Chapter 152 - 3.48

Many fields were indebted to Xu Jiaqi. If it wasn't for her, a lot of it wouldn't have thrived as much as it did right now.

"Yes, I think that Miss Xu has earned every single bit of success she got here. I really respect you. I wish you good luck in Xian Ruo, and may you always be blessed!" Another one chimed in.

"We will miss you, Miss Xu! You are always revolutionary with your ideas, I believe that you would be able to bring Xian Ruo to a high point. Perhaps, one day, we will reunite once more as business partners or even rivals!"

"You know, I thought.. you and the King has some secret affairs that nobody knows of. You guys would look great together, but alas... If it's your choice to go back to Xian Ruo, what can we do?" A former coworker of hers spoke.

Silence began to ensue.

Her statement brought a lot of eyes towards Xu Jiaqi's way. In the eyes of the others, although it was not as obvious thanks to He Yiyuan knowing how to conduct himself in front of a large audience, people still had their speculations. After all, this was the first time the Dragon of Xi had shown this much preferential treatment over another human being apart from his very small circle of people he trusted.

The fact that he was willing to bring this girl in without her having proper credentials was already a shocker to begin with, and the way he treated her after she settled in made many more rumors spurt out, discussing their relationship.

Xu Jiaqi was certainly someone special to the King, but what status exactly did she hold?

"..There's nothing like that. The King and me are good friends, but that's it. I believe that our personalities and interests matched with each other, and that was why we were able to get along very well. But regarding love, or all that stuff.. You should leave that kind of thoughts behind. It will never happen, you see?" Xu Jiaqi helplessly smiled.

She wasn't expecting someone to be this frank about the matter, so she was a bit taken aback.

"But.. I think that you suit him well. He suits you too. Someone as brilliant as our Miss Xu, how can a normal person satisfy her? The same goes for the King, of course. You two would be a very powerful couple! There were actually a lot of people who have been waiting for a spark of love formed between our two important figures~"

"Who are you people to discuss my love matters? Am I someone who you can freely talk about in such a manner?" He Yiyuan ended up stepping in, a stern look present on his face. His glare contained a lot of intimidation, and it instantly ceased the small talk and pushed the people away from Xu Jiaqi's surroundings.

He Yiyuan warded all of the bugs off before looking towards Xu Jiaqi and sighing, wanting to scold her. But how could he do it? As such, he settled for a tamer response.

"..Sorry. This wasn't my plan at all. I truly just wanted to send you off with a formal party. Going off without one would just seem like you might've committed something wrong to be expelled out of the Kingdom.." He Yiyuan wasn't able to look into Xu Jiaqi's eyes, wondering how she might've reacted to the situation.

If this caused her to bear dislike towards him, it would hurt even more.

"...Please don't fret over it. it's not your fault. It's entirely theirs for bringing it up in the first place. Besides, there's nothing that forces me to listen to those kinds of comments... Thank you for fending them off, though. I was.. a bit surprised, so I wasn't able to react properly or make a good comeback towards their words." Xu Jiaqi shrugged, sighing as she pursed her lips.

The party's mood certainly dampened after the confrontation, and it had an awkward feel to it. Xu Jiaqi distanced from the others, feeling that staying quiet and out of the spotlight would be her best bet at detaching herself from the rumors.

Everything would end as long as she left this place safe and sound.

Thinking about returning to Xian Ruo, a smile almost bloomed on her face unconsciously. Although she did have attachments to this place, where she had lived in for the majority of her time after being transmigrated, Xian Ruo was different. It was different because of a certain person who governed over it.

The one her soul had implications with, Xie Yongrui.

Exactly how would he react towards her return? It was rather exciting to think about it.

"He Yiyuan, have you told my lord that I will be returning? Or perhaps, was there someone from Xian Ruo that you told about this?"

"No, I thought that you would want to arrange it yourself. Was I wrong? You like the element of surprise, and thsi would be a perfect chance to surprise Xie Yongrui and shock him to the core."

"Perfect. You are completely right, I wish to shock him so hard that his jaw falls on the floor." Xu Jiaqi chuckled lightly.

As time passed, the party was concluded with a rather heavy tone since He Yiyuan showed traces of anger. It was a shame, since this would be their last public appearance together. In the future, more chances may appear, but it wouldn't be the same as the current timeline they were in.

"...Please take care even after I leave. You were quite the handful. You almost made me hold a grudge because of how hard it is to work with you sometimes. Listen to Zheng Jianyu a lot, he is a smart and sensible person. You are a bit rash, so your combination with him is truly spectacular. What else can I say.. Ah, right."

Xu Jiaqi broke into a wide smile, one that truly made He Yiyuan stagger and gape his mouth open.

"I loved my time here. It's going to be an irreplaceable memory of mine. Thank you for bringing this prosperous Kingdom up.." Xu Jiaqi said, tapping He Yiyuan on his shoulder and leaving him flustered.