Angel Investor

Cui Shifan was sending Gu Chengyin a clear message:

The Cui clan believes in you.

The Cui clan supports you.

For an aristocratic clan to endure for a thousand years without falling, its own accumulated foundation alone is not enough.

That foundation was its roots, its confidence, and the old capital it could live off for generations even without doing anything.

But old capital alone was insufficient. If one simply lived off it, it would eventually be exhausted; refusing to advance was the same as retreating.

So the better approach was to find the true dragon chosen by fate and support him with everything they had.

Not the kind of support that merely added flowers to brocade, but the kind that recognized, while he was still a hidden dragon, that one day he would soar into the heavens.

Then, when he needed help most, they would lend him a hand, provide him with resources, and offer him their blessings.

Choosing sides was an art.

Choose too early, and there was always the fear of choosing wrong—of mistaking a true dragon for a loach that could never be helped, no matter how much support it received.

Choose too late, and there was the fear of having no place left. By then, the true dragon’s side might already be surrounded by people, leaving no way to squeeze in—not even enough room to drink the leftovers.

Yet Cui Shifan had never chosen the wrong side.

That was why, while Gu Chengyin was still a hidden dragon, he had sent Cui Zilu to stay by his side.

Before Gu Chengyin could say another word, Cui Shifan had already taken the initiative and come forward with Xiao Ruxu.

His voice was loud—loud enough for the entire Cui residence to hear, loud enough to seem deliberately intended to tell everyone:

Gu Chengyin has arrived, and I’m delighted. You should all be delighted too.

“Oh, isn’t this Junior Preceptor Gu?”

“I had no idea you were coming. My apologies for failing to welcome you in person!”

Gu Chengyin turned to look. His gaze first paused for an instant on Xiao Ruxu’s face.

Then it moved away and settled on Cui Shifan.

His smile grew even broader. He hurried forward and clasped Cui Shifan’s hand.

“You flatter me, Elder Cui. I came without invitation and interrupted you, so I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

Cui Shifan patted Gu Chengyin’s hand, his smile never fading.

“Now, how could you call it an interruption?”

“The Cui residence will always be Junior Preceptor Gu’s warmest home in the Divine Capital.”

Then Cui Shifan’s tone shifted. His warmth became regret, and his regret turned into helplessness.

“Unfortunately, it just so happens that my wife and I have somewhere to go, so…”

As he spoke, Cui Shifan released Gu Chengyin’s hand and turned around.

He pulled Cui Zilu, who was standing nearby with her head lowered and her face flushed, in front of Gu Chengyin.

Only then did he continue.

“Zilu is still young, but she and Junior Preceptor Gu are old acquaintances.”

“So this time, I’ll have Zilu entertain you properly in my place and fulfill our duty as hosts.”

Cui Shifan then turned to Xiao Ruxu and said concisely:

“My dear, let’s go.”

With that, Cui Shifan pushed Cui Zilu into Gu Chengyin’s arms.

Then he led Xiao Ruxu toward the entrance without looking back.

He walked so quickly that Gu Chengyin did not even have time to say anything before the two of them were gone.

Cui Zilu, who had been pushed into Gu Chengyin’s arms, was completely stunned.

She was still trying to understand what had happened, her mind utterly blank.

All she could feel was Gu Chengyin’s hand catching her as she was pushed forward.

That kept her from losing her balance and falling.

Then Cui Zilu realized that she was leaning against Gu Chengyin’s chest.

They were pressed close together, in an embrace so intimate it could hardly have been more suggestive.

It was just like… just like a couple deeply in love!

Cui Zilu’s heart raced as if it were about to leap out of her chest. There was only one thought left in her mind:

I’m in Brother Chengyin’s arms. I’m in Brother Chengyin’s arms. I’m in Brother Chengyin’s arms…

But this wasn’t what they had agreed on!

Cui Shifan had clearly said that her father would accompany her to meet Junior Preceptor Gu.

Xiao Ruxu had said that her mother would stay by her side to give her courage.

Only after hearing that had Cui Zilu prepared herself.

She had even reminded herself to smile when she saw Gu Chengyin, to be poised and graceful.

She mustn’t blush. She mustn’t become nervous. She mustn’t fumble or panic. She absolutely could not let him see through her secret feelings.

But what happened in the end?

In the end, Cui Shifan had simply shoved her into Gu Chengyin’s arms and walked away.

Xiao Ruxu had said nothing at all. She had merely followed Cui Shifan and left.

That left Cui Zilu alone in Gu Chengyin’s embrace, her face as red as a ripe apple.

Her heart pounded as if she had just run a thousand miles, while her mind was as blank as a freshly unrolled sheet of paper.

Had her own parents sold her off?

No, that wasn’t quite right.

Cui Zilu had already intended to give herself to Gu Chengyin. She had wanted nothing more than to spend more time with him.

She had been hoping he would stay at the Cui residence a little longer, look at her a few more times, and speak a few more words with her.

So her parents had merely delivered what she wanted right to her doorstep—just in a way she had never expected.

Cui Zilu ought to have been happy. She ought to have been delighted, secretly thanking her parents ten thousand times in her heart.

But she could not feel happy at all. She was far too nervous.

She was so nervous that even breathing felt difficult. She was so nervous that she had forgotten how to think. There was only one thought left in her mind:

Brother Chengyin’s embrace is so warm.

Gu Chengyin watched Cui Shifan and Xiao Ruxu disappear through the entrance.

Even though he had made ample preparations, this sudden turn of events still caught him off guard.

They were creating a private world for him and Cui Zilu.

Cui Shifan’s intention was so obvious that it required no explanation, no hint, and no unnecessary words.

His meaning was simple:

You two talk. We won’t disturb you.

Whatever you want to say, say it now.

Whatever you want to do, do it now.

Don’t worry about us watching from the side. Don’t hold back just because we’re here.

We’re leaving. The Cui residence belongs to you, and so does the time.

Cui Zilu belongs to you.

So Cui Shifan’s purpose really was to marry Cui Zilu to him.

Was that all?

Was there no other calculation? No other scheme?

Did he require nothing in return? No promise from Gu Chengyin?

Did he simply think Gu Chengyin was an ideal son-in-law, simply want to marry his daughter to him, and simply wish to bring this match to fruition?

Was that reasonable?

It seemed reasonable enough.

But when the matter concerned someone like Cui Shifan—the head of the Cui clan and the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat—it no longer seemed reasonable.

Unless…

Cui Shifan wanted to be an angel investor.

Gu Chengyin lowered his head and looked at Cui Zilu in his arms.

Sunlight fell across her face, bringing her features into striking clarity.

Her eyebrows were fine and gently curved, her eyes large and bright, her nose small and slightly upturned, and her lips soft and pink. Her pretty face was flushed and warm.

She was adorable and captivating.

Back in his previous life, she would have had people calling the national power grid—probably even connecting her directly to a 380-volt line.

Of course, this was a cultivation world. Three hundred and eighty volts would barely count as a tickle.

At the very least, she would need an ultra-high-voltage connection.

And that was precisely the crux of the matter.

Even though Cui Zilu’s bearing and figure were no longer quite the same as before, and she had begun to show the gentle curves and slender shape of a young woman, she was still unmistakably youthful.

At most, one could say that the childishness had faded, leaving behind a genuine youthful beauty.

Her delicate face and youthful features were breathtakingly lovely, her clear eyes deep and limpid as an immaculate pool.

Her graceful figure carried the freshness of spring, while her youthful charm stirred a protective tenderness in anyone who saw her.