Teasing and

"What? A Third-Rank Qi-Recovery Pill!"

After saying those final words, Gu Ni withdrew, leaving only Xiao Yan and Ya Fei alone in the room.

Ya Fei frowned slightly. It was not that she doubted Gu Ni's words, but if merely leading the way could earn someone a Third-Rank pill, just how wealthy was Xiao Yan? As for the possibility that he was putting on airs without the means to back them up—he would first need to possess a Third-Rank pill, wouldn't he? She turned back to look at Xiao Yan's faintly smiling face.

This man... was doing it on purpose! Ya Fei realized. Although she did not know what exactly his goal was, there had to be a reason for him to flaunt his wealth.

With that thought, Ya Fei immediately cast aside their earlier unpleasantness, and a brilliant smile bloomed across her face.

"Hehe, I never expected Young Master Xiao to be so generous. What is it you need Ya Fei to do for you today?" Ya Fei swayed her willow-thin waist, enough to set countless men's hearts aflame, and slowly walked over to sit beside Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan gestured toward the teacup on the table. Ya Fei immediately understood and smilingly brewed him a cup of tea.

After accepting the tea Ya Fei had made, Xiao Yan carefully took a sip. Then, beneath her expectant gaze, he said leisurely, "You know, that initially soft yet barbed tone of yours was actually more appealing. How about you switch back?"

Crash! Ya Fei's eyelid twitched, and the teapot in her hand nearly flew out. The corners of her lovely mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Calm down, calm down, Ya Fei. You are someone who will return to the family headquarters and take command. What is something this minor? Endure it!

Taking a deep breath, Ya Fei forcefully suppressed the urge to smash the teapot over Xiao Yan's head and said with a smile, "Since Young Master Xiao likes it, I shall switch back. But it is not that Ya Fei is narrow-minded; it is simply that Young Master Xiao's behavior truly lacks the bearing of a proper young master!"

Eh! Not bad! She could even endure that! Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. Of all the women Xiao Yan knew, she possessed the greatest talent for business, and there would be quite a few matters involving the Xiao Clan that he would need her to handle in the future. Although Xiao Yan did covet her body, he had always been cautious when it came to serious matters. If Ya Fei could not pass his test, then he could only consider making her a decorative vase and finding someone else to handle the important work.

Putting away his spoiled young master's expression, Xiao Yan's face turned serious. "All right, I will stop teasing you. I came today mainly because I hope to acquire some materials for pill refinement through the Mitel Auction House. Here is the list. Take a look."

Seeing Xiao Yan finally get down to business, Ya Fei could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. She reached out to take the slip of paper he handed over, quickly scanned it, and a trace of surprise flashed through her eyes.

"These are all materials for refining First- and Second-Rank pills. Wutan City's market should still be able to gather some of them. Since Young Master Xiao specifically came to the Mitel Auction House, I assume the quantity you need will not be small." Her crimson lips parted as she asked Xiao Yan, her eyes shining with interest.

What a clever woman. Xiao Yan curled his lips and replied, "That is right. For the materials listed on the paper, the Xiao Clan needs one hundred sets of First-Rank pill materials and thirty sets of Second-Rank pill materials every month. Is that a problem?"

Upon hearing this, Ya Fei calculated inwardly. Given Wutan City's scale, it definitely could not meet such a massive demand for medicinal ingredients. However, the Mitel Auction House had branches throughout the country, so as long as she coordinated the supplies, it would not be difficult. It was just that...

"Young Master Xiao, as far as I know, Wutan City should not be able to consume so many pills, should it?"

First-Rank pills were still manageable, but Second-Rank pills were aimed at the Dou Master market. There were only so many people of that level in all of Wutan City. Even including passing travelers, there would not be more than a hundred. They simply could not absorb the output of dozens of pills each month.

"So what do you think?" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and asked in return.

Looking at Xiao Yan's faintly smiling face, Ya Fei felt as though he had seen through all her thoughts. Yet in the end, she still decided to speak. "Young Master Xiao, if there are surplus pills, would you be willing to let the Mitel Auction House sell them? Rest assured, we will certainly offer you a satisfactory price."

Xiao Yan tilted his head back and pretended to think for a moment. "That... would not be impossible. After all, selling to anyone is still selling, right? But..."

As Xiao Yan reached the end, he suddenly drew out his words. Although Ya Fei knew he was deliberately keeping her in suspense, she could only play along. "But what?"

Xiao Yan suddenly leaned his face closer. To avoid bumping into him, Ya Fei had no choice but to lean back, yet their faces remained less than a fist apart. Her full peaks were also slightly distorted from the contact.

"Are you sure you mean handing them to the Mittel family, rather than to you?" Xiao Yan said with a half-smile.

Ya Fei's pupils contracted. She immediately understood what Xiao Yan meant, but rather than answering directly, she feigned confusion and asked, "What does Young Master Xiao mean? Ya Fei does not understand~"

Seeing this, Xiao Yan shrugged and sat back upright. He knew she understood, and she knew he knew she understood. However, their relationship was still too shallow; it was clearly not suitable to discuss something further at this point.

"Fine. Come find me whenever you understand." Xiao Yan said, "Prepare the items on this list as quickly as possible. What is the earliest you can have them ready?"

Ya Fei thought for a moment, estimating the inventory and the time needed to transfer supplies from other branches. "The earliest would be the evening after tomorrow."

"Good. We will go with that, then. I will come collect them the evening after tomorrow." With that, Xiao Yan drained the tea on the table in one gulp, turned, and walked toward the door.

? He was leaving just like that? That was far too quick! Shouldn't they normally chat politely for a while and get to know each other better? Ya Fei would not have minded if it had been someone else, but there was something she still wanted to confirm with Xiao Yan.

"Wait!" Her pleasant voice rang out once more.

As though he had expected it all along, Xiao Yan immediately stopped. A smile swiftly flickered across his lips as he turned around and said, "Is there anything else, Miss Ya Fei?"

Biting her silver teeth lightly, Ya Fei looked at the man before her with some resentment. He truly did not know how to cherish a beauty. "As far as I know, the Xiao Clan did not have an alchemist before today. So, is Young Master Xiao buying these materials to refine the pills himself?"

After speaking, Ya Fei stared intently at Xiao Yan's expression, hoping to obtain more useful information.

"As for that... I can only tell you that I did indeed learn quite a bit about pill refinement during my years away from home. As for the rest, you will find out in the future." Xiao Yan gave a deliberately mysterious smile, then left without looking back.

Xiao Yan could have said it outright, of course. But when chasing a girl, one had to first make her curious about oneself.

Although Xiao Yan's approach could not be called flawless—in fact, it was quite straightforward—paired with his genuinely formidable strength, it was enough to keep people thinking about him.

Just like Ya Fei now, even though she knew he was doing it deliberately, there was nothing she could do. One had to know that someone capable of refining Second-Rank pills in large quantities was not merely a Second-Rank alchemist; at minimum, he had to be Third-Rank! Faced with such formidable strength, even if she did not want to, her old habits would make her mind start working on its own.

Before she knew it, Xiao Yan's figure frequently appeared in Ya Fei's thoughts.