Chapter 3252 — News of the Auction

When she was alone at home with Wei Zhao, she no longer made a fuss or kicked up a row. She would sit quietly in her room with a book, or watch television in the living room, and she did not put on any of those silly, foolish antics—because she no longer had to perform for Wei Zhao's benefit, nor did she need to hide from him the loneliness and bewilderment in her heart.

Gu Mengyao had gone, and perhaps she too would soon be gone. What the road ahead would look like, what her life would become—Shen Yushu did not know.

After the so-called Cloud-Tier Isle Plan was carried out, whether she would still have a chance to live, whether she would ever again stand together with Wei Zhao, Gu Mengyao, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Tang Zhi—of this Shen Yushu had not the slightest certainty. Even a prophet had her off days...

The wheel of fate was not hers to hold. Even Arrow Brand, whom she thought so highly of, was but a tiny piece in this grand design. The Cloud-Tier Isle Plan, the gathering and coming-to-know of the Inheritors before the Inheritance—it all seemed to be one vast game of chess.

Who the players behind this game were, who the two locked in contest—Shen Yushu did not know. She and Wei Zhao might both be pieces on the board. Or perhaps Wei Zhao was the one piece that could turn the whole board on its head. Everything, all of it, was unknowable.

Whenever such thoughts came to her, Shen Yushu could not bring herself to be happy. That hour was drawing near!

Wang Xinyan moved into the villa without a hitch. Xu Shilan had heard of Wang Xinyan's existence from Shen Yushu before, and knew that Wang Xinyan was the girlfriend Wei Zhao had acknowledged long ago, so she did not have much of a mind to compete for his affection. Though Xu Shilan's own heart had quietly yielded to him, before Wang Xinyan she truly did not dare make any disrespectful move.

It was plain to see that Wei Zhao set great store by Wang Xinyan, but just what the reason was, Xu Shilan could not begin to guess.

That night, Wang Xinyan still went upstairs to sleep with Xiaoshu. Wei Zhao would have liked to hold Wang Xinyan as he slept—she was the one girl with whom he was truly intimate—but he feared that in the midst of cultivation he might unconsciously drain something out of her and do her harm, so he had no choice but to let it go.

What Wei Zhao had not expected, however, was that on the very second day after Wang Xinyan moved into the villa, he received a call from Yang Qiqi!

"Brother Wei Zhao, I've made inquiries for you. On the twentieth of this month, a piece of blue crystal is to be auctioned at the Christon Auction House over here. I've already obtained the bidding qualification—when are you coming over?" Now that Yang Qiqi and Wei Zhao had recognized each other for who they were, she spoke to him with far more intimacy.

In the past, Yang Qiqi had helped Wei Zhao investigate the whereabouts of the blue crystal purely out of gratitude, but now she treated it as her own affair—so the moment she had news, she called Wei Zhao at once.

"A lead at last? Wonderful!" Wei Zhao had in truth always cared a great deal about the matter of the jade pendant's storage space. Apart from cultivation, the only craft he had any real skill in was artifact forging. He did not know alchemy, and artifact repair was beyond him—so he might as well set himself honestly to refining the jade pendant's space!

Besides, the space within the jade pendant was really rather small now. Wei Zhao had packed in about as much of the valuables he carried on his person as it would hold, and the smaller odds and ends had simply found no room at all!

Surely Wei Zhao had to leave himself some spare capacity for emergencies?

"Mm. When will you come over?" Yang Qiqi's words to Wei Zhao were full of tenderness. The little girl who once ground her teeth at the very mention of Wei Zhao had vanished without a trace.

"The twentieth—that's still a few days off. Let me work out the timing and get there as soon as I can," Wei Zhao said.

"Oh, that's right—I hear you're working as a close guard for a star? Xiao Jiu says she's already arranged with an entertainment company and plans to invite her over here to discuss a film collaboration," Yang Qiqi said.

"Huh? A film?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. Xu Shilan had always built her career in the music world; a superstar of the highest rank she might be, but in film and television she had achieved little. In truth this was because the ancient Feng family's influence was limited and they had no well-connected people to push such matters, so Xu Shilan had remained confined to the music scene.

"Yes. This company's visual effects and professional post-production are largely handled by several of Xiao Jiu's disciples—some of them owe Xiao Jiu favors, so when the request was made, the company's chairman readily agreed." With that, Yang Qiqi named a highly renowned company.

Wei Zhao was somewhat surprised, but on reflection it made perfect sense! For an entertainment company to produce special effects and post-production work that stood out from the rest, it had to engage highly professional individuals or firms and outsource the business. After all, each craft had its specialists: the company was good at making films, but its post-production effects might not match those of the professional houses.

"That is good news. With a company like that backing Xu Shilan, her acting career can take another step forward," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

Yang Qiqi, for her part, was not especially put off by the whole business of stars. How many women there were at Wei Zhao's side—she did not particularly care, and this had to do with the world she had grown up in. Her father had several wives, one of them a star as well, so Yang Qiqi did not much mind, so long as Wei Zhao was her Brother A-Yi.

After hanging up, Wei Zhao gathered everyone in the villa into the living room. Since he was going out, he naturally had to tell Xiaoshu and Wang Xinyan as well.

"Wei Zhao... you're going to Europe..." Hearing his words, Wang Xinyan was at once a little disappointed. It looked as though the plan to travel through Southeast Asia with Wei Zhao had fallen through—he certainly could not go now.

"That's right, Xinyan. Why don't you and Xiaoshu come along too?" Wei Zhao suggested.

Wang Xinyan's heart gave a stir at once, and she turned to look hopefully at Shen Yushu.

Shen Yushu wanted to go as well, but she could not. Yuyi had sent word: the day of that plan was drawing nearer and nearer. Lately the people behind Yuyi had begun to move and negotiate with increasing frequency. Shen Yushu, perhaps, would soon have to leave.

"I won't go, Sister Xinyan. You and Brother Arrow Brand go and have fun—don't worry about me. I'll stay here at home. Who knows, maybe Sister Yaoyao will come back for a visit?" Shen Yushu found herself an excuse.

"Ah... so you're not going..." Wang Xinyan was instantly disappointed. If Shen Yushu would not go, it hardly seemed right for her to go either, so she said, "Then I'll stay home and keep you company. Wei Zhao, why don't you and Xiaohan go together?"

"All right, then." Wei Zhao knew Wang Xinyan felt uneasy about leaving Xiaoshu home alone. Han Jingyi had already gone to the Yanjing office to plan the market launch of the second-grade automatic medicinal cauldron, so naturally she could not stay at home to keep Xiaoshu company.