Chapter 133: The Secret of the Kirin Jade Pendant
He Zhi Lan shook her head when she heard this: “I have no prejudice in my heart, but I fear that a young girl with little experience in the world may find it difficult in this industry.”
Her words were indirect, but Xu Youyou understood — she didn’t want her younger sister to enter the entertainment industry because she was afraid of the mess and difficulties she might face there.
He Zhi Lan didn’t continue the topic and instead said, “Miss Xu, I came to thank you. My younger sister is young and easily causes trouble. Thank you for helping her earlier and preventing her from ruining her reputation.”
Xu Youyou was very polite in response, saying, “You are too kind. It was just a small effort. Anyone would help if they saw a young girl being bullied.”
He Zhi Lan’s younger sister, He Zhi Ting, was sent by the He family to the Lin family’s event, where she helped serve tea and water. She wasn’t a real attendant, so naturally, her family came to her defense when she was bullied.
He Zhi Lan shook her head. “Miss Xu, you’re too modest. There were so many people here today, and only you stepped in to help. If you ever need anything in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. We, sisters, are always willing to help.”
Xu Youyou casually said, “I think Zhi Ting would be very suitable for the entertainment industry.”
He Zhi Lan’s smile immediately stiffened. She hadn’t expected Xu Youyou to ask for a favor so soon.
But since this involved her younger sister, He Zhi Lan couldn’t bear to let her enter the entertainment industry, which she considered to be a big mess.
Seeing that her promise to offer He family favors was no longer useful, He Zhi Lan shifted her approach. “Miss Xu, my younger sister is quite mischievous, and our family spoils her, making her somewhat unruly. I won’t let her trouble you any further. I was in a hurry today and only brought this along for you. If you like it, please keep it as a token.”
He Zhi Lan handed Xu Youyou a small red seal.
The seal was made from Southern Red Agate, a vibrant color, with a round carved Zhuque (Vermilion Bird) button on top. The seal inscription read “Cong Yun” in raised characters.
If Xu Youyou hadn’t learned a basic knowledge of seals, she might not have recognized this seal.
“Cong Yun Treasure Seal… If that gentleman from earlier finds out, I’m afraid he would offer everything to buy it,” Xu Youyou joked.
He Zhi Lan sighed, “You really can’t hide anything from Miss Xu. When they said you were captivated, I didn’t believe it, but now I realize I was the one who underestimated you. Miss Xu, you truly have vast knowledge.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t say it was thanks to the system, so she just replied, “I happened to read a few old documents and learned about this item’s origin.”
This small seal originally belonged to no other than Emperor Qianlong, who Xu Youyou had heard about countless times that day.
He loved sealing documents so much that he earned the nickname “Seal Master.” He owned countless seals throughout his life, and this particular one was recorded in the archives.
Because she recognized the seal, Xu Youyou returned it to He Zhi Lan: “Miss He, I was just mentioning it casually. I didn’t mean to insist that Miss Zhi Ting enter the entertainment industry.”
He Zhi Lan breathed a sigh of relief, while He Zhi Ting flashed a regretful expression in her eyes.
Seeing that Xu Youyou truly didn’t want the small seal, He Zhi Lan had no choice but to take it back.
Xu Youyou secretly found it amusing. First, there was a collector obsessed with Emperor Qianlong’s artifacts, and now a man from the late Qing Dynasty. She wondered if these two people would clash over the three Qianlong pieces at auction.
He Zhi Lan felt a bit guilty and didn’t know how to repay Xu Youyou’s kindness. Her eyes casually wandered, and then they suddenly froze, focusing on the jade pendant hanging from Xu Youyou’s bag.
“Miss Xu, is this jade pendant… yours?” He Zhi Lan asked softly.
Xu Youyou nodded. “Miss He, is there something wrong with this pendant?”
The Kirin jade pendant was the first item Xu Youyou had bought at an auction, a task given to her by the system. Even after all this time, the system had only told her to keep the pendant with her, as one day, she would meet its buyer.
He Zhi Lan spoke directly, “One hundred million, no, one hundred and ten million. Would you sell it?”
Xu Youyou was stunned. How was it that the buyer was already offering more than the starting price? She had bought the pendant at an auction for 22 million, and after having it appraised by experts, its value was around two million. It had dropped considerably in price, and she hadn’t expected it to be worth ten times that now.
“Sell,” Xu Youyou said without hesitation.
He Zhi Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
But Xu Youyou continued, “One hundred million is fine. Please don’t add the extra ten million as a ‘friendship price.'”
He Zhi Lan hadn’t expected Xu Youyou to be so sharp.
One hundred million was her real offer for the pendant.
The extra ten million was meant as thanks for Xu Youyou’s earlier help with He Zhi Ting.
He Zhi Lan thought about how she owed Xu Youyou a favor, and though she knew she couldn’t repay it soon, her attitude shifted. After a moment of thought, she said, “Miss Xu, if you think my useless younger sister is helpful, feel free to use her. Use her like a dog.”
Xu Youyou:?
He Zhi Ting:?
He Zhi Ting was stunned, hearing her elder sister suddenly reverse course and agree to let her enter the entertainment industry. But why did she suddenly call her a dog? Just a few minutes ago, her sister had been so loving, and now she was degrading her like this?
In less than ten minutes, her self-esteem had been so crushed?
Xu Youyou asked, “If I want to sign Zhi Ting, Miss He, are you really willing to let her go?”
He Zhi Lan nodded vigorously. “I didn’t want to earlier, but now I have no qualms about it.”
Xu Youyou was confused. “What do you mean by that?”
He Zhi Lan subtly glanced at Lu Jingyao.
Lu Jingyao didn’t expect this to involve him. After a brief thought, he found an excuse to leave: “I see an old friend. I’ll go greet him.”
Once Lu Jingyao left, Xu Fang also stepped back a few meters with the treasures in hand.
At this moment, only Xu Youyou and the He sisters were left in the small space.
He Zhi Lan still didn’t speak but looked at He Zhi Ting.
“Me?” He Zhi Ting pointed to herself. “Should I leave too?”
He Zhi Lan’s gaze spoke volumes.
He Zhi Ting reluctantly left.
He Zhi Lan explained, “Our He family is an ancient family of antiques with over a thousand years of history. As early as the Eastern Han period, our ancestors were studying the bronze ritual vessels of the Western Zhou Dynasty.”
Xu Youyou glanced at the Kirin jade pendant. She wasn’t dazzled — this pendant wasn’t a bronze artifact.
“Our family has managed to pass down for generations without interruption because of the Kirin jade pendant. It is a secret that only the head candidates of the family can know.”
“The Kirin jade pendant helps the He family find someone to latch onto…” He Zhi Lan cleared her throat, changing her words. “It helps us find a fateful partner for win-win cooperation.”
Xu Youyou:…
He Zhi Lan, usually so composed, now had a rare playful glint in her eyes. “We’re in a new society now, no more latching onto people. We are all partners. But the fateful partners the He family finds always have smooth-sailing careers, like the lucky protagonists in novels.”
“He Zhi Ting will never suffer if she follows our fateful partner! She will benefit!”
