Xing Yuan's fingers curved slightly, her eyes filled with thought. Her current identity was quite convenient. However, judging by her elder sister's demeanor, she clearly didn't want to be associated with her. Approaching her under the guise of a man wouldn't be very feasible.
But if she reverted to her female identity, many things would become less convenient. Never mind, there was no rush. Since she had found her elder sister, there was no way she would let her leave again. Therefore, she should first handle the current matters!
Xing Yuan dispatched several people to keep an eye on Ruoxi Pavilion. If anything unexpected were to happen, she could make preparations in advance.
There was still no news of Xing Chen. She didn't know if he had seen through the trap or if he currently had sufficient arms and didn't need to trade anymore.
Xing Yuan instructed Feng Nianxing to contact the managers of the Xing family's industries and have them send people to search the east of the city. They were locals, so their actions wouldn't attract attention. More importantly, no one knew these industries belonged to the Xing family.
The saying "money makes the world go round" was not without reason. Stimulated by the generous rewards, good news did indeed arrive within a few days.
Unfortunately, that group of people was extremely vigilant. The moment they discovered something was amiss, they immediately retreated.
"What a shame! So close!" Feng Nianxing's face was full of regret. Besides the Old Master, he was the one who most wanted to find Xing Chen. If he could really find him, he felt he would have lived up to his brother.
Based on the world's plot, Xing Yuan vaguely guessed the identity of her twin brother. Thinking of the relevant plot points, she felt no urgency. Sooner or later, that person would willingly stand before her, so she just needed to wait patiently.
On the other side, the young man was also grumbling, "Who did I offend? Why is someone looking for me everywhere? It even caused our hard-built base to be destroyed."
The young man was unaware of his own background. In his eyes, the two people who raised him were his biological parents.
Perhaps out of selfishness, they never told the young man the truth until their deaths, taking the past story with them into the earth.
The young man was named Su Xingchen. Although he grew up in the marketplace, he possessed a certain cleverness. He started a business with a few friends and earned a lot of money.
However, they were later targeted by officials. Their wealth was almost completely plundered, and even the shops they had painstakingly built up over many years and finally got on track were taken away by those people.
Su Xingchen clenched his fists and struck the wall with determination, also striking his own heart. A blazing fire ignited within him.
Su Xingchen, along with several close brothers, joined the army. He was alone and unafraid of death, but he was unwilling to live a life of indignity. So, he decided to take a gamble, betting that he could survive until the end and avenge himself.
Everything went smoothly at first. He was brave, unafraid of death, and possessed some minor strategic skills, quickly gaining the appreciation of his superiors. But as the appreciation grew, his life gradually became more difficult.
The army was not monolithic. Many people were jealous of him, completely forgetting that his promotion was bought with his own life.
This was not the most terrifying thing. What was terrifying was that later, due to the instigation of some ill-intentioned individuals, even those who had trusted him gradually became suspicious. The life filled with suspicion around him made Su Xingchen doubt again whether his choice had been correct.
Then, he left with some subordinates and like-minded individuals from the army.
Many people died on their path of being hunted. Later, they fled to Haicheng, a place rumored to be the only one beyond the reach of warlords.
Su Xingchen initially suspected that the warlord from back then had discovered his whereabouts. But something was not right. Those people clearly had no intention of killing him; even with weapons in hand, they hadn't fired at him. So, who exactly was looking for him?
No matter who it was, they couldn't disrupt his plans. Su Xingchen thought to himself, it seemed he would have to hide even more discreetly recently.
Thus, Xing Yuan, now with free time, also became a frequent visitor to Ruoxi Pavilion.
The only difference was their purpose for being there. One was to watch plays, while the other was purely there for a certain person.
Xing Yuan, like Qi Wen, was not short of money and was extremely generous. She had actually been trained as the next family head since childhood, so she had also learned some business skills.
In Xing Yuya's view, if Xing Chen could be found, Xing Yuan could handle the family's business affairs. If he couldn't be found in the end, Xing Yuan could take on multiple roles and develop comprehensively.
"Senior Sister, that Young Master Xing seems very enthusiastic! He comes to watch every time you perform and even sends you flowers!" a pretty junior sister said to her senior sister, who was putting on makeup, with a hint of envy in her eyes.
She wondered if she would ever meet someone who treated her so well in this life.
Fang Xiyue was also somewhat surprised. It was the first time a young master had persisted for so long. Most would give up after seeing no results for a few days.
However, Fang Xiyue looked at her junior sister, who seemed to envy her, and said with a particularly serious expression, "A Shu, many men are not like what is described in storybooks. They are unreliable. He may like you today, but he might like someone else tomorrow. Therefore, the most reliable person in the world is ourselves."
A Shu's expression was somewhat dejected. In the bloom of youth, having read so many storybooks that praised love, she naturally yearned for it.
But she also knew very clearly that her senior sister was right. The moment they stood on stage, people would naturally view them with prejudice.
Even if they could temporarily gain admiration due to their outstanding appearance and abilities, there would come a day when their beauty faded, and they would only end up being abandoned.
Fang Xiyue looked at her dejected junior sister with some heartache. However, at this moment, she couldn't indulge her junior sister, or the consequences might be irreversible later.
"Senior Sister, it's time to go on stage!"
Fang Xiyue responded calmly, tidied her hair, put on her mask, and went on stage with her senior brothers and sisters.
Decades of practice had ingrained this skill into their bones and souls. For them, performing stories from storybooks on stage was the meaning of their existence.
After the play ended, Xing Yuan, familiar with the routine, went to the front of the stage and handed over the bright red flowers.
Xing Yuan's lips curved into a smile, and he said politely, "Today marks the tenth day since I met Miss Fang. May I have the honor of inviting you to lunch?"
Fang Xiyue was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and refused, "I'm sorry, I'm a bit tired today. Perhaps we can arrange another time."