I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Celina Varun agreed to Theodore's proposal, and Pei Xiang did not object.

"Theodore, did you come here with your friends? Was it in box 7?"

"Well, I have an appointment with Sir Henry and others, but I came late, and I happened to meet you and Ms. Warren when I arrived at the theater."

Pei Xiang smiled slightly: "It seems that you are destined not to appreciate Miss Molly's beautiful singing voice tonight."

"I'd much rather listen to sister Adele's childhood stories."

Celina, who was following behind the two, quietly observed the young men and women talking and laughing, thinking that what that person said was indeed correct, and that her daughter was doing well in London's high society.

At the very least, the young gentleman I met at this moment was a diligent admirer, and judging by his manner and clothes, he must be a son of a rich family.I just don't know, how much pound is he willing to spend for the girl he loves?

At the corner of the stairs, Pei Xiang ordered the theater boy to deliver a message for her, and went to Box No. 5 to tell the ladies who came with her that she had something to leave early.Theodore also asked the waiter to send a letter to Sir Henry and others, expressing his apology for not being able to attend the appointment.

When she came to the door of the theater, Pei Xiang was going to ask the servant to call for a carriage, but Theodore stopped her, turned her head and waved towards the door.

A muscular middle-aged man wearing a wide-brimmed hat stepped out from the shadow of the porch eaves.

"gentlemen?"

"Go to the back door and drive over. Let James wait at the Gladden Archery Club first. Tonight's schedule has been changed."

The middle-aged strong man glanced at Celina who was wrapped in a cloak if he didn't want to, answered in a low voice, bowed slightly to Pei Xiang, and then turned and left.

Celina tightened her cloak, feeling inexplicably panicked.

"Aren't we going to ride in Adele's carriage?"

"Permit me to do what I can for the ladies," said Theodore Win.

"You are too polite, sir, what should I call you?" Celina asked tentatively.

"My name is Grant, Miss Warren."

"It turned out to be Mr. Grant," Celina Warren said in a low voice. "When I was reminiscing with Adele just now, she mentioned several times how the Grant family cared for her. I am really happy for her. I was able to meet How lucky is Adele for the generous and benevolent nobles, such as Mr. Rochester, the family of your family, and the friends I met in France back then."

Theodore laughed and said, "We also feel that getting to know Adele is something to be happy about, and it's our luck. Miss Warren, who is an old acquaintance, must have felt deeply about this."

Celina Varun nodded perfunctorily, disapproving in her heart.She squinted at the change in Pei Xiang's face, hoping to find a sign of Pei Xiang's panic.

However, Pei Xiang always looked calm and calm.

Selina Varun frowned slightly. She couldn't believe that a young girl could be so calm. She rolled her eyes, and she was sure that Pei Xiang was pretending to be calm.

— Tsk, pretending!

At this time, the middle-aged man who had just left came back in a carriage. He made a subtle gesture towards Theodore, and Theodore nodded slightly in response.

The three boarded Theodore's carriage.

"Miss Warren, may I ask, where do you live now? Is it convenient to stay out for a while tonight? If you feel tired, we can make an appointment another day."

Celina Varun touched the comfortable chair and quickly shook her head:

"I'm not tired, I have a lot to say to Adele, can you help us find a place near the Moffat Garden Hotel? Adele is very concerned about me, she must hope that I can live in such luxury and comfort The place."

Theodore asked Pei Xiang silently with his eyes.

Pei Xiang looked at Celina Varun's smug expression, a soft smile curled up on the corner of her lips, and said slowly:

"Then go to the Moffat Garden Hotel. I hope Miss Warren has a good dream tonight."

The carriage was moving forward, and Celina Varun, who was sitting in the carriage, was dreaming of a comfortable life in the future, and gradually became sleepy.She just felt more and more sleepy, and could hardly keep her eyes open.

She struggled to change a sitting position, and told herself that it was not time to sleep, and she still had many conditions that she hadn't mentioned.However, no matter how hard she tried to stay awake, she finally lost consciousness.

