The next day, Shi Yu set out again. This time, with no one holding her back and a highly reputable security company hired to protect her, she boarded the plane without a hitch. The moment the plane took off, Shi Yu—who normally felt only a slight discomfort during flights—was suddenly overcome by a strange sense of relief.
She couldn’t put the feeling into words. It was as though she were rising along with the plane, buoyed by some kind of force that was not physical. Gentle and radiant, it seemed to pull apart the chains imprisoning her soul. A feeling of lightness and freedom rose from the depths of her heart—an ease and freedom unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
It was strange, but incredibly comfortable.
Shi Yu gazed out the window as the ground grew farther and farther away, and the city shrank into the distance. Was this feeling of relief because she had completed the acquisition of the top-grade rough stone and was about to return home safely? She wasn’t sure, but somehow, she felt that wasn’t the reason.
Shi Yu shook her head and stopped thinking about it. There were still plenty of matters waiting for her in City A—things concerning the group, things concerning her family, and, on top of that, she had to think carefully about how to repay Mu Yue.
Whenever she thought of Mu Yue, a smile would appear on Shi Yu’s face. Perhaps Mu Yue really was her lucky goddess. Whenever Shi Yu encountered her, she always felt happy, and good things always seemed to happen. This time, too, Mu Yue had helped her turn disaster into fortune.
Mu Yue had also taken some time to check on Shi Yu. Once she saw that Shi Yu had successfully boarded the plane and that it had taken off without incident, she turned her attention elsewhere. Now, unless that womanizer sprouted wings, he would never catch up with her.
As for the male lead, after Mu Yue activated the prop the previous day, he had gone out into the wilderness and hooked up with Spade. Even so, he had refused to give up and had spent a long time searching for the female lead. He didn’t return until nearly midnight. With his aura weakened, he had predictably fallen ill and was now burning with fever, barely conscious in bed.
After learning about his condition, the Tang family perfunctorily asked a couple of questions before putting down their phones and starting to curse him—right in front of the Tang family patriarch and his little granddaughter.
The previous night, they had personally witnessed Wang Jian being exceptionally intimate with another man. Wang Jian had returned to the hotel late, and by then he had already been feeling dizzy. When Spade offered to escort him back, Wang Jian had instinctively felt that something was wrong. But after Spade said that if anyone asked, he would simply claim to be a kindhearted student who had encountered Wang Jian in need of help and had taken him back, Wang Jian stopped resisting.
In reality, however, no one asked a single question.
Because of the unlucky talisman and the weakening of his aura, the Tang family had also witnessed Spade groping Wang Jian. They were shocked, disgusted, and furious. Wang Jian had been fooling around with a man, yet he still had the nerve to pursue the Tang heiress?
Whether the little granddaughter believed it or not didn’t matter. As long as the family’s head was on guard, that was enough. Someone like Wang Jian had never been worthy of the Tang family to begin with. Now that he was also entangled with a man, he was even less qualified to come anywhere near the Tang heiress.
The Tang family patriarch stopped them from continuing. It wasn’t that he did or didn’t believe his family; he simply felt that their words would sully his precious granddaughter’s ears. His expression was none too pleasant, and he began to question his own judgment.
Still, with more important matters at hand, even if he was dissatisfied with Wang Jian, they would have to wait until everything was over before dealing with him.
After casually observing the situation, Mu Yue stretched lazily. It seemed that the male lead wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble before the transaction. In that case, she could enjoy her vacation to the fullest.
Humming a tune, she chose an outfit and accessories, then happily set off for Hundred Flowers Valley.
The spring scenery here truly was unparalleled. By the time Mu Yue arrived, the mist in the valley had yet to disperse completely. Crimson azaleas cascaded down the cliffs like waterfalls of fire, and the real-life scene was far more breathtaking than any collection of photographs. As soon as she entered the valley, she saw primroses carpeting the ground, weaving a golden blanket along the stream.
Immersed in the fragrance of flowers and the beauty of nature, Mu Yue’s worries and fatigue vanished completely. She enjoyed the loveliness of spring to the fullest.
Mu Yue took plenty of beautiful photos and shared them on her social media feed. After a full day of sightseeing, she was utterly delighted.
The only flaw in an otherwise perfect experience was that the food in the scenic area was extremely ordinary. Although the theme was flowers, many of the dishes made with flowers were all appearance and no substance. Fortunately, she had brought along her own chef, so she was able to enjoy all kinds of delicacies featuring fresh flowers without sacrificing flavor.
Her eyes and her palate were both thoroughly satisfied. What could be better?
Mu Yue didn’t feel tired even after a full day. Once she finished admiring the flowers, she went to admire the lanterns that evening. She played several little games, sometimes winning and sometimes buying the prizes outright, and eventually returned with a pile of cute, exquisite flower lanterns. She planned to take them home as gifts for her friends.
While Mu Yue was having an incredibly pleasant time, Wang Jian’s situation was utterly miserable.
He was sick enough to be delirious, and hallucinations kept appearing before his eyes. In broad daylight, he would imagine that there were ghosts in the room. After taking his medicine and falling asleep, he dreamed of countless terrifying monsters and ghosts, waking in fright again and again.
