Mind reading saves the whole family; I'm firmly in the role of a charlatan.

Chapter 500 All is Well (The End)

He was a man in his early twenties, emaciated, pale-faced, and although his legs were fine, he was so weak that he could only sit in a wheelchair.

The man pushed the wheelchair to stop in front of Xiao Anrao, which made Xiao Anrao look up at him curiously and take the initiative to say, "Uncle, hello."

"Hello little friend, what are you doing sitting here?"

"I don't know either. I've been here for a long time, so long that I've forgotten why I'm here."

"Really? Uncle hasn't been here long and doesn't know much about this place. Could you please help me introduce it to you?"

"of course can."

After that, the two talked about many things, from small things like what color flowers she liked and what style of hair tie she liked, to big things like which older brother or sister in the neighborhood had the worst temper and which uncle would kick someone into the river when he got angry.

After an unknown amount of time, a loud shout suddenly came from the other side of the bridge, calling out the child's name.

Xiao Anrao stood up excitedly, his big, dark eyes wide with excitement.

"Uncle, I'm going to cross the bridge now."

"congratulations."

"Then I'll go ahead, Uncle."

"Wait a minute." The man said, handing the few small flowers he had been holding to Xiao Anrao. "This is a thank you gift for helping your uncle get familiar with the surroundings."

"Thank you?"

"Yes, you did a good deed and helped others. They will be grateful to you and give you gifts. These little flowers are gifts from your uncle to thank you for your help."

Xiao Anrao didn't really understand what his uncle meant. He tilted his head and looked at him for a while, then blinked and said, "Then I will definitely do more good deeds and help others in the future, and be a good child that people are grateful for."

The little guy, who was receiving a gift for the first time in his life, asked the man to pin the flowers in his hair and skipped and hopped onto the bridge to the other side.

The little one, whose eyes were completely fixed on the other side of the river, didn't notice that shortly after she left, the man suddenly asked a tall, burly, bearded man next to him, "Do you have a fire?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, the man received a small match. As the flame lit, he placed a red invitation card on the match.

Du Anrao recognized it at a glance as a brand new marriage compatibility charter. The firelight quickly engulfed the charter, and in the blink of an eye, the beautiful charter turned into a pile of ashes.

The man breathed a sigh of relief, looked in the direction Xiao Anrao had left, and smiled gently: "May you have a harmonious family, kind and wise parents, loving brothers, grow up safely, and enjoy a lifetime of peace and health in your next life."

Du Anrao's heart trembled violently upon hearing these words, and he began to guess the identity of the person in front of him.

Before she could think further, the scene shifted again, transforming into the familiar mountains from her memory.

When I was five or six years old, I went out with my master to collect herbs, but on the way back I tripped and fell, and the herbs in my basket fell everywhere.

Xiao Anrao spent a long time picking, only to find that one of the Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms she had painstakingly picked was missing.

Just as she was at her wit's end, a voice came from behind her.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Xiao Anrao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man a few years older than her walking out from behind the bushes not far away, against the light.

The young man was handsome with delicate features and a somewhat thin build. He was holding the Ganoderma lucidum that she had searched the entire neighborhood for not long ago but had been unable to find.

Xiao An's eyes brightened slightly, and she quickly stepped forward to take the things: "Yes, thank you, brother!"

"No need to thank me. What are you doing in this desolate place? Where are your parents?"

“My master is nearby, and this mountain is practically ours, it’s not some desolate wilderness.”

The young man was like, "???" Who is this girl? Does she own an entire mountain? Is she really that arrogant?

Before he could think any further, he heard an old man's voice in the distance: "Girl, it's time to go back."

"Hey, here I come!"

Xiao Anrao responded loudly, glanced at the basket in her hand, thought for a moment, and handed the little flower wreath she had picked along the way to the older boy.

"Someone once told me that when others help you, you should be grateful and try to repay them. I'm giving this to my brother as a thank you gift for helping me pick medicinal herbs. I hope my brother will be safe, healthy, and happy in the future."

