After Divorce, Hidden Marriage Husband Became Addicted to Me
Chapter 218 - 167: A Thousand Autumns

Chapter 218: Chapter 167: A Thousand Autumns

Upon arrival, Tang Xi found herself at an antique street.

Cobblestone paved with blue bricks.

Each shop sold items not commonly seen in regular markets.

Guan Yue looked at Tang Xi, "Miss Tang, this way please, Mr. Fu is inside."

Following Guan Yue, Tang Xi entered a shop called "Qianqiu" that sold hand-carved woodwork. The air carried a faint scent of wood, creating an elegant atmosphere. A man dressed in a Sun Yat-sen suit was at the counter; Guan Yue handed over an invitation. Rather than paper, Tang Xi realized Guan Yue passed a delicately carved wooden token.

Upon seeing the token, the man escorted Tang Xi and Guan Yue towards the interior.

Exiting the room, Tang Xi was greeted by a thoroughfare reminiscent of an ancient poem’s secluded paths.

Bamboo trees surrounded them, and passing through the grove, Tang Xi saw a two-story western-style building in front of her.

It emanated an ancient charm.

The man in the Sun Yat-sen suit led Tang Xi and Guan Yue inside, where there was a floor underground. It was only after descending the stairs that Tang Xi realized where she was—an underground auction house.

Tang Xi took in her surroundings; it was a completely different world from the outside.

And this woodcarving shop called "Qianqiu" was actually an entrance.

Right when they walked in, the man in the Sun Yat-sen suit stopped them, handing Guan Yue two masks, which she passed one to Tang Xi.

Her eyes signaled for Tang Xi to put it on.

The masks were carved from wood, carrying a faint scent of wood.

Tang Xi put it on her face.

The man in the Sun Yat-sen suit cautioned them with a few words, mainly that photography was not allowed, and the interior conditions were not to be recorded.

People kept arriving one after another; nearly all were prominent figures from the business and political worlds. Yet here, there was no exchange of pleasantries or business-related interactions; masked, they all came for the auction.

Guan Yue whispered to Tang Xi, "Miss Tang, stay close to me."

Tang Xi followed Guan Yue and entered, immediately seeing a huge auction platform, with seats arranged in a radial pattern around the platform. It was visible to the naked eye that the auction hall could accommodate thousands of people, and Tang Xi followed Guan Yue upstairs.

The second floor, private rooms.

Tang Xi noticed a wooden sign hanging on the door, with ’Qian Zui’ carved out in hollow letters.

Guan Yue opened the door and went in.

Tang Xi entered the room which was about ten square meters, not big, styled like a simple and serene tea room. Indeed, there was a small table with teacups and lit incense, the smoke lazily dispersing with a subtle and elegant fragrance.

Three cushions, with Fu Tingzhou and Xu Rongchen sitting opposite each other.

The two were drinking tea, engaged in light conversation.

Guan Yue nodded at Tang Xi and then stood aside.

Tang Xi took a seat on a cushion next to Fu Tingzhou, who handed her a cup of tea, "This is a specialty here, unavailable outside. Try it."

Tang Xi took it and sipped a little.

Unlike the usual tea one could find outside, it had a hint of woodiness; she lowered her head to take a gentle sniff, unable to recall any tea leaf with this aroma, "This must be from the tea leaves dried on some special wood, retaining its scent."

Xu Rongchen looked at Tang Xi appreciatively, "Not bad, very clever."

Tang Xi slightly curved her lips into a faint smile, choosing not to respond. She lowered her gaze and absent-mindedly observed the pattern carved into her cup, listening in on the conversation between Fu Tingzhou and Xu Rongchen—not out of desire, but because they were chatting nearby, and she naturally overheard. They were discussing that tonight’s auction had many lots, several of which were very much worth looking forward to, estimating how much they might fetch within their budget.

Tang Xi had little interest in these matters, yet she found this place somewhat intriguing on her first visit.

Perhaps she wished to be invisible, but she was an inevitable presence. Fu Tingzhou looked at her, "There are fifteen minutes before the auction starts. This is tonight’s auction list; see if there’s anything you like."

Tang Xi glanced at it, noticing the starting bid listed on it. She just skimmed through disinterestedly, yet still raised her hand and pointed at an emerald necklace, "That one."

She continued to play the role of someone who was greedy for money.

Fu Tingzhou simply looked at it and nodded.

Of course, Tang Xi couldn’t see him nodding because she was constantly looking down, fiddling with a tea cup in her hand.

Waiting was a dull affair, and she didn’t have any friends to chat with.

Suddenly, a mobile phone was presented in front of her.

A man’s voice, faint and hoarse, suggested, "If you’re bored, you can download a game to pass the time."

Tang Xi looked at the mobile phone. The first thing she noticed when she turned it on was its dark background image – it was Fu Tingzhou’s phone and clearly one he frequently used. Like the man himself, all the apps were meticulously categorized, as if he had obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Tang Xi glanced sideways at him.

Fu Tingzhou was chatting with Xu Rongchen.

She hadn’t expected...

That he would actually hand his phone to her.

This was the first time Tang Xi had ever touched his phone.

The woman pursed her lips, noticing there were two small games preinstalled on his phone. She casually opened one and started playing to kill time when suddenly, a WeChat message popped up from Fu Tingzhou.

Ji Qingtan: "Tingzhou, I heard you’re at Qianqiu tonight. Could you do me a favor?"

Tang Xi looked at the sender of the WeChat message. Ji Qingtan’s profile picture was very clear – it was from her younger days, and included three people.

They were Fu Tingzhou, Ji Qingtan, and another young man.

Tang Xi raised her eyebrows slightly.

Given this situation, she understood very well what Ji Qingtan, who was nominally her older sister-in-law, was thinking.

She ignored Ji Qingtan’s message and continued playing the game.

After five minutes, Ji Qingtan seemingly couldn’t hold back and sent another message, "Sorry Tingzhou, I know you must be busy, sorry to disturb you. But there is a painting by Mr. Bai at tonight’s Qianqiu auction that I’ve been awaiting for a long time. However, I don’t have an invitation and can’t go. I heard you’ll be there – could you bid for it on my behalf? I’ll pay you the original price."

Tang Xi’s fingers briefly paused.

She had intended to ignore it once again.

But Ji Qingtan didn’t give up, "Tingzhou, please do it for the feelings we had when we were young... we’ve known each other for more than a decade. I know it was all my fault back then, and I also know you won’t like me anymore no matter how I explain, but.... but Tingzhou, my feelings for you have never changed."

Tang Xi felt that playing the game wasn’t fun anymore.

She handed the phone back to Fu Tingzhou.

Fu Tingzhou took it and, without looking, casually grabbed her fingers. Her hands were white, slender and long, but very soft, as if boneless. Fu Tingzhou held it tightly, thinking she didn’t want to play anymore, "There will be many interesting items later, you won’t be bored."

Tang Xi reminded him, "Ji Qingtan sent you a message."

Fu Tingzhou frowned slightly, glanced at the phone, but didn’t let go of Tang Xi’s hand.

He looked at the message and dialed Ji Qingtan’s number.

"How did you know I was at Qianqiu?"

Ji Qingtan, "Ah... Tingzhou, I... Qianqiu only opens once a month, I guessed..."

"Ji Qingtan, I’ve said before, I don’t like people prying into my privacy. Don’t think just because you own a bit of the Fu corporation shares, I can’t do anything about you. There are plenty of ways to have you removed from the Fu family. You’re my sister-in-law, and I don’t want to go to such extremes."