Chapter 117

The Xuan Yuan family castle was the setting, and Xuan Yuan Qingya was the clan’s eldest daughter.

This alone destined her to be the brightest star at the banquet. All eyes would inevitably be drawn to her.

Those with sharp eyes could note every subtle expression of Xuan Yuan Qingya—let alone the way she was currently looking at Lin Tian.

Lin Tian inwardly cursed several times, quickly straightening his posture and pretending to be an uninvolved passerby.

But the moment he sat up straight, it completely threw Lü Xin off balance.

After all, he was seated right next to him. By dodging Xuan Yuan Qingya’s gaze, Lin Tian inadvertently redirected everyone’s attention straight to Lü Xin, following the trajectory of her eyes.

Lü Xin was a taciturn and straightforward soldier by nature. Put him on a battlefield and he would fight and kill the enemy without hesitation. He was a true tiger general.

But put him in the spotlight like this, and he had no idea what to do!

Glancing nervously at the stares around him, he felt so restless that he could neither sit nor stand still.

At the entrance, Xuan Yuan Qingya read Lin Tian’s thoughts. The corners of her lips curved slightly, revealing a smile as pure and cold as a snow lotus.

She shifted her gaze away, then moved gracefully toward the main seat, her gown flowing like a true queen’s. Finally, she sat down beside her mother, Xuan Yuan Xing.

Mr. Lei Ming, with gray streaks in his hair, had naturally noticed Xuan Yuan Qingya’s fleeting glance. Chuckling warmly, he said—

“Xiao Ya, what’s this?” Are you interested in one of my soldiers? Haha! That lad’s name is Lü Xin, and he’s a fine soldier!”

Xuan Yuan Qingya’s cheeks flushed slightly. She hadn’t been looking at Lü Xin at all; she had clearly been looking at Lin Tian.

However, she also knew that he didn’t want to get involved in these messy social games or draw attention to himself. So, she didn’t bother explaining. Instead, she simply smiled and replied, “Elder Lei, please don’t tease me.”

Lei Ming chuckled and nodded in good humor.

By the time Xuan Yuan Qingya entered the banquet hall, nearly everyone had arrived. After a short while, the banquet officially began.

The number of guests and seats had been predetermined, so each table ended up with six people.

At Lin Tian’s table were two other men, two women, and Lin Tian and Lü Xin. The men were handsome and the women were stunning. After all, anyone who could attend a banquet of this caliber was far from ordinary.

…

Among them, a young girl caught Lin Tian’s attention. She was cradling a pet that looked like a little fox in her arms.

It wasn’t because she was particularly beautiful or had any obvious oddities. Rather, it was because Lin Tian could sense a faint aura of danger emanating from her.

Having experienced two or three life-or-death crises triggered by the so-called “villain’s halo” before, Lin Tian had developed an extremely sharp instinct for danger.

The moment the girl holding the little fox sat down, goosebumps rose all over Lin Tian’s body.

She doesn’t seem special at all, so why do I feel this way?

Lin Tian was utterly puzzled. Still, he wasn’t particularly worried.

He had always been careful to avoid messy situations. Although he had ended up entangled with several female leads against his will, he believed he was standing outside the eye of the storm.

So, even though he sensed danger from this girl, he felt it wasn’t directed at him.

As for who it was aimed at, he couldn’t guess. There were simply too many people at this banquet—members of the Xuan Yuan family and the Li, Meng, and Zhao clans, as well as countless guests who had come for the upcoming birthday celebration of Xuan Yuan Qingya’s great-grandfather.

Who knows who this girl is targeting?

Lin Tian stared at her face for a few moments, committing it to memory. If he ever saw her again, he’d make sure to keep his distance.

It wasn’t out of fear; he simply had zero interest in getting dragged into these kinds of messes.

At first, Lin Tian might have felt a little intimidated by these powerful aristocratic families. After all, he was alone, weak, and new to this world. Naturally, he had to tread carefully just to survive.

Now, however, after everything he had experienced, Lin Tian had gained a certain level of understanding and control over the situation.