This seemed to be the first time this young man had ever received a gift from a stranger. He paused for a moment, hesitating whether to accept it or not, when the old man's voice came from not far away again.

The little girl didn't bother to talk to him anymore. She shoved the flower wreath into his hand, picked up her little basket, and skipped away. Even from a distance, you could still see the little girl turn around and wave at him.

Seeing this scene, Du Anrao suddenly understood something.

So... so the little girl who gave Mr. Xi his blessings when he was a child was actually himself?
After the initial surprise, there was a sense of helplessness. What good would knowing do? She was already on the verge of death.

But just as she was thinking this, a blinding light suddenly appeared in front of her.

At the same time, the oppressive feeling of being buried alive gradually disappeared, and even the restraints on the limbs were released.

Du Anrao quickly recognized the light, his eyes narrowing slightly in shock: "How could this happen so suddenly..."

The golden light of merit that came to save her at the last moment was the same golden light that had saved her twice before. However, unlike before, this golden light was thicker and more dazzling, and it flowed like a gentle stream, constantly gathering on her body from all directions. It was as if this merit had forged layers of thick armor for her, protecting her from harm.

At the same time, a voice suddenly appeared in her mind, a voice that was gentle and deep, just like a mother singing a lullaby to lull her child to sleep.

Du Anrao heard her laugh, and then asked only one question that she had asked Wen Xiaonuan before: "Do you regret it?"

Du Anrao was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized that she was asking whether he regretted changing the fate of so many people, allowing them to live well, but being targeted by the Heavenly Dao and possibly losing his life as a result.

She took a deep breath, and as soon as she closed her eyes, she thought of the tragic fate that awaited the Du family. When she opened her eyes again, only determination and resolve remained.

"No, I don't regret it! Never!"

With her response, the golden light enveloping her expanded further, engulfing her completely like the black smoke before.

The only difference was that she felt cold and uncomfortable in the black smoke, but in the golden light, she felt warm and comfortable all over.

At the same time, some images flashed before her eyes again.

After a long day at work, Yang Jiantao returned home from the film set. As soon as he opened the door, he saw his daughter, who had secretly returned to China two days earlier to surprise him. The father and daughter embraced each other in delight. Under the warm lamplight, the family gathered around the table and enjoyed a simple yet happy dinner.

Ye Zhihuan personally drove to pick up his younger sister Ye Mengzhen, who had just returned from her trip. The two started bickering as soon as they met, and as they argued, they seemed to remember something and both started laughing.

Du Lianshuang had dinner with Yin Bailu's family with her two children. After dinner, the two best friends went shopping hand in hand, leaving all the children to Liao Yuqian. Liao Yuqian was forced to stare at the three kids, and eventually had to call his assistant for help.

Qiu Jichen made a point of going home to have dinner with his mother. Then, he suddenly mentioned that he had recently become very close to a store manager at one of the branches, and that she perfectly matched his criteria for a partner. This startled his mother. After recovering, she simply said that she didn't care about anything else, as long as her daughter-in-law was a genuine girl. This left Qiu Jichen speechless and amused.

Having finally returned from a break abroad, Cheung Tsz-kei immediately sought out Lai Tsz-meng and his sister. After gossiping about Li Chien-hei's fate, Lai Tsz-meng shared the good news that his sister's eyes might be cured. Lai Tsz-shan also mercilessly exposed her brother's embarrassing attempt to woo someone else but was tightly guarded by his brother-in-law. The three young people teased and bickered with each other.

Fu Sili returned home weary from a trip, where his grandparents cooked a delicious meal for him. Just before dinner, his uncle brought back a gentle and elegant woman, who looked rather silly with a silly grin.

Lu Chengzhang, who had finally found his white moonlight, was rejected for the Nth time. Standing not far away, Lu Jiarou silently rubbed her forehead, her face full of disappointment. Meanwhile, her unreliable brother-in-law, Lu Lingyu, looked on with schadenfreude.

Ji Weifeng won the lawsuit and was able to rightfully bring his beloved niece home. She was greeted by her kind and loving grandparents, sweet and warm cakes and milk tea, and hugs and care, instead of cold beatings and insults.

