Quentin Hua narrowed his eyes at him, his smile carrying a hint of danger. "I'm not as generous as Ethan Gu, letting you join the matchmaking contest here and still flirt with the maids."
Hearing this, Maxwell Jing's face changed. How could Ethan Gu possibly agree to let him join the matchmaking contest? He had snuck out on his own. But this was something Quentin Hua must never find out, or who knows how this troublemaker would get back at him!
For now, he pushed aside thoughts of what Ethan Gu would do if he found out. Maxwell Jing chuckled, "Anyway, there's no way I'll be chosen as anyone's son-in-law."
Watching Maxwell Jing's sly grin, Quentin Hua felt a sense of foreboding. Sure enough, Maxwell Jing laughed and said, "When the time comes, they'll only look for the Lotus Sect Master!" Since he'd snuck out, he dared not use his own name, so he borrowed Quentin Hua's title for now.
Upon hearing this, Quentin Hua's expression grew even more dangerous. Roxy Shangguan shook her head and spoke up, "Uncle Jing, that's not right. How could you bully my people?"
At this moment, everyone was waiting for the results of the contest. The surroundings were quiet, and those close enough to hear Roxy Shangguan couldn't help but find her words amusing.
Maxwell Jing stiffened slightly; he still seemed a bit wary of Roxy Shangguan. He forced a smile and explained, "Roxy, I didn't mean to set him up. You know, if Ethan Gu finds out I came to join the matchmaking contest, he'll definitely poison me! But Quentin Hua is different—after all, the Lotus Sect is so powerful, even Master Xu wouldn't dare force him to marry his daughter!"
He wouldn't dare cross Roxy Shangguan! He still remembered how terrifying she was when Quentin Hua was injured. Just looking at Damien Gray and Ethan Gu, it was clear that Roxy Shangguan was fiercely protective—he wouldn't dare bully Quentin Hua in front of her!
Quentin Hua raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So someone sneaked in!" Actually, it wasn't hard to guess that Maxwell Jing had come behind Ethan Gu's back. With Ethan Gu's personality, he'd never allow Maxwell Jing to join the matchmaking.
Maxwell Jing frowned at him, snorted coldly, and said, "What do you want? Just say it!"
Quentin Hua played with Roxy Shangguan's small hand, his smile devilishly charming. "Don't worry, no one will compete with you for Miss Xu. I only want the Celestial Aroma!" In truth, he wasn't that interested in the Celestial Aroma, but since Roxy liked it, he naturally had to get it for her.
After Maxwell Jing's earlier interference, both Ren Xiaoyao and Ning Tianyi had handed in blank sheets. Relying on them was out of the question now!
Without a second thought, Maxwell Jing declared, "No way!" He had come here for the Celestial Aroma—how could he let Quentin Hua have it? He glanced at him and snorted, "Even if Ethan Gu finds out, he wouldn't really poison me!"
Seeing Maxwell Jing's determined look, Quentin Hua frowned, "What do you want the Celestial Aroma for?"
Roxy Shangguan interjected with a laugh, "Of course it's for Uncle Gu!"
Maxwell Jing rolled his eyes, "Why does it have to be for him? Can't I want it for myself?"
Roxy Shangguan shook her head, smiling, "Uncle Jing, you should be honest! If it were really for Uncle Gu, you wouldn't be in so much trouble!"
Noticing Roxy Shangguan's gaze behind him, Maxwell Jing's hair stood on end. He slowly turned around and saw Ethan Gu standing behind him, face cold as ice.
Maxwell Jing forced a stiff smile and waved in greeting, then turned to run—only to suddenly freeze, his body pitching forward. Ethan Gu reached out, hooked an arm around him, and pulled him into his embrace, turning to leave.
Maxwell Jing was furious. "Ethan Gu, you scoundrel, always using such underhanded tricks!" Seeing that Ethan Gu ignored him, Maxwell Jing wailed, "I don't want to go!"
Ethan Gu stopped in his tracks, glanced at him, and asked coldly, "Do you have a grudge against Miss Xu?"
Uh... Maxwell Jing froze for a moment before realizing. If he got involved with Miss Xu, Ethan Gu would probably want to poison her directly—he'd used that method to get rid of someone before. But he truly didn't know Miss Xu, so naturally, there was no grudge!
Roxy Shangguan sat on Quentin Hua's lap, cupping her small face as she looked at the two men. She laughed, "Uncle Gu, why do you only have eyes for Uncle Jing? You don't even greet me—how heartbreaking!"
Ethan Gu seemed to notice her just then, a flash of surprise in his eyes, then he looked at Quentin Hua and frowned.
Quentin Hua rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Am I really that unpopular?"
Ethan Gu neutralized the effects of the medicine on Maxwell Jing before asking, "You want the Celestial Aroma too?"
Quentin Hua curled his lips, "Roxy's just curious. If she agrees, I can let you have it!" He knew Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu both held a place in Roxy's heart. Roxy's interest in the Celestial Aroma was mostly out of curiosity, and since Maxwell Jing risked his life to join the contest, Ethan Gu must truly need it. Roxy wouldn't compete with him for it.
Ethan Gu frowned. He genuinely needed the Celestial Aroma; it was the missing ingredient for his current pills. Its medicinal value went far beyond what was commonly known. Still, there would be no shortage of competitors. Though he and Maxwell Jing were somewhat feared, they'd already severed ties with the Ghost Guild. Now that they'd run into Quentin Hua, it wouldn't hurt to ask for his help and use his reputation as a deterrent. However, he was unwilling to let Maxwell Jing resort to seduction!
Earlier, Master Xu had said the Celestial Aroma was a wedding gift for Miss Xu. In other words, to obtain it, one would have to marry Miss Xu!
Seeing Ethan Gu waver, Maxwell Jing quickly called for two chairs. The attendant he summoned glanced at the area below the round table, where Master Xu was seated and had already noticed the situation. He nodded slightly, so the attendant went to fetch two chairs.
Maxwell Jing slouched in his chair, waving his folding fan as he glanced at Ethan Gu, laughing, "Clearly you care about Nameless, yet you refuse to admit it. Such a hypocrite!"