126 An Unexpected Surprise

"Pan Xiaoliang, Wang Zhilie, you two are quite early! Please, come in!" Li Wenxuan and Xiao Yao both stood up, exchanging pleasantries.

Pan Xiaoliang and Wang Zhilie were also classmates of Xiao Yao. Both had a decent relationship with Li Wenxuan, and a passing one with Xiao Yao.

Pan Xiaoliang and Li Wenxuan had both been in the student union, and both were quite sociable. After graduation, Pan Xiaoliang successfully passed the civil service examination. Li Wenxuan had also taken the exam, but his scores fell far short, leading him to abandon that path entirely.

Wang Zhilie was steady and reserved, rarely speaking and never one to seek the spotlight. His performance during school had been unremarkable, but to everyone's surprise, he had landed a position at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China after graduation—it seemed he must have had some connections.

The four had barely exchanged a few words when another person walked in.

"Ruan Yong! Even a busy man like you managed to arrive so early? Welcome, welcome, come on in and take a seat," Li Wenxuan greeted him enthusiastically.

Xiao Yao’s relationship with Ruan Yong was lukewarm; they had rarely interacted during their time at school, so he merely nodded in acknowledgement without saying much.

After Ruan Yong sat down, Li Wenxuan said with a trace of sarcasm, "You sly dog, you secretly managed to get hired by the Shuangqing Group. I was truly shocked when I heard the news a while ago. The recruitment process there is so rigorous that even for those with master’s or doctoral degrees, getting in is no easy feat. I heard it’s incredibly difficult for fresh graduates from top universities to land a spot there. I imagine you’re the only one from our entire graduating class to get in, right? How on earth did you manage that?"

"It’s nothing special, just a bit of luck. I can't compare to you guys," Ruan Yong replied. Though his words were humble, a look of smugness flickered in the corners of his eyes.

Among the group, Ruan Yong’s family background was likely the most modest. Coming from a simple working-class family in a small town, he had to rely entirely on his own merits to find a job, with zero assistance from home. His ability to secure a position at the prestigious Shuangqing Group was indeed something to be proud of.

Just as the conversation grew lively, the guest of honor, Gao Yuanfeng, finally arrived.

To everyone’s surprise, he did not come alone; he was accompanied by two stunning beauties.

Xiao Yao did not recognize the elegant woman with exquisite makeup, but he was no stranger to the other, even though they had never interacted in school. She was simply too famous—the universally acknowledged school goddess, the dream girl of almost every male student.

Her name was Yin Xiaoya.

Though recognized as the campus belle, Yin Xiaoya’s reputation was poor, bordering on notorious. "Gold-digger" was the label pinned to her, and it was precisely because of this contemptible reputation that she was even more well-known.

Even with Xiao Yao’s discerning eye, he had to admit that Yin Xiaoya was breathtaking—a peerless beauty by any objective standard.

She had fair, delicate skin, soft and refined features, and a standard oval face that was near perfect. Her figure was curvaceous, and combined with her sweet aura, even the most critical person would have to acknowledge her true beauty.

Such a face was stunning enough to captivate even Xiao Yao. However, they were classmates who had crossed paths before, so her looks alone were not enough to shock him. Yet, despite his usual composure, a look of surprise and curiosity appeared on his face.

The reason for his surprise was not her beauty, but his discovery that this campus belle, labeled a gold-digger, was actually still a virgin.

Finding this out was truly unexpected.

It was rare for female students to remain virgins after university graduation, and those who were usually lacked in the looks department. For a top-tier beauty like Yin Xiaoya, who had been pursued by boyfriends for years, it was almost unheard of to hold out for so long.

Given her reputation as a gold-digger, the fact that she remained a virgin suggested that rumors were not always to be trusted.

If it were merely a case of slander, it might be one thing, but Yin Xiaoya had never been ashamed of her reputation; she had even openly admitted to her materialistic nature.

One particular story about her greed was widely circulated. After her *n*th boyfriend—a wealthy heir—broke up with her, rumors spread that she had set a price of one million for a kiss, and five million for a night in bed.

Once this story broke, while she remained the dream girl of many, her reputation plummeted to rock bottom, and she became a target of public scorn. People generally believed the rumor to be true because she had never once bothered to deny it.

That a notorious campus belle had managed to remain a virgin was a thought-provoking mystery.

While this piqued Xiao Yao’s curiosity, it was not the source of his shock. He was stunned because he discovered that Yin Xiaoya possessed a "Pure Yin" constitution.

It was an unexpected discovery and an even greater surprise.

To a practitioner who had mastered the arts of dual cultivation, Yin Xiaoya was equivalent to a supreme treasure.

She was fortunate that in this age of the decline of spiritual power, true dual cultivation techniques had long vanished into the river of history. Otherwise, she would have long since become the captive of some practitioner.

Had he not discovered her Pure Yin constitution, Xiao Yao’s interest in her would have remained limited to mere appreciation, perhaps even evolving into a casual, non-serious relationship if the opportunity arose. But that would have been the extent of it; given her open admission of being a gold-digger, he had never considered her as a serious girlfriend.

But now, things were different. While he still had no intention of making her his girlfriend, she was an ideal "cauldron" to assist in his cultivation—a prize he absolutely would not let go of.

Yin Xiaoya was destined to become his bird in a gilded cage.

Of course, this would be no misfortune for her; in fact, it would be a blessing, a gift from the heavens that would change her destiny forever.

The dual cultivation technique Xiao Yao mastered was not the predatory, low-level variety, but a top-tier method that provided mutual, long-term benefits.

With their cooperation, not only would Xiao Yao’s cultivation progress by leaps and bounds, but Yin Xiaoya, as his cauldron, would also reap passive benefits, including preserved youth and a significantly extended lifespan.