The bright sunlight cast dappled shadows on the trees. In the center of the spacious courtyard, two rocking chairs stood side by side. On the chairs, two elderly people with white hair held each other's hands tightly, their fingers interlocked, and smiled at each other.

Because of the children's situation, the fourth and fifth aunts' family has made rapid progress and has already bought a new house. Now they live just a few steps away. When the children get out of school, they visit each other, have meals together, the adults eat and drink at the table, and the children make noise under the table, enjoying family time.

Mrs. Jiang, wearing the jewelry Du Anrao had given her, reminisced about how she hadn't been able to go shopping with Du's mother during the last New Year, and that they should try to arrange another time to go out together. Hearing this, Jiang Younian also discussed with his brother what gifts to bring back for his sisters from their upcoming trip with classmates. Their father, listening to the brothers' conversation from a short distance away, held a newspaper in his hand, but a smile never left his lips.

Li Yuesheng returned to China after finishing her semester of studies, accompanied by Yue Yang, who had been with her throughout the return journey. Upon meeting, Li Zhaoyang immediately launched into a sarcastic remark about his former brother, but he couldn't prevent his sister from siding with him. In the end, he could only seek comfort by hugging his son. The family chatted about their recent lives, and then warmly and harmoniously looked forward to the arrival of their newest member.

…………

And her parents, older brothers and sisters...

Everyone is fine, except for her.

Did she regret it? No, she didn't regret it. Everything she did was for the sake of the present beauty, and as long as that beauty remains, all her efforts will be meaningful.

More and more images gathered before Du Anrao's eyes, and the light emanating from her grew thicker and thicker.

Seeing that its final desperate attempt still failed to take Du Anrao away, the Heavenly Dao consciousness was furious and began to recklessly attack the merit shield on Du Anrao's body, but to no avail.

More and more merits flowed around her like water, and Du Anrao saw more and more people whose fates were changed because of her existence.

Tang Qianqian, Zhang Kexin, Yu Chuhui, Mr. Liu, Ms. Qi, Duan Jingxing, Chen Yefang...

Finally, even people who were complete strangers to her appeared.

In the mountains, emaciated children, starving, munch on their freshly received hot buns with obvious relish; adults and children weep with joy at regaining their sight; impoverished students who have been admitted to good schools but are worried about not being able to pay tuition receive financial aid and embrace their loved ones, weeping…

Only now did Du Anrao finally understand where the vast amount of merit that was still endlessly flowing into him came from.

What Mr. Xi said was actually true; spending money to do good deeds really could help her accumulate merit. This merit came at just the right time; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it saved her life!

Seeing this, the small sphere that kept pounding on her broke through her defenses, and its shrill and distorted screams could be heard even through the Merit Shield.

"Impossible, impossible! How can humans overcome the heavens? You are all just mortals of flesh and blood. Ants... how could ants possibly shake a giant tree? It's all fake, it's all fake!"

"You look down on ordinary people, you look down on ants, but you don't know that there's a saying among ordinary people: 'Man can conquer nature!' Those who save others will always be saved. I saved them in the past, and now they are repaying me with their good deeds to save me. It's a two-way redemption. But you've only ever had yourself from beginning to end, so you're destined to fail!"

"Impossible! I don't believe it!"

After being provoked, the small ball impacted even more forcefully. Blinded by anger, it didn't notice that its small body was shrinking little by little due to the impact.

By the time it discovered it, the thing had already shrunk to the size of a marble. It was burned by the golden light of merit on Du Anrao's body, and with a scream, it turned into a wisp of smoke, just like the moth it had put into the oil pan before, without even leaving ashes.

Du Anrao: "..." That's it?
As if sensing her thoughts, that familiar laughter rang out again, and then Du Anrao felt a broad and warm hand land on her head, gently stroking her head.

"Your family is waiting for you, go back."

"Wait for me……"

Du Anrao wanted to ask something more, but suddenly a heavy weight pushed her shoulder, causing her to fall forward.

