Lu Yao had a bitterness that she could not talk about. She was just a concubine’s child and did not have a high status in the Lu family. She originally thought that their lives would be a lot better after Chu Xianmin became the Crown Princess, but who would have expected this situation?
Chu Liuyue turned around coolly. “Let’s go!”
First Elder suppressed the anger in his heart. “Close the door!”
When everyone in the Chu family returned to the mansion, he took a deep breath in and shouted, “Go and inform all the family elders. Tell them to come to the living room now. I think we should properly clear up the Chu family’s accounts today!” After he finished his sentence, he did not forget to glance at Lu Yao, who had already long lost her soul. “Especially Chu Yan! Get him to come over!”
“Yes!”
Lu Yao’s legs felt like jelly, and she collapsed on the floor; her face was as pale as a ghost’s.
…
Tian Lu Academy.
“Did you hear the news? Chu Liuyue went to cause a scene at the Chu family residence yesterday! The entire Chu family is in chaos now!”
“I heard that Chu Liuyue only went back to take back what belongs to her and her father, which includes her mother’s dowry… Logically speaking, this isn’t much, right?”
“Hah, isn’t much? That isn’t what the Chu family members think. Do you know how many valuable items and money Chu Liuyue took from the Chu family yesterday? She literally skinned off a portion of the Chu family’s meat!”
“I think Chu Liuyue is really harsh! After all, the Chu family was the one who brought her to this world and raised her up. Now that she’s successful, she just turned her back on them and took away so many things from the family… The Chu family’s status as one of the four biggest aristocratic families was already facing danger, and this just added oil to the fire.”
“It’s better if we don’t ruffle the feathers of such a person…”
The students—who had rested for a day—came back to the academy today and heatedly discussed the matter within their own groups.
The commotion was too huge, and they couldn’t even pretend not to know about it.
“What are you talking about?” A clear female voice interrupted their whispers.
They turned around and saw Mu Hongyu. Once they saw her, many students started to become scared.
Mu Hongyu had a fiery temper and was very capable, so she was not easy to deal with. The most important thing was that she had a formidable background. She was Prince Ping Jiang’s only daughter—the legitimate Princess Yong Ping. Even though she was not a royal princess, her status was equally prestigious.
“Why aren’t you talking anymore? I thought you were having a great discussion just now.” Mu Hongyu raised her leg and walked in as her eyes swept across the crowd with much interest. Even though she was smiling, the crowd could hear the threat in her voice.
“Hehe… Hongyu, we’re just casually talking. We didn’t say much.”
“That’s right!”
Mu Hongyu crossed her arms and raised her chins. She crisply said, “I heard what you said just now very clearly. Let me tell you that Chu Liuyue is my friend. If I hear anyone talking bad about her in the future, don’t blame me for being harsh.”
The crowd fell silent. They looked at each other awkwardly since they did not expect Mu Hongyu to say this.
Friend… Since when did she become friends with Chu Liuyue?
Chu Liuyue—who was coincidentally passing by—had also heard her words. She paused in her tracks and weirdly looked at Mu Hongyu, who was not far away. Actually, they only talked to each other twice, but Mu Hongyu still stood up for her.
Chu Liuyue’s heart tingled. “Hongyu.”
Mu Hongyu then saw Chu Liuyue behind the crowd, and the coldness on her face immediately dissipated. Mu Hongyu’s almond eyes sparkled, and she waved at Chu Liuyue. “Liuyue!”
Chu Liuyue walked over and smiled in a way that made her look like she did not notice the weird and stiff atmosphere. “Why are you standing here? Aren’t you going to reach the next stage soon? You should grab the time and go to Jiuyou Tower to cultivate.”
Mu Hongyu grumbled, “They were talking bad about you.”
Chu Liuyue nonchalantly shook her head and smiled. “Just ignore it. I just chased a debt yesterday, and my pockets are heavier now. Next time, I’ll bring you to Phoenix Restaurant to eat. You didn’t come the previous time, right?”
Once Mu Hongyu heard Phoenix Restaurant mentioned, she excitedly went to Chu Liuyue’s side. “Really? I love their crystal prawn dumplings, but my allowance only allows me to go there once a month.”
Chu Liuyue lost her smile. It seems like Mu Hongyu loves to eat.
“Of course, it’s true! I’ll treat you to those dumplings every day. However, you need to reach the next stage first.”
“Okay! Oh, right, I found a few people for our Fiend Tidal Team…”
“You can just make the decisions.”
As the duo talked, the remaining people found their conversation boring, and all left on their own respectively.
…
“Liuyue, are you really not angry about what those people said about you?” asked Mu Hongyu when nobody was around them.
Chu Liuyue smiled. “What’s there to be angry about? Since I dare to do it, I won’t be afraid of other people talking about me. Besides, you’ve also seen that they only dare to talk about me behind my back. They can’t even say a single word in front of me. If I need to scold everyone that talks bad about me, I’ll be busy to death. It’s not worth wasting my effort on these people.”
Mu Hongyu pouted. “You’re pretty similar to my father when you talk, but I can’t get over it. I will definitely take revenge for anything that makes me unhappy.”
Mu Hongyu was straightforward and did not beat around the bushes when she talked, but she was also someone that was reluctant to suffer losses.
Chu Liuyue knew that it was useless for her to advise Mu Hongyu otherwise. Besides, Mu Hongyu helped her this time, so she smiled and changed the topic. “You said you found a few other people? Who are they?”
Mu Hongyu extended her hand. “Other than us, there are three other people. Liao Zhongshu and Cen Hu have agreed to join us already. The two of them are pretty strong, and they placed ninth and seventh in the semester assessment, respectively. They’re also on pretty good terms with me. They’re definitely trustable! Oh, right. There’s still Gu Mingfeng! You should know him—he battled against Chu Xianmin in the finals.”
“Gu Mingfeng?” Chu Liuyue was a little surprised. She had some understanding of this person and heard that he was a concubine’s son in the Gu family. As his mother came from a lowly background, he was not doted on in the family. Even though he entered Tian Lu Academy, his status in the Gu family was still very low.
She did not have much of an impression of Gu Mingfeng when he battled against Chu Xianmin in the finals. She only remembered that he was a cold and gentle young man.
“Oh, right. Don’t judge him by his usual lack of words, but he’s actually pretty strong. I lost to him the previous round, and it was hard for me to get him to join our team.”
“Is… he not teaming with Gu Mingzhu?”
“Tch, he doesn’t really interact with Gu Mingzhu, so how can they form a team? Also, Gu Mingzhu is very arrogant because she’s a Xuan Master. Why would she join us?” Mu Hongyu did not care about Gu Mingzhu.
Chu Liuyue nodded.
Mu Hongyu suddenly thought of something and asked, “Oh, did you know that Chu Xianmin is also coming back today?”