Gu Xijiu was wealthy enough to afford anything that she wanted. She wanted to buy the bracelet for herself, but Fan Qians.h.i.+ insisted that he should be the one who bought it as a gift for her. In order to let him have real-life experience in money-making, she finally agreed to his request. She reluctantly asked the owner to reserve the bracelet for her and promised to come back in two months to make her purchase.There were two conditions for Fan Qians.h.i.+ in his money-making strategy. First of all, he was not allowed to steal the money. Secondly, he had to make the money himself based on the skills that he could offer.
For two months, Fan Qians.h.i.+ worked his heart out in the Celestial Kingdom to collect the amount of money needed for the bracelet. Therefore, he could not hide the look of his excitement on his face when he could finally afford it. Quickly, he took Gu Xijiu back to the shop to pay for the bracelet as soon as he had acc.u.mulated the money.
However, they arrived at the shop, only to realize that the bracelet had been brought out on display again and that there was a lady who seemed to be interested in the bracelet. The lady looked so delighted with it that she could hardly put it down. Just a moment later, he was ready to pay.
There was only one bracelet, but two buyers. Both agreed to the price and were desperate to get it. The owner thought about it and suggested that they bid for it. Thence, the bracelet would belong to the side that offered the highest price.
Fan Qians.h.i.+ did not have more money than what he initially needed. Therefore, the bracelet would become unaffordable to him, with only a slight increase in price. He would definitely lose the bid.
His face turned red as he was obviously frustrated and annoyed at the shop owner. The lady noticed his expression, and arrogantly said, "Can"t you even make a bid? If you are poor, perhaps you should not even be competing for this bracelet. It belongs to me!"
The remark filled Fan Qians.h.i.+ with indignation! In fact, Gu Xijiu was offended by the remark as well. The lady"s rude behavior towards her disciple provoked her, so she decided to compete for the bracelet herself.
Smilingly, she placed a stack of cash on the table in a bold manner and said, "Let"s bid."
The stack of cash was worth a hundred times more than the original price of the bracelet, so the owner stood frozen and gasped in disbelief. He then turned to look at the lady, curious as to what she might do.
The lady was equally astonished. She did not have this amount of cash with her at the moment, so there was no way she could continue bidding. Her mouth was left ajar in shock.
Proud and elated, Fan Qians.h.i.+ scornfully responded, "Can"t you even continue the bidding? If you are poor, perhaps you should stop competing for this bracelet. It belongs to me now!" He used her words against her.
The lady"s face could be seen blus.h.i.+ng scarlet, as there was nothing she could say.
Meanwhile, the owner was happy with the amount of money that he had just made. Delightfully, he wrapped up the bracelet with care before handing it to Gu Xijiu. "Miss, this is yours now."
Gu Xijiu was ready to take it when a man suddenly interrupted the business transaction by holding the bracelet down. "Wait."
His long, slender fingers caught her attention. She could not help but notice how fair his skin actually was now that he was so close to her. Furthermore, there was an emerald jade ring on his thumb to highlight his exquisite fingers.
Gu Xijiu looked up and saw the mask that was made explicitly for Tian Mowen. His glistening eyes were the only features that she could see on his face.
She could recognize him even at first glance, but she acted as though they had just met. Calmly, she pulled her hand away from the bracelet and asked, "What else do you have to say?"
The owner knew immediately that the man was the National Master, for the mask that he was wearing was of his signature style. Panicked, he quickly kneeled to pay Tian Mowen respect.
Gu Xijiu knew very well that the man was Di Fuyi. He could tell that he was glancing at her and probably sizing her up. After all, it was their first proper encounter after 20 years. Nevertheless, the way she looked at him was rather unfriendly, like two strangers who had just met.
He then looked away and focused on the lady instead. "Yan Qing, what is the matter?"
The lady took a moment to find her words before telling him the entire incident in bold and straightforward terms. From her version of the story, she said that she was the first to see the bracelet. Gu Xijiu and her disciples then abruptly interrupted her and decided to compete for the bracelet with her.
Without that much money, she knew that she did not stand a chance to win the bid.