Chapter Sixty-Four: An Uninvited Guest

Hearing the voice, all three of them looked up. The speaker was a young man in his early twenties. Although his appearance could be called handsome, there was something in his gaze that made others uncomfortable. Both Xuanyuan Zhe and Ouyang Qihua recognized him as well; he was none other than Chen Jiayi, the only son of the head of the Chen family.

While Zixuan was sizing him up, Chen Jiayi also took a good look at Zixuan. In his own mind, the young man who had reached the Fasting Stage at such an age didn’t seem all that impressive! Aside from a face that was just about presentable, there was nothing particularly special about him. Of course, he would never admit that the other man was more handsome than himself. Still, eager to get on good terms, he hurried forward and introduced himself: “Greetings, Senior. I am Chen Jiayi, the son of the Chen family head. You must be the famous Senior Chen Xuan everyone’s been talking about. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Zixuan replied curtly, “Hello,” his tone tepid. His first impression of Chen Jiayi had been unfavorable, and that colored his response.

As the favored son at home, Chen Jiayi was used to being admired. If Zixuan looked down on him, he could just as easily ignore Zixuan. But what really mattered now was how to join them on their journey; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to complete the task his father had entrusted to him.

Spotting Ouyang Qianru beside Ouyang Qihua, Chen Jiayi spoke in a frivolous tone, “Oh! The great beauty is here as well? Quite a rare sight for this kind of occasion.” When Ouyang Qianru shot him two fierce glares, he laughed awkwardly and asked again, “By the way, I wonder if I could join you all?”

“Well…” Xuanyuan Zhe hesitated to decide, glancing at Zixuan for a verdict.

Afraid that Zixuan might refuse, Ouyang Qihua quickly added, “Young Master Chen, the three families are all here for the same reason today, and as it happens, we’re all responsible for this matter. I think it would be good for us to work together. Whoever finds the person first will report back, and that way we’ll all know immediately.”

Xuanyuan Zhe agreed as well. “Yes, Brother Chen, if we come across any trouble, we can work it out together.”

“Exactly, Young Master Chen. It’s good to have someone watching your back when heading up the mountain together.” Seeing that the other two addressed Zixuan as an equal, Chen Jiayi also followed suit and called him Young Master Chen.

Seeing the three of them in agreement, Zixuan no longer pressed the issue. He nodded, “You may decide as you wish. All I care about is finding Yaya. The rest doesn’t matter to me. But those two ahead—you’ll have to convince them yourselves.”

The three men nodded in rare unison. “Alright, alright!”

After settling the matter, the four distinctive men and the striking beauty headed up the mountain together, attracting quite a few glances from those around. It was rare to see such handsome men in one place; the women feasted their eyes, while the men stared at the beauty until they were spellbound. Xuanyuan Zhe and his companions were used to such attention and paid it no mind. As for Zixuan, he was too preoccupied, his thoughts entirely on where Tang Wei and the others had gone. How could they have disappeared so quickly? It had only been a moment, and now they were out of sight!

It wasn’t until they reached a stretch of woods that they finally saw the two young women sitting off to the side, waiting for them.

Noticing three new additions to their group, Tang Wei was unfazed. She had known from the start that if they wanted to tag along, there’d be no shaking them off. She was merely curious how one more had joined them.

Yun Qian, on the other hand, was clearly displeased. Ever since she had seen these people, she’d been pouting, muttering under her breath, “Why do they have to follow us around like shadows? Can’t we go our separate ways? Now there’s another nuisance! So annoying!”

Tang Wei found Yun Qian’s candidness endearing rather than annoying. After spending time together, she’d come to care for her like a little sister. Seeing her cute pout, Tang Wei couldn’t help but smile and comfort her, “Yun Qian, just ignore them if you don’t like it. They’re determined to stick with us; there’s no getting rid of them.”

“I know, that’s why I’m so annoyed!” Yun Qian clung to Tang Wei’s hand, whining adorably, which made Tang Wei unable to resist pinching her cheeks.

Yun Qian stamped her foot in protest. “Sister, stop pinching my face! You’ll make it big and round!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t pinch it anymore. If your face gets big, you won’t be pretty. Come here, let me smooth it out for you.” Tang Wei laughed, rubbing her cheeks gently.

“What are you two up to?” The group had come over, and Zixuan, seeing one smiling and the other pouting, asked curiously.

“Nothing much! Since you weren’t here, we were just passing the time,” Tang Wei replied casually, then asked in return, “But you’re the odd ones—how did you end up with another person trailing behind?”

“Miss Chen, hello! I’m Chen Jiayi, the son of the Chen family head. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Without waiting for an introduction, Chen Jiayi stepped forward politely. Of course, when facing someone he intended to pursue, he had to make a good first impression. Still, he thought to himself, couldn’t he come up with a more original greeting?

“Hello, my name is Chen Shiyi. Just call me by my name,” Tang Wei replied curtly, cursing inwardly, “Miss? Your whole family are misses!” She was one of those people who disliked being called ‘Miss.’

“Then I’ll call you Shiyi…” Chen Jiayi eagerly seized the opportunity, already imagining his good looks had won her over and that things would be smooth sailing.

But before he could finish, Tang Wei wanted to cut him off. Zixuan, however, was faster. “You’re not that familiar with her yet. Please address her as Chen Shiyi.” Anyone with sense could see from his expression that he was displeased.

“Oh, sorry, that was presumptuous of me!” While Chen Jiayi liked women, he hadn’t grown up in a prominent family for nothing; he knew when to apologize. Still, he thought to himself, he’d get closer in time—there would be plenty of chances later. After all, this was Zixuan’s junior; he had to give him some face.

The others around them each had their own thoughts. Ouyang Qianru, for instance, thought, “So he cares about his senior sister that much. I’d better be careful around her in the future; don’t want to upset him.”

Ouyang Qihua, on the other hand, understood best. It was obvious—this Zixuan clearly liked his senior sister! His father’s plans were doomed. Even if Zixuan didn’t know about Qianru’s true nature, the fact that he hadn’t spared her a glance when they arrived made it clear he wasn’t interested in women at all—Qianru didn’t stand a chance. But knowing her temper, persuading her now would be pointless; it was better to wait and see.

The twin brothers from the Xuanyuan family both thought the same: Zixuan must really dislike Chen Jiayi to show him such a cold face. They’d never seen him react like that to anyone before.

Sensing the awkwardness, Tang Wei cleared her throat to break the tension and smiled, “Alright, now that everyone’s introduced, let’s get ready to head up the mountain!”