The man who entered had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with long, straight legs.
A slightly rough white shirt paired with even rougher black trousers somehow gave him the air of a male model.
But you couldn't look at his face!
That incredible physique was paired not with a face sculpted for a comic book, but with dark skin and a rugged, bearded face.
What a waste of such a body...
"It's the Shen family's Third Brother!"
Someone in the crowd recognized Shen Xubai.
The guests were somewhat shocked to hear this name.
"It's been a few years, why do you look so weathered? Have the past few years been hard on your family?"
"Shen Xubai was a child star back then, so handsome when he was little, how did he turn out so ugly?"
In the crowd, there were sighs of regret, mockery, and sarcasm, but mostly a sense of schadenfreude.
Shen Xubai ignored the taunts.
He walked through the crowd, heading straight for Ning Xi.
As he passed Lin Wanhui, he shot her a glare.
"Watch your mouth. She's the Shen family's only daughter, and we cherish her dearly."
Shen Xubai's rugged face was intimidating.
Lin Wanhui flinched back two steps, swallowing the insults she was about to hurl.
Shen Xubai disdainfully walked past her.
As he turned to Ning Xi, his sharp demeanor softened, and his expression became gentle.
He looked at the girl, who was shorter than him, with a playful glint in his eyes and said meaningfully, "So it was you!"
Ning Xi froze.
No way?
He already knew about her good deeds so quickly?
She was stunned for three seconds, then closed her eyes and steeled herself.
It's okay, don't be afraid!
Whether I stick my head out or hide it, it's still a knife; the sooner I die, the sooner I'm reborn!
Ning Xi opened her eyes, tilted her head back, and boldly admitted, "It was me! All the resources for your company were—"
"Little glutton!"
Before Ning Xi could finish.
Shen Xubai raised his hand and ruffled her obedient hair.
"You were the one who stole my lunchbox on set last time."
Ning Xi: "Uh?"
She vaguely remembered that one time she was waiting for Lu Lao San at the film set and was so hungry after waiting all noon that she ate a leftover lunchbox from the crew.
She hadn't expected the lunchbox to be claimed.
But not only did the owner not blame her, he even had his assistant send her a bag of small oranges as a snack.
So, that person was her Third Brother...
Ning Xi's guilt soared another two levels...
Shen Xubai looked at the scattered luggage on the ground, "Is this all?"
Ning Xi nodded mechanically, "Mm."
Shen Xubai bent down to pick things up. The rolled-up sleeves of his shirt revealed a section of his pale, fair forearm, which contrasted sharply with the dark skin of his wrist.
The items scattered on the ground were all inexpensive trinkets.
There was a crooked, stitched doll, a faded red hair tie, and over a dozen sheets of yellow talisman paper, along with divination sticks scattered everywhere.
Shen Xubai picked them up one by one.
The talisman papers scattered on the ground were carefully flattened and straightened before being stacked together.
Ning Xi pursed her lips, deep in thought.
After a moment, she squatted down beside him.
"Third Brother, I need to tell you something..."
Shen Xubai didn't look up, replying as he picked things up, "Why so nervous? We're family, no need to be so cautious. Just say what you need to say."
Ning Xi gathered her courage for a few seconds and decided to go for it, "Third Brother, I took away many of the resources for your company!"
Shen Xubai's hands paused.
He turned to look at her, "With your small frame, can you handle such a big burden?"
Ning Xi: "..."
Shen Xubai neatly folded the talisman papers and carefully put them into a bag.
His voice was calm but powerful, "The Lu family is the Lu family, and you are you. No one will blame you for what the Lu family has done."
Ning Xi's lips turned down even further.
She took a deep breath and said solemnly again, "Also, I poached the main general of your company!"
This time, Shen Xubai put down what he was holding.
His expression became more serious.
He pulled Ning Xi to her feet and looked at her sternly, "Do you have any leverage over the Lu family?"
Ning Xi: "Huh? No."
"Are you sure?"
"Sure."
Shen Xubai breathed a sigh of relief.
His peach blossom eyes, which were completely out of place with his dark skin, curved slightly at the corners, his gaze flowing like starlight, and he smiled as brilliantly as the galaxy.
"I thought you had killed someone and the Lu family saw it, so you were so eager to take the blame for them."
After he finished speaking, he pushed Ning Xi back a few steps.
He seemed to find her a bit of a hindrance.
"Stand here and don't move around. We'll leave once I've gathered everything."
Ning Xi: ...
Third Brother is quite nice.
But no matter how nice you are, don't mistake others for good people...
...
Shen Xubai finished packing Ning Xi's things.
He carried the gray cloth bag in one hand and Ning Xi's sleeve in the other, preparing to leave.
A gentle voice called out from behind them.
"Brother Xubai!"
Shen Xubai didn't even need to turn around.
Just by the sound of the voice, he knew who it was.
His sister, whom the family had doted on for eighteen years.
Suddenly being told she belonged to another family, and even to the Lu family, who had taken everything from the Shen family.
