Chapter 107: Exceptionally Charming

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Exceptionally Charming

Qiao Suluo looked at their serious expressions, surprised by how quickly they caught on.

Recalling her predecessor’s memories, she said, "It should be related to the Shen family and Shen Zhiwei. As for the exact details, I’m not entirely sure."

Because the Shen family and Shen Zhiwei were both so good at pretending, her predecessor had no idea if they had slipped chronic poison into her food or administered it some other way.

Hearing this, Que Hongjin and the others harbored murderous intent toward the Shen family and Shen Zhiwei.

Que Hongjin pulled her into a tender embrace. "Don’t worry," he said softly. "I will make them pay for everything they’ve done to you." Whether it was the Shen family or Shen Zhiwei, he would not spare a single person who had hurt her.

Bai Qianluo shared the exact same sentiment. Chu Moyuan was ready to slaughter the entire Shen family right then and there, but unfortunately, they were currently quite far from the Capital City.

Qiao Suluo felt a warm glow in her heart at their protective care. Slipping out of Que Hongjin’s embrace, she looked at them, blinking curiously. "Shen Zhiwei has such a flawless reputation in the Capital City. Everyone thinks she’s gentle and kind. Don’t you doubt my words at all?"

As the true daughter, Shen Zhiwei was deeply calculating and highly manipulative. That was how she had managed to so quickly oust Qiao Suluo, the fake daughter, and ruin her reputation entirely. Her predecessor’s sudden turn to malice was partly due to the poison, which made her violently irritable and unable to control her temper. The other factor was Shen Zhiwei’s deliberate and repeated framing. Unable to expose the true daughter’s real face, her predecessor had bottled up a suffocating resentment that she couldn’t vent, ultimately leading her to completely give up on herself.

"Silly girl, we have eyes. We can see for ourselves," Que Hongjin said gently. "Shen Zhiwei has absolutely nothing to do with being gentle or kind."

"Back before my health failed, Patriarch Shen approached my father to discuss an alliance by marriage. He wanted me to marry Shen Zhiwei, but I refused," Bai Qianluo said, a dark gleam flashing through his aloof eyes.

"After that, whenever I traveled, we somehow ’coincidentally’ bumped into each other several times. Every single time, either her carriage rut had broken or she faced some other predicament, all as an excuse to strike up a conversation. How could such a deeply calculating person be gentle and kind?

"And yet, the moment something went wrong with me and my family abandoned me, Shen Zhiwei vanished without a trace."

Qiao Suluo’s expression shifted. "So that’s what happened. She hated you for not giving her face back then, so she deliberately had you married off to me to humiliate you." Shen Zhiwei was precisely the type to seek petty revenge for the slightest grievance, and she cared only for profit.

Hearing her final conclusion, an elegant smile spilled into Bai Qianluo’s usually cold eyes. "For that matter, I actually have them to thank. Because I am very happy to be my wife’s Beast Husband."

Even though he had been abused and berated in the past, he knew that hadn’t been her. However, since this body belonged to his wife, and she possessed all its memories, he was determined to exact retribution for all the grievances she had suffered.

"It’s fine. When I have the chance to return to the Capital City for business, I will settle the score myself," Qiao Suluo said.

She already had a business plan forming in her mind. When she first arrived in this world, her intent had been to accept her circumstances and live a quiet life running a small business. But the recent assassination attempt had made her realize she needed to become stronger as quickly as possible to eliminate all threats. Even if she didn’t seek revenge, people like Shen Zhiwei would never let her go. So, she mentally laid out a blueprint for vengeance.

After chatting for a while, it grew late, and the group lay down to sleep in the cave. Qiao Suluo was likely exhausted; she fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes. She probably didn’t realize that the natural fragrance emanating from her body was extraordinarily alluring. It was so intoxicating that Que Hongjin and the others lay beside her, completely unable to sleep, their minds filled solely with thoughts of her.

