Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Fu Xun looked up, his gaze like the ghostly moonlight over the sea, fixed steadily on her.

Perhaps he had long expected that once Quan Xiao left, Qu Yixian would start pressing him. He leisurely pushed aside the documents on the table, stretched his long legs, and leaned back against the sofa.

The floor lamp cast a slightly dim warm light, carving shadows across the side of his face. He lowered his eyes, whistling softly. From somewhere under the bed, Diao Chan peeked out, climbing up his pant leg and finally nestling comfortably in his palm as if she had done it countless times before.

Fu Xun’s lips curved slightly, a gentle, peaceful arc.

He said, “Coming at me with questions right away—isn’t that a bit unfair?”

Diao Chan stretched lazily in his palm. The light and shadow under his brow made him appear languid and casual.

“They’re all wrong,” he said, standing with Diao Chan in his arms. The lamp’s light slid over him, leaving the space around him in shadow. “The Gouyun Jade Pendant is authentic, yes, but it’s not worth ten million.”

Fu Xun had never corrected this misconception. He was like a god overseeing mortals, lofty and detached from the worldly.

“My father, Fu Wangshu, is a top domestic expert in ancient artifact appraisal. The Gouyun Jade Pendant was a coming-of-age gift he gave me when I turned eighteen. His life’s work has been recovering lost national treasures from overseas. This pendant is one of those he brought back, a piece of Hongshan culture jade.”

“Before it reached me, the jade pendant suffered slight damage due to improper preservation. On the inner side of the jade disk, there’s a natural-looking crack, only detectable with precise instruments.” He looked relaxed, almost weary, his voice lazy: “When the appraisal house first saw it, they probably judged it based on appearance, which led them to value it at ten million or more.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he stared at her, his tone calm: “That’s the origin of the pendant.”

With that, he turned and poured himself a cup of tea. The soft sound of pouring water accompanied his low, gentle voice: “Do you want some water?”

Qu Yixian’s lips moved, but she didn’t answer.

Fu Xun drank, then returned to the sofa: “Anything else you want to ask?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qu Yixian’s phone on the table vibrated slightly with a message.

Fu Xun instinctively glanced at it. That glance lasted longer than expected; his eyes darkened subtly.

Qu Yixian sensed something wrong as he picked up her phone and asked: “You had Yuan Ye checking on me?”

His tone was light and seemingly casual, but Qu Yixian detected the undercurrent: extreme displeasure suppressed by control.

She inwardly thought: this is bad. The initiative she had moments ago had completely flipped. She stood there, supposedly in a position of advantage, now feeling interrogated, the atmosphere tense.

Yuan Ye is truly more trouble than help…

She cleared her throat and explained: “I can explain all of this.”

Fu Xun smiled.

When he smiled, Qu Yixian felt a sinking sensation in her chest, a faint numbness.

She racked her brain for a reasonable excuse. This sudden reversal, combined with Fu Xun’s counter, left her momentarily stunned, her mind blank.

Qu Yixian tried to recall: what exactly did she ask Yuan Ye to check about Fu Xun?

Oh… to see if he had any appraisal mistakes recently.

Why did she ask?

Seems like Fu Xun never tells the truth…

So having Yuan Ye check is just her way of handling the matter. Totally normal.

But Fu Xun looked upset; saying this out loud would probably make it worse.

While she was in turmoil, Fu Xun’s expression softened. He lowered his eyes, letting them rest on her for a moment: “You don’t need to explain. Trust between people is built little by little. I didn’t disclose everything before because I couldn’t fully trust you. Just as you had Yuan Ye check on me, to know the truth and not be misled. There’s nothing to blame.”

Qu Yixian felt awkward, sensing something off.

Fu Xun didn’t give her a chance to react, continuing: “Yuan Ye isn’t good at analyzing things. He has connections, but his information processing is poor. The information you get from him usually still needs to be filtered and distilled by yourself. If you’re willing to trust me, you might as well ask me directly.”

There was no smile on his face, but his words were sincere—neither harsh nor casual. The balance was perfect.

Qu Yixian found herself subtly following his lead.

She nodded, no longer standing at the doorway, and returned to the table where she had spoken with Quan Xiao, kicking the chair aside to sit: “According to you, the Gouyun Jade Pendant was a coming-of-age gift from your father. Since it was stolen, shouldn’t you have reported it to the police?”

Otherwise, her first reaction wouldn’t have been to have Yuan Ye check whether he had any recent appraisal incidents. The origin of the jade pendant is legitimate—what’s there not to make public?

Fu Xun: “Xiang Xiaolong is Pei Yuliang’s alias, you know that.”

Qu Yixian nodded, though she habitually called him Xiang Xiaolong.

Fu Xun said: “You could have Yuan Ye look into Pei Yuliang. He spent a year in prison for fraud. The Gouyun Jade Pendant wasn’t stolen directly from me by him. There’s a murder involved in this case; if you’re interested, I can tell you about it at an appropriate time.”

He looked into Qu Yixian’s eyes. When she was quiet, her eyes always held a trace of distance, as if invisible hands were pushing someone further and further away.

At this moment, though she was silent, she was thinking.

From just now, finding the loopholes in Quan Xiao’s words to “questioning” Fu Xun, she realized she had been too hasty.

