Lin Xiao was suddenly startled. He remembered the sheepskin scroll he had seen inside the painting scroll that morning.
Seeing Lin Xiao remain silent, his Second Master asked, "You little rascal, what’s wrong?" ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel·fire.net
"Oh, nothing, old man. I’m driving!"
The reason he hadn’t mentioned this to his Second Master was because Lin Xiao wasn’t sure if what he had found was truly the River-Mountain Scroll.
If it isn’t, wouldn’t all my masters be disappointed? It would be better to wait until I can confirm it’s the real River-Mountain Scroll before telling them.
"Alright, we’ll leave it at that for now. I’m hanging up!"
Lin Xiao grunted in agreement, and they both ended the call.
He pulled the car over to the side of the road and quickly opened the center console.
The sight that met his eyes left him dumbfounded. The spacious compartment was completely empty. There was no trace of the painting scroll.
Lin Xiao was utterly baffled. He distinctly remembered putting the scroll in there. Where could it have gone?
Su Qingning definitely hadn’t taken it. So if it wasn’t her, who was it?
This huge upset instantly caused Lin Xiao to break out in a cold sweat. He abruptly realized that there were still enemies in Jinling City—very powerful ones. They were so powerful that he hadn’t even noticed their existence. They had been watching him from the shadows, or perhaps, surveilling him.
As this dawned on him, Lin Xiao’s feelings became incredibly complex. Bei Kuang and Shen Jingzhe were already enough to give him a headache, and now an unknown enemy had been added to the mix. He realized that things were getting more and more complicated.
Fortunately, Lin Xiao had never been one to panic. He quickly calmed himself down.
After all, there are four copies of the River-Mountain Scroll. Even if someone stole my copy, it’s fine. It’s useless if they can’t find the other three. Besides, I don’t even know for sure if the sheepskin scroll I found this morning is one of the maps.
With that thought, Lin Xiao restarted the car and headed for the bar.
When he arrived, he was shocked by the scene before him. Two large trucks were parked at the entrance, and more than a dozen workers were unloading various construction materials. Su Qingning, Shao Mei’er, and Chu Xiangxue were standing off to the side, chatting.
When they saw Lin Xiao, Shao Mei’er and Chu Xiangxue both smiled. Su Qingning merely gave him an indifferent glance.
"Lin Xiao, you’re back!" Shao Mei’er and Chu Xiangxue called out in unison.
Chu Xiangxue’s smile was as captivating as ever, while Shao Mei’er’s was quite flirtatious.
When Su Qingning witnessed this, her brow furrowed slightly.
Truth be told, she felt deeply uncomfortable. Even though Shao Mei’er and Chu Xiangxue were just giving Lin Xiao a simple greeting, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to be snatched away from her. It was a terrible sensation.
Lin Xiao greeted the two women, smiled, and asked, "Things are moving this quickly?"
"Of course. You can count on me," Shao Mei’er said with a charming smile.
Lin Xiao nodded. "Shao Mei’er, you’ve done a wonderful job. Thank you for everything you’ve done for my wife!"
"Lin Xiao, I want to help too, but I don’t know how," Chu Xiangxue said with a smile. "How about this? When the bar reopens, I’ll make an appearance to draw in a crowd. What do you think?"
Lin Xiao’s eyes lit up. This was an excellent marketing strategy. Chu Xiangxue was currently the hottest celebrity in the country. If she made an appearance, she would undoubtedly attract countless fans. It would be hard for Su Qingning’s bar not to become a massive hit.
"That’s a great idea! I think it could work!" Lin Xiao laughed.
"Let’s just forget it," Su Qingning said suddenly.
"Qingning, I didn’t mean any harm! I just want to help!" Chu Xiangxue quickly explained, thinking her suggestion had upset Su Qingning.
Su Qingning hurriedly replied, "Miss Chu, that’s not what I meant!"
"That’s right, my wife didn’t mean it that way," Lin Xiao explained with a smile. "As you both know, she’s the type who likes to rely on herself. She already feels like she owes a lot of favors for this bar. If you were to come, Xiangxue, my wife would feel indebted to you as well. She just hates being in anyone’s debt."
Su Qingning was startled. She hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to understand her so perfectly.
That was exactly right. She had refused Chu Xiangxue’s offer precisely because she didn’t want to owe her a favor. She was already deeply indebted to Shao Mei’er for her help with the bar. If she owed Chu Xiangxue as well, Su Qingning had no idea how she could ever repay them.
Hearing Lin Xiao’s explanation, Chu Xiangxue breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled radiantly and said, "Qingning, if that’s what you’re thinking, you’re overthinking it. I genuinely just want to help. Besides, I think we can be considered friends now, right? And friends don’t owe each other favors. So, it’s happily decided!"
Since Chu Xiangxue had put it that way, Su Qingning found it difficult to refuse. However, her heart grew even heavier.
Su Qingning knew perfectly well that both Shao Mei’er and Chu Xiangxue were helping her unconditionally entirely because of Lin Xiao. If they were helping simply because he was powerful, that would be one thing. But they were helping because they liked him. To put it plainly, they weren’t helping her; they were trying to curry favor with Lin Xiao. But Lin Xiao was her husband.
This left Su Qingning deeply troubled. What frustrated her most was knowing that these two women—both with extraordinary backgrounds and stunning looks—were vying for her husband, and yet she felt powerless to stop them.
After some idle chat, it was nearly dinnertime. Shao Mei’er suggested they all go out for a celebratory meal.
Su Qingning’s immediate impulse was to refuse. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat with them, but they always chose extremely luxurious restaurants, and she genuinely couldn’t afford to keep up. Although Shao Mei’er’s help with the renovation had saved her a lot of money, she really didn’t dare to spend extravagantly right now.
Just as she was about to say no, Lin Xiao suddenly laughed. "Great idea! Shao Mei’er, you pick a place. Let’s celebrate!"
His thinking was simple. They had to eat anyway, so it didn’t matter where. As long as he was with Su Qingning, it was all good.
"How about hot pot? I own a hot pot restaurant that I think tastes pretty good!" Shao Mei’er suggested with an alluring smile.
Chu Xiangxue’s smile was radiant as she said, "That sounds good to me!"
"Honey, what do you think?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.
Su Qingning nodded helplessly.
"Then follow me!" Shao Mei’er said.
"Alright!" Lin Xiao laughed.
The four of them got into their respective cars.
Noticing Su Qingning’s downcast expression, Lin Xiao asked gently, "Honey, are you unhappy?"
Su Qingning stared out the window without a word, but her eyes were slightly red, her thoughts a mystery.
Lin Xiao turned on the music, hoping to help her relax so he could comfort her properly. He knew exactly why she was upset.
Gentle music flowed out, instantly filling the car. A male singer with a deep, husky voice began to sing:
*You have eyes that know how to speak,*
*And a kind, understanding heart.*
*Though I’m reckless and naive,*
*Your smile always leaves me mesmerized.*
The slightly melancholic voice instantly made Su Qingning’s peach-blossom eyes redden.
As the song ended, she said in a trembling voice, "Lin Xiao, can I ask you for something?"