Chapter 129: Hidden Thoughts
A minute before Xu Youyou spoke, she had asked Lu Jingyao, “I remember, weren’t the service staff all young heirs from various families today?”
Lu Jingyao nodded. “In occasions like this, the Lin family wouldn’t allow anyone without proper background to enter.”
Xu Youyou frowned. “Not letting anyone in casually? But these two have clearly snuck in.”
Lu Jingyao was speechless.
Xu Youyou saw that Gu Xueying had the upper hand, and the young attendant was nearly on the verge of crying from being manipulated. That was when she decided to call out Gu Xueying’s little schemes.
“Anyone bumps into someone, and you think she’s interested in Gu Yujing? Speaking of which, Gu Xueying, with that possessive attitude, you don’t look like a younger sister. You look more like Gu Yujing’s first wife!” Xu Youyou teased loudly.
It was just a casual remark, but Xu Youyou noticed Gu Xueying’s eyes dodging.
Was she feeling guilty?
Gu Xueying straightened her neck and said, “My third brother is talented. The little girl just made a mistake. We don’t want to hold it against her. Why point it out like this?”
Gu Xueying’s words made it seem like Xu Youyou was the one being inconsiderate.
Xu Youyou replied, “You really have some nerve! Are there no other young talents here? Gu Yujing is just a young painter. It’s well-known that in this line of work, only when the works are dead do they become valuable. What qualities does Gu Yujing have to compare to the others here?”
“Let’s not talk about others, but take Mr. Lu beside me—when it comes to looks, wealth, and demeanor, which aspect isn’t far superior to Gu Yujing? Yet, why don’t you see young girls bumping into him?”
The wronged young attendant, hearing Xu Youyou defend her, felt her frustration evaporate and loudly said, “Right! I don’t like this effeminate guy! I only like porcelain!”
Xu Youyou continued, “If bumping into someone means you’re interested, then…”
Before Xu Youyou finished her sentence, she suddenly moved, like a cannonball, and collided into Gu Yujing.
Gu Yujing wasn’t prepared, and with the impact, he stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, looking quite disheveled.
Xu Youyou smiled at the Gu siblings and said, “I didn’t do it on purpose. You can just think I’m interested in you, and I instantly liked you just from a glance.”
The others in the room burst into laughter, with the young attendant laughing the loudest.
Gu Yujing steadied himself, and hearing the laughter around him, his sinister gaze seemed like it could burn a hole through Xu Youyou. “Xu Youyou, you’re quite something,” he muttered.
Xu Youyou gave him a provocative smile. In her past life, she hadn’t seen things clearly, but now, looking at these two siblings, a strange feeling rose in her heart.
Gu Yujing had always been protective of Gu Xueying, almost blindly so. Sometimes, Gu Xueying would even intentionally try to frame Xu Youyou in front of him.
Xu Youyou had once thought he was a family member and sought his help, expecting his approval, but when faced with other members of the Gu family, she believed she could clear her name.
Instead, she was stabbed in the back by Gu Yujing.
In her previous life, all the pain she endured in the Gu family had something to do with Gu Yujing.
He was like a poisonous snake, without a sense of right or wrong, no regard for family ties, and everything he did was for Gu Xueying.
Xu Youyou still remembered the time Gu Xueying miscarried when she saw a crazed Gu Yujing.
Gu Yujing’s eyes were bloodshot, as though he wanted to kill Xu Youyou, shouting that he would send her to Myanmar. He even tried to strangle her several times. If not for the others in the Gu family intervening, Xu Youyou might not have survived to see her illness come to a head.
Suddenly, Xu Youyou felt a shadow appear in front of her.
Unknowingly, Lu Jingyao had stepped forward, standing between her and Gu Yujing.
“Truly, my dear sister, with just a pretty face, you’ve completely enchanted Mr. Lu,” Gu Yujing said in an extremely mocking tone.
He emphasized the words “dear sister” as though they were meant for someone else, not for Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao.
“Mr. Gu, speaking like that to a lady is hardly gentlemanly,” Lu Jingyao said in a low voice.
Gu Yujing sneered, his delicate yet cold face filled with disdain. “Lu Jingyao, you’re just the Gu family’s waste, but you treat him like a treasure.”
Hearing this, Xu Youyou found herself surprisingly calm.
“What is so special about the Gu family? Do I need their approval? The identity I don’t want, Gu Xueying is treating it like a treasure.”
Gu Xueying’s face turned awkward. But after the recent commotion, the siblings had lost all face. She couldn’t please Lu Jingyao, nor dare she offend him. At this point, she urgently tried to pull Gu Yujing away and whispered, “Brother, we came to the capital for something important.”
Gu Yujing was like a mad dog, and Gu Xueying was the only tether holding him back.
Now, he collected his expression, glancing coldly at Xu Youyou before walking into the porcelain hall without saying another word.
Xu Youyou didn’t immediately leave but paused at the door, waiting until she saw the siblings’ target: the Yongzheng Famille Rose vase. Her face showed surprise.
“They want to buy this vase? It seems they’re very interested in expensive porcelain?” Xu Youyou whispered.
Since the last auction, Xu Youyou had noticed the Gu family buying high-priced porcelain. Was it because they had failed to compete for the Qianlong enamel bowl against Mr. Cheng and now turned their attention to the Yongzheng vase?
Lu Jingyao seemed to understand her thoughts and whispered, “They can’t compete with Mr. Cheng for the Qianlong enamel bowl, so their only option is to compete for this vase. A piece as precious as this will be the highlight of today’s auction. It won’t be sold until the afternoon or evening.”
Xu Youyou nodded. She had also brought items to sell, so she likely had time to observe the Gu family’s actions.
She turned and pulled Lu Jingyao into Hall 2, which seemed to be designated for calligraphy and painting.
“Look at this fan of mine; it was hard to acquire,” a man in a Zhongshan suit said proudly to the people around him.
Xu Youyou walked over to take a look. He was holding a brocade box, inside which lay a fan surface.
Now that Xu Youyou had “Basic Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal,” she quickly recognized the significance of it.
“These are the characters of Wen Zhengming, one of the Ming Four Masters!” Xu Youyou spoke up.
The middle-aged man glanced at her and said, “You have quite an eye, young lady!”
Xu Youyou felt a little tempted by the fan. After all, the price of such calligraphy and painting works wasn’t too high, likely around a million, which was within her budget. She could buy it and bring it home to study.
“Mr. Lu, what treasures did you bring today?” someone asked, recognizing Lu Jingyao.
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “I’m just accompanying a friend.”
Everyone in the room turned their curious eyes toward Xu Youyou.
She was prepared and took out a letter from Zeng Gong.
“A letter from Zeng Gong! My goodness! The last time it appeared was at the auction in Port City?”
“Is this real?”
“Look at the handwriting, the seal—there’s no way it’s fake!”
“Mr. Tang? Where’s Mr. Tang? Quickly, get him to take a look!”
Before long, an elderly man in his seventies, with mostly white hair and leaning on a cane, was helped into the room.
“I’ve heard there’s a rare treasure brought by a young friend. May I take a look?” Mr. Tang asked with a smile.
