“Miss Gu?”

Lin Qianshi had just come downstairs when he noticed the tense atmosphere in the private seating area. Initially, he had no intention of intervening, but upon spotting Gu Xicao among the group, he walked over.

Gu Xicao didn’t realize at first that he was addressing her, but when Lin Qianshi approached, she finally caught on. “Mr. Lin, what a coincidence.”

“Indeed. What’s going on here?” Lin Qianshi’s gaze swept over the group. He wore a tailored tweed suit in a refined British style. The gemstone pin on his tie gleamed, and his rolled-up sleeves revealed prominent veins on his hands, exuding a roguish charm.

“Brother Qianshi.”

Wang Xueli quickly stood, her cheeks reddening as she greeted him.

Li Yali and the others followed suit, greeting him enthusiastically. Li Yali, however, directly asked, “Brother Qianshi, do you know her?”

“Yes, I do. Miss Gu and I have had a few dealings,” Lin Qianshi replied, his tone protective. Normally, Li Yali would have begrudgingly let the matter slide.

But today, after Gu Xicao’s accusations against her boyfriend, there was no way she would let her off the hook.

“Brother Qianshi, you’ve been deceived. This woman is malicious. She doesn’t like me, so she’s accusing Ah Hong of being a conman and claims he’s here to swindle me!”

Li Yali shot a furious glare at Gu Xicao.

Chen Hong, seeing Lin Qianshi approach, felt uneasy and swallowed nervously. Fearing things might escalate, he tugged at Li Yali. “Yali, let’s just drop it. I won’t hold it against her.”

“But…” Li Yali was unwilling to let it go. Gu Xicao hadn’t just insulted Chen Hong—she had tarnished her reputation.

If these accusations spread, both she and Chen Hong would become laughingstocks!

“Mr. Lin, you’re here just in time. Can you help me with a calculus question?” Gu Xicao suddenly turned to Lin Qianshi.

“Calculus?” Lin Qianshi was taken aback, confusion flashing in his eyes.

“Yes, if you don’t mind,” Gu Xicao said with a smile. “I’ll owe you one.”

She pulled a pen and paper from her bag and handed them to Lin Qianshi.

Amused, Lin Qianshi chuckled as he took the pen and paper. “You don’t need to be so formal. It’s just a math problem. What level of difficulty are you looking for?”

“Something basic will do,” Gu Xicao replied. “Nothing too hard—don’t want anyone accusing me of making it difficult.”

Wang Xueli and the others looked puzzled, but Gu Yueluo seemed to catch on, her expression thoughtful.

Lin Qianshi quickly wrote down a calculus problem involving Lagrange’s theorem and handed it to Gu Xicao.

After glancing at the problem, Gu Xicao passed it to Chen Hong.

Chen Hong stammered, “W-Why are you giving this to me?”

“To solve, of course,” Gu Xicao said matter-of-factly. “Didn’t you claim to be a university graduate? Solving one calculus problem should be no trouble for you.”

Everyone finally understood what was happening.

“That’s right,” Cai Yuyan chimed in. “If he’s the real deal, this is an easy test.”

Li Yali, confident in her boyfriend, said, “It’s just a math problem. Ah Hong, solve it and show them your skills!”

Chen Hong’s smile faltered as he took the pen. His hand trembled, and his gaze lingered on the equation, but no matter how hard he stared, it was incomprehensible to him.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down his face.

Seeing his hesitation, the others began exchanging skeptical looks.

Gu Yueluo glanced at the problem, her expression turning odd. “This question is quite simple—something any undergraduate should be able to solve. Mr. Chen, you’re not struggling with it, are you?”

“I-I…” Chen Hong slammed the pen onto the table. His face twisted as he snapped at Gu Xicao, “So what if I can’t solve it? Do you think all university graduates excel at math?”

“Maybe not all, but no university graduate would mistake a chemistry question for a math problem.”

Gu Xicao’s tone was calm but deliberate. “Actually, even a high school student would realize this isn’t a math problem. Isn’t that right, Mr. Chen?”

Chemistry?

Everyone rushed to look at the paper, and their jaws dropped when they saw the question. It really was a chemistry problem!

Failing to solve a math problem might be excusable, but not recognizing the subject of the question? That was undeniable proof he was a fraud.

Li Yali’s eyes widened as she stared at Chen Hong. Her lips trembled. “No… no way. You lied to me!”

“Yali, I lied about my degree, but my feelings for you are real! I truly love you!”

Chen Hong panicked when he saw the disgust in Li Yali’s eyes. He grabbed her hand desperately.

“I don’t believe you,” Gu Xicao interjected softly.

“You wretch! Shut your mouth!”

Enraged, Chen Hong clenched his fist and swung it toward Gu Xicao’s face.

Everyone screamed in shock.

Gu Xicao narrowed her eyes, ready to counter with her bag, but someone beside her was quicker. Lin Qianshi grabbed Chen Hong’s fist mid-air, twisted his arm, and slammed him onto the table.

