Best Young Master

The following afternoon, Su Yuxin returned to Hanghu.

Despite Hanghu's temperatures hovering around forty degrees, since returning to her villa in the Jiuxi Rose Garden Noble District, Su Yuxin not only refrained from leaving her home but also spent most of her time in bed, covered with a quilt suitable for winter.

Even so, as the yin energy within her body increased, her complexion worsened by the night, looking as if she could leave this world at any moment.

"Yuxin, are you feeling better?"

In the bedroom, Mrs. Su carefully wiped down Su Yuxin with a warm towel, helped her into her pajamas, tucked her in, and holding Su Yuxin's icy hand, asked through tears.

"Mom, I'm much better."

Su Yuxin struggled to muster a forced smile, weakly stretched out her hand, trying to help wipe the tears from her mother's face, but since she was too weak, she failed to raise her hand and gave up, trying to sound casual, "Mom, don't cry, and don't worry. We've already found Divine Doctor, and Divine Doctor will come to treat me in a couple of days. I'll be fine."

"Mmm."

Mrs. Su wiped her tears, gently arranged the messy hair on Su Yuxin's forehead.

"Mom, where is the Jin Emperor? How come I haven't seen him all day today?" Su Yuxin changed the subject, as if to avoid worrying her mother.

"After you left, he never came back, and I don't know where he went."

Mrs. Su sighed. Since she came from an ordinary family and had a timid nature, she did not have much influence in the Su Family, nor even in her own home, as her son hardly listened to her.

"Mom, don't worry. Once I recover, I will surely discipline my younger brother well," Su Yuxin said weakly but firmly.

"Mmm, as long as you're fine, Mom will be relieved."

Mrs. Su nodded and could not help but cry again, but suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. She immediately stood up, and upon seeing that the visitor was Su Liuli, she relaxed and said, "Liuli, come keep your sister company for a while, I'll go make her some porridge."

"Alright, Aunt."

Su Liuli nodded, then turned her gaze to Su Yuxin, and seeing Yuxin's increasingly pale complexion, asked with deep concern, "Yuxin, are you feeling very unwell?"

"Liuli, I'm fine," Su Yuxin forced a smile.

"You say you're fine, but your complexion is getting worse."

Su Liuli said with a heartache, holding Su Yuxin's hand, then remembered something and added, "How come the Divine Doctor that Sister Chu helped us find hasn't arrived yet? Yuxin, you don't think Sister Chu could be deceiving us, do you?"

"Probably not."

Without hesitation, Su Yuxin provided her answer, "Grandpa came by this afternoon and told me that Lady Chu holds quite an extraordinary position in Yanjing, supposedly connected to the Ye Family. Someone of her status wouldn't need to lie to us."

Ye Family?!

Upon hearing these two words, Su Liuli was slightly shocked.

Although she did not yet partake in Su Family's business due to her age, her affluent background naturally informed her of the Ye Family, one of Huaxia's most powerful clans.

At the same time, in another villa belonging to the Su Family at Jiuxi Rose Garden, in the study.

A middle-aged man sat on a mahogany chair in front of the desk, fiddling with a pair of Nephrite Jade beads in his hand, his gaze flickering, seemingly lost in thought.

"Thump thump…"

The sound of knocking pulled the middle-aged man back to reality, he looked up and said, "Come in."

"Dad."

A handsome young man entered, walking straight toward the middle-aged man with a smile, saying as he approached, "I just heard that Su Yuxin hasn't met Miracle Doctor Chu and returned to Hanghu at noon."

The middle-aged man slightly raised his eyebrows but stayed quiet.

"Besides, I've heard that since they didn't meet Miracle Doctor Chu, they're trying to treat a dying horse as if it were alive, inviting some unknown quack doctor who will come to treat her in a few days."

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, although the middle-aged man did not respond, the young man kept talking, his words tinged with schadenfreude, "Almost all major global hospitals have declared her as terminal, and probably only Miracle Doctor Chu might save her, others are just nonsense."

"Feiyu."

The middle-aged man stopped fiddling with the jade bead and slightly furrowed his brows, saying, "It seems you wish your cousin would die sooner?"

"Yes, Dad, this wretch thinks she's achieved something noteworthy, charmed the old man, and now she acts all high and mighty in front of our family. She truly doesn't deserve any sympathy," Su Feiyu said venomously, inadvertently recalling the painful memories of the past two years.

