Volume One, Chapter 60: Sending Away This Rotten Peach Blossom

Everyone turned to look at Chi Xingwan in unison.

Qiao Qingyun asked, “Xingwan, what should I do to get rid of this rotten peach blossom?”

Chi Xingwan replied, “It’s actually quite simple to cut off the unlucky romance entangling you. But you should know, these things are notoriously troublesome. Once severed, they don’t just vanish—they’re more likely to transfer to someone else, and that person is most probably someone close to you.”

Although Qiao Qingyun had no sisters, she did have quite a few female friends. She didn’t want to drag her innocent friends into trouble just to free herself.

“So what should I do?” Qiao Qingyun looked worried.

The best way to deal with a rotten peach blossom is to find a specific person to transfer it to.

Chi Xingwan cast a glance at Chi Yueyao, who was watching them from not far away, and said, “Leave it to me. I promise your friends won’t be implicated.”

Xiao Rui immediately perked up, “Sis, what do we do now? Do we need to set up an array?”

Chi Xingwan hooked her finger, and the red thread representing the unlucky romance on Qiao Qingyun was snapped, one end caught in her hand. She sent it gently in Chi Yueyao’s direction.

She didn’t attach the rotten peach blossom directly to Chi Yueyao; if Chi Yueyao wasn’t greedy, she could avoid it. When the time came, Chi Xingwan would simply destroy it herself.

But if Chi Yueyao took it on, then she would have to deal with the consequences on her own.

Chi Xingwan smiled. “It’s done. The problem’s solved.”

Xiao Rui was stunned. “What? That’s it? I didn’t see anything happen.”

Chen Qifan knocked him on the head. “Dummy, if you could see the changes, you’d be as incredible as my sister-in-law, and you wouldn’t have been fooled over and over again.”

Thinking of his own embarrassing experiences, Xiao Rui fell silent.

Qiao Qingyun asked, “It’s really over? I don’t feel any different.”

Chi Xingwan reassured her, “It’s over. Just delete his contact information. He won’t bother you again.”

Qiao Qingyun decided to trust her and immediately blocked the man’s WeChat.

Before the party ended, Chi Xingwan and Qiao Qingyun had already arranged their next meeting.

On the other side, Chi Yueyao was waiting by the hotel restroom door for Xiao Jin.

As soon as she saw Xiao Jin, she hurried over. “Jin, are you heading back to school? Let’s go together.”

Xiao Jin had originally planned to return to school with Chi Xingwan, hoping to use the journey to deepen their bond. She knew Chi Xingwan and Chi Yueyao didn’t get along, so she couldn’t invite Chi Yueyao to join them.

She was about to refuse when Chi Yueyao said, “Jin, we haven’t talked in ages. I thought you were really busy.”

Seeing Chi Yueyao’s slightly dejected expression, Xiao Jin couldn’t bear to leave her behind, so she agreed, “Alright, let’s go back together.”

Back in the banquet hall, Xiao Jin found Chi Xingwan and told her she had something else to do and couldn’t go back with her, without mentioning Chi Yueyao.

Chi Xingwan hadn’t planned to leave with Xiao Jin anyway, and didn’t even ask what she was doing late at night.

After the banquet, Zhang Shaodan insisted on driving Chi Xingwan back to school, and she accepted.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jin’s driver also gave Chi Yueyao a ride. The two of them sat in the car together, but for some reason, Xiao Jin felt an awkwardness between them. They used to talk about everything, but now, sitting side by side, the atmosphere was strained.

Chi Yueyao sensed it too and took the initiative to break the silence. “Jin, what have you been busy with lately?”

Xiao Jin scratched her neck. “Nothing much, same as before.”

Then, worried that Chi Yueyao would think she was deliberately keeping her at a distance, Xiao Jin quickly added, “I’ve been studying a lot. Finals are coming up, and I slacked off the first half of the semester. I need to catch up, or my grandma won’t let me off the hook if I fail.”

In fact, she’d spent this time trying to mend things with Chi Xingwan and had grown close with Chu Fangfei, learning a lot about the mystical arts from her, and was fully immersed in it.

Chi Yueyao smiled. “I see. But it’s important to balance work and rest. Let’s go shopping together sometime to relax.”

Xiao Jin agreed.

Chi Yueyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Xiao Jin really was just busy, not intentionally avoiding her.

“By the way, Yueyao, how do you know Sun Wusheng?” Xiao Jin asked.

Chi Yueyao replied, “We met through friends. He seemed nice, and today he invited me to be his date, said he couldn’t find anyone else and asked me to help. I agreed, but I never expected his gentlemanly demeanor was all an act.”

Xiao Jin was indignant. “Yueyao, now you’ve seen his true colors. Stay away from him. He’s a jerk and a womanizer. You didn’t get hurt by him, did you?”

Chi Yueyao quickly denied it. “Of course not. I’ve only met him a few times, always at parties, never alone.”

“That’s good,” Xiao Jin said.

After the Christmas party, that weekend Chi Xingwan arrived at the Qiao residence with gifts in hand.

Qiao Qingyun and her father, Qiao Yang, waited for her at the door. As soon as Chi Xingwan got out of the car, the two came forward to greet her.

“You must be the daughter of Zhengmao and Xue Miao. You look so much like your mother,” Qiao Yang said, his eyes brimming with tears. He thought, if his two old friends could see their daughter alive and well, they would surely rest in peace.

Chi Xingwan bowed to Qiao Yang. “Uncle Qiao, thank you for never giving up on finding me all these years.”

Qiao Yang looked embarrassed. “I didn’t do much. In the end, it was your uncle who found you.”

But Chi Xingwan knew the truth: the only reason Chi Zhenghua found her was because, from the beginning, the original her had been hidden away in those mountains by Chi Zhenghua himself.

Qiao Qingyun broke the moment. “Let’s not stand at the door. Xingwan, come in. I baked a cake myself—you have to try it.”

The three went inside, enjoying the cake and chatting. Most of the conversation was Qiao Yang asking about Chi Xingwan’s life in recent years, and she deflected his questions skillfully.

“Uncle Qiao, actually, besides visiting you, I wanted to ask about my parents’ past,” Chi Xingwan finally said.

Realizing they might discuss private matters, Qiao Qingyun excused herself.

Left alone with Qiao Yang, Chi Xingwan asked directly and without hesitation, “Uncle Qiao, was there anything suspicious about my parents’ deaths?”

Qiao Yang was startled, then gave a bitter smile. “So you’ve discovered something?”

In truth, Chi Xingwan hadn’t discovered anything at all. It had been over a decade, and any evidence would have long vanished with time.

The reason for her suspicion was that, on her very first day back at the Chi house, she noticed a dark miasma permeating the place, and it had formed around the same time as her parents’ deaths.