The swift, precise takedown left everyone stunned. It was like watching a textbook demonstration of self-defense.

“Using violence against women is not what a man should do,” Lin Qianshi locked Chen Hong’s arm, applying pressure until Chen Hong screamed in pain.

“Thank you, Mr. Lin,” Gu Xicao looked at Lin Qianshi with newfound respect. She hadn’t expected this young master to be so capable in a fight.

“No need to thank me,” Lin Qianshi said, glancing at her. “You weren’t finished speaking earlier. Go ahead now.”

Wow, how thoughtful, Gu Xicao thought. It was a pity he was a young master; otherwise, hiring him as a bodyguard would be great. She put those thoughts aside and turned to Li Yali. “Miss Li, aren’t you curious how a con man from Taiwan could know your schedule so well?”

Li Yali furrowed her brows, her face full of doubt. “Are you saying someone close to me leaked the information to him?”

“Exactly,” Gu Xicao replied. “Do you want to know who?”

“Of course I do!” Li Yali snapped impatiently.

Gu Xicao extended her hand, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together as she tilted her head at Li Yali.

At first, Li Yali didn’t understand.

Lin Qianshi also looked puzzled, unable to grasp Gu Xicao’s gesture.

Clearing her throat, Gu Yueluo explained, “Miss Gu means you need to pay for it.”

Everyone fell silent.

Li Yali’s face darkened. She quickly signed a check and handed it to Gu Xicao. “Thirty thousand. Happy now? Hurry up and tell me!”

Her heart ached a little. Though her parents pampered her, her allowance wasn’t that generous. This check represented her entire month’s pocket money.

“Thank you for your patronage. Feel free to come again,” Gu Xicao said cheerfully. Li Yali might be unpleasant, but her money wasn’t. Without further ado, she pointed at Li Yali’s younger sister, Li Yuxin. “The person who
betrayed you is her.”

The moment Gu Xicao spoke, Li Yuxin’s heart sank. When Gu Xicao pointed at her, her pulse raced uncontrollably.

Licking her lips nervously, Li Yuxin forced a dry laugh. “Miss Gu, you must be joking. How could I betray my sister?”

“You two don’t even share the same mother,” Gu Xicao remarked bluntly, leaving everyone speechless. “Your father dotes on Li Yali, giving her a villa at eighteen, while you, one year younger, only got a gemstone bracelet. This disparity has been ongoing for years. Are you truly not jealous?”

“It was you? It really was you?” Li Yali’s breath quickened as she stared at her sister in disbelief.

Dropping her facade, Li Yuxin scoffed, “Yes, it was me. So what? All I did was share some information with him. It was his idea to con you, and it’s your own stupidity that let you fall for it.

You’re so blind you called this scammer your true love! Watching you fawn over a con man was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Who’d have thought Li Yali, of all people, could be this naive?”

“You! I’ll kill you!”

Li Yali, enraged, lunged at Li Yuxin.

Li Yuxin wasn’t one to back down. She had endured years of swallowing her pride for her father’s favoritism toward Li Yali. Now that she was exposed, she seized the moment to retaliate.

It was Gu Yueluo and Cai Yuyan who eventually separated the two.

After sending the Li sisters away, Gu Yueluo sighed and personally offered Gu Xicao a ride home. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect those people to show up today.”

“It’s no trouble. I didn’t lose anything, but Miss Gu, will this incident affect your business?” Gu Xicao leaned against the car window, letting the breeze brush her face.

Gu Yueluo shook her head with a faint smile. “Not at all. But after today, I think no one in our circle will doubt your skills anymore. Though I imagine they’ll avoid public fortune-telling.”

Gu Xicao chuckled. “That’s fair.”

Gu Yueluo glanced at her profile- delicate features, radiant like a lotus in bloom. “Miss Gu, are you close to Young Master Lin?”

“No, why do you ask?” Gu Xicao replied, puzzled.

“Do you remember Wang Xueli?” Gu Yueluo asked.

How could she not? Wang Xueli had left quite the impression, dressed in Chanel, looking down her nose at people, and radiating hostility toward Gu Xicao for no apparent reason.

“Wang Xueli is the only granddaughter of the Wang matriarch and the future heir of the Wang family. She’s been infatuated with Lin Qianshi since childhood. At the end of this month, the Lin family is hosting a banquet to invite socialites. It’s essentially a matchmaking event for Young Master Lin,” Gu Yueluo explained while driving.

“Wang Xueli returned to Hong Kong specifically for this. She’s known for her ruthless personality. Anyone who tries to compete with her gets ‘persuaded’ to decline their invitations. A few socialites have already been scared off.”

“She’s really overbearing, isn’t she?” Gu Xicao shook her head in disbelief. “Thanks for the heads-up, but I doubt I’ll have many dealings with her.”

“That’s probably for the best. Dealing with her can be quite troublesome,” Gu Yueluo agreed, stopping the car and watching Gu Xicao enter her building before driving away.