To make matters worse, all three of them had awakened superpowers and possessed exceptional hearing. From several nearby caves drifted sounds that would make anyone blush—sounds that left them parched and restless. Yet, looking at the peacefully sleeping Qiao Suluo, and considering the highly inconvenient environment of the cave, they couldn’t bear to wake her. They sighed inwardly; living in a cave was truly far too inconvenient.

Early the next morning, when Qiao Suluo woke up, she noticed dark circles under the eyes of Que Hongjin and the others. They clearly hadn’t slept well.

"Did you not rest well?" she asked.

"We’re fine," they replied. Even if they were exhausted, they didn’t want her to worry.

Qiao Suluo suspected they weren’t telling the truth, but she didn’t press the issue. After giving it some thought, she decided it was time to find a house in the county town. Following breakfast, they headed straight there.

"Let’s rent a house near Nanlu Academy first," Qiao Suluo suggested. "It’s close to the academy, which will make it more convenient for Hong Jin to go study. Plus, the environment there is nice, and the rent should be cheaper.

"I’m also planning to set up a stall or open a shop to do business there later on." Although it wasn’t the bustling downtown area, many people lived there, meaning there were still business opportunities to be found.

Que Hongjin’s heart stirred. His wife was always so good to him, considering his needs so thoughtfully.

"We will follow my wife’s arrangements," Bai Qianluo said smoothly.

As if recalling something, Qiao Suluo turned to Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan. "Are you two going to study at Nanlu Academy as well?"

Bai Qianluo shook his head. "There’s no need. I have no desire to study at an academy right now." Having been strictly educated by his family since childhood and having read extensively, he could easily score first place in the imperial examinations at any time if he wished. But his ambitions didn’t lie there. Furthermore, the Bai family was already incredibly prominent—his father was the Chief Grand Secretary, second only to the Emperor. By keeping a low profile, he could prevent his family from attracting unwanted attention. Now, he only wanted to stay by Qiao Suluo’s side, helping her so she wouldn’t have to work too hard.

Chu Moyuan also declined. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and naturally had no interest in attending an academy to follow a rigid academic routine.

Qiao Suluo and the others sought out a broker and viewed a clean, two-courtyard house nearby. They rented it for one tael of silver a month. Because the location was slightly secluded, the rent was cheaper; a comparable house on the busy commercial streets would have cost at least three taels of silver a month.

After receiving the keys, they entered the residence.

"We’ll settle down here for now," Qiao Suluo said. "Go ahead and pick your rooms."

None of the three moved. They were all waiting for her to choose first.

Seeing them stand completely still, Qiao Suluo asked in confusion, "Why aren’t you picking?"

"We will stay next to our wife."

Qiao Suluo selected the main room in the backyard. It was spacious and received excellent sunlight. Immediately after, Que Hongjin and the other two nearly came to blows fighting over the two rooms directly adjacent to hers.

Qiao Suluo hastily intervened. She pulled out five taels of silver and handed them to Que Hongjin. "Once you’ve decided on your rooms, go buy some daily necessities. I’m going to head over to the stall area." She absolutely did not want to stick around and watch them brawl.

The house came furnished with beds and basic furniture, so they only needed to purchase everyday supplies. She could have bought some items from the Space Mall, but she currently only had twenty points left, meaning she had to rely on silver for now. Earning money through her stall had to come first.

Before Que Hongjin and the others could fully process her instructions, Qiao Suluo had already darted out the door.

Walking at a brisk pace, Qiao Suluo turned a corner onto the main street and, in a moment of inattention, crashed right into someone.

"OOF! So hard!"

The person’s chest was as hard as solid bone, and the impact sent her tumbling straight to the ground.

"Oh? Isn’t this my dear wife? Didn’t you say you were going to earn silver to redeem me? You still haven’t shown up. Was my wife lying to me?"

Hearing the voice, Qiao Suluo looked up, only to find herself staring straight at Tushan Feishang.