A Mischief-Making Fox

Although it was only mid-November, the southern part of the city felt like winter had already arrived. The temperature of seven or eight degrees Celsius made pedestrians on the street bundle up in thick clothes and hurry along.

Of course, this only applies to the subway station area. Looking at the commercial street next door, there are plenty of couples or companions willing to brave the cold air to go shopping.

After getting off the high-speed train, Yu Xing bought a skewer of candied hawthorns and strolled leisurely to the roadside, where he successfully recognized the car that Zhao Mou had sent to pick him up.

Since Zhao Mou is one of the heads of the southern branch, he has to be present for the gathering of the Three Great Families and cannot leave. As for Zhao Yijiu... Zhao Yijiu can go anywhere, but he obviously did not believe Yu Xing's nonsense and replied with "Stop pretending" before leaving Yu Xing to fend for himself.

So, the person who came to pick up Yu Xing was an ordinary person in charge of logistics for the gathering under Zhao Mou. He was the kind of member who was very common in the family, who roughly knew about the divination but had not personally participated in it.

Yu Xing had already received the license plate number from Zhao Mou. He then bit into a candied hawthorn, bent his finger and tapped it against the car window. The window rolled down, revealing a bright and energetic face.

This was a middle-aged man with very fair skin, dressed in a suit and tie, his hair meticulously combed back, each strand styled.

Compared to him, Yu Xing's attire was far too casual. He wore jeans and a down jacket, and, seemingly unfazed by the cold, had the collar wide open, revealing a white turtleneck sweater underneath. The tips of his ears and nose were slightly red from the cold wind, his hair was a mess, and he still had the leisure to eat hawthorn berries.

Upon seeing Yu Xing, the middle-aged man's eye twitched. This really didn't look like someone going to a banquet. He coughed lightly, "Mr. Yu?"

"Um."

With a click, the locked car door opened, and the middle-aged man said, "Please get in. My Zhao Zhi, and I'll be your driver for now. After that, I'll be in charge of the housekeeping for your floor."

Once inside the car, the heater instantly enveloped Yu Xing. This time, he obediently sat in the passenger seat, making it even more interesting for Zhao Zhi to look closely at the half-eaten candied hawthorn skewer.

I recommend an app that rivals the old version of the popular book tracker, with a wide selection of books and the ability to switch sources!

Zhao Mou was his boss, and he specifically asked him to pick up someone with a different surname. He didn't reveal any information about the person except their name, showing great respect for their privacy. There must be some reason for this.

Now that I think about it, Mr. Yu's ability to be so relaxed and not at all nervous at his first time attending such a banquet is quite remarkable.

"Let's go."

Once he started driving, Zhao Zhi never once gave anyone a sidelong glance, demonstrating a very high level of professionalism.

After driving through the bustling city for a while, Yu Xing finished her candied hawthorn and casually put it in the car's trash can. Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't asked about the specific location, "By the way, where is the banquet being held?"

"..." Zhao Zhi paused for a moment before saying, "Feng Gulan Ting."

Yu Xing readily took out her phone and began searching for information about Feng Gulan Ting.

Zhao Zhi: This person didn't prepare at all before coming here...

With a slightly uneasy feeling, he escorted the guest, whose background he couldn't quite figure out, to his destination.

Along the way, the noise of the streets gradually faded away, the atmosphere became more and more tranquil, and the number of trees increased visibly. When we arrived at our destination, all we could see were lush forests and tree-lined paths.

Yu Xing sat in the car and looked up, a grand garden with an ancient charm appeared before her. Huge buildings were scattered among the trees, one in the east and one in the west, connected by stone paths or corridors, creating a picturesque scene.

Such a large area, placed in any city where land is incredibly valuable, seems to blatantly proclaim, "My price is something you'll never even dream of."

He turned his phone around, put it back in his pocket, and used Baidu to get a general understanding of the "manor".

Feng Gulan Ting is the most famous garden-style building in the southern part of the city. It combines multiple functions such as a winery, resort hotel, and exhibition hall. It is said to have existed for as long as the southern part of the city itself. Although it is renovated from time to time, it still exudes a strong historical atmosphere.

The scenery is beautiful, with each plot designed by a renowned architect, offering picturesque views at every turn, creating a tranquil and leisurely atmosphere, and featuring an exceptionally large green area.

This manor only accepts VIP members, and the guests' usual spending levels are so high that they cannot be disclosed to the public, for fear of shocking the masses. As a result, the manor maintains a quiet environment all year round, and there are never too many people.