Hearing a "gudong", Celina Varun, who was wrapped in a cloak, slammed her head against the wall of the car, then fell limply on the seat, twisted her waist and kowtowed, neither screaming for pain nor reappearing. sit up.

Pei Xiang looked at Theodore with raised eyebrows, and said in a declarative tone:

"You charmed her with the drug I gave you."

Theodore pulled Pei Xiang to his side:

"Adele, what are you going to do with this person? Just now Peggy gave me a sign. He said that someone has been stalking this Miss Warren, but the stalking skills are not very good, and she looks like a novice."

"Did you keep an eye on the follower?"

"James is going to do it."

Pei Xiang nodded, trusting the ability of Theodore's subordinates.

"In this case, let's go to No. 23 Dole Street now, and I will personally deal with the matter of this Ms. Celina Warren."

Theodore immediately knocked on the wall of the car three times, and raised his voice to order the middle-aged man who was driving the car, Peggy, to turn to Dole Street.

No. 23 Taole Street is Pei Xiang's own property and has nothing to do with Theodore.Once the person is sent there, if Theodore wants to know about Ms. Warren again, it will depend on Pei Xiang's mood.

"I didn't expect...you would pour medicine on her in the carriage." Pei Xiang sighed softly.

Theodore barely suppressed the little complacency and entanglement in his heart, and asked with shining eyes:

"I was right, wasn't I, sister Adele?"

Pei Xiang asked knowingly, "What did you do right?"

"Adele, of course I'm curious about the origin of this person, whether she will cause you trouble, and want to snuff out any signs of danger for you. However, I don't want to take this opportunity to investigate your situation. Privacy, Adele, I've thought about it before getting in the car, I don't ask, I don't touch, I just need to ensure your safety."

Pei Xiang frowned, and smiled very sincerely this time:

"I'm really surprised. I didn't expect you to be so careful and willing to curb your curiosity. Faced with a secret that is at your fingertips, it's not easy for you to give up so directly."

Theodore also felt that it was not easy for him to blame.

Of course he was extremely curious about Pei Xiang's secret, on the one hand he wanted to know more about her, on the other hand he wanted to protect her.But no matter what, he had to respect her wishes and give her freedom and trust.

"Adele, should I be rewarded?"

"What kind of reward do you want?"

"A gentle hug." Without thinking, blurted out.

Pei Xiang's eyes flickered, and he tilted his head to look at Theodore without speaking.

Theodore waited for a while, and suddenly blushed inexplicably. He coughed lightly, and explained in a low voice:

"Just, just reward a comforting, tender hug that is caring and encouraging."

This sentence full of modifiers made Pei Xiang laugh. Under her smiling eyes, Theodore seized the opportunity to embrace his sweetheart in his arms.

After more than ten seconds, the young man's arms were empty, but the little fireworks in his heart were still blooming one by one.

The space in the carriage was very quiet, Pei Xiang began to think about Celina Varun, while Theodore kept smiling.

After arriving at No. 23 Taole Street, Pei Xiang fed some medicine to Celina Varun before handing her over to the person left behind at No. 23.She told the other party to watch carefully, not to let outsiders get close to the unconscious person or take him away secretly.

After arranging everything, Pei Xiang boarded Theodore's carriage again.This time, she returned directly to the Viscount's Mansion in Rio, while Theodore had to go to a certain senior member club to socialize.

In the car, Pei Xiang helped Theodore check his belongings.

"Take medicine to pretend to be drunk and sober up. Sir Henry is a drunken maniac. When dealing with him, it is inevitable to drink and gamble. What's more, you haven't gone to the theater for an appointment today. He will definitely take the opportunity to make a fuss. "

Theodore tidied up the flowers on Pei Xiang's hat, smiled and nodded:

"Don't worry, Henry is very easy to get along with. Drink two glasses with him, and then beat him a few times in the game of cards, and he won't dare to boo. Who made him not have a lot of money recently."

Pei Xiang frowned: "It's true that they are not rich, and they have started to brazenly buy and sell votes in constituencies. I think the Wiggins family will lose sooner or later."

"He may still be able to contribute something to the partisan struggle in Britain before he loses."

