Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 11

Xue Beifan smiled slightly. Yan Ruyu was the number one thief in the world. You could tell from Yan Xiaodao's lightness skill that she had mastered the true skills. A Nine-Pearl Dragon Pool should be no problem for her. That's probably why my brother asked her for help.

Xiaoyue patted Xiaodao, "I'll go with you!"

"Hmm." Xiao Dao nodded, thinking to himself that Xiao Yue was still the best. Indeed, sisters are like limbs and men are like clothes, especially ugly, tattered clothes!

After finishing their meal, everyone packed up and headed to the renowned Bibo Mountain Villa.

The moment I stepped inside, I was overwhelmed by the opulent atmosphere that sent shivers down my spine—Wang Bibo was indeed rich, truly rich! This Bibo Manor was so magnificent and opulent that it seemed as if gold bricks were used to pave the roads and jade was used to build the walls.

Xiao Dao took two steps inside, looking at the exotic flowers and plants in the courtyard, the rare birds and animals among the grass, and Wang Bibo who came out with a smile, and muttered, "It's better to use money to help those in distress than to spend it on the ground."

Wang Bibo wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, she smiled and said, "You're already thinking about managing the household business before you're even married? You're truly virtuous."

Xiao Dao rolled her eyes at him and then noticed a young and beautiful woman standing behind Wang Bibo, looking at them with displeasure. Hearing Wang Bibo's frivolous words, her expression darkened further.

Wang Bibo introduced the man to everyone, first pointing to a respectable middle-aged man beside him, "This is Wang Gui, the chief steward of my Bibo Manor. If you need anything, just tell him."

Wang Gui was clearly a shrewd and capable person. He came up to everyone with great enthusiasm, bowing and speaking very politely.

“This is my cousin, Yu Lanzhi.” Wang Bibo then pointed to the displeased woman behind her. “Xiao Dao knows her too.”

Yu Lanzhi was petite, possessing the delicate beauty of a woman from Jiangnan, as well as a lively and charming spirit. However, she had a somewhat sour expression and muttered, "Why did you invite such irrelevant people to stay here?"

"Sigh." Wang Bibo said sternly, "No manners at all. This is your future sister-in-law."

Yu Lanzhi turned and left in a huff. Anyone with eyes could see her dissatisfaction; she clearly had feelings for Wang Bibo. Unfortunately, her feelings were unrequited.

Wang Bibo smiled and said, "She called me spoiled, don't mind it."

Afterwards, Wang Gui led everyone to the guest rooms.

Xiaoyue and Xiaodao still shared a room, while Xue Beifan and Chonghua lived in the next courtyard. Just as Wang Gui left, the door to Xiaodao's room was kicked open, and Yu Lanzhi stormed in angrily, shouting, "Yan Xiaodao! You broke your promise!"

Seeing her aggressive approach, Xiaoyue became wary, but Xiaodao quickly stopped her, saying to Yu Lanzhi, "I'm here to break off the engagement!"

Yu Lanzhi's arrogance immediately subsided, and she asked with a hint of disbelief, "Really?"

“Of course! I’ll leave as soon as the engagement is dissolved.” Seeing that Yu Lanzhi still didn’t believe him, Xiao Dao pointed to Xue Beifan, who had come to the door to watch the commotion, “See? He’s the one I’m looking for.”

Yu Lanzhi turned and looked Xue Beifan over, seemingly relieved, then earnestly instructed Xiao Dao, "Keep your word! You're not allowed to marry your cousin."

"Of course," Xiao Dao nodded quickly.

Yu Lanzhi lost her temper in an instant, turned around and walked out. Just before leaving, she seemed to remember something and turned back to Xiaodao and said, "I'll have the kitchen make your favorite orange-stuffed shrimp tonight."

"Mm." Xiao Dao nodded happily and waved to Yu Lanzhi, signaling her to slow down.

Xue Beifan entered the room and saw Xiao Dao shaking his head as he poured tea and drank water. Curious, he asked, "A love rival?"

Xiao Dao pouted, "Such a nice girl, yet she's so stubborn and has fallen for Wang Bibo."

"Does Wang Bibo look down on her?" Xue Beifan looked outside. "Are they childhood sweethearts?"

"Yes. We grew up together."

"That would be terrible. If they're always around, we won't feel it. They'll definitely treat each other like siblings."

"Heh." Xiao Dao scoffed at these words, "Just playing dumb."

"What do you mean?" Xue Beifan didn't understand.

“That kid Wang Bibo has had everything he wanted since he was a child. The reason he keeps staring at me is because I don’t like him. He thinks I’m something new and interesting.” Xiao Dao said disdainfully, “My mother said that men who have everything they want treat women like objects, just like famous swords. The harder they are to get, the more they want them. Once they get them, they will cherish them in every way, but in the end, they are still just playthings.”

