passed away, I took over it. It's registered in your name, with permanent ownership of the land. It's a birthday gift."
Qi Shuyao had seen a lot over the years, but she was still stunned. She couldn't express her emotions in words. A strong feeling rushed up, burning her nose and making her nasal cavity feel like it was being pricked with needles. Memories of the past and emotions she couldn't hide all surged up at once. She put down her tablet, turned around, and threw herself into Qi Yu's arms, messing up her hair and dress, and refused to come out.
The sun watched them embrace silently, meticulously radiating its heat until Qi Shuyao's back ached before she got up. She shielded her reddened eyes and stared into the sunlight for a while before getting up, pulling Qi Yu to the lawn in the yard, and handing him something.
"Xiao Lan bought a new bubble machine. Dad, can you blow bubbles for me? Butler Yan, can you take the kind of photos I mentioned last time?"
Under the bright morning sun, the little girl in her feather-like dress had composed herself and was twirling in the shade of a tree. The man beside her was carefully adjusting the size of the bubbles to match the wind speed, so that she could look her most beautiful.
When Zhou Cheng returned after seeing off the auction house staff, he was stopped by Xiao Lan as soon as he reached the door. The two stood together in the shadows under the eaves, watching the scene that resembled an oil painting. However, Xiao Lan's gaze was fixed on Qi Shuyao's face, while Zhou Cheng stared at the black bloodstain on the side of Qi Yu's pants.
After spilling the entire bottle of bubble solution, Qi Shuyao finally managed to get the photos she wanted. Just then, her friends arrived, and Qi Yu finally had time to change his clothes. He strode back and forth quickly with his long legs, the whole process taking less than five minutes. Today, he wasn't wearing a tie or using hairspray; his soft bangs hung down in front of his eyes. Standing on the spiral staircase, he watched his little butterfly flitting happily among the crowd, the most eye-catching one no matter how many people were there.
He hoped she could always be carefree like this.
This year alone, the gifts from her friends filled the living room. The young men and women played to their hearts' content in the backyard before heading to the front hall, where the servants had already decorated it like a banquet hall. The pretentious officials and businessmen had already surrounded Qi Yu in layers, and when they saw her come out, they showed her even more enthusiasm, pushing all sorts of rare treasures in front of her while observing her expression and turning to observe the changes in the cold-faced man's eyes.
It seems everyone knows that to please this man, you have to satisfy his daughter's all sorts of strange ideas and demands.
The middle-aged men sent their families to present the treasures, while they themselves remained around Qi Yu, flattering him. They looked at the large manor that faced the sea and was backed by mountains, and the envy in their eyes was genuine.
Qi Shuyao enjoyed the attention she received as the center of attention, but the chattering crowd soon became too noisy, so she took Song Yusheng's arm and slipped into the backyard to play with the little monkeys.
"It's only been a few months, and they don't even recognize me anymore."
"Just get to know them better by spending more time with them. Monkeys are smart and understand human nature; they're just still young."
Qi Shuyao turned her head to look at her best friend's smooth and beautiful profile, and couldn't help but reach out to touch it, but Song Yusheng raised her hand and slapped it away.
“What should I do, Sheng Sheng? My dad still doesn’t agree to me studying abroad. I don’t know why he insists on keeping me in China. Nowadays, ordinary families are going to sell their possessions to send their children abroad, but he’s different.”
“Your dad must have his reasons for doing this. Why don’t you just ask him? Sigh, I don’t want to go abroad, but my dad told me this morning that with his current resources, he can only afford to support me through my undergraduate studies. He also told me to stay abroad and not come back. I don’t know what’s wrong at home. He and my mom are both acting strangely.”
"Huh? Does that mean I won't be able to see you anymore? No, no, I can still go abroad to see you... Oh dear, why is this happening? Go back and ask your dad what's wrong at home, or maybe ask my dad for help?"
"No, no, this is illegal, isn't it?"
"You're such a coward. Look at those old men outside. Aren't they all here asking for help or building connections so they can get help in the future? Besides, didn't Su Shaojin's family transition from business to politics? What's the big deal?"
"I can't go and tell them, you know my dad, he used to be so diligent in these kinds of events. Today he had the driver bring me here by myself, and he won't say anything no matter what I ask. But it seems like the Su family has a lot going on, we haven't been in touch lately."
"How are you going to keep in touch? Are you going to propose?"
"What are you saying!"
"Speaking of which, does Yang Xun, who sits behind me, also like you? He keeps coming over to get attention."
"Maybe he likes you."
"How could that be? Look, is he even paying attention to me? He's clearly going after you."
When Yang Xun was mentioned, Song Yusheng was clearly a little dazed, but she quickly put away these emotions and started playing around with Qi Shuyao.
Two little monkeys with big eyes were hopping around on the mountain. They tore off a banana and watched the two sisters scratching each other.
"Sir, everything is ready."
"Go to the back and invite the young lady over."
"OK."
The man who had been talking to Qi Yu looked around after hearing this and realized that the birthday party's main character was no longer in the front hall. He was secretly surprised that they hadn't turned around the whole time and hadn't noticed that the child had run out.
The moment Qi Shuyao stepped into the front hall, all the lights went out, leaving only a beam of light shining on her head. The small diamonds on her dress, the large diamond on her crown, and her eyes all sparkled in the light.
The housekeeper said that she would lead everyone in the first dance. Many people immediately pushed their sons forward. Among them, Mrs. Bei was the strongest. Bei Huaiyi rushed to the front and almost bumped into the birthday boy. However, Qi Shuyao did not look to the side and walked straight to Qi Yu, who was standing opposite her. She grabbed his big hand and floated to the middle.
The music started as her skirt billowed in the air, and the two spun to the center. The others joined in the dance. Qi Shuyao's hair, which she tossed up, draped over Qi Yu's forearm and lingered there for a long time. Her skirt fluttered, revealing her dazzling white ankles. A pair of silver high heels tapped out a sound that only he could hear on the ground. With her back to the crowd, she leaned in and quickly kissed his cheek.
"Stop fooling around." But the corners of his mouth were turned up.
"I wasn't making a fuss. I was just happy. What's wrong with kissing my dad? Why is he being so petty?"
Qi Shuyao turned around and saw that everyone's attention was still focused on them. This meant that thousands of people had witnessed her overflowing happiness. At this moment, she felt as if she completely possessed him.
When the song ended, what followed were all clichéd but pleasantries that Qi Shuyao loved to hear. The light still shone only on her, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.
"Oh dear, this 'Xi Jin Xiaoyao Xian' has grown up. I wonder what kind of family can win Minister Qi's heart and marry her off."
"What carefree immortal?"
“If you’re not a local, you wouldn’t know, but this little girl grew up in Xijin. She lived in the courtyard of Old Mrs. Tang’s house. One spring, a visitor took a picture of her dancing in a cherry blossom grove wearing a long dress. They thought she was a fairy descended to earth. Later, when they found out who she was, they gave her this name. But at first, it was called ‘Little Fairy of Xijin’. However, Qi Yu protected her well at the time, so not many people knew her. It gradually became ‘Carefree Fairy of Xijin’. But it’s all referring to her.”
"This little girl is really beautiful, her beauty is rare, but I don't know who she takes after, maybe her mother."
"Shouldn't a daughter look like her father? Why don't these two look alike at all?"
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