Chu Beihe turned to look at her, his gaze deepening. Though he harbored some doubt as to how she knew the Song family, he didn't press her for answers.
He gestured for the driver to start the car, and before long, they arrived at a high-end villa district in the southern part of Haishi. With Chu Beihe's car leading the way, they proceeded without obstruction to the gates of the Song family villa.
If Guan Xuxu had come alone, she likely wouldn't have even made it past the main gate of the district.
Chu Beihe saw her to the door but had no intention of accompanying her inside. He dropped her off and left immediately.
Hearing that the car of the head of the Chu family had arrived, the Song family came downstairs in curiosity to welcome their guest. To their surprise, they found an unfamiliar young girl cradling a small fox in her arms.
"And who might this lady be?"
Recalling the attitude of the Jiang family earlier, Guan Xuxu didn't mention them. She simply stated that her surname was Guan. She didn't reveal her true purpose reclaiming Song Yuli's stolen "One Wit" knowing they wouldn't believe her.
She pulled a Peace Talisman from Qingfeng Abbey out of her bag.
"I met Grandmother Song a while ago and noticed she dropped this, so I thought I'd return it."
Young Master Song had mentioned on social media that he'd accompanied his grandmother to Qingfeng Abbey for charms last month; Guan Xuxu used this as the perfect excuse.
Mrs. Song was a slightly plump, elegant woman with a gentle and welcoming air. Seeing such a soft, well-behaved girl holding a pet fox, she didn't suspect anything.
"Oh, so that's how it is."
The old lady was traditional. Ever since little Yuli had injured her head and failed to recover, she became convinced the family's Feng Shui was off. After tinkering with the house's layout for a while, she had turned to Taoism this past year.
Not long ago, she had insisted on taking her grandson to an abbey to pray for talismans, and the family had simply humored her. They hadn't expected someone would go to the trouble of returning a lost Peace Talisman.
"Thank you for making the trip. But how do you know our old madam?"
Mrs. Song was polite, but she maintained a necessary level of vigilance.
Guan Xuxu's expression remained unchanged. Just as she was about to explain, her hand covertly gave Hu Piaopiao's belly a little squeeze. This had been agreed upon with the fox beforehand. As soon as she moved, the little fox kicked its legs and sprang from her arms, darting toward the second floor.
Mrs. Song was startled. Guan Xuxu acted as if she were caught off guard and hurriedly rose to give chase.
"Hu Piaopiao! Come back here!"
Well done, Hu Piaopiao. Go on, find Miss Song.
Less than two minutes later, a young girl's tender cry of surprise echoed from upstairs. The faces of Mrs. Song and the servants paled as they rushed up after them.
Guan Xuxu followed close behind. Upon reaching the end of the second-floor hallway, they saw a girl in a beautiful princess dress squatting on the floor. She was giggling at the chubby little fox sitting obediently in front of her, even trying to reach out and pet it.
"Xiaoli!" Mrs. Song cried out, quickly stepping to her younger daughter's side and pulling her behind her.
Though the fox looked docile, who knew if it might bite? At that moment, Mrs. Song felt a twinge of regret. How could she have let a girl with such a pet into the house so easily?
"Mama, puppy!"
Song Yuli appeared to be fifteen or sixteen. She still had some baby fat on her face, but it didn't hide her spirit or beauty. Her dark eyes were full of pure innocence, but the moment she spoke, her naive and simple tone was that of a toddler, clearly revealing her condition.
Guan Xuxu took one look and noticed a cluster of black energy between the girl's eyebrows, causing her to frown slightly.
Mrs. Song noticed the subtle shift in Guan Xuxu's expression and assumed she was reacting to her daughter's disability. Her mood soured instantly, and her voice grew cold.
"If there's nothing else, Miss Guan, please take your pet and leave. I won't see you out."
"Wait a moment."
Guan Xuxu called out, beckoning Hu Piaopiao back to her side. Her gaze toward Song Yuli was clear and earnest as she pulled out another Peace Talisman.
"My little fox just startled the young miss. As an apology, I'd like to give this talisman to her. It can protect her once."
Guan Xuxu continued, "Miss Song has an auspicious bone structure and should have been fated for long-lasting good fortune. Normally, this fate manifests as a small red mole on the chest to gather blessings.
However, she had 'One Wit' stolen from her in her youth, leading to a flaw in her destiny and causing the mole to fade. I can see that a calamity awaits her in the next two days. It would be best to keep her at home and not let her go out."
Guan Xuxu had originally intended to speak directly about the stolen wit, but the black energy on Song Yuli's brow was far more urgent.
Mrs. Song was already sensitive regarding her daughter. Hearing Guan Xuxu start spouting such nonsense, her face darkened instantly. Her former kindness vanished, replaced by sharp rebuke.
"Where did a little charlatan like you come from? How dare you curse my daughter! And I wondered how you could possibly know our old madam turns out you were planning this all along, weren't you? Out of consideration for your age, I won't argue with you. Take your fox and leave this house immediately, or I'll call the police!"
It was clear that constructive communication was impossible given this attitude.
Guan Xuxu wasn't unfamiliar with such situations. Calmly, she picked up the little fox, placed the amulet on a nearby cabinet, and turned to leave.
Song Yuli watched the "puppy" being carried away with reluctance. "Puppy, Mama, the puppy is leaving."
Mrs. Song's heart ached at her daughter's childish words. She could only coax her, "That's not a puppy, it's a fox. It might scratch you. If you like dogs, Mama will buy you one, okay?"
"Yay! Mama is the best! I want a puppy!" Song Yuli immediately forgot about the fox, spinning around in joy.
Mrs. Song looked at her beautiful daughter, her eyes misting over. However, when she saw the talisman Guan Xuxu had left on the cabinet, her expression turned grim again. She whispered to a nearby servant, "Take that thing and throw it away."
She would never let her Yuli touch something from an unknown source.
As for the "red mole" and "flawed destiny" Guan Xuxu mentioned, she didn't believe a word of it. Still, as she looked at Yuli, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the girl's chest, obscured by the lace lantern sleeves of her top.
Her Yuli did indeed have a faint red mole on her chest.
Even so, Mrs. Song refused to believe the supernatural claims, suspecting instead that a servant responsible for the girl's care had leaked the information.
What were they trying to pull?
The more she thought, the more uneasy she felt. Mrs. Song had the young miss taken back to her room and then hurried to call her husband and son. She couldn't rest until she figured out who was targeting her daughter.
What Mrs. Song didn't know was that the moment she left, Song Yuli peeked her head out of her room. Acting like a little thief in her own home, she cautiously slipped out and dashed downstairs.
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