"That depends on how eloquent you are." Pei Xiang teased.

Theodore pretended to regret, "I'm not as good as Sister Adele in this respect."

The two exchanged a few more words, chatted for a while, and the carriage arrived at the Viscount Rio's mansion.

Theodore watched Pei Xiang enter the gate before instructing Peggy to continue driving.

"Peggy, after James investigates the identity of the stalker, tell him to go directly to Adele instead of reporting to me."

"Sir, there is obviously a conspiracy here. Don't you help Miss Duran?"

"Adele is not willing to let me intervene at the moment, and I respect her idea. Besides, are you more powerful than her people?"

These words reminded Peggy of the losses she had suffered before, so she stopped persuading her immediately.

The next morning, Pei Xiang disguised himself into a gloomy scarred face, went to No. 23 Taole Street with a box of frightening props, and interrogated Celina Warren himself.

Half a day later, she got part of the truth.

"I don't know who they are. Seriously, I, I never thought about it before... I came here to ask Adele for money. Yes, that gentleman bewitched me."

"Sir, what's his name? Where did you meet?"

"I don't know what his name is, I swear, I was arguing with Leo, I got angry and Leo kept yelling and, oh, we were in a restaurant in Italy..."

Celina Varun's narration was a bit messy, apparently frightened by Pei Xiang:

"I, I mentioned Mr. Rochester when I was quarreling. Leo said that I was vain, and I liked rich ugly men, and I didn't understand his art. Well, later, that gentleman came over and asked who I was, and asked I mean who is that Mr. Rochester..."

Hearing this, Pei Xiang's eyes flashed with surprise.

She didn't expect that Mr. Rochester would be involved in this matter. She originally thought that the people behind the scenes were coming for herself or the Grant family.

"How did you answer?" Pei Xiang asked coldly, while raising the scaring poison in his hand.

Celina Valenne flinched and tried to recall:

"I didn't want to tell the man at first, but, but he's rich, and he paid the bills for me and Leo, so, so I told all about my time in France."

"Everything? Including Miss Adele Duran?"

Celina Varun nodded quickly and argued:

"I didn't want to involve Adele at first, but that person seemed to be very interested in Adele's life experience, so he specifically asked about it. He kept asking me whose child Adele was. I, I'm not sure who Adele's father is, but I know she was born to me."

Pei Xiang snorted softly, raised her legs lazily, and asked about Celina's life in Italy after leaving France.

According to Celina Valen, she has been living a life of no fixed place since she went to Italy. Apart from her husband Leo, she also found a few wealthy lovers in the past few years. It can be regarded as a good life for a few years .

However, after getting old and fading, Celina has no source of income, and her husband Leo is a waste who can only spend money but not make money. The financial situation of the two has become very embarrassing.Therefore, they often quarreled, and often fled overnight to avoid creditors.

——It can be seen that it was indeed a coincidence that that person met Celina.

——According to Celina, the other party had already suspected Adele's identity before meeting her, or could he have been paying attention to Mr. Rochester?

——Which side is the enemy, so deliberate?

"After you admitted that Miss Duran was your child, what did that person do? Or what did he ask you to do?"

"He, he said that he could pay off all the debts for me and Leo, as long as I come to England to find my daughter, and, and let me ask Adele for money, and keep pestering her."

"Only asking for money? No other conditions?"

Pei Xiang looked at the hesitant Celina with a half-smile, and quickly twirled the sharp dagger in his hand, and asked Celina Varun to "remember" the feeling that her life was hanging by a thread.

"I, I said," Celina shivered, "he, that scoundrel asked me to try every means to deepen my relationship with Adele, and to get some evidence within a year. It's, it's that kind of letter, Prove that I am Adele's mother, and... as long as I hand him the letter, he will help me pay off the rest of my debt, and let Leo and I live comfortably."

"Letter evidence?"

"Yes, they are going to let me take advantage of Adele's surprise and coax her into writing a letter acknowledging that I am her mother."

"for example?"

