Chapter 179: Something Is Definitely Wrong
In the end, Ye Baiwei complied. She could sense an air about Shishi that wasn't of an ordinary person.
Besides, if they lingered any longer, they might actually get photographed.
With Ye Baiwei's current level of fame, she'd be on the front page of the entertainment news by tomorrow.
The three of them hailed a cab and left.
Once inside the warm taxi, the alcohol quickly went to Lin Chuyue's head. She leaned into Ye Baiwei's arms and fell asleep.
She was still muttering in her sleep, and one could faintly make out two words: "Xiao Ye..."
The three of them arrived at Shishi's residence.
Seeing the luxurious villa, Ye Baiwei became even more certain of her earlier thoughts.
'This Shishi really isn't an ordinary person.'
A house in this location, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, would be impossible to buy for less than several hundred million.
An ordinary person probably couldn't earn that much money in ten lifetimes.
"Shishi, thank you."
"You're welcome. Before Xiao Ye left... he instructed me to take good care of you two."
Shishi handed Ye Baiwei a bottle with a sobering remedy. "Give this to Lin Chuyue. From now on, you can't leave this villa for any reason."
"Otherwise, if you run into danger, don't blame me for not warning you."
Ye Baiwei had a shoot coming up. Besides, she had the distinct feeling that they were only concerned about Lin Chuyue, not her.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. Please take care of Lin Chuyue for me. Thank you."
「Early the next morning.」
Ye Baiwei was met by her assistant and left for a commercial shoot.
She was an A-list celebrity. No matter how powerful the Xiao Family was, they couldn't make a move against her in broad daylight.
Besides, she and Xiao Ye hadn't interacted much. At most, they had shared a couple of meals alone, and that was it.
There was no need to worry about her safety.
「Three in the afternoon.」
Xiao Ye finally received news.
An email sat waiting in his phone's encrypted inbox.
Opening it, he found a file on Liu Loulan's life story and background information.
However, it only went up to the age of thirty-five.
Everything after she turned thirty-five was a complete blank.
It was also around this time that Liu Loulan formally became the Patriarch of the Xiao Family.
By age, she should be in her fifties this year.
But she was so well-preserved that she looked no different from someone in their thirties.
Xiao Ye read through it, word by word.
Liu Loulan was originally the second daughter of the Liu Family.
Twenty years ago, the Liu Family was still a first-rate family in the Imperial City.
But after Liu Loulan married into the Xiao Family, not only did the Liu Family receive no support, they began a steady decline.
Eventually, they disappeared from the scene entirely.
The remaining members of the Liu Family now lived simple, impoverished lives. They had probably all forgotten they were once born with silver spoons in their mouths.
Xiao Ye's gaze settled on the last few names of the Liu Family members on the list.
His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desktop.
'Liu Loulan married into the Xiao Family. Logically, the Liu Family should have skyrocketed in status as well.'
'So why did they get worse and worse instead?'
'There's definitely something wrong here!'
'And if he wasn't mistaken, the problem lay with Liu Loulan herself.'
However, Liu Loulan was now the Patriarch of the Xiao Family. Even for someone like Xiao Ye, getting a meeting would be difficult.
'But those members of the Liu Family were a different story!'
'Perhaps they were the key to breaking this case wide open!'
At this thought, Xiao Ye immediately stood up and headed straight for one of the Imperial City's urban villages.
The Imperial City had several such urban villages, most of them gathering places for people from all walks of life.
Migrant workers who couldn't afford to rent in the city proper had no choice but to live here.
The members of the Liu Family, who once lived in the lap of luxury, were now also holed up here.
When Xiao Ye arrived, he saw the very person he was looking for, hurrying home with a heavy sack on his back.
He came up from behind and helped take some of the weight.
The man from the Liu family immediately turned around, seeing a plain, unremarkable face.
But his overall bearing, no matter how you looked at it, was completely out of place in the urban village.
He paused, momentarily stunned, before snapping out of it to say thanks. "Thank you for your help."
"Don't mention it. Where do you live? I can help you get this home."
The two of them went up to the third floor of a small, nearby building.
The man was very polite, inviting Xiao Ye in for a cup of hot water.
"Sorry, this is all I have. I don't have any good tea, so please make do."
Seeing Xiao Ye actually drink the water, he rubbed his hands together awkwardly. "Um, I've still got some things to attend to at home, so I won't keep you."
"If you need help with anything next time, feel free to find me."
Xiao Ye smiled and set down his cup. "Liu Rusheng, to have come from the wealth of the Liu Family and not fallen into despair... it seems you have a strong character."
Liu Rusheng's expression changed the instant he heard this.
"You're not here to help me at all! Get out! You're not welcome here!"
Xiao Ye leaned back on the old sofa, unfazed. "Liu Rusheng, the Liu Family is gone, just like that. You and your relatives are reduced to living in this tiny hovel."
"Don't you hate it?"
'Of course he hated it!'
Liu Rusheng's hands clenched into tight fists.
'But what good would hating do?'
'He couldn't do anything now. He wasn't even fit to shine that person's shoes, let alone get revenge!'
Seeing him silent, Xiao Ye gave a faint smile. "How about we talk about Liu Loulan?"
The hatred in Liu Rusheng intensified at the mention of that name, but he didn't want to bring danger upon himself and his family.
He shot to his feet and pointed at the door. "I have nothing to talk about. Please leave right now!"
"I don't care who you are, I'm not saying another word to you!"
Xiao Ye didn't move, so Liu Rusheng simply went into the inner room.
'There was nothing valuable in the house anyway.'
'He wasn't the least bit worried about being robbed.'
Xiao Ye was in no hurry. "I hear your mother is ill. Your sister works at a coffee shop..."
"...while you do manual labor, just barely covering her medical bills. You can't even afford the rent for this place."
"You're three months behind, and the landlord said if you can't pay up by next month, he's kicking you all out."
"If you don't even have a roof over your heads, you'll truly have nowhere left to turn."
After speaking, Xiao Ye opened the bag he was carrying.
He took out stacks of cash from inside and placed them all on the coffee table. "Here's one million. It's enough to cover your mother's medical expenses."
"And all you need to give me in return is information about Liu Loulan."
"Are you willing to let your mother die in the hospital, or under a nearby bridge?"
CREAK.
The door opened.
Liu Rusheng walked out, his face a mask of humiliation.
He stared at the money on the table.
For the Liu Family of the past, this much money would have been a drop in the bucket.
When he was a teenager, his monthly allowance alone was several million.
And now, in his thirties, he was toiling day and night for a measly thirty yuan!
Liu Rusheng's once-straight back slowly began to slump.
He had yielded to Xiao Ye's money.