After saying this, Fu Yuanxiu coughed twice. He held up his handkerchief and covered his mouth. His slender figure was overly skinny, and his pale face seemed a little sickly.

After he was done coughing, he walked to the sofa and sat down. “We meet again.”

Just as he was about to wait for Xue Xi to put down her pride and lower her head, Gu Peng: “?”

He looked at Fu Yuanxiu in shock.

Fu Yuanxiu was the son of Recluse. He did not belong to the wealthy circle, but he had a high status among them.

It was also because he grew up with Fu Yuanxiu that he got to know such a person. However, Gu Peng knew Fu Yuanxiu’s personality very well.

This person looked refined and polite, but he was actually very cold deep down.

However, that “Sister Xi” just now was definitely from the bottom of his heart!

Gu Peng looked at Fu Yuanxiu and then at Xue Xi. He felt that his worldview had collapsed. Why did the son of Recluse call Ms. Night Li’s daughter Sister Xi?

Could it be that Fu Yuanxiu, this ten-thousand-year-old single dog, has been enlightened and likes Xue Xi? After all, Xue Xi’s face is indeed impeccable!

Xue Xi did not care what he was thinking. She nodded at Fu Yuanxiu and asked, “Are you still unwell?”

She remembered that when she was in Bin City, this person also looked sickly and kept coughing. Why was he still the same after she’d not seen him for more than half a year?

Fu Yuanxiu smiled. “Old habits.”

After saying that, he took a sip of water and calmed down. Then, he said, “By the way, my father heard that your family has come to the capital and wants to entertain you. When can you come and visit?”

Gu Peng, who had just sat beside Fu Yuanxiu: “?”

He felt that he had been slapped in the face again!

If Fu Yuanxiu simply liked Xue Xi and was being so polite to her because of it, then there was no need for Fu Yuanxiu to say that Recluse wanted her to visit.

So who exactly is this Xue Xi?

Gu Peng instantly sat up straight, and his last bit of contempt for Xue Xi disappeared.

Xue Xi thought about it and said, “Let me ask my mother.”

Fu Yuanxiu nodded. “Okay.”

…

On the other side.

Li Zixia greeted Gu Yunqing, who nodded and said casually, “Happy birthday.”

Li Zixia: “…”

The Gu family’s status was very high. For a small birthday banquet like hers, Gu Yunqing did not need to come. The Li family was being polite by sending an invitation to their family, but they did not expect Gu Yunqing to come.

She smiled. “It’s my honor that Ms. Gu can come. Why don’t you go upstairs to rest?”

Gu Yunqing had a good upbringing and was filled with the aura of a socialite. When she smiled, her smile was kind and beautiful, but it also exuded a sense of superiority.

She nodded gracefully at Li Zixia, then reached out to pick up her dress and walked to the side. “No need. Ms. Li is busy. I’ll just walk around.”

After saying this, she ignored the people surrounding her who were trying to curry favor with her. She looked around and saw something. Her eyes lit up as she walked toward the area where Xue Xi was resting.

Li Zixia followed behind her and saw that this person had only taken two steps when she suddenly stopped. The smile on her face instantly shattered. “Who is that red-haired person?”

Li Zixia turned around and her heart turned cold when she saw the person sitting there.

It’s over.

Why was Fu Yuanxiu there?

Everyone knew that Gu Yunqing liked Fu Yuanxiu. She came to this birthday banquet tonight because of Fu Yuanxiu, but at this moment, Fu Yuanxiu was sitting opposite Xue Xi and talking to her.

Fu Yuanxiu had always been refined and mild-mannered. He was the Prince Charming of many girls, but Fu Yuanxiu had always been polite yet aloof to others. No one had ever seen him smiling so happily.

Hence, Gu Yunqing panicked.

Li Zixia deliberated over her words and said, “That’s my university classmate. Her mother is Ms. Night Li. I think that since Ms. Night Li and Recluse are both well-known national painters, Brother Fu Yuanxiu and Sister Xi can chat so well.”

Afraid that Gu Yunqing would misunderstand, she added, “Sister Xi already has a boyfriend. They’re very loving.”

“…”

Li Zixia was very nervous.

She was afraid that she would bring trouble to Xue Xi. After all, the Xue family had just arrived in the capital. If the Gu family moved even just their little fingers, they would be able to make the Xue family suffer.

She stared at Gu Yunqing, only to see a dark glint flash across her beautiful eyes. Immediately, she regained her usual composure and elegance. She strode over. “Oh, I heard that Night Li’s landscape painting is not bad, right? But she seems to have married a nouveau riche, right?”

Her words were filled with malice.

Li Zixia frowned. What should she do now?

While she was thinking, Gu Yunqing had already walked over and slowly said, “Brother Yuanxiu, so you’re here!”

She stood in front of Gu Peng. Gu Peng paused and gave Fu Yuanxiu a pleading look. He stood up and moved aside. Gu Yunqing sat beside Fu Yuanxiu and turned to look at Xue Xi. “Is this Ms. Night Li’s daughter?”

Xue Xi looked up and saw Fu Yuanxiu frowning imperceptibly. He moved his legs and kept a distance from Gu Yunqing.

Gu Yunqing… had a beautiful name and was very beautiful. However, although this person was smiling at her, that smile did not reach her eyes.

Xue Xi nodded and leaned back.

She did not cause trouble, but this did not mean that she was afraid of trouble.

As expected, Gu Yunqing looked at Gu Peng and said, “I heard that you bought a painting from Ms. Night Li and gave it to Xiao Xia as a birthday present?”

Gu Peng and Gu Yunqing were relatives.

However, Gu Yunqing’s family was the main family and had the best development. Gu Peng, on the other hand, was from the branch family. The two of them must be cousins.

Gu Peng looked at Xue Xi and deliberated over his choice of words. He then smiled. “I was the one who made a joke. This painting, ‘Lone Mountain,’ is not Teacher Night Li’s original painting. It’s actually Ms. Xue Xi’s practice brush.”

The moment he said this, Gu Yunqing smiled. “It seems that Ms. Xue’s paintings are the real deal. Otherwise, why would you buy the wrong painting?”

After saying that, Gu Yunqing glanced back.

There was no need for her to say anything. Some of the wealthy young ladies who wanted to please her said, “I’ve heard of ‘The Lone Mountain Painting,’ but Ms. Xue is not even 20 years old this year, right? Can you capture the meaning behind it? Moreover, I saw that painting upstairs just now. The strokes were smooth and did not seem to be drawn by a stranger to the brush.”

She covered her mouth and smiled. “Could it be that the painting was redone by Ms. Night Li? Then she made Ms. Xue famous.”

The moment she said this, Gu Yunqing said, “Ms. Xue is definitely not someone who seeks fame.”

She looked at Xue Xi and said calmly, “I believe that Ms. Xue will prove herself, right?”