"For example, he said that Adele would certainly not live with me, so I would have a reason to write to her. If she was not defensive, I would write to her and call her my daughter, and in the letter Explain my relationship with her, and then see if she will admit it in her reply. Or, if I discuss her biological father with her, and lie to her that she knows about her father, she will definitely discuss the issue of identity in the reply... ..."

"So, what if Miss Duran is particularly wary of you?"

"Then, then I will find a reason to quarrel with her, and let the person arranged by that gentleman hear the content of our quarrel... In short, no matter what, as long as I can get evidence, that person will help me and Leo pay off the debt and Pension."

Pei Xiang asked suspiciously: "If Miss Dulan still has some mother-daughter affection for you and is willing to take care of your life, will you betray her? You know, compared to outsiders with ulterior motives, people who look similar to you Ms. Duran, who is somewhat similar, is actually better."

Celina Varun clenched her fists:

"Hehe, why didn't I know this truth? I hoped that Adele would become famous before. As long as she gets richer, I can get more good things. I don't want to betray her. But, but that person is very Cunning, he set up traps, he forced my husband and I to sign huge IOUs, as long as I don't obey, he can get someone to arrest me."

"A huge IOU?"

"Occasionally, occasionally I like to gamble, just... when I'm in a bad mood, I go to play... and drink some wine or something." Celina's tone was awkward.

Pei Xiang sneered, and knocked on the bottle containing the poison:

"Please describe to me the appearance of that person."

Celina quickly confessed, not daring to miss any small details.

After Pei Xiang finished listening, he didn't get much useful information.Generally speaking, that person is not Italian, but a tourist, whose native language should be English, who has a good background, and is a businessman.

"Did that person tell you how to transfer the evidence to him if you got it, or how to ask for help if you encounter difficulties?"

Celina Varun grabbed the hem of her skirt and dodged her eyes. She didn't answer the question immediately this time.

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows and sneered: "Do you want to negotiate terms with me?"

"I've said all that needs to be said, my lord, I've told you all, have pity on me, I am Adele's mother anyway..."

"However, your mother first abandoned her in order to elope with her lover, and left her alone for many years, and then suddenly appeared in order to pay off her debts, planning to let her be controlled by others and even ruin her reputation. Miss Warren, do you think you deserve to be pitied?"

"It's not like I abandoned her. I, I handed her over to Mr. Rochester. You see, she has become a lady now."

"Then have you ever thought that you betrayed and cheated first, and then gave Mr. Rochester an illegitimate daughter with an unknown father, and then turned around and left. If Mr. Rochester is hard-hearted, don't worry about the young Duran Miss, what happens to her as an orphan? Huh?"

Celina pretended to repent and wept bitterly, but she still refused to reveal the most crucial information.

She wants to bargain.

Pei Xiang sighed, and fed Celina some potions with special effects.This time, Pei Xiang not only got the contact information, but also checked again whether the previous round of confession was true.

"The Hua Gefu butcher's shop in Winklein Lane?" Pei Xiang repeated Celina's answer in a low voice.

Celina, who was trapped in hallucinations, was still giggling.

After getting the desired information, Pei Xiang left the room without hesitation, and directly sent someone to investigate the contact point.

At this time, James, who was working for Theodore, also came to report that the person who stared at their group last night, or at Celina Warren, was a butcher, and the name of that butcher shop It just so happens to be "Warroff".

The two clues merged together, and Pei Xiang waited for the results of the investigation with peace of mind.

A week later, Pei Xiang's subordinates submitted the observation records.It recorded the relevant information of Hua Gefu's butcher shop owner's family, employees, neighbors and customers, some personally investigated, and some indirectly inquired. There were all kinds of records full of fifteen large white papers.

Pei Xiang studied for a long time, and finally locked on the secret lover of the butcher's wife - lawyer Briggs.

It stands to reason that this Briggs has nothing to do with Pei Xiang, Rochester and others, but one of his big clients caught Pei Xiang's attention.

Although the client was British, he lived in the Spanish city of Jamaica. He also had a surname that Pei Xiang was very familiar with, which was Mason.

Speaking of Mason, Pei Xiang immediately thought of Bertha Mason, who still lives in England, and Bertha's deceased brother, Richard Mason.

