Chapter 178: I Was Really Wrong
"I was mainly in charge of contacting the people from the Fifth Clan. Those few men with a similar build to Xiao Ye... none of them seemed suspicious."
"Besides, the Fifth Clan has always been more brawn than brains. I doubt they could come up with a plan like this."
"I was responsible for the Ouyang Clan. Among the ones with a similar build, there was one person of interest..."
"That group from the Zhujia Clan wouldn't say a word. I tried to start conversations, but they wouldn't engage. I couldn't get anything out of them at all!"
The members of the Xiao Family finished speaking and exchanged a look.
By that account, the only ones who seemed suspicious were the Ouyang Clan.
As the Hidden Clan with the greatest overall strength, if the Ouyang Clan really decided to move against the Xiao Family, there wasn't much they could do besides seek alliances.
Ever since Xiao Ling's death, the Xiao Family had been on a decline, even if outsiders couldn't tell.
But as members of the Xiao Family, they could see it clearly. The family's current strength wasn't even a fifth of what it was at its peak!
"The Zhujia Clan is the least suspicious," one of the Xiao Family members said. "They've always been secretive, and they believe in things like karma and retribution."
"It's unlikely they would do something like this."
"The more unlikely it seems, the more possible it is. Since they believe in karma, wouldn't it be perfectly normal for them to want to help the 'prey'?" someone else objected.
"That's true. In that case, let's keep a close eye on the Zhujia Clan as well. If they make a move, we'll be in serious trouble."
Although the Ouyang Clan was the strongest in terms of overall power...
...if you were to ask which clan was truly the most formidable, it would have to be the Zhujia. They could win without ever shedding a drop of blood.
In this society, such unpredictable, almost supernatural methods were definitely the most terrifying!
But none of them ever imagined...
...that sometimes, the most impossible answer is the most likely one.
At that moment, Xiao Ye was already in the car, heading back.
As for Ouyang Feng, he had already taken some rather compromising photos of him.
If he dared to say a word about what happened today, what awaited him was complete social death.
In any case, the banquet had gone off without a hitch. So, as long as Ouyang Feng was smart enough, he would surely keep this matter buried.
Xiao Ye had already removed his makeup and was sitting in the back seat.
Shishi sat on the other side.
By now, the sky had grown dark.
The streetlights flickered on one by one.
At some point, a light snow had begun to fall.
A thin layer now covered the ground.
It wasn't too cold yet, though. It would probably all melt by tomorrow.
As the car entered the city, it gradually slowed down.
Xiao Ye spoke lightly, "Have someone look into this Liu Loulan. The more detailed the information, the better."
"But don't force it if you can't find anything."
'She's the Patriarch of a Hidden Clan. If she were that easy to investigate, she wouldn't deserve the title.'
Shishi smiled and agreed, "Yes. I'll pass the message back to Hongyuan and have them help."
"It just so happens I have several 'sisters' who married into first-rate clans."
"They can't compare to the Hidden Clans, but they should be able to get some information."
Xiao Ye nodded. "One more thing. Investigate Liu Loulan's maternal family. The Liu Family isn't a Hidden Clan, so it should be easier to look into."
After speaking, he looked out the window. Suddenly, his eyes flashed and he shouted, "Stop the car!"
Shishi, beside him, froze for a second, then intelligently followed his gaze.
There were two women on the side of the road.
One of them was staggering, while the other was holding her up.
They were none other than Ye Baiwei and Lin Chuyue.
The color drained from Shishi's face. "What... What's going on? I personally had someone see them off on a plane!"
"Master Xiao, it's not that I was incompetent! It's possible they came back!"
And that was indeed the case.
After Ye Baiwei had gone back, she unexpectedly got a commercial that happened to be filming in the Imperial City.
Lin Chuyue was there when she found out and tagged along.
She still couldn't believe that Xiao Ye was dead just like that.
The heart-devouring pain made it impossible for her to accept.
Lin Chuyue had drunk quite a bit and was now struggling just to walk.
Ye Baiwei struggled to support her. "Look at you, why did you drink so much!"
"Just hold on a little longer. There's some traffic right now, but my assistant will be here soon. We'll get in the car and you can rest then, okay?"
Lin Chuyue's eyes were hazy as she stared at the blurred city lights.
"I used to think... that Xiao Ye didn't matter to me at all."
"But... but after he was gone, I realized... I'd already fallen for him!"
"Now, whenever I have a free moment, I think of him. I think about all the times he saved me!"
Sometimes, you only learn to cherish something after you've lost it.
Ye Baiwei sighed wistfully. After all, she had seen how Lin Chuyue used to treat Xiao Ye.
"You can't blame yourself for it. Life is just like that sometimes. You have to learn to accept it."
"And you can't just keep wallowing in the past. You need to find a way to move on."
But Lin Chuyue shook her head. Besides the pain, she now felt guilt.
If she had known Xiao Ye would die so young, she never would have acted that way, much less said so many hurtful things!
So what if they had actually gotten married?
All she would have lost was a marriage, but Xiao Ye had lost his life!
"I used to think he was so annoying, always bragging... but I never imagined... that everything he said was true. It was me... It was all my fault!"
Whether it was Huo Wenhao or Yuan Tiancheng...
...they were all after Xiao Ye!
'It was never about me at all!'
Every time Xiao Ye had offered to help, how did she react?
She mocked him, despised him, and berated him!
Lin Chuyue tugged at Ye Baiwei, unable to walk any further, and leaned against the railing. "The Lin Family was able to get on its feet..."
"...all because of Xiao Ye... But not only did I not believe him, I hurt him again and again!"
"I... I was so wrong!"
Lin Chuyue didn't know how many times she had cried. Whenever she thought about the things she'd done, about Xiao Ye's smile, the tears were unstoppable.
"What do I do? I'll never have the chance to apologize to him now."
Ye Baiwei sighed. She didn't know what to say. It was truly a case of fate playing a cruel trick.
"Don't cry..."
Watching Lin Chuyue's tears, Xiao Ye felt his heart ache.
But he couldn't reveal himself now. A powerful enemy was still lurking in the shadows.
If word got out that he was still alive, it would inevitably cause significant trouble.
Xiao Ye had the strength to handle it, of course, but Lin Chuyue didn't. She was just a woman with no power to defend herself.
He took a deep breath. "Shishi, go down and get them settled. This is the last time."
"Yes!" Without even grabbing her coat, Shishi hurried out of the car in her high heels.
She walked up to Ye Baiwei, her expression turning cold. "Didn't you two already go back to Jiangcheng? Why are you still in the Imperial City?"
'She's probably another woman who was in love with Xiao Ye.'
"That's our business. It has nothing to do with you."
"But Xiao Ye instructed me before to take care of you. Don't make me use force!"
She took off her scarf and handed it to Ye Baiwei. "Cover your face. We're hailing a cab!"