Li Yali’s smile stiffened as she watched Wang Xueli’s haughty demeanor. She rolled her eyes inwardly, but outwardly kept quiet.

Wang Xueli was considered the crème de la crème among Hong Kong’s young elite.

As she sat in the garden, other arriving guests came over to greet her, making the space so crowded that there was barely any room left.

Zhao Ruyu soon came over personally to invite them to move. “Oh, you girls, why are you hiding here? Go take a stroll on the lawn. Qianshi and the others are all there.”

“Auntie, I heard the second young master is back today?” Li Yali asked sweetly.

Zhao Ruyu, though disdainful, maintained her polite smile. “Hexu has always been close to his brother. When he heard about the birthday banquet, he insisted on coming back.”

“The second young master and the eldest really share a deep brotherly bond. It’s enviable,” someone flattered.

The group moved to the lawn, where tables were set with drinks and food, and a band played music in the background.

Wang Xueli scanned the crowd, searching for Lin Qianshi, but instead spotted someone who shouldn’t have been there—Gu Xicao.

Li Yali saw her too and exclaimed, “That charlatan! How is she here?!”

Following their gazes, Zhao Ruyu was surprised. “What’s the matter? That young lady came in with Miss Gu. I didn’t catch her background. Do you know her?”

Miss Gu?

Wang Xueli’s hand tightened on her clutch, her knuckles whitening with anger.

No doubt about it—Gu Xicao must have been admitted because of Gu Yueluo.

“We know her. She’s no young lady, just a charlatan,” Li Yali said, curling her lips in disdain. “She spouts nonsense and scams people. You’d better watch out for her.”

Li Yali’s arrogance often alienated others, and someone couldn’t resist quipping, “Yali, isn’t the so-called fortune-teller who exposed your boyfriend a scammer too? Could it be her?”

Li Yali’s face turned black as she glared at the speaker, gritting her teeth. “Zhang Pingfeng, mind your own business!”

“Oh dear, why so upset? So it really was her? Shouldn’t you be thanking her instead?” Zhang Pingfeng pretended to be innocent, puckering her lips playfully.

Li Yali was furious and wished she could scratch Zhang Pingfeng’s face.

Zhao Ruyu knew that when these wealthy socialites gathered, arguments were inevitable—after all, no one was willing to accommodate anyone else. She hurriedly excused herself.

“You all—” Wang Xueli swept her gaze across Zhang Pingfeng and the others, her eyes cold and laced with warning. “Whoever dares to speak to that charlatan, stay away from me.”

“Talking to someone of that level even once pollutes the air.”

“Exactly. Zhang Pingfeng, if you like her so much, why don’t you go talk to her?” Li Yali smirked smugly at Zhang Pingfeng.

Zhang Pingfeng felt embarrassed and hurriedly replied, “I was just joking. How could I possibly interact with someone like her?”

“We wouldn’t either, of course,” the others chimed in to agree.

Li Yali sidled up to Wang Xueli and said, “Xueli, you’re still the smartest. Even if that charlatan managed to sneak in, if we all ignore her, she’ll just embarrass herself.”

Wang Xueli’s lips curved into a smile. “Even if Gu Yueluo was kind enough to bring her in, she won’t stay by her side forever. Let’s just wait and watch.”

The other socialites exchanged glances. Although they didn’t know how Gu Xicao had offended Wang Xueli, the choice was obvious. All their families’ businesses were intertwined with the Wang family. Between a complete stranger and Wang Xueli, it was clear where their loyalty lay.

Gu Yueluo, seeing someone familiar, said to Gu Xicao, “Miss Gu, I need to go greet someone. Will you be alright on your own?”

“No problem. I’m not a child who might get lost. Go ahead.”

Gu Xicao waved her hand, her expression entirely unbothered.

Once Gu Yueluo left, Gu Xicao headed toward the champagne table for a drink. As she approached, a few women moved away as if avoiding a plague, their faces displaying disdainful looks of evaluation.

Unperturbed, she picked up a glass of champagne. A young lady nearby accidentally dropped her lipstick, and Gu Xicao kindly called out, “You dropped your—”

The young lady stepped back as if she had seen a ghost and sneered, “Don’t try to talk to me. I wouldn’t associate with someone like you…”

Mid-sentence, she stepped on her own lipstick with a loud crunch.