He knew that if not for the villain’s halo and the unseen threats in this world, he could already compete with Jiang Yifeng.

After all, in the original storyline, Jiang Yifeng’s most important relationships were with Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, Xuan Yuan Qingya, and the other female leads.

Now, however, all of those women have taken a stand against him.

Given this, was it truly impossible for Lin Tian to kill the so-called “Child of Destiny,” who was born to oppose him?

Not necessarily.

However, doing so would undoubtedly come with countless dangers and unexpected twists.

Lin Tian was naturally cautious. The moment he transmigrated, his first instinct was to resign from his job.

His cautious nature was precisely why he had no desire to target Jiang Yifeng—not out of fear, but because he didn’t want to be dragged into a chaotic and perilous whirlpool.

Wouldn’t it be better to live steadily and quietly, biding one’s time, and use one’s foreknowledge to do something meaningful? Earn some money, marry a wife, and live a happy life in this world. What’s wrong with that?

He could earn money, marry a wife, and live a happy life in this world. What’s wrong with that?

Even though Lin Tian’s mindset had shifted somewhat, he still clung to his core beliefs: “Don’t become too entangled with the female leads and don’t provoke anyone who looks dangerous.”

In fact, the Lü Xin sitting beside him was a major opportunity for Jiang Yifeng. If Lin Tian wanted to take advantage of it, he could easily act before Jiang Yifeng and use his knowledge of the future to recruit Lü Xin.

But was that really necessary?

Lin Tian just wanted to stay behind the scenes and never step into the spotlight.

He didn’t want to show off or flaunt his face. Parading around in front of others wasn’t enjoyable to him at all!

Being in the open meant facing countless dangers lurking in the shadows, ready to strike. No matter how careful you were, there was always a chance of making a fatal mistake.

As he glanced at the girl holding the little fox across from him and at Lü Xin sitting beside him, Lin Tian remained calm. He didn’t make any moves that would draw attention to himself.

…

However, just because he didn’t want trouble didn’t mean it wouldn’t come looking for him.

As his mind churned with all sorts of messy thoughts, a low voice suddenly sounded beside him.

“Uh… brother, what’s your name?”

Lin Tian turned his head—it was Lü Xin.

At this moment, Lü Xin wore a slightly sheepish smile, scratching his head with an awkward look on his face.

This big guy was an honest man in the original story, so Lin Tian didn’t mind chatting with him a bit.

“My name’s Lin Tian… ‘Lin’ as in double wood, and ‘Tian’ as in the sky.”

“Brother Lin Tian, nice to meet you, nice to meet you… Uh, I wanted to ask—do you know that young lady from earlier?”

Lin Tian shot Lü Xin a surprised glance. This guy doesn’t actually think Xuan Yuan Qingya was looking at him, does he?

He chuckled and said, “Brother San Jin, don’t even think about it. That’s the eldest daughter of the Xuan Yuan family—the owner of this castle. She’s way out of your league.”

Hearing this, Lü Xin’s expression froze instantly.

So, that was the eldest daughter of the Xuan Yuan family?

He shook his head and smiled.

“Brother Lin, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not thinking about her like that. She was just sitting at the same table as our commander. I asked about everyone else, but I didn’t know who she was. I figured I’d ask you.”

Lin Tian immediately understood.

Lü Xin was truly a good soldier. Lei Ming had told him to protect him here, and he was doing just that. He even wanted to know everyone who was sitting at the same table as Lei Ming.

Lin Tian raised his glass, genuinely admiring this kind of military man.

“All right then, Brother San Jin, you’re thorough and responsible. My mistake for misunderstanding. Come on, let me toast you.”

Lü Xin waved his hands quickly, flustered.

“No, no. We have regulations. We can’t drink alcohol.”

Lin Tian sniffed the drink in his glass. It smelled like grape juice. He smiled.

“This isn’t alcohol; it’s just a soft drink.”

“Well, okay then.”

Lü Xin hesitated for a moment before finally raising his glass to his lips and taking a tiny sip.