He had never imagined that a simple fever could make him feel so awful. Several times, he felt as though he could barely breathe and was about to die. By the end of the day, both his body and mind were exhausted. He wanted to go mad, but he didn’t even have the strength to speak, as though those ghosts and monsters had drained the life from him.
And even in that condition, members of the Tang family kept coming one after another to pressure him.
The anger in Wang Jian’s heart grew even stronger. Just wait, all of you. Once the day of the transaction arrived, he would make the entire Tang family kneel before him and beg for mercy!
By the day of the transaction, Wang Jian’s condition had improved considerably. He still hadn’t fully recovered, but his mind was much clearer. Before setting out, he contacted Spade to confirm that everything had been arranged and prepared.
Spade was much more agreeable now. When Wang Jian repeatedly sought confirmation, he no longer showed any impatience. He even took the initiative to propose a more advantageous plan.
While the two men were still communicating in secret, Mu Yue had already set out.
Although they would all be heading to the same scenic area that day, she was completely different from the Tang family. The Tang family was merely pretending to be tourists, whereas Mu Yue had genuinely come to have fun.
The drama about to unfold between the male lead and the Tang family was nothing more than entertainment to accompany her meal.
Every mountain had its own unique scenery, and Mu Yue had no intention of missing any of it. As soon as she arrived at the scenic area, she began reading the descriptions in the tourist brochure and then made her way through the attractions one by one, only checking on the male lead’s progress whenever she stopped to rest.
By the time Mu Yue reached the mountainside, the Tang family had only just arrived at the entrance to the scenic area. They had no time for leisurely sightseeing like she did. After wandering around until eleven o’clock, they immediately left and headed straight for the agreed-upon meeting place.
Mu Yue reached the summit as well. She went to the famous restaurant there, placed her order, and began watching the male lead’s performance.
At first, Mu Yue had assumed that the farmhouse restaurant had been chosen at random. But from the footage on the male lead’s side, she now realized that this was not the case.
Although they were posing as tourists, most of the items involved in the transaction were fragile and extremely valuable. Each one needed to be carefully packaged, and the shipment had to be inspected piece by piece. They required a great deal of space and a vehicle with sufficient capacity.
Without a safe and reliable location, the transaction simply wouldn’t work.
This farmhouse restaurant had been purchased by one of the parties involved.
That made Mu Yue even less concerned. If it had been an innocent farmhouse owner, their business might have been affected. But now that it had turned out to belong to one of the parties, everything would be much easier.
The room where the goods were inspected was a warehouse. There were no security cameras, let alone any windows—only a single door. Everyone could enter and leave only through that door, completely cut off from outside observation.
Anyone who came in was searched thoroughly as well, to ensure the safety of the transaction.
The Tang family had all been checked, and the process had reached the inspection stage. The male lead and the two other members of the Tang family responsible for authentication began their work.
Mu Yue recorded a video from the male lead’s hidden-camera perspective while simultaneously reporting the transaction to the police, all the while observing his subtle expressions.
She did not miss the tension that flashed across his face when he saw the first item, nor the increased frequency with which he blinked after examining three antiques in succession.
After that, he grew visibly more nervous. To everyone else, his state might have seemed less than ideal, but still understandable. After all, it was his first time participating in a gray-market transaction of this scale. Feeling nervous was only natural.
The Tang family patriarch, however, was clearly very dissatisfied. Before this, he had thought highly of the male lead’s ability to identify valuable items. Otherwise, he would never have allowed an outsider to participate.
Yet reality had proven extremely disappointing. Seeing the young man sweating profusely and trembling with both hands, the patriarch felt that he was utterly useless.
He did not know it, but Mu Yue did: the male lead’s cheat ability had malfunctioned again.
That look of panic was exactly the same as when he had been at the jadeite market.
And this time, his condition was even worse than it had been at the market. More than ten minutes passed. The male lead was holding two antiques that appeared completely identical, and his face had already gone deathly pale.
His eyes… his eyes… Why hadn’t they recovered yet? Was his X-ray vision gone? Was it because he still hadn’t fully recovered from his illness? It had to be that. It definitely had to be!
The people on the sellers’ side exchanged glances without revealing a hint of emotion. The Tang family, however, began to grow anxious.
Since the goods had been obtained through illicit means, the sellers could not guarantee that every item was genuine. The buyers had to make their own selections, yet the asking prices were all based on the assumption that the items were authentic. If they misjudged one, the buyers would be the ones to suffer the loss.
At this point, the Tang family practically wanted to curse Wang Jian. Several of them took turns examining the items through their own experience, but the counterfeits this time were exceptionally difficult to identify.
As a result, the inspection process dragged on considerably longer.
What they did not know was that the building had already been surrounded in complete silence.
When both sides finally settled on the goods and the price, they pushed open the door to proceed to the next step—and every one of them changed expression.
Outside, along with the bright spring sunlight, stood the people they feared most, the very sight of whom made their hearts stop.
It was over. This time, it was truly over!
Who had done it?
In the blink of an eye, the two sides who had been chatting amicably only moments before glared furiously at each other, each suspecting that the other had leaked the information.