The young lady froze, her neck stiff as she looked down. “My… my lipstick!”

“Well, you brought this on yourself.” Gu Xicao shrugged. “I was going to remind you, but you didn’t appreciate the kindness.”

“You—!” The young lady finally understood why Wang Xueli and the others hated this woman so much.

Ordinary women with no money would look at them with awe and envy, but Gu Xicao, a mere fortune-teller, showed no reverence. Worse, she was utterly unbothered and even impolite!

From afar, Li Yali gestured at her not to waste her breath. The young lady glanced at the solitary Gu Xicao, snorted, and said, “It’s just a lipstick. I could toss it away for fun. Why would I waste time arguing with someone like you?”

With that, she strutted off in her high heels to join Wang Xueli and her group.

Wang Xueli glanced at her. “Why bother talking to her? Look at who we are and who she is.”

“I know. She was the one trying to talk to me,” the young lady replied meekly.

“They’re planning to isolate you and make you uncomfortable,” the gossip system helpfully informed Gu Xicao.

Gu Xicao swirled her champagne glass and replied dryly, “That’s obvious to everyone. You don’t need to state it. I don’t mind, though. I’m not a child who needs someone holding my hand to go to the bathroom. With so much good food and drink here, I’m happy to enjoy a quiet buffet.”

“Master Gu?!”

Just as Gu Xicao finished speaking to the system, someone called out to her. She turned to see none other than Secretary Lin approaching with her husband.

She blinked in surprise as Secretary Lin walked over, saying, “It really is you! We thought we might have mistaken someone else. What brings you here today?”

“Hey, isn’t that Mr. Cai’s son and daughter-in-law?” Zhang Pingfeng whispered in surprise. “Why are they so friendly with that fortune-teller?”

“You didn’t know? That fortune-teller was the one who helped Mr. Cai find his son,” someone well-informed explained.

“Young Master Lin’s uncle had a matter he wanted to discuss, so I came over—and, well, I might as well grab a free meal,” Gu Xicao said with a smile. “By the way, the salmon here is incredibly fresh.”

Secretary Lin laughed. “If I’d known you’d be coming, I would’ve sent you a new dress. Wearing the same outfit twice might draw unnecessary remarks from certain busybodies.”

Gu Xicao appreciated the kindness but replied, “If people want to gossip, let them. Right now, they’re not laughing at me but trying to ostracize me, hoping I’ll leave.”

Secretary Lin frowned slightly. Following Gu Xicao’s gaze, she spotted Wang Xueli and her entourage. “Ah, now I understand. Whenever they gather, it’s always the same. Especially that Wang girl—she’s so full of herself. But don’t worry. Not everyone plays by their rules. If you want, I can introduce you to some friends.”

“No need. I’m fine…” Gu Xicao began, only to hear another voice calling her. She looked up to see Wang Rongyan, Ma Qi and her mother approaching.

“So, this is Master Gu! Truly young and accomplished!” Ma Chunya enthusiastically shook Gu Xicao’s hand. “Far more impressive than my ungrateful daughter.”

Ma Qi pouted in frustration.

Gu Xicao smiled. “Don’t say that. Miss Ma is very talented too.”

“If only that were true, I wouldn’t have so many worries,” Ma Chunya sighed.

Wang Rongyan interjected with a laugh, “Chunya, you don’t know how lucky you are. Ma Qi is such a sweetheart. I wish my own brat was half as considerate.”

Not far away, Wang Xueli and her group froze again.

Zhang Pingfeng’s jaw dropped. “How does she even know Wang Rongyan and Ma Chunya?”

“They say Wang Rongyan found his son thanks to her fortune-telling,” the well-informed socialite added.

Before they could process this, more people began greeting Gu Xicao—celebrity Zhou Minwen, entrepreneur Xu Shaowen, and senior inspector Liu joined her circle one after another.

Within moments, Gu Xicao was surrounded by a crowd.

Her popularity even surpassed that of the wealthy socialites.

“Honestly, that Gu woman might have some real skills. I’m tempted to ask her for a reading myself,” someone finally blurted out.

Wang Xueli’s face darkened as she turned to glare at the speaker. “She’s just a lucky fraud. How can you be so gullible?”

No one dared to argue, but they silently wondered—how could someone be so “lucky” every time?

More than a few people secretly resolved to seek out Gu Xicao for a fortune-telling session.