Though unsure of the way, it was simply this large.
With so many people attending the auction, attendants were stationed everywhere to guide those who might lose their way.
Even if Shen Xiaoyan and her companions got lost, an attendant would lead them back.
Shen Xiaoyan walked slowly, taking in the surrounding scenery.
But after rounding a rockery, Shen Xiaoyan felt she understood a phrase better.
That was, whatever you think of, it appears.
Wasn't the person walking towards them precisely their objective for this trip?
This narrow path was the only way from here to the opposite side, and naturally, they were brought to a standstill with the people opposite.
Long Xuan, standing opposite, was indeed as Zhen Lingrong and Shen Xiaoyan had predicted. The moment she saw Shen Xiaoyan, her previously radiant smile froze instantly.
Long Xuan looked at Shen Xiaoyan's attire, blinked, and looked again.
After confirming she wasn't mistaken, Long Xuan felt like crying without tears.
Why did she have to meet Shen Xiaoyan again?
Every time she encountered Shen Xiaoyan, she became utterly embarrassed. This was the conclusion Long Xuan had drawn from their numerous confrontations.
Therefore, although her heart was filled with complex emotions of jealousy and unwillingness, what she felt more was helplessness.
If she could, she truly didn't want to meet Shen Xiaoyan.
Especially now that they were both wearing red dresses.
The one she wore was made from Fengyu Xianlu and was so beautiful that even the sect leader praised it, saying it looked ethereal.
But now, compared to Shen Xiaoyan opposite her, she felt like a country bumpkin fallen into the dust.
Setting aside the value of the clothes, Shen Xiaoyan's face and demeanor alone were beyond her comparison.
Having been lectured many times, Long Xuan had become a little smarter.
Therefore, although she felt jealous now, she dared not show it.
Though there were few people around them, this place was open and easily observable. Any inappropriate behavior would only invite more ridicule.
Seeing Long Xuan so well-behaved today, not causing trouble or being sarcastic, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but look surprised.
Not only Shen Xiaoyan, but even Shen Xiaoming showed a trace of curiosity.
In his memory, this woman who looked like a little princess was actually a madwoman!
Long Xuan naturally felt their gazes and understood their meaning, feeling a burning sensation on her face.
But when she stole a glance at Zheng Wei and saw him looking only gently at Shen Xiaoyan, not even sparing her a glance or an expression, her heart ached.
Did this man look down on her so much?
No matter what she looked like, this man's gaze was never on her, which made her feel defeated.
Shen Xiaoyan, being someone who had experienced a lot, immediately understood Long Xuan's thoughts from her gaze.
However, she didn't feel much.
Zheng Wei was so outstanding. When they were at Baiyun Villa, people had shamelessly pestered him, and later there were endless admirers. She was already used to such situations.
But she had absolute confidence in Zheng Wei.
Let alone someone like Long Xuan, even if there were a thousand people better than Long Xuan, Zheng Wei wouldn't give them a second glance.
She had this much confidence.
Therefore, Shen Xiaoyan merely glanced indifferently at Long Xuan's hurt and disappointed gaze, without any emotion.
However, there was one thing she didn't understand.
She had read quite a few novels in her previous life.
The heroines in those novels always had exceptional popularity with the opposite sex.
Whether they went to buy vegetables or chop wood on the mountain, they always encountered handsome men, and these handsome men all liked them.
But why was her situation completely different?
She had encountered quite a few handsome men, but none of them liked her!
Could it be that even though she had transmigrated, she didn't have the fate of a protagonist?
This thought, however, only flickered for a moment before disappearing.
She didn't care if others liked her; as long as Zheng Wei liked her, that was enough.
Perhaps not seeing the expected reaction, Zhen Lingrong also lost some interest. She looked at Long Xuan for a moment longer, then pulled Shen Xiaoyan and continued walking forward.
As they left, Xi He and the other three behind them naturally followed.
As Xi Jin passed by Long Xuan, her gaze involuntarily fell on the red dress Long Xuan was wearing.
Although her dress looked very ordinary when standing next to Shen Xiaoyan, now that they were separated and without that stark contrast, the dress made from Fengyu Xianlu was still exceptionally beautiful.
After all, anything that could fetch such a price must have its own brilliance.
She couldn't wear the clothes Shen Xiaoyan wore, but even Fengyu Xianlu was not something she possessed, which made Xi Jin feel extremely disappointed.
Xi Jin was lost in her own thoughts, completely unaware that her facial expression betrayed her inner thoughts.
But to Long Xuan, this brought disdain.
Although she hadn't met Xi He before, she had heard of her.
She used to be envious, thinking why a servant's daughter like Xi Jin was more famous than her.
But looking now, she only wanted to laugh heartily.
As the old saying goes, even if a sparrow flies onto a branch, it cannot become a phoenix.
Xi Jin, a servant's daughter, even if favored by Palace Master Zhen before, was still just a substitute.
Now that the original person had returned, hadn't she returned to her original position?
Although she hadn't experienced it, just thinking about it, the drop must have been immense.
However, she felt pleased. She shouldn't have enjoyed those things in the first place. It was better for her to return to her original place; only then would her heart feel balanced.
But Long Xuan didn't know that Xi He, whom she had always been jealous of, had always lived a life without change.
She used to live in a self-woven dream, and now that dream had been shattered.