In the past two years, because Su Yuxin had managed some of the Su Family's businesses exceptionally well, she not only significantly elevated the main branch's status within the Su Family but also became the favorite of the Su Family's patriarch. Consequently, the patriarch repeatedly used Su Yuxin as an example to admonish Su Feiyu.

Over time, this bred resentment in Su Feiyu's heart towards Su Yuxin.

What Su Feiyu found even more unbearable was that it was one thing for the Su Family's patriarch to scold him, but the whole prodigal circle of Hanghu, even Jiangnan, believed Su Feiyu's capabilities were leagues below Su Yuxin's. Were it not for his being born a male, he wouldn't even be considered for the position of the Su Family's future heir!

There were even some admirers of Su Yuxin who blatantly said that Su Feiyu wasn't even qualified to carry her shoes...

For Su Feiyu, this was an utter humiliation!

He had tried to turn shame into motivation, but since he wasn't "hardened enough," he couldn't wash away the disgrace, only highlighting the gap between him and Su Yuxin all the more!

Now, with Su Yuxin having contracted a strange illness, Su Feiyu had finally become the master of his own fate and certainly did not hope for Su Yuxin's recovery. On the contrary, he wished she would die sooner rather than later!

"Feiyu, starting today, I don't want to hear such talk again," the middle-aged man said with a more serious expression.

Caught off guard by the comment, Su Feiyu very well understood that if it weren't for Su Yuxin's sudden illness, even his father would have shown some fear towards her. In such a situation, he didn't see anything wrong with rubbing salt into her wounds.

"She is, after all, a member of the Su Family and has made significant contributions. Have you considered how your grandfather would feel if such words reached his ears?" the middle-aged man asked sternly.

Su Feiyu suddenly understood and smiled, replying, "Don't worry, Dad, I only say these things in front of you."

"It's not just that I don't want you to say it fearing it might reach your grandfather's ears. Furthermore, she's already doomed to die, you have no need to compete with her. Even if she recovers, how would that threaten you?" the middle-aged man reminded him.

Su Feiyu paused, then understood his father's point: even if Su Yuxin miraculously survived, his grandfather would never let someone with a severe medical history take over the reins of the Su Family—no one could guarantee her illness wouldn't relapse!

Moreover, Su Yuxin being female?

...

Still up on Spirit Mountain, Ye Fan did not realize that his mission this time would decide not only Su Yuxin's fate but also the future of the Su Family.

After dinner, he voluntarily cleaned up the plates and utensils, and unusually lingered around Chu Xuanji, chatting sporadically with him.

"Stop flitting around in front of me, get down the mountain," Chu Xuanji said irritably.

"Old man, you said so yourself; I leave tonight then," Ye Fan replied.

Because Ye Fan had decided to extend his stay outside during this mission, he wanted to spend some time with Chu Xuanji before leaving. Seeing Chu Xuanji's unappreciative attitude, Ye Fan 'turned his face' immediately.

"Go, and don't come back to see me if you fail the mission!" Chu Xuanji said without lifting his head, seemingly eager for Ye Fan to disappear.

"You think I want to stay with you, old man?" Ye Fan snorted.

Ye Fan stood up to leave, picked up his black canvas bag from another cabin, waved his hand, and said, "Little Wolf, let's go!"

"Woof... Woof..."

Seeming to know that Ye Fan was leaving the mountain again, Little Wolf scraped at Ye Fan's trouser leg with his paw, whimpering lightly, trying to keep Ye Fan from leaving.

"Little Wolf, I'll come back to see you," Ye Fan said.

Maybe because he knew he would be gone for a long time, looking at Little Wolf's pitiful state made Ye Fan feel a bit of the sorrow of parting. He couldn't help but squat down and gently stroke Little Wolf's fur.

After comforting Little Wolf, Ye Fan stood up, looked towards Chu Xuanji's cabin with a profound sense of attachment in his eyes, and said, "Master, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

Master.

Inside the cabin, Chu Xuanji heard this address he hadn't heard in many years, and his hands trembled slightly.

Moments later, the ancient book slipped, Chu Xuanji stood up and walked out of the cabin, looking in the direction Ye Fan had left, trying to find his figure but it was already too late.

"Xiao Fan, I hope you won't hate me in the future," Chu Xuanji murmured to himself as the moonlight poured down and the evening breeze lifted his greying hair, his face showing a rare expression of guilt.

More than that, though, he was resolute!