PCJ – Chapter 716 Knot in the Heart

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xiaoting began to hesitate. “It’s been so many years… what have you become now?”

She wasn’t sure if what she was doing held any meaning at all. That guy was running far too fast, so fast that she could no longer catch up to his pace. The harder she tried to chase, the more she realized the distance between them only grew wider.

“Being well-matched in social standing” might seem like an outdated and laughable concept, yet many people unconsciously found themselves shackled by it. And this shackle wasn’t imposed by others—it was something they locked upon themselves. Almost no key could open it.

Unknowingly, Xu Xiaoting had fastened such a shackle around her own neck. She struggled desperately to break free of it, but the more she struggled, the tighter it bound her.

She paced around her room in deep conflict. When night came, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

By dawn, Xu Xiaoting rubbed her eyes, still torn. Should I go, or not?

The entire day, she was absent-minded, unable to focus on her research. Her unusual state shocked her colleagues in the same research group.

“What’s wrong with Xu Xiaoting today? Did something happen at home?”

“No idea. I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“Let’s go ask.”

Only after feeling the genuine concern of her teammates did Xu Xiaoting realize she had failed to keep her emotions under control. At that moment, she finally made a decision: “I’d better go back for a bit. Otherwise, I won’t be able to settle my heart.”

She returned a little later than expected, just as Zhang Jiaohua, accompanied by Xu Yanzhang, was entering the auction house. Tang Jingxian was welcoming guests at the door. Seeing her daughter arrive, Tang Jingxian broke into a smile.

“Xiaoting, you finally came. Your old classmate has already gone in. You really are a stubborn child. Let me tell you—if you like a boy, you have to be brave enough to hold on and not let go. Otherwise, you’ll just give the chance to someone else.”

Xu Xiaoting glanced around but looked a little disappointed.

“He’s already here. Your father accompanied him inside. Come, I’ll take you to him,” Tang Jingxian said with a smile.

Xu Xiaoting still looked embarrassed.

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? After all, you two are classmates. Meeting up is no big deal. If you’d just set aside your pride back then and gone to the same school as him, now maybe—”

“Mom, stop talking nonsense,” Xu Xiaoting quickly cut her off.

Tang Jingxian knew too well the principle of going too far spoils things, so she wisely stopped there.

Xu Xiaoting went to the private room where Zhang Jiaohua and the others were, knocked on the door, and when Zhang opened it, he immediately recognized her.

“Old classmate—it’s you!” he said with a smile.

“I thought you’d forgotten all about me,” Xu Xiaoting teased.

“Xu Xiaoting, after all these years, you’ve learned to say such pleasantries too?” Zhang Jiaohua grinned.

“Why shouldn’t I?” she retorted playfully.

“Of course you can. But it feels like a fairy suddenly haggling in the marketplace—it’s hard to get used to.”

“What fairy? Zhang Jiaohua, are you mocking me?” Xu Xiaoting pretended to be upset.

“I’m being serious,” Zhang said sincerely, still smiling.

Just then, the auction began. Senior auctioneer Luo Aiqi walked up to the stage. After a brief opening speech, he presented the first lot of the day.

“Today’s first item—a piece of Jade Immortal Brew to warm us up.”

Jade Immortal Brew and Ruby Immortal Brew were still strictly controlled by scarcity marketing. Annual sales were limited. Over time, as their aging potential was discovered—the longer they were stored, the richer and more mellow the taste—the company began to focus on vintage stock. Newly produced tea was rarely sold anymore, with the minimum release cycle being five years. Soon, they would gradually introduce ten-year, fifteen-year, twenty-year, and even longer-aged vintages, with lab tests continuously tracking quality.

So while the first lot might seem ordinary, it was in fact difficult to buy such tea on the open market. Though still not comparable to Jade Spirit Tea, it was far from a simple item.

Right from the start, this “warm-up” triggered fierce bidding, quickly fetching a shocking price. Over the years, Jade Immortal Brew prices had steadily risen, setting records almost every auction. Since it naturally gained value year after year, those who managed to store some were extremely reluctant to part with it. Currently, the oldest stock wasn’t even held by the company itself, as in the early days they had sold everything off in bulk.

“Zhang Jiaohua, if your family had kept some of this tea back then, you’d be making a fortune now,” Xu Xiaoting remarked.

“If we’d stored it away, it wouldn’t have been worth as much. The brand matters too,” Zhang replied with a smile.

“You didn’t come all this way just for the tea, did you?” she asked.

“Of course not. With Uncle Xu managing things, I don’t need to worry about that.”

“These years, it’s thanks to your tea that our auction house has secured its place in Beijing,” Xu Xiaoting said sincerely.

“Don’t think of it like that. I needed an auction house anyway, and who better to trust than Uncle Xu and Aunt Tang? And don’t underestimate Uncle Xu’s ability. Even without Jade Spirit Tea, Xu’s Auction House would still stand firm in Beijing.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoting finally felt relieved.

“So then, what did bring you here this time?” she asked curiously.

“We came to secure one particular item—a sword,” Zhang said, flipping through the auction catalog to point out the ancient sword.

“You? Interested in collecting?” Xu Xiaoting was surprised. A promising scientist dabbling in antiquities seemed odd.

“Not exactly collecting. We’re more interested in the material of the sword,” Zhang explained without hiding anything.

“I see,” Xu Xiaoting nodded.