She was used to working alone. Even when paired with Yuan Ye, most of the time she was the one giving orders. Long-term independence had made her forget what trust and reliance felt like.

But tonight, she suddenly gained a new understanding.

She couldn’t bring herself to apologize to Fu Xun face-to-face, only slightly embarrassed: “I was inconsiderate; I didn’t realize the Gouyun Jade Pendant involved a murder.” Fu Xun didn’t want to say more; after all, it wasn’t something pleasant.

Qu Yixian stood up to get her phone: “I’ll check on the delivery.”

Fu Xun got to the phone before her: “Sit down, I’ll get it.”

Qu Yixian was a little confused: “Get what?”

Fu Xun stood, straightening his collar and jacket: “There’s something I need to confess to you.”

Qu Yixian: “…” She had a bad instinct.

Sure enough.

Fu Xun said: “Perhaps a previous action made you misunderstand.” He shook her phone slightly: “The message just now was a notification from the delivery at the front desk.”

Qu Yixian’s scalp tingled.

She recalled his earlier expressions while holding the phone, his hidden irritation, and the sequence of his behavior—suddenly she was furious: “You tricked me?”

Fu Xun remained calm: “Sending Quan Xiao away, and what you said at the door—wasn’t that tricking me too?”

He took a few steps toward her, his tall frame blocking the ceiling light. He lowered his head slightly, his eyes fixed directly on Qu Yixian: “I really don’t want the progress we made in our relationship to become frozen again, but for the long term, you need to have better memory.”

Progress?

Qu Yixian wanted to curse loudly.

When has there ever been progress between them? It’s either a cold war or full-blown conflict; not a single peaceful day.

She snorted, her tone calm but mocking: “If it weren’t for your overstepping, Fu Xun, I wouldn’t have had to re-examine your professional competence.”

Fu Xun didn’t respond immediately.

He knew Qu Yixian was thoroughly angered.

At the moment, aside from having an argument with her, he had no better way to handle it.

“Strictly speaking, my profession lies in appraisal, not in tracking the Gouyun Jade Pendant,” he said, pressing his lips together. His voice lowered, serious yet soft: “The area you should be evaluating is whether I’m sincerely pursuing you.”

Qu Yixian: “…”

What?

After a brief freeze, Qu Yixian felt as if she were being roasted in fire.

She couldn’t believe it, asking: “What did you just say?”

In such an informal setting, Fu Xun had no intention of repeating himself.

He raised an eyebrow slightly and said: “I’ll go get some food first. If you need to go over Quan Xiao’s words, or have any other questions, you can come next door anytime.”

He opened the door and stepped out, then remembered something, turned, and said: “Get ready. Tomorrow I’ll take you to meet Fu Tai.”

Qu Yixian’s mind was in chaos; it was the first time she felt overwhelmed by too much information at once.

She asked anxiously: “To meet Fu Tai… for what?”

Fu Tai is Fu Xun’s informant in Dunhuang. Qu Yixian had heard of him; he’s a local big shot in the Dunhuang antique circle and also the person in charge of the Dunhuang West City Antique Appraisal Office that Xiang Xiaolong visited that day.

Judging from the conversation between Quan Xiao and Fu Xun, Fu Tai is the one who feeds Quan Xiao, and Fu Tai was cultivated by Fu Xun. But aside from intimidating Quan Xiao, what connection does Fu Tai have with Xiang Xiaolong?

“Aren’t you suspicious of Quan Xiao’s honesty?” Fu Xun asked.

Qu Yixian was speechless.

Was it that obvious?

“Before meeting Quan Xiao, I wasn’t sure whether he knew Fu Tai; I hadn’t heard of him. But once Quan Xiao entered the room, the flattery he gave me… thinking about it, only Fu Tai could have trained him to do that. If you want to verify the truth behind Quan Xiao’s words, finding Fu Tai is the most convenient way,” Fu Xun said. With that, he “considerately” left Diao Chan behind and went out, closing the door.

Qu Yixian sat at the table, her mind in chaos.

From being forced into this situation to now being deeply entangled, with so many agitators and Fu Xun like a ticking time bomb, it was like being a sponge forced to absorb everything.

She closed her eyes and slumped back in her chair.

One step at a time.

Tomorrow’s plan: first find Fu Tai. Fu Tai should be trustworthy, an ally. Pah—he’s Fu Xun’s person; how could he be her own ally!

Quan Xiao’s parting words seemed caring but were actually eye medicine, meant to disturb her judgment.

She really had to learn to filter valuable information and distinguish right from wrong.

Then find a chance to hear Fu Xun talk about the murder case involving Xiang Xiaolong.

And…

There’s still Jiang Yun!

Tomorrow Yuan Ye would bring Jiang Yun into Dunhuang. At a time like this, Qu Yixian couldn’t even protect herself, let alone Jiang Yun. She’d have to find a chance to talk with Jiang Yun tomorrow; if Jiang Yun was willing to accept a new team leader, even better.

She didn’t want to investigate the other strange clues on her own—let whoever wants dig into them.

Finally, there’s Fu Xun.

He just said he was going after her, right?

That’s easy. Stay put, do nothing; either he exhausts himself, or she faces the proper consequences.

Either way, she wouldn’t lose.