Chapter Sixty-Three: The Two Beauties of Yu Prefecture! (First Update)

The helicopter receded into the distance, finally becoming a mere black dot against the horizon. Han Chen stood atop the mountain, his fingers tightly clenched. No one could guess what thoughts occupied the mind of this silent figure. At his side, Sun Wanyue glanced at the blood seeping from between his fingers and let out a soft, sorrowful sigh.

At this moment, she found herself growing weary of the man she had once considered her prince. All of Han Chen’s achievements, when compared to Jiang Yu, amounted to nothing. “And yet, I refused him with my own lips! If I had accepted back then, perhaps I would now be the one standing at his side, admired by all, not Gu Feifei, but me, Sun Wanyue!”

Regret overwhelmed her; she was truly remorseful now. Sun Wanyue crouched down, burying her face as she choked back sobs. A tidal wave of regret and humiliation crashed over her. Never before had she felt so wronged, so humiliated...

A faint smile played at the corner of Liu Huai’an’s mouth as he spoke, “If you please, the two of you may go.”

Han Chen ground his teeth and glared at Liu Huai’an but said nothing. Jiang Yu had only just left, and already this man was so eager to drive them out of the mountaintop villa?

Sun Wanyue and Han Chen, one following the other, left the villa in silence.

On the helicopter, Jiang Yu leaned against the window, gazing down at the majestic mountains below. The Tengyue mountain range, China’s largest volcanic region, had accumulated millennia of history. Its craters were now thickly cloaked in verdant trees. From above, the peaks stretched endlessly, their summits sheared flat as if by some mighty force.

“In such a unique environment, surely some treasure nearing the innate grade must be hidden here. If a practitioner of the fire element were to train here, the results would be twice as effective with half the effort. For such people, the Tengyue volcanoes are comparable to a celestial sanctuary.”

A wild thought flickered in Jiang Yu’s mind: might an innate cultivator be slumbering within these volcanoes? After all, practitioners of the fire element could sleep for centuries in such places. So long as they were not awakened, they could slumber on indefinitely.

“Wow!”

What a breathtaking view.

Gu Feifei, eyes wide in amazement, stared unblinkingly at the land below.

Jiang Shao spoke with easy confidence: “Of course. These endless mountains cover hundreds of thousands of hectares and are rich in all kinds of rare treasures. The Tengshan hot springs are just the beginning; the real gem here is the Tengyue mineral water, which contains over a hundred and thirty trace minerals beneficial to health. At its peak, there were more than ten mineral water plants in these mountains.”

“But later, due to overdevelopment, the local authorities shut them down and abandoned the factories.”

Gu Feifei had heard of Tengyue mineral water before—akin to Qu’s distilled water or the thousand-meter spring of Mount Fuji in Japan—a luxury among luxuries, even by global standards.

So, it was from here that Tengyue mineral water was sourced.

The journey was a feast for the eyes, the scenery captivating. Even Du Yanran, usually a chatterbox, was uncharacteristically silent, feeling the unspoken pressure from Jiang Yu, seated across from her.

After all, Xu Yuan’s career had been utterly destroyed by just a single remark from him.

And this unassuming young man across from her could just as easily condemn her to utter ruin with a single word. She wondered how best to broach the subject, to tactfully express her willingness to become his mistress.

He could fight, he knew the chairman of Liuyang Enterprises, Liu Huai’an, and even Liu Shao held him in deep respect, content to play the role of a loyal servant. No wonder he had acted so fearlessly—he was acquainted with Liu Huai’an. As for all that talk of worldly martial artists and masters of combined force, she understood nothing of it; perhaps it was some kind of achievement?

More importantly, compared to others, this young man was remarkably handsome, his big, bright eyes reminiscent of a young deer.

“Boss Jiang, where are we headed?” Liu Shao asked, eyes alight with anticipation.

Jiang Yu replied calmly, “Yuzhou has two beauties: the evening riverbank of Yujiang, ablaze with red clouds, and the famed ‘Little Victoria’ cruise, home to the Sotheby’s auction. Let’s head to the Sotheby’s auction first—I intend to purchase something.”

Jiang Shao nodded eagerly, “Whatever Boss Jiang says, that’s what we’ll do!”

Jiang Yu turned to Gu Feifei with a gentle smile. “The evening riverbank of Yujiang—another day, I’ll take you there.”