Before she fell into someone's arms, she caught a glimpse of a blurry figure out of the corner of her eye as she looked back. It was backlit, beautiful, and warm.

Meanwhile, in City B, which had been shrouded in dark clouds and rain for a whole week, the rain suddenly stopped.

The rolling dark clouds appeared as suddenly as they had, disappearing without a trace in just a few minutes, replaced by a golden legend pouring down from behind the snow-white clouds.

Its daybreak.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A year later, in a dilapidated, gray-brown Taoist temple in Province Y.

"Master, you bastard, you just left without a word again!"

With that familiar roar, the entire mountain trembled.

Some villagers who had gone up the mountain early to pick wild vegetables heard the noise and subconsciously got up to look at the top of the mountain. They then smiled at each other, took it for granted, and squatted down to continue what they were doing.

In the video, after Du Anrao yelled at him, the camera shook like a rollercoaster, making people dizzy. He gave an awkward smile and said, "I was just trying to help you a year ago when I was seriously injured. I needed to go out and travel around to rebuild my spiritual power and return to my former peak."

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once he did, Du Anrao couldn't help but roll his eyes at him: "You were seriously injured a year ago, and you only ran away from home a year later. You're something else."

"Hehe, I was just worried that you might have some aftereffects, so I endured my weakness and persevered for a year. Now you've grown up, grown taller, and are no longer stupid. You're in great health and have a good appetite. You can't stop your master from traveling... no, I mean traveling to appreciate the beautiful landscapes of our motherland."

Du Anrao: "..." I really want to thank you!
A year ago, Du Anrao was attacked by Li Qianxi and dragged into the private realm of the Heavenly Dao consciousness. When he came out again, it was a week later.

So much has happened this week. Xi Yanjia and the people she brought were subdued and arrested on charges of fleeing from justice, trespassing, and retaliating. This time, she may never be able to get out of there for the rest of her life.

The Du family felt that this result was too lenient for her. What she had done was enough to warrant being torn to pieces and dying countless times!
They watched helplessly as Du Anrao disappeared before their eyes, frantically searching for her. The entire Du family mobilized, with those who had money contributing money and those who had strength contributing their efforts. Everyone gathered in City B, conducting a thorough search of every inch of the city, only to find Li Qianxi and Xi Jingyue abandoned in the wilderness on the third day.

It is worth mentioning that Li Qianxi was already dead when she was discovered. She had a congenital heart disease and could not tolerate large emotional fluctuations, otherwise she would easily have a relapse.

When she ambushed Du Anrao that day, she was clearly determined to take him down with her and burn her life in revenge. It's likely that she died of illness shortly after Du Anrao was taken away by that cloud of black smoke. She was definitely a tool of the Daoist sect.

The appearance of the two greatly stimulated the searchers. Just when they thought they had narrowed their thinking and were about to go elsewhere to continue their search, Xi Jingyue, who had not yet fully recovered, went out and returned with the unconscious Du Anrao!
Du Anrao slept for another week after returning home. If all his physical examinations had been normal and the doctor's conclusion was just that he was exhausted and asleep, the Du family would probably have turned the world upside down long ago.

Fortunately, everything turned out alright in the end. Du Anrao woke up after sleeping enough, and the Heavenly Dao that had caused so much trouble that it ended up killing itself never appeared again. All the earlier suspense and danger eventually returned to calm. Everything rose and fell into silence in a place unknown to anyone.

Not long after waking up, Du Anrao returned to the small Taoist temple she shared with her master, enduring the resentful looks from her family, and began her familiar chaotic and arduous cultivation.

Everything seemed to be back on track, proceeding methodically along its intended path, except...

"Mr. Xi, what brings you here again?"

Du Anrao looked at Xi Jingyue, who was dressed casually and looked several years younger than his actual age, and felt a complicated feeling.

"I heard your Taoist temple is very efficacious, so I came to pray to the gods and also to visit you."

"I see. What does Mr. Xi wish to seek at our Taoist temple?"

"Can you ask for anything at your Taoist temple?"

"Probably... The prayers they made before seemed to have come true."

"What about marriage? Can that be prayed for too?"