Although both of them had fleeting thoughts, it only happened in the instant they passed each other.
As Long Xuan passed Xi Jin, she forcefully bumped Xi Jin's shoulder, and with a ... soft snort, she quickly walked away.
Xi Jin was angry in her heart but could only grit her teeth.
She knew that if she dared to react, she might lose her head today.
Xi He was powerless to protect her, and Zhen Lingrong, who could protect her, was now having her mind befuddled by that little slut Shen Xiaoyan.
Yes, that's what Xi Jin thought.
The reason Zhen Lingrong was so good to Shen Xiaoyan was entirely due to some underhanded tricks Shen Xiaoyan had used. Otherwise, why would Zhen Lingrong be like this?
And Zhen Lingrong, whom Xi Jin believed had her mind befuddled by Shen Xiaoyan, was now complaining while holding Shen Xiaoyan's hand.
"Why is she so calm? This reaction isn't right. Shouldn't she be envious, jealous, and hateful, then come up and mock you, curse you, and then you endure the humiliation, and I, your mother, make a powerful move and beat her until she's utterly defeated?"
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan felt helpless.
She really wanted to ask where Zhen Lingrong had seen these popular romance novels recently.
Why would she have such an idea?
Not only was she surprised, but even Lin Xin and Mi Le Fo, upon hearing Zhen Lingrong, felt their scalps tingle.
They were even more puzzled why, after Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming were found, the Palace Master had become more childlike.
However, they didn't know that Zhen Lingrong was deliberately acting this way to interact better with Shen Xiaoyan, understand Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming more, and cultivate feelings with them.
Little did they know that the two were not buying it and were instead constantly wondering why she was like this.
Thus, life and events are like this; what you think is not necessarily what others think.
What you do may not achieve the desired effect.
Although Shen Xiaoyan felt a little helpless, she still spoke words of comfort to Zhen Lingrong.
She said that one learns from mistakes and that perhaps after suffering a few losses, Long Xuan's mind would suddenly open up, and she would then know what should and shouldn't be said.
Zhen Lingrong thought about it and felt that this explanation was plausible, so she put the matter aside and stopped thinking about it.
However, they didn't expect that there was a word to describe things in the world, and that was coincidence.
Originally, they were walking in opposite directions to Long Xuan and shouldn't have met.
But unexpectedly, after walking a short distance further, they discovered a pavilion, and in that pavilion was the Long Xuan they had just encountered.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan had to say to herself... a deep karmic entanglement.
If they could meet like this, what else could it be but a karmic entanglement?
Long Xuan clearly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. They were clearly going in opposite directions, yet they met in the end. What kind of luck was this?
Of course, for Long Xuan, this was not luck at all.
With just a glance, Shen Xiaoyan could guess how Long Xuan was cursing in her heart right now.
This was understandable. After all, she had just been humiliated, and now she met them again. One could easily imagine that nothing good would come of it.
Zhen Lingrong and the other two did not look at Long Xuan, because sitting not far from Long Xuan was Yan Rulie.
Yan Rulie did not look well. His eyes were sunken, and his eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating he had not rested well.
But it was understandable. After all, he had suffered a great loss yesterday. Anyone who could be cheerful today would be remarkable.
Yan Rulie had seen them from afar as soon as Zhen Lingrong's party approached. His eyes were now fixed on Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan was speechless about this.
Clearly, Lin Xin was the one who stepped forward yesterday, and Lin Xin was standing beside her now. Why was Yan Rulie staring at her intently?
However, Shen Xiaoyan didn't know that what Yan Rulie was thinking was that he and Chang Qiu Hall had been getting along peacefully for so many years and had never offended Lin Xin. Why did Lin Xin torment him yesterday?
After much thought, Yan Rulie still felt that the problem lay with Shen Xiaoyan.
How could there be such a coincidence in this world? Shen Xiaoyan had just returned to Chang Qiu Hall, and then the elders of Chang Qiu Hall began to deal with him.
Who would believe there was no trickery involved?
Since Shen Xiaoyan was identified by Yan Rulie as the one who had set him up, she naturally became Yan Rulie's mortal enemy in his heart.
As the saying goes, enemies meet, and their eyes blaze with hatred. Seeing Shen Xiaoyan now, he wished he could rush forward and skin her alive.
Unfortunately, Zhen Lingrong and the others were watching from the side, so he could only express his hatred through his gaze.
Shen Xiaoyan, after thinking for a long time without understanding, simply pushed it aside and turned to look at Zhen Lingrong.
"Should we leave or what?"
She wanted to leave. She had no desire to stay here and look at Yan Rulie's displeased face.
Knowing that the other party had no good feelings towards her, yet choosing to stay and watch their expression was simply a sign of a troubled mind.
Zhen Lingrong also disliked the way Yan Rulie looked at Shen Xiaoyan. Hearing Shen Xiaoyan's question, she was about to take Shen Xiaoyan and the others away.
But unexpectedly, before they could move, Yan Rulie spoke.
He finally withdrew his sinister gaze from Shen Xiaoyan and looked at Zhen Lingrong.
"Why is the Palace Master leaving so soon? Why not come in and sit? I have admired the Palace Master for a long time and have never had the chance to meet you. Now that I finally do, I must have a few words with Palace Master Zhen to fulfill my wish."