It's likely that the most bustling time of the year at Feng Gulan Ting is during the few days when the Three Great Families hold their gatherings, from November 18th to 21st. All other guests will leave voluntarily, allowing the Three Great Families to take center stage. Every member knows this, and no member has ever complained about it. This is because the attitude of the person in charge of Lan Ting makes the members realize that the person who has booked these days is probably of a much higher status than them, and no one would want to make a fool of themselves.

These past few days, members of the Three Great Families and their affiliated members from other families, regardless of whether they are members or not, have been allowed to enter.

Regarding this, Yu Xing instinctively ignored his own houses and sighed that the Three Great Families were really rich and powerful. It would be unreasonable for them not to have some shares in Feng Gulan Ting. Perhaps the owner of Lan Ting was a member of one of the families.

Zhao Zhi's car had not yet entered the interior of Lanting. After driving past the tree-lined road, there was a parking lane next to the main entrance of Lanting, which was full of vehicles of all kinds.

No one's car is allowed to drive in; they can only be parked in the parking lane, without exception.

When Yu Xing looked over, he suddenly realized that there were quite a few interesting people from the Three Great Families. Among the luxury cars, he also saw a few motorcycles, a skateboard, and even a yellow shared bicycle standing out from the crowd.

Zhao Zhi followed Yu Xing's gaze, his face twitching slightly. "That little yellow bike... it looks like it was ridden by a member of the Luo family."

The Zhao family good at intelligence gathering, the Xu family is rather gloomy, and the Luo family is a complicated case, with the most diverse personnel, including many strange, chaotic, and eccentric individuals.

For example, on this occasion, Zhao Mou would definitely be wearing a suit, with his sophisticated yet roguish glasses, impeccably dressed and impeccably polite.

As for the Koro family, they might dare to wear all sorts of Demonic Ghosts and Monsters, like Daoist robes, leather jackets, hip-hop pants, or onesie plush pajamas.

This is also why Zhao Zhi didn't take Yu Xing to change into formal clothes before coming. A down jacket is already considered normal attire among this group of people. It's not a business banquet, so there's a lot of freedom regarding clothing.

"Hmm, quite interesting," Yu Xing praised.

Zhao Zhi silently retracted his earlier attempt to disparage the Luo family while praising Zhao family. He drove the car into the parking lane and said, "Most of the gathering members arrived this morning. When I lead you in later, you should run into quite a few people taking a walk outside. Well, Mr. Zhao Mou said that if anyone asks about you, just say you're from his branch to avoid trouble."

"Little fox, you're still afraid I'll be kidnapped by someone else, huh?" Yu Xing chuckled twice, making Zhao Zhi shudder and almost stumble.

Little fox!?

Would an ordinary person dare to call someone that? This person is a big shot, definitely a big shot!

The middle-aged Zhao Zhi didn't feel ashamed at all about being frightened by someone much younger than him. Having lived in the family for so many years, he had seen many "young talents" and knew very well how terrifying these young people who had participated in that world were.

After parking the car, Zhao Zhi and Yu Xing arrived at the gate.

Yu Xing admired the precious tree species on both sides for a while, pulled up his collar, and then looked into the garden with great interest.

I had long heard that the Xu family did all sorts of things, from tomb raiding to corpse driving, and that they were full of yin energy. Now that I've seen it for myself, I can confirm that their reputation is well-deserved.

Zhao Zhi, being an ordinary person, naturally couldn't see anything, but in Yu Xing's eyes, these garden buildings, even from a distance, were already shrouded in an eerie and sinister atmosphere.

This eeriness isn't entirely caused by ghosts or curses; it's mixed with the presence of living people, clearly indicating that it came with them.

"Let's go in now and rest at our lodgings. Tonight, you'll travel with Mr. Zhao Yijiu. Oh, this is what Mr. Zhao Mou instructed." The dutiful guide, Xiao Zhi, said as they walked, then pointed ahead, "This is the main gate."

These past few days, all the service staff have been replaced by family support personnel. Zhao Zhi also recognizes the gatekeeper; he's a fortune teller from the Luo family who can read palms. He usually has a lazy and carefree demeanor, but today he was forced to wear a welcoming suit, and he looked extremely displeased, as if he were visiting a grave instead of being a greeter.

The young man who was visiting the grave sat on a small sofa that had been moved from somewhere outside the guardhouse. Seeing the two approaching, he reluctantly stood up, gave a perfunctory bow, and held out his hand. "Invitation or identification."

Zhao Zhi had a "work ID" hanging around his neck. The young man wasn't blind; his main target was Yu Xing.

Seeing Yu Xing being forced into this situation, the guide Xiao Zhi felt a sense of schadenfreude and chuckled as she turned to Yu Xing, saying, "Mr. Yu, all you need to do is show him the invitation."

Yu Xing: "Oh."