According to the agreement back then, Pei Xiang would visit Bertha Mason every year to help her check her health and stay with her for a few days by the way.

Bertha's new life was a happy one.The servants hired by her younger brother Richard Mason are all lively and cheerful people. They play with Bertha every day, just like accompanying a wayward big child.Although it is a bit hard, the salary is high and there is no danger. Both the employer and the employee are very satisfied.

After Richard Mason died of illness a few years ago, Rochester did not completely ignore Bertha. He would supervise the members of the Mason family and prevent them from embezzling Bertha's property by means.

Of course, the main task of taking care of Bertha still fell on the other family members of the Mason family, after all, everyone wanted the [-] pounds property.

Because of the divorce agreement signed before, Bertha has the right to designate her own heir to the property, so their attitude towards Bertha is not bad.There are even some people who will come to Bertha Mason purposely, trying to please Bertha Mason with patient company.

But unfortunately, the effect is not obvious.

None of these people who approached Bertha with a purpose got her good opinion. On the contrary, Pei Xiang, who only went there for a few days a year, was always No.1 in Bertha's heart.The older she gets, the more childlike her personality becomes, with clear emotions and anger, and straightforward.

——If it is a member of the Mason family, they will indeed have doubts about my identity.

——The Durands died in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Of course, there will be some insiders about what happened before they were alive.

——Even if those people are not sure whether there is a child, it is enough for those who ask to be suspicious.

——If such a caring person meets Celina Varun again, he will naturally find out the truth.

——Then, what are they seeking to prove my identity as an illegitimate daughter?

Pei Xiang first assumed that the person who plotted was indeed a Mason.

Then, she followed this line, and the first thing she could be sure of was that she could influence Bertha's choice of heir to the property.

—If they got hold of me, they could indeed threaten me to persuade Bertha to leave her fortune to the schemer, or to his heir.

However, wasting so much effort just for Bertha Mason's thirty thousand pounds?

——No, if I can prove that there is a problem with my identity, it will be equivalent to holding Mr. Rochester.

Back then, Mr. Rochester was able to make a marriage contract with Bertha Mason because old Mason and old Rochester were business partners.The two families had business contacts, so they had the opportunity to facilitate that tragic marriage.

However, since Rochester's divorce, he has cut off the business cooperation with the Mason family, so, they want to threaten him with this?

Thinking of this, Pei Xiang's eyes darkened slightly.

——All this is still my guess, I have to find a way to continue to investigate further.

"Lawyer Briggs..." Pei Xiang murmured.

——Would this person really be willing to take risks for an ordinary customer?

Pei Xiang circled two other names on the recording paper. Although Briggs is the main suspect, other suspicious people cannot be ignored.

A few days later, the name of lawyer Briggs remained on Pei Xiang's list of suspicions.

"So far, the information I can get is too superficial. I need more and more critical clues."

In fact, at this point, Pei Xiang's best choice is to write to Rochester and tell him everything.

——After all, it is related to the Mason family, and Rochester himself should be more aware of many inside information.

But as soon as this idea came up, Pei Xiang quickly vetoed it. She was completely unwilling to disturb the guardian, who was enjoying rural life.

For one thing, most of the conclusions so far are her guesses, and there is no real evidence at all. Pei Xiang couldn't bear to disturb Rochester rashly with these assumptions.

She didn't want to touch the scar in that man's heart again, and she didn't want him to be reminded of the embarrassing memories of the past again.

Furthermore, if Rochester knew the ins and outs, he would definitely come to London to meet Celina Warren.

Of course, there is no resurgence between the two, but there is the question of Adele's biological father standing between them.

In case, on a whim, Mr. Rochester took the initiative to ask Celina Varun if she had a mysterious oriental lover...

Pei Xiang thought of the mysterious life experience he had fabricated for Adele, and then thought of Mr. Rochester's poisonous tongue, sarcasm and arrogant temper, and couldn't help puffing his cheeks and stomping his feet.

——No, they must not be allowed to meet each other, old lovers or something, they should never communicate with each other!