Du Anrao froze, staring at the person smiling slightly at the bottom of the steps. Her heart pounded wildly, startling her so much that she covered it with her hand.

[Damn it, why is my heart beating so fast? Could it be that I stayed up too late last night and my heart isn't getting enough blood? Am I going to die suddenly?]

Xi Jingyue: "..." Very good, it's the same recipe, the same taste.

What was meant to be a subtle flirtation, amplified by Du Anrao's own feelings, suddenly turned into an awkward situation where both parties felt like digging their toes into the ground.

But to outsiders, it looked like someone had made a subtle confession, and the two of them were gazing at each other affectionately across the steps.

The bodyguards hired by the Du family hid in the bushes nearby, diligently filming the scene and posting it to the Du family's group chat with the sensationalist summary, "President Xi confessed his love to Miss Hen," instantly igniting an uproar in the group. Du Junyan chuckled, "Heh, it seems the recent news about the Xi family being investigated isn't unfounded. Otherwise, how could President Xi, a man so busy with countless affairs, have time to go off to the middle of nowhere to indulge in such daydreams?"

Du Hexuan: "This guy is up to no good, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. He's just taking advantage of An'an's naivety and ignorance to deceive her. No, I have to go there right now. I can't let him succeed!"

Du Yihan: "If I had known, I would have given him a few more injections a year ago. He's probably just bored and loafing around in broad daylight."

Du Yuxi: "Brothers, calm down. We might end up making things worse and becoming an accomplice."

Brothers: "..." You know how heartbreaking this is. In the end, even this little darling has a leak!
Of course, the strongest reaction came from the old father, who was terrified that his own cabbage would be eaten by a pig.

"I disagree! An'an isn't even of legal marriage age yet. What is that Xi family brat trying to do? He's a beast in human form, a hypocrite, filthy, vulgar, and disgusting!"

Du's mother: "..." This is the legal marriage age. You old man, you're thinking quite far ahead.

"Alright, alright, your opinion doesn't matter. An'an's opinion is what matters. Just like Yu Xi said, you guys should stop causing trouble. Don't end up losing more than you gain and coming back to me crying."

Mr. Du was immediately met with a fierce attack: "How could you side with outsiders? Hey, didn't you also think that the Xi family kid was a scoundrel before, and didn't want An'an to associate with him? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I was worried that An'an would be concerned about that so-called ghost marriage and that she would be deceived."

Du's mother's words only made Du's father more puzzled: "Aren't you afraid she'll be scammed now?"

"Now?" Mrs. Du smiled gently. "It's the same now. I'm still worried that she'll be deceived, but..."

"but what?"

"But it's not like you can't take a gamble if someone is willing to risk everything for you."

What Du's mother was referring to was that on the eve of Du Anrao's incident, Xi Jingyue went deep into the Du family's group chat, gathered the strength of many people in the family, and implemented Du Anrao's plan to donate money to earn merit.

At that time, the relatives in the family all contributed some money, more or less, and asked Xi Jingyue to help them donate it in their An'an's name to help her accumulate merit.

But they later learned that not only Du Anrao's blood relatives, but also Xi Jingyue had invested money, and he had invested all the working capital he could raise at the time.

After learning about this, Du's mother's attitude towards Xi Jingyue changed. Regardless of whether the two children could get married in the future, his sincerity alone was enough for the children to give him a chance.

The old saying is true: you don't need to look at anything else to know if a man loves you or not; just look at whether he's willing to spend money on you.

When Du's father heard Du's mother mention this matter, he remained silent for a while, then snorted arrogantly: "He likes An'an, but An'an may not like him. I think An'an is young and has always stayed on the mountain, so she has never even thought about that."

"Now you know that An'an hasn't figured things out yet. You're just worrying too much. Like I always say, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Our An'an is very smart. You should stop interfering in this."

Mr. Du opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he held it back.

Du Anrao and Du Anrao were unaware of the lively atmosphere at the Du family's residence at that time.

After the initial awkwardness, Xi Jingyue decisively chose to change the subject and skip over the matter, and he chose a topic that Du Anrao would definitely be interested in at that moment.