Two seconds later, he laughed and pulled his hands out of his pockets, spreading them out as he asked, "Do I look like I have that thing?"

Zhao Zhi: "..."

Zhao Zhi: "?"

The young man finally looked at Yu Xing properly, and his interest was piqued. "Well, are you here to cause trouble?!"

There was no reproach in this question; it was mostly excitement, and the rest was all anticipation.

"Don't talk nonsense. This is someone invited by Mr. Zhao Mou." Zhao Zhi glared at the young man, then asked somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Yu, didn't Mr. Zhao Mou give you an invitation?"

"What do you think? I had just gotten off the high-speed train when you picked me up," Yu Xing laughed. "Didn't you ask me to bring it to you?"

Zhao Zhi immediately straightened his back and solemnly assured them, "Absolutely not! He's not capable of taking the blame!"

"Oh, I understand." Yu Xing said, sitting down on the armrest of the young man's small sofa as if he had no bones. Even though his strength had recovered, he still hadn't changed his habit of slouching wherever he went.

Zhao Zhi: What do you even know?

Before he could voice his question, which had a Tianjin accent, Yu Xing added, "Just wait."

Zhao Zhi: "Wait, wait for whom?"

The next moment, a cold, icy voice broke in. "Me."

The voice was very familiar to Zhao Zhi; after all, he was from this branch of the family and recognized it immediately. He looked at the person who appeared by the gate with some surprise.

It was actually Zhao Yijiu? Zhao Yijiu personally came out to pick them up? Zhao Zhi composed himself, his expression turning into one of shock.

Yu Xing also looked into the doorway.

Zhao Yijiu sported the same gloomy face as when they first met, though her hair was a little longer. She wore an unexpected black suit and glasses, which softened her sharp, aggressive look considerably.

"Tsk, is this the clothes Zhao Mou forced me to change into...?" Yu Xing muttered to herself, finding it quite amusing.

Zhao Yijiu's expression was strikingly similar to that of the young man from the Luo family who was guarding the gate; both looked like they were thinking, "Why the hell am I dressed like this?"

Zhao Yijiu glanced at Yu Xing and the young man from the Luo family at the gate, then handed the invitation to the latter. "Zhao... my brother said he was too busy and forgot to ask the person picking him up to bring an invitation. This is his; let them through if there are no problems."

The young man from the Luo family knew who he was, and also who his brother was. He took the invitation, glanced at it, waved it off, and sighed regretfully, "There's nothing interesting to see."

Zhao Yijiu lowered her gaze slightly and said to Yu Xing, whose eyes were full of a mocking smile, "Come in."

Yu Xing got up from the sofa armrest and strolled in calmly.

Zhao Zhi Zhimu followed them inside with a sullen face, unsure whether he should continue traveling with the two.

He knew Zhao Mou all too well. This kind of person was always meticulous and valued Mr. Yu highly. How could he have forgotten to send an invitation? Was he deliberately withholding one just to trick Zhao Yijiu into coming out to greet him? Judging from Mr. Yu's reaction, he probably already thought of that!

Sure enough, Yu Xing said to Zhao Yijiu with a teasing tone, "Your brother really knows how to use favors to the fullest extent!"

"Huh, did it crash?" Zhao Zhi followed silently, feeling a little uneasy.

However, the next second, he heard Zhao Yijiu, whom he had imagined should defend Zhao Mou, say, "He's always been like this."

Then he added, "Old fox."

Zhao Zhi: "..." You guys talk, it's not appropriate for me, as a subordinate, to listen in here.

After walking a few steps, Zhao Yijiu finally remembered him, turned around, and said expressionlessly, "You can go now. Zhao Mou is calling for you."

He calls strangers "my brother," but with his own family, he calls them by their first names.

"Okay!" Zhao Zhi was overjoyed and disappeared in a flash.

With no one else around, Zhao Yijiu turned around and looked Yu Xing up and down.

Yu Xing: "What?"

"Try to act more convincingly."

"Huh?" Yu Xing was a little puzzled.

"It's my first time participating, I'm nervous, you need to stay by my side." Zhao Yijiu listed a few keywords, "If you do all that, Zhao Mou won't cause any more trouble."

"Afraid that I'll be too high-profile and attract attention from others?" Yu Xing shook her head, understanding Zhao Mou's good intentions. "Don't worry, when there are people around, I'll definitely do it. I'm good at performing."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Zhao Yijiu fell silent for a moment.

Yes, they're quite the performers; I've witnessed it firsthand.

In the short time it took to speak, he had led Yu Xing across a small pebble path. Behind layers of tree shadows stood a four-story vermilion building. He gestured with his chin in that direction. "The southern branch of the Zhao family lives here. You, me, Zhao Mou, and two women live on the fourth floor."