Xue Beifan was stunned for a moment, staring at Xiao Dao. "You don't want to be a plaything, so you look down on Wang Bibo?"

"I have the utmost contempt for people like you." Xiao Dao rolled her eyes at Xue Beifan.

"What does this have to do with me?" Xue Beifan felt wronged.

Xiao Dao glanced at Xiao Yue, who was diligently packing her things by the bedside, and muttered, "The best things are right beside you, yet you can't see them. You just stare at trivial things, thinking you're incredibly smart, but you're actually incredibly stupid."

Hearing her muttering to herself, Xue Beifan leaned closer and asked, "So, what kind of man do you think is a good man?"

Xiao Dao glanced at him and replied quietly, "Anyway, it's not you! Compared to you, Wang Bibo and Shen Xinghai are nothing."

Xue Beifan opened his mouth, looking at Xiao Dao in surprise.

Xiao Dao pointed at his chest and said, "Wang Bibo and Shen Xinghai still have a muddled mind clouded by lard, but yours is empty. Don't think I can't see it." After saying that, he left the dumbfounded Xue Beifan and ran to the outer yard to pick up a fat rabbit to show Xiaoyue.

Xue Beifan put aside his playful mood and sat down at the table, watching Xiaodao and Xiaoyue feed the rabbits together, lost in thought—this Yan Xiaodao is really something, playing along with the situation, not bad at all.

Chonghua walked in from outside and saw Xue Beifan's appearance. He wanted to laugh a little. This person was usually playful and never serious. It was rare to see him so serious.

A thrilling visit to the park

People often say that it's easy to draw a tiger's skin but hard to draw its bones, and easy to know a person's face but hard to know their heart. Yan Xiaodao's words, however, were like a knife stabbing into Xue Beifan's heart. The most painful thing for a cunning and calculating person is not being deceived, but being seen through.

Xue Beifan was already very competitive, and now Xiao Dao had stirred it up even more... He found it increasingly interesting, and his very blood was screaming with resentment, determined to win back a point before he would stop.

As Chonghua entered, he saw Xue Beifan looking utterly defeated, and inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction. He sat down inside and said, "I just took a look around. This Bibo Manor is very mysterious. The Nine Pearl Dragon Pool is a forbidden area, and it is said that no one is allowed to enter."

Xiao Dao pinched the two ears of the big, fat rabbit in Xiao Yue's hand and asked, "Is it guarded?"

"No, that's strange, there's only a stone marker marking the boundary."

"They're probably very confident in the mechanisms inside," Xue Bei said, looking at Xiao Dao. "Are we going to spy on them tonight?"

"Go ahead and go," Xiao Dao replied nonchalantly. Seeing Xiao Yue starting to prepare things, he hurriedly said, "We won't make a move tonight, we'll just scout things out first. I'll take that lecherous thief with me."

"Okay." Xiaoyue nodded, then added with a reminder, "Be careful."

Xiao Dao reassured her, then waved to Chonghua, "We'll go into the forbidden area tonight; you stay with Xiaoyue."

Chonghua was caught off guard. Looking at Xiaoyue, who naturally didn't understand Xiaodao's intentions, she took the rabbit out and placed it in the grass. Then she saw two more rabbits grazing ahead. Xiaoyue stood up and waved to Xiaodao, "Xiaodao, look! What a big rabbit!"

Xiao Dao squinted at it, "Wow! Is that a rabbit or a dog?"

Xue Beifan and Chonghua had never seen such a large rabbit before. Its eyes were red and looked like it was about to bite, giving it an eerie appearance.

"Xiao Dao," Xiao Yue whispered after returning to the house, "I just saw the maids walking around in the courtyard, and they were all beauties."

“Wang Bibo seems to have rules; he always hires good-looking servants.” Chonghua had obviously noticed this as well.

“I never thought that looks mattered,” Xiaoyue said softly. “That’s the good thing about wearing a mask.”

“That’s true.” Xiao Dao smiled at Xue Beifan, who was still lost in thought. “If you’re used to wearing a mask, you should panic when you suddenly take it off.”

Xue Beifan's face immediately fell, and he glanced at Xiao Dao with a hint of resentment. Xiao Dao smiled contentedly.

Chonghua suppressed a laugh, finished the tea in his cup, got up, and pulled the dejected Xue Beifan back to the neighboring courtyard.

Hao Jinfeng noticed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chonghua smiled and said, "Some people are too careless and have kicked a hornet's nest. Their toes are hurting."