"You went back up the mountain after you woke up. You probably don't know much about what happened afterward, right?"

Du Anrao's gossip radar immediately went off: "What happened next?"

Xi Jingyue's lips curled slightly: "It's mainly about those male and female protagonists and our family's affairs."

"Those male and female protagonists specifically refer to..."

"Those few who were kept under surveillance, those with special abilities."

"What happened to them?"

"It's nothing. The higher-ups decided to give them a lighter punishment because they redeemed themselves at the last minute. But while they may escape the death penalty, they won't escape punishment. Given what they did in private before, they'll have to stay in jail for at least a few years. After they get out, they'll probably be under special supervision for the rest of their lives."

Du Anrao was not surprised by this result. Although these people, especially Miss Guo, did make some contributions that were beneficial to the situation, this could not erase the evil deeds they had done before. Moreover, their cooperation was merely a submission to reality, and how much of it was willing was debatable.

In some respects, their very existence is a threat that requires serious attention, so this outcome is quite humane and merciful.

"Then there's Mr. Xiao Jinhang. He was arrested for instructing Miss Wen to steal your third brother's research results, and was subsequently sentenced for endangering national security. He'll probably spend the rest of his life in prison. After his parents found out, they decisively abandoned him and quickly severed ties with him. They've now moved on to raising other children. As for that Miss Wen..."

"What's up with her?"

What Du Anrao cared about most was Wen Xia Nuan's situation. Others who were targeted by the Heavenly Dao consciousness were at most only manipulated by a few words in their minds, but she had actually been controlled for a period of time. Now that the Heavenly Dao consciousness had died out, what about her...?

"According to them, Miss Wen's condition improved a lot after you were found, and she hasn't been unconscious or under control for the past year. Just a month ago, someone took her away."

"Who?"

Xi Jingyue didn't say anything, but just looked at her with a half-smile.

Du Anrao frowned, somewhat bewildered, then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly thought of something.

"Could it be... her?"

A month ago, in a courtyard in the suburbs of City B, Wen Xia Nuan sat under the shade of a tree, looking up at the tangled leaves above her head, lost in thought.

As a series of steady footsteps approached, Wen Xia Nuan initially thought they were the doctors and researchers who came to examine her regularly, so she didn't pay much attention.

But after waiting for a while and seeing that person not approach, Wen Xia Nuan realized that something was wrong.

She turned her head and immediately saw a familiar, tall figure standing under the dappled shadows of the trees, with a smile on his face that was all too familiar to her.

The two stared at each other for a long time, separated by several meters, before the newcomer spoke first, asking only one question: "Will you come with me?"

Wen Xia Nuan wanted to laugh, but tears fell first. She heard herself say, "Okay."

【Fuck! 】

After hearing Xi Jingyue's description, Du Anrao couldn't help but curse in his mind. However, this curse was not negative; it was more of a mixture of shock and excitement!
"You just said that the person who picked up Miss Wen was surnamed Bai."

"Yes, she also has an English name, Lina."

"It really is her!"

Is there something wrong with her?

After so much time had passed, Du Anrao had long accepted that Xi Jingyue could hear her thoughts, and truthfully said, "She is Xiao Jinhang's white moonlight, the one he couldn't have!"

"So it was her." Although Xi Jingyue had already guessed it, he still showed a surprised expression at the right time. "But she seems to have a very good relationship with Miss Wen."

"Of course. Xiao Jinhang likes her, but she doesn't like him. Or rather, she doesn't like any of her suitors. They're all just fish in her pond, lured in to help her career and make money. Only Miss Wen is like that. They have similar temperaments and get along well. Although they have some differences in their views on marriage, it doesn't prevent them from working together to build their careers and becoming excellent partners and best friends."

Of course, this only applies to the two characters in the original work; characters in fanfiction who are out of character and fight over a man, turning from career-oriented to romance-oriented, do not count.

When Du Anrao first saw Wen Xia Nuan, he guessed that she was in this situation, and wondered if the playboy's white moonlight who was still far away overseas was also like that.