The situation was truly poignant.
Shen Xubai slowly turned around, with a hint of a joke and a touch of self-deprecation, "You don't even call me Third Brother anymore?"
Lu Xinyue was standing next to Lu Lao San, Lu Ang.
She smiled awkwardly, "You have so many brothers, I was afraid I'd get it wrong."
She changed the subject and offered him a glass of red wine, "Brother Xubai, a toast to you."
"No, I'm driving," Shen Xubai declined.
Lu Xinyue held up her wine glass.
Her lips pouted slightly, looking a bit wronged.
"Today is my homecoming banquet, can't you stay and celebrate with me?"
In the past, Shen Xubai had never refused her; if she wanted the moon in the sky, he would find a way to get it for her.
Especially on such an important day!
But even after she spoke, Shen Xubai still didn't accept.
Shen Xubai looked at Ning Xi beside him, hooked his lips, "My sister is also coming home today, we need to welcome her back too."
Ning Xi, who had been watching the scene unfold, froze when she heard this.
She tilted her head to meet Shen Xubai's gentle gaze, blinked, and then smiled playfully, "Yes, I'm coming home too!"
This scene struck Lu Xinyue hard.
What was so worth welcoming about a foolish sister!
Bringing her back would only make the Shen family more pathetic! More failures! More doomed!
Ning Xi seemed to see through her thoughts.
Her gaze was calm, as if she could see into people's hearts, "Now that I'm home, your good days are over. I will take back everything you stole, piece by piece."
Lu Xinyue recoiled a step, startled by her.
Impossible, impossible!
This damned girl, what does she know!
The Master said the Luck Stealing Technique had succeeded, and she would have a life of great wealth and prosperity from now on, and no one could take it away!
In her panic, Lu Xinyue spilled a few drops of wine.
Seeing this, Lu Ang took her wine glass and rescued her.
"Xinyue, this fake sister of mine is a charlatan with a bad head. Don't pay attention to her."
As Lu Ang spoke, he took out a somewhat crudely made small cloth bag from his shirt pocket.
"Ning Xi, take this and give it to your real brother. This item suits your real brother better. As for me, I have a gift from my real sister."
Lu Ang casually showed off the luxurious watch on his wrist and, with contempt, tossed the cloth bag, letting it fall in front of Ning Xi.
Ning Xi looked down at it but didn't pick it up.
This item was called a Yun Ji Bag, and she had sewn it herself.
Inside it was a disaster-resolving talisman that would help Lu Ang ward off calamities. She had fainted for seven whole days after drawing it.
But now, it was being contemptuously thrown on the ground.
The yellowish-green, somewhat old and twisted cloth bag lay alone on the floor tiles.
Suddenly, a dark, large hand picked up the cloth bag.
Shen Xubai dangled it in front of Ning Xi as if showing off, then carefully put it in his pocket.
"Thank you, Ning Xi, Third Brother has kept it safe. Remember in the future, don't be nice to others casually, because you don't know if that person is trash or garbage."
Ning Xi watched, blinked, and then blinked even harder.
Lu Ang, insulted, sneered and was about to retort, "You're the one—"
Shen Xubai didn't give him a chance to finish.
He directly grabbed Lu Ang's wrist and, with a forceful flick, splashed all the wine from Lu Ang's glass onto his face.
The red wine splashed all over Lu Ang's face.
Shen Xubai's peach blossom eyes slightly raised, and he said indifferently, "Young Master Lu is indeed a good brother, not a drop of the wine his sister offered is wasted."
There was a commotion in the banquet hall.
Some handed Lu Ang tissues, others towels, and some took photos amidst the chaos to post online...
Although Lu Ang was furious, he had to consider his image first.
He quickly cleaned the wine stains on himself.
During this time, he heard Ning Xi mutter.
"Third Brother, let's go. Lu Lao San is going to lose a lot of money tonight, if we don't leave soon, he'll be hemorrhaging money."
Shen Xubai cooperated perfectly, "Oh! What I have on my hands isn't red wine, it's blood."
The siblings' chatter was so loud that the entire room could hear them.
Lu Ang's face turned ashen.
He wanted to settle the score.
But when he looked up again, they were gone.
Lu Ang: ...
He held back a mouthful of blood, so angry he was internally injured.
That damned girl, you and your brother, just you wait for me!!!
...
The siblings left the Lu family.
As soon as they stepped outside.
They saw a crowd of people surge into the Lu family's entrance.
Holding cameras and microphones, like grandparents scrambling for eggs at a supermarket.
The siblings were almost knocked into the swimming pool by them.
Ning Xi looked back for three seconds, regretting leaving so early, and started to walk back, "There's excitement, let's go see!"
But she couldn't take a single step.
Her head was held down by Shen Xubai's large hand.
Then she was turned in the direction of the main gate.
"Go home! You should be grateful you're not the one causing trouble, and you still want to go watch the excitement."
✦✦✦