“The methods for dealing with smart girls and silly girls are different.” Xue Beifan smiled indifferently. “For smart girls, you have to let them have the upper hand… Of course, they also have to be smart enough.”

“Young Master Xue,” Chonghua shook his head and advised him, “the person has no grudge against you, so show mercy. Be careful not to harm yourself or others.”

Xue Beifan regained his composure and took a sip of wine. "This world doesn't judge by right or wrong, but by success or failure. Since she knows this, let's see who's smarter."

Hao Jinfeng was completely confused and leaned closer to ask, "What are you talking about? About women?"

Xue Beifan and Chonghua nodded with amusement, "Isn't it just a woman!"

"Sigh, it's always best to be careful with women! Look at my father, his sincere heart was discarded like trash."

"What?!"

Hao Jinfeng's words left Xue Beifan and Chonghua somewhat dumbfounded.

Seeing their surprise, Hao Jinfeng explained to them, "To tell you the truth, my father was a very devoted lover, but unfortunately, women's hearts are unfathomable; once they turn their backs on someone, they don't recognize them anymore. My mother misunderstood him back then, thinking he was out having affairs, and in a fit of anger, she ran away with my sister. My father searched all over the country for her, even resorting to drawing pictures, but he still couldn't find her."

Xue Beifan reached out and pressed his hand to his twitching lips. "Your father... issued a warrant for your mother's arrest to find her?"

"Ah!" Hao Jinfeng nodded seriously, "My father is infatuated, isn't he?!"

Xue Beifan and Chonghua exchanged a silent glance and realized that Hao Jinfeng's appearance was just like his father's!

In the neighboring courtyard, Xiao Dao lay for a while but couldn't fall asleep. When he got up, he saw that Xiao Yue was already asleep in the wicker chair. He covered Xiao Yue with a blanket and then went out alone, wanting to explore the Bibo Manor.

Walking along the path, the winding trail led to secluded spots, but unfortunately, the scenery was all pretty much the same, like a maze. Little Knife would see a peacock one moment, and a crane the next; rabbits were grazing all over the ground, and the flowers and plants were particularly lush.

Having finally reached the lotus pond, Xiao Dao found the scenery exceptionally beautiful. He sat down and took a deep breath. In the distance, a pretty maidservant was gracefully walking towards him, carrying a tray with fresh grapes on it.

Upon seeing Xiaodao, the maidservant quickly bowed to her and asked, "Miss Xiaodao, would you like some grapes?"

Xiao Dao shook his head. "Were these grapes sent to Wang Bibo?"

The maid replied somewhat embarrassedly, "No, it was a gift from the master of the manor."

Xiao Dao saw that the maid's face was flushed and she was holding the grapes as if they were Wang Bibo's precious darling, and he felt somewhat helpless.

"Your young master is a womanizer, don't let him fool you." As soon as Xiao Dao said this, he realized he was being silly and overly enthusiastic. Why was he telling her all this?

The maid nodded. "Of course I know, but the master is really much better than other men! I'm just a maid, it would be a great honor for me to become the master's concubine..." she said, blushing with embarrassment.

Xiao Dao didn't look down on her because of this, or think that she was demeaning herself. It's understandable for a woman to find someone to rely on. It's just a pity that money and good relationships don't guarantee reliability.

Thinking of this, Xiao Dao muttered to himself, "Wang Bibo, that fickle woman, might as well build a harem for her. It would be better for her to be busy taking concubines every day than to go out and wreak havoc on the world."

Before he could finish speaking, someone behind him chimed in, "You're really generous, thinking about taking me a concubine before we're even married."

Xiao Dao turned around, and Wang Bibo stood there laughing.

"Master," the maidservant quickly bowed. Wang Bibo smiled gently at her and waved her hand lightly. The maidservant blushed and left in a daze.

Xiao Dao frowned as he looked at Wang Bibo, who was thoroughly enjoying himself. "Aren't you shameless?"

Wang Bibo shrugged. "I am indeed better than most people!"

"Unfortunately, not everyone." The knife poked at his sore spot.

"How did you get involved with Xue Beifan?" Wang Bibo jumped onto the stone railing and sat down next to Xiao Dao.

"It was just a coincidence."

"Xue Beifan is not someone to be trifled with, so don't jump into the fire yourself!" Wang Bibo said seriously. "But since we're going to jump into the fire anyway, his is not as good as mine. At least I won't make you sad!"

"No need," Xiao Dao waved his hand. "If I offend you, it will upset others."

"You mean Lanzhi?" Wang Bibo asked, looking troubled. "I consider her my younger sister!"

"It takes two to tango. If you don't provoke them, they won't be so devoted to you. You're living in a world of blessings but you don't know it."