Now it seems my guess was right!

Now, Wen Xia Nuan has returned to her original self, and Miss Bai has also returned to the Miss Bai with whom she has had a revolutionary friendship for many years!
"They just let Miss Bai take her away like that?"

"Miss Bai proposed to exchange her latest research results for Miss Wen's freedom. Miss Wen's situation has now stabilized. You also said before that if possible, you hope that once everything has settled down, you can still have the opportunity to let her come out and personally take care of and accompany her grandmother."

"The final agreement reached by both parties was that Ms. Bai would exchange her research results for Ms. Wen's release, but Ms. Wen would still need to be subject to their covert observation and regular check-ups for a certain period of time."

"This is already very good."

"Yes, so after this was settled, Miss Bai immediately took Miss Wen away. Now Miss Wen lives in an apartment in the city with her grandmother and Miss Bai."

[I'm totally shipping them! Career-minded people should definitely be with each other, and that scumbag Xiao Jinhang should just step aside! Stop interfering with the girls' romance!]

Xi Jingyue shook his head and chuckled: "Oh right, there's one more thing."

"what's up?"

"It's related to your second brother."

"My second brother?" Du Anrao's eyes widened in surprise. Could it be that her second brother had caused some trouble again?
"His agency has changed owners."

"Changed boss? Who changed it to?"

"You know her too, that Miss Gong."

"Miss Gong, which Miss Gong?"

"The palace of the old palace."

"Pfft..." Du Anrao suddenly felt attacked by the dead memories, but thanks to this attack, she finally remembered who Xi Jingyue was talking about.

"Gong...Jinyuan?"

"Yes, that's her."

Du Anrao was genuinely shocked: "How did she become my second brother's boss?"

She's been offline for so long, how much of the plot has she missed?
It turned out that after they met with Gong Jinyuan that day because of Li Yuesheng's accident that injured Gong Haoming, this young lady who had been manipulated for over twenty years seemed to have suddenly come to her senses.

Not long after, she left the Gong family at the cost of severing her father-daughter relationship with Gong Changjun and completely giving up her right to inherit the family business.

Without their eldest daughter's sacrificial charge, Gong Changjun's family was powerless against the fierce attacks of the other heirs and was soon brought to near death.

It was only at this point that they realized how capable their eldest daughter was, and how much she had sheltered them from the storms of life. Unfortunately, it was too late for them to regret it. They wanted to bring Gong Jinyuan back, but she didn't even want to see them.

"It is worth mentioning that half a year ago, a young master of the Gong family suddenly appeared and was appointed to an important position in the company."

"Gong Jixing?"

"It's him."

In the original storyline, he only appeared after the other heirs had finished fighting, and directly used Gong Changjun's family as stepping stones to pick the peaches.

In retrospect, Gong Jinyuan's departure disrupted Old Master Gong's plans, leaving him without a suitable scapegoat and worried that other heirs would slip out of his control. As a result, he had no choice but to play Gong Jixing, the last hidden card, ahead of schedule.

"What do you think of him...? Compared to Gong Jinyuan?"

"Having been trained by Grandpa Gong for so long, he certainly has some skills. It's just a pity..."

"What's a pity?"

"He has plenty of theory but lacks practical experience. Moreover, judging from the current business model of the Gong family company, Miss Gong is clearly more suitable to be the company's decision-maker. Although the older generation's management philosophy can stabilize the company in the short term, it is not conducive to long-term development. If this continues, the Gong family will still be unable to reverse its decline and will soon fall into ruin."

"In other words, he, as the heir, is far less outstanding than Miss Gong."

"In just one year after leaving the Gong family, Miss Gong acquired three companies, one of which is your second brother's agency. Leaving aside the other companies, your second brother's company is a well-established leading company in the industry. The fact that she was able to quietly acquire such a large company without any subsequent disputes shows that her strength should not be underestimated. Old Master Gong's decision to abandon her and nurture Gong Jixing was a case of picking up a sesame seed while losing a watermelon."

Du Anrao smiled, thinking that this was quite good. Freed from such a suffocating family of origin, her future was bright and unparalleled.

