11
Fu Qingheng went out early in the morning, carrying the glass bead that Yun Li had given him the night before.
This is a scientific society—there must be some kind of fluorescent material inside this glass bead.
He told himself that, yet he couldn’t resist taking it to have someone examine what exactly this transparent bead was.
He had thrown it to the ground with force several times—not only did it not shatter, it didn’t even get a scratch.
And every time he went somewhere dark, it continued to glow.
Still feeling that the bead was eerily strange, Fu Qingheng took it to see a friend of his.
One of his friends worked at a research institute, specializing in studying rare and unusual things.
When Fu Qingheng said he had a strange object, Lu Zhen immediately looked intrigued. “There’s actually something in this world that even you find strange?”
Now that was truly unusual.
“A night pearl.”
“Pfft!”
When Fu Qingheng pulled a fist-sized glass bead from his pocket, Lu Zhen couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“An ordinary transparent bead, and you come all the way to tell me it’s a night pearl? Are you messing with me?”
Lu Zhen had worked at the institute for five or six years. He had seen all kinds of strange things, but he had never heard of an actual night pearl existing in this world.
Fu Qingheng didn’t believe it was a night pearl either, but he still found it odd—along with Yun Li’s identity…
He handed the bead to Lu Zhen. “Take a look.”
Lu Zhen took the glass bead, weighing it in his palm. It was quite heavy. “Feels much heavier than glass.”
He took a magnifying glass and carefully examined the surface of the night pearl. The entire sphere was clean and transparent, with no bubbles or cracks to be found.
“Find anything?”
Lu Zhen set the magnifying glass aside and said dismissively, “It’s just an ordinary glass bead, just a bit more finely made.”
“Is there any fluorescent material inside?”
“Hmm?”
Lu Zhen looked up at him upon hearing this. “So, it really does glow?”
When he said this, Lu Zhen didn’t sound convinced.
Fu Qingheng didn’t say anything. Instead, he proved it through action.
He pulled all the curtains shut and turned off the lights, creating a pitch-black environment.
The night pearl in Lu Zhen’s hand immediately began to emit light, startling Lu Zhen so much that his hand trembled. The night pearl fell to the floor with a thud, rolling all the way to Fu Qingheng’s feet.
The man picked it up and looked at Lu Zhen expressionlessly. “Now do you believe me?”
Lu Zhen was genuinely startled. Even ordinary fluorescent materials wouldn’t emit light like that. This was clearly…
He searched his mind for the right word but couldn’t find one.
This was clearly something science couldn’t explain.
Fu Qingheng turned the light back on, and the night pearl’s glow instantly faded.
Seeing how casually he handled it, Lu Zhen watched in alarm. “Be careful—don’t break such a treasure.”
A moment ago, he had been so dismissive; now he was calling it a treasure.
Lu Zhen usually loved studying strange and unusual things. Anything that caught his eye became a treasure.
“You can’t break it.”
Fu Qingheng handed the bead to him. Lu Zhen took it carefully. “That’s impossible. This treasure looks like it would break easily.”
As he spoke, he remembered the earlier drop and wondered if it had left any mark.
“You don’t believe me? Want me to break it for you?”
Fu Qingheng grabbed the night pearl and raised it high, ready to smash it to the ground. Lu Zhen stopped him. “I believe you, I believe you! Stop right there!”
This rich young master was truly willful.
Lu Zhen snatched the night pearl back, examined it carefully with the magnifying glass, and found that the sphere truly didn’t have a single crack.
This really was a strange and peculiar thing.
Immediately seized with strong interest in this night pearl, Lu Zhen patted his chest and promised, “Leave it with me for now. Once I figure it out, I’ll let you know!”
Fu Qingheng also wanted to get to the bottom of whether this really was a night pearl, so he left it with Lu Zhen and took his leave.
No sooner had he left than a man in a white coat walked in.
This man was exceptionally handsome, especially his beautiful fox-like eyes, which had practically stolen the souls of every woman in the research institute.
He had come to discuss work matters with Lu Zhen.
Lu Zhen, who was still fiddling with the night pearl, saw him enter and quickly waved him over. “You’ve come at the right time. Take a look at this glass bead for me!”
The moment the man saw the night pearl, his expression changed. “Senior Brother Lu, where did you get this?”
“A friend left it with me for research. You’ve seen more things than I have—quick, tell me what it is!”
The handsome man took the night pearl in his hand, pretended to examine it for a moment, glanced at Lu Zhen, and then said, “It’s just an ordinary glass bead. Nothing worth looking at.”
“No way. Take a closer look…”
…
The Fu residence.
Yun Li glanced nervously at her non-existent tail, then looked at Shi Jie, stammering in rebuttal, “Y-You’re lying. I’m not a fox spirit at all!”
How could this human see through her with a single glance and know she was a fox spirit?
Could she be a demon-hunting Taoist?
