Chapter 104 - 103: A Man’s Survival Instinct (First Update)

Chapter 104: Chapter 103: A Man’s Survival Instinct (First Update)

Xu Jing’s expression remained calm as she furrowed her brow slightly, following the sound and simultaneously searching the original owner’s memory for the owner of the voice.

She saw two handsome, noble, and eye-catching young men, surrounded by a group of guards, walking in by the inn’s entrance not far away.

The man on the left appeared older, dressed in a moon-white robe embroidered with silver threads, his face like white jade, with a pair of long and slightly cold slanted eyes embedded in it.

His thin lips seemed completely opposite to his icy eyes, slightly curved upwards, but the smile didn’t carry much warmth; at least, it didn’t give the impression that he was easy to approach.

The man on the right looked quite young, in his early twenties, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, healthy wheat-colored skin, and a sunny, handsome appearance. He wore a cobalt blue robe embroidered with gold edges and narrow sleeves, and his expression was far less restrained than that of the man on the left. Upon seeing Xu Jing, his ink-black eyes unmistakably revealed a look of disgust.

However, he seemed concerned about something, and regardless of whether the disgust in his eyes was overflowing, he kept his mouth tightly shut and didn’t utter a word.

Xu Jing observed them for a while but couldn’t find the slightest impression of these two people in the original owner’s memory.

She quickly made a judgment in her heart; judging by their demeanor, they clearly recognized Xu Siniang and seemed familiar with her, but Xu Siniang didn’t know them.

Moreover, they seemed to have come with Xianyun. Xu Jing slightly curled her lips, looked at them with cool eyes, and said, "If you are looking for Mr. Xiao, please go upstairs."

Having said that, she no longer paid them any attention and limped her way to an empty table not far off.

They were obviously people Xiao Yi knew, and they didn’t have an ordinary relationship with Xiao Yi.

However, the original owner had barely met Xiao Yi before, so how could she possibly know the people around Xiao Yi?

But they had clearly observed the original owner from the shadows before, which was how they recognized her so quickly.

Their previous attitude toward her was similar to Dongli’s initial attitude towards her, clearly feeling indignant for Xiao Yi and Chang Xiao.

Nevertheless, the original owner didn’t know them, Xu Jing didn’t know them, and Xu Jing had no intention of deeply engaging with them. Their unfriendly pretense of nostalgia was something she couldn’t entertain.

Seeing that the woman completely ignored them, sat down, and even gestured for the waiter to bring her breakfast, Zhao Jingming couldn’t believe his eyes, widened them, and muttered under his breath, "What is this Xu Siniang being so arrogant about? Does she think now that Yanci is backing her, she can walk sideways? We haven’t forgotten how she used to manipulate Yanci and how much trouble she caused him!"

Zhao Jingming’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was still early, and the hall wasn’t crowded, so it was particularly quiet, allowing his words to enter Xu Jing’s ear word for word.

Xu Jing acted as if she hadn’t heard anything and poured herself a cup of tea, though her face showed a hint of impatience.

What are these people doing here?

She knew that once she interacted with people related to the original owner’s past, it would inevitably lead to lots of trouble, which was one of the reasons why she didn’t want to continue associating with Xiao Yi.

She had decided to expand her business into the Western Capital but didn’t intend to reveal her identity in the early stages.

Newly arrived, she just wanted to live her life well and didn’t want to fix the mess from the original owner’s past.

It was one thing that she had been forced by circumstances to have entanglements with Xiao Yi and that Xiao Huai’an, a little boy, was eager to find his birth mother.

But who were these two people, and why should she spend time and effort dealing with them?

Xiao He looked deeply at the slender figure that remained unbudging and suddenly gave a faint smile, "Speaking of which, I used to be related to Miss Xu. Her attitude is perhaps a bit too heartless."

Xu Jing took a deep breath, tilted her head, and looked at the two men not far away with a half-smile, "Clearly, you don’t like me, so why put on such a fake act? It’s better to be like the gentleman next to you; if you don’t like me, just avoid me when you see me, and we can all be at peace."

Xu Jing wondered why they were coming over when they clearly didn’t like her.

But she found their calculating and probing attitude extremely unpleasant.

Zhao Jingming’s mouth dropped wide open, rather undignified, and he pointed at Xu Jing, "You... you..."

This sharp-tongued woman, was she really that crazy and foolish Xu Siniang from before?

Apart from being equally bold and daring, he couldn’t see how she resembled the former Xu Siniang!

Xiao He also narrowed his eyes sharply, no longer hiding the scrutiny in his eyes.

On the side, seeing the growing tension among the group, Xianyun grew anxious enough to break into a cold sweat. Yet, he quickly remembered his duty to protect his master, hurriedly stood in front of Xu Jing, blocking Zhao Jingming and Xiao He’s view, and boldly said, "Mr. Xiao, Mr. Zhao, Miss Xu is no longer the person she used to be! When Lord Xiao was taking care of business in Anping County, Miss Xu helped him a lot! Lord Xiao respects Miss Xu greatly, so please don’t be rude to her!"

Xianyun’s attitude left both men in shock.

Xianyun had always been taking care of Xiao Huai’an as a long-term follower, and no one cared for their little master more than Xianyun did. So logically, he should have despised Xu Siniang, who had previously mistreated Xiao Huai’an, even more than they did.

What significant changes had Xu Siniang undergone to make Xianyun so willing to back her unconditionally?

Before the two could figure things out, a deep and cold voice suddenly came from the stairs, "What are you two doing here?"

Xianyun quickly looked up, delighted, "Lord Xiao!"

They saw Xiao Yi, dressed in a dark-patterned black robe with wide sleeves, standing on the stairs, looking at Zhao Jingming and Xiao He with undisguised coldness in his dark, icy eyes.

The group of them had grown up together and could see that Xiao Yi’s current attitude meant he was obviously angry, and it was because they were unfriendly to Xu Siniang.

For Xiao Yanci to be angry with them over a woman was simply an unprecedented experience.

However, that woman was Xu Siniang.

For a moment, they didn’t know whether to feel joy or sorrow.

Seeing Xiao Yi looking at them coldly, ready to pack them off back to the Western Capital at any moment if they said one more wrong word, Xiao He quickly raised his hand in a gesture of surrender and smiled wryly, "You left the Western Capital in such a hurry yesterday, and without any news until the morning, Longyu and I were just worried about you. When we went to your house to inquire, we happened to see a team leaving your residence, so we followed.

Longyu and I took special leave to come here, bringing plenty of guards just in case. Even if there’s no merit, there must be hard work, so you shouldn’t be so dismissive of us, right?"

Xiao Yi’s icy gaze remained unchanged as he looked at them for a while longer, before retracting his gaze. He didn’t say whether they were welcome but walked directly toward Xu Siniang, who was not far away.

Xu Siniang raised her head and glanced at Yanci, said a bland "Morning," and then lowered her head as if nothing had happened, continuing to sip the tea in her hands.

Her attitude was so indifferent that they felt even the neighbor’s dog three doors down would show more enthusiasm upon seeing them.

Xiao Yi hesitated slightly, instinctively sensing something amiss.

Though this woman had never been particularly warm towards him, she had never been this cold either.

Originally, he had planned to walk over naturally, sit with her, and have breakfast together, but at that moment, his feet simply wouldn’t move forward. After a silent moment, he hoarsely said, "Morning," then quietly pulled out the chair at the adjacent table and sat down.

Xiao He and Zhao Jingming: "..."

They actually saw something akin to a humble emotion on Xiao Yanci, who had always been a flower among flowers but remained untouched!

This was undoubtedly the most shocking event of this extraordinary morning!