Since some things don't exist, there's no need to crave them. There are many more wonderful things in this world that she should strive for and obtain.

"After saying all that, what's going on in your family?"

"It's nothing much, it's just that things haven't been peaceful in the family for the past year. Seventy or eighty percent of our relatives have been taken away for investigation and never returned."

Du Anrao: "???"

A year ago, Xi Yanjia was arrested for attacking Du Anrao, but she was already mentally unstable when she was arrested. Thanks to her mental illness as a get-out-of-jail-free card, she managed to save her life.

However, the Du family was not satisfied with this outcome, so the other members of the Xi family became their main targets for revenge.

Du Yuxi hadn't forgotten that when the Xi family held their ancestral worship ceremony, her younger sister An'an had listed all the crimes committed by each member of the Xi family, and even mentioned that she would report them all one by one after a while, thus helping her cousin to achieve some success.

My younger sister is too busy and has temporarily forgotten about this matter, so as her older sister, she has to help remember it.

And so, the outlaws of the Xi family met their doom, every single one of them was caught, not a single one escaped.

It is important to mention that it was indeed Du Bixiao who made the arrest.

The Xi family's residence was not within Du Bixiao's jurisdiction, so logically it wasn't her place to take action. However, the higher-ups took into account Du Anrao's previous contributions, and Du Yuxi repeatedly emphasized when she reported the matter that Du Anrao had "seen" these things, not that it was her doing.

After Du Anrao woke up, she returned to the mountain and stopped caring about worldly affairs. The officials wanted to thank her but couldn't find a way, so they simply attributed the matter to Du Bixiao as a favor.

In response, Du Bixiao said: "We take turns being kept by women, this year it's my turn. Mmm, sounds delicious!"
Du Anrao never expected so many things to happen after she left, and her family hadn't told her about any of them.

While happy for my cousin, I couldn't help but worry about the person in front of me: "Will their arrest have a big impact on you?"

"Not much. After learning about what they did behind the scenes, I made preparations early on and cut ties with them in advance. Although as relatives, my reputation was inevitably affected to some extent, overall, the damage was not significant. Moreover, because I helped out a year ago, I was officially recognized by the authorities, and the company received some support and benefits for some subsequent projects, so we recovered quickly."

Du Anrao breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

"But there is indeed something that is troubling me a lot right now."

"whats the matter?"

Xi Jingyue lowered his eyes and began to play the victim.

“What happened a year ago wiped out all my savings. My grandfather thought I was acting impulsively and wasn't suitable to manage the company, so he took back my inheritance. My parents disliked that I couldn't take over the company smoothly, forcing them to work hard at their age and worry about their jobs. They were too busy creating new accounts to pay attention to me. Now I've been kicked out of my home, homeless, penniless, and miserable. Can you take me in?”

Du Anrao: "..." Do you want to hear what you're saying? You're only able to refute me because your parents and grandfather aren't here, so you can only let them slander you and suffer in silence, right? Wait until they find out about this, and see how they beat you up. Being kicked out of the house will be the least of their worries!

That's what they say, but it's true that they spent all their savings to help her accumulate merit.

Du Anrao remained silent for a long time before finally clearing his throat and awkwardly saying under Xi Jingyue's expectant gaze, "Our Taoist temple has a rule that we do not easily receive outside guests to stay overnight."

Upon hearing this, Xi Jingyue's eyes dimmed considerably, and then Du Anrao added, "But my master ran away, and I have to do all his work. I'm too busy to take care of anything else. The temple happens to be short of a disciple to do the daily cleaning..."

Xi Jingyue, who instantly understood Du Anrao's implied meaning, looked pleasantly surprised and said without thinking, "I can do it. I'm very efficient and will definitely satisfy you."

"In that case, come in." Du Anrao said, turning around and walking inside. Hearing the footsteps behind him, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Perhaps, things are not so bad as they are now.

At the mountain peak above the Taoist temple, a gentle breeze blew, birds chirped, and the weather was just as fine as when she descended the mountain years ago.