She huffed twice, waving her tiny fists in front of his face. “If you don’t go with me when the time comes, just wait and see how I’ll deal with you, you big silly fish.”

Liu Shao broke out in a cold sweat. Only Gu Feifei, emboldened by Jiang Yu’s favor, would dare speak to him so boldly. Everyone else treated him with fearful reverence.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say,” Jiang Yu replied, feigning fear, his tone light and amused.

After a moment’s silence, Gu Feifei turned to Du Yanran. “You should come with us.”

Du Yanran’s face lit up with joy, and she nodded eagerly.

Yuzhou was famed for its rivers, and none more so than the Yujiang, where the renowned Little Victoria cruise rivaled even Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour in its charm. This was the venue for Sotheby’s night auctions, reserved for the wealthy elite. Anyone with assets exceeding ten million could gain entry.

Du Yanran had long heard of the cruise’s picturesque scenery, but until now had never had the chance to attend such an auction. Being invited by Gu Feifei, she was not about to let the opportunity slip by—especially since Jiang Yu would be there.

Liu Shao, well-connected in Yuzhou, had already secured four cruise tickets before they even arrived. With his billions in assets, a few tickets were easily obtained.

“We’re almost there.”

Soon, the silhouette of an international metropolis rose above the horizon.

As the sun set, its afterglow like fire, the meandering riverbank blazed red, unfurling like a painted scroll across the land. In the presence of such grandeur, the group could not help but marvel at their own insignificance.

…

On a tour bus along the Yujiang riverbank,

Jiang Ziyue wore a pleated short skirt and white sneakers, looking fresh and stylish. She smiled and said, “Dad, Mom, didn’t I tell you the scenery here is wonderful? This is one of Yuzhou’s two famed beauties. Tonight I’ll take you to Little Victoria Harbour to attend the auction; I’ve already arranged tickets.”

Jiang Lingxing nodded with a smile, “You, always throwing money around.”

Jiang Ziyue stuck out her tongue, playful and cute. “You’re one to talk! Jiang Shaoqi arrived in Yuzhou today and used his scholarship money to buy his mother a Givenchy trench coat—it cost tens of thousands.”

At this, Jiang Ziyue’s mother glanced back at the cable car behind them, her eyes full of envy. “You should learn from Shaoqi. Every year he spends his scholarship on gifts for his mother, while you just play around and end up with nothing.”

Jiang Lingxing’s smile faded. He sighed, “Our Jiang family is truly fortunate to have Shaoqi. Ziyue, you should keep your distance from Jiang Yu. I know you only push him because of his parents, but remember: a duckling can become a swan only if it was a swan all along. A sparrow will always be a sparrow.”

“Jiang Yu is doomed to become a failure. I see it already in him. I don’t want you getting too close.”

Jiang Ziyue fell silent, her mood dimmed.

With graduation approaching, this final trip before the ceremony was simply a chance to spend time with her parents before she left to study abroad. She and Jiang Shaoqi had agreed on Yuzhou as their destination.

Jiang Shaoqi was accompanied by Zheng Xuan and both families, treating it as a pre-wedding honeymoon. Next month, they would be married, and Jiang Shaoqi would give up university to begin training with the team.

She wondered how Jiang Yu would cope with such an awkward situation.

Jiang Ziyue shook her head and tried not to dwell on it. This trip was meant for relaxation; dwelling on such matters would only spoil her mood.

In the cable car behind them, Jiang Shaoqi’s family was also deep in conversation.

Shaoqi’s mother kept showing off her new trench coat, beaming with delight. “Shaoqi really is growing up—his scholarships get bigger every year.”

Jiang Shaoqi smiled, “At the cruise auction tonight, I’ll see if there’s anything good to bid on for you. I heard there’s a rare piece called the Heart of Nobility, crafted by a renowned European artisan from a South African pink diamond—extremely rare.”

The Jiang family was flourishing. The profits from over a dozen contracts had multiplied their wealth several times over, elevating them to the ranks of the second-tier in Yun City.

Jiang Shaoqi’s father, Jiang Yun, chuckled, “Alright, don’t think a little money makes you so great. Don’t forget, some people still make barely ten thousand a month.”

Everyone’s thoughts turned to Jiang Yu’s parents, relegated to a small town, likely earning less than that.

Zheng Xuan smiled charmingly, “It’s almost time. Once we reach the opposite hill, let’s head to the cruise auction.”