Or perhaps she had fiery golden eyes?
Remembering what the little blue bird had said, Yun Li’s body trembled uncontrollably.
She didn’t want to be skinned and turned into a fox fur scarf wrapped around someone’s neck!
The more Shi Jie looked at Yun Li’s face, the more envious and jealous she became. She wished she could be born just as beautiful and alluring.
Just a fox spirit, using her looks to seduce men.
Thinking that the man she secretly loved had been won over by a woman like this, Shi Jie was both angry and frustrated. She subtly nudged Ji Yan’s elbow.
After all, they were at the Fu residence, and with Yang Qing nearby, Shi Jie couldn’t very well throw a tantrum in someone else’s home.
But Ji Yan was different. She was Fu Qingheng’s sister.
Fu Qingheng wasn’t particularly close to Ji Yan, but he doted on her quite a bit.
No matter what Ji Yan did wrong, Fu Qingheng always spoiled her unconditionally.
And Ji Yan truly didn’t like Yun Li. In her mind, only Shi Jie was worthy of being her sister-in-law.
As for this fox spirit who had appeared out of nowhere—she could go right back where she came from.
Ji Yan eyed Yun Li askance, her gaze full of contempt. She was nothing more than a plaything who used her looks to please men.
She sneered, “A thing like you wants to marry my brother? You’re like a toad trying to eat swan meat!”
“Get out of my brother’s house now, before I lose my temper!”
Yun Li understood now. The other woman was trying to drive her away, which was why she had called her a fox spirit.
She had just happened to guess correctly and recognize her true form.
Realizing they had no proof, Yun Li was no longer afraid. She planted her hands on her hips, abandoning her earlier panic. “Why should I listen to you and leave?”
“Brother Fu asked me to stay. I’m not going anywhere!”
Her poop scooper hadn’t told her to leave, so why should she listen to these two humans?
Hmph, these two mean humans.
Yang Qing chimed in as well. “Miss Ji, that really was the young master’s wish. If you don’t believe me, you can wait until he returns and see for yourself.”
Yang Qing wished he could call Fu Qingheng right that second and have him come back to deal with this mess.
But he was afraid that if he left, the two of them would gang up on Yun Li.
Ah Li looked so delicate and frail—how could she possibly hold her own against the two of them?
Ji Yan didn’t take Yang Qing’s words seriously at all. “I don’t care. Get out of here right now!”
After all, no matter what she did, Fu Qingheng would never blame her.
Seeing that Yang Qing was on her side, Yun Li grew even more brazen.
She simply ignored the two of them entirely and turned to ask Yang Qing, “Uncle Yang, was the chicken congee good?”
The best way to infuriate your enemies is to ignore them completely.
The topic shifted so abruptly that Yang Qing was momentarily stunned before he responded, “G-Good! It was delicious!”
The chicken from last night had been truly wonderful. Yun Li rubbed her empty, growling stomach. “I’m so hungry!”
The little girl looked utterly pitiful with her hungry expression, tugging at the heartstrings.
“It’s in the kitchen. I didn’t know when you’d be up, so I’ve been keeping it warm for you.”
The chicken congee was still in the pot. Yun Li happily headed toward the dining room, her nose twitching as if she could already smell the fragrant aroma of the chicken.
The scent of the chicken congee only made her feel even hungrier.
As for the two people she had ignored behind her, they were absolutely furious.
Ji Yan had never been dismissed so casually in her life. Fuming, she chased after Yun Li, ready to grab her hair and lash out.
Yun Li heard the commotion behind her and, relying on pure instinct, ducked her head to avoid Ji Yan’s sneak attack. At the same time, she subtly tripped Ji Yan’s calf. Ji Yan had been charging forward too fiercely and hadn’t expected Yun Li not only to dodge but also to trip her. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Yun Li, her body uncontrollably toppling downward.
With a thud, Ji Yan fell at Yun Li’s feet, completely devoid of any dignity.
Having succeeded, Yun Li covered her mouth with a smile and made a funny face at Ji Yan, who was still sprawled on the ground.
Serves you right. Who told you to try to bully me, you mean human?
Ji Yan hadn’t anticipated making a fool of herself by falling right in front of Yun Li. Humiliated and furious, she saw the other girl making a face at her.
When had Ji Yan ever endured such humiliation?
Seeing this, Shi Jie quickly stepped forward to help Ji Yan up. “Are you okay?”
Ji Yan scrambled to her feet and let out a shriek. “You fox spirit! You stuck your leg out to trip me! I’ll kill you!”
Just as she reached out to grab Yun Li’s hair, Fu Qingheng returned home and witnessed the scene.
“Ji Yan, stop right there!”
Fu Qingheng caught Ji Yan’s hand. Yun Li hurriedly and fearfully hid behind the man, clutching his clothes as she whimpered pitifully, “Brother Fu, she tried to kick me out!”
**