Chapter 311: So It Was You
Lin Chuxing puffed out her chest, its soft contours becoming more pronounced.
"Xiao Ye, since you're not saying anything, that means you agree!"
She grabbed Xiao Ye, trying to pull him toward the bed. "I'm ready. I'm willing to give you my all!"
Xiao Ye shook her off, his voice ice-cold. "Get out!"
"W-what do you mean by that?" 'I've dressed like this and thrown myself at you, and you still don't want me?'
Xiao Ye's expression grew even colder. "I'll say this one last time. Get out!"
Lin Chuxing was a little scared and let go of Xiao Ye. "I... I'll go, alright?"
She scurried out the door.
Xiao Ye glanced at the bed in disgust and called for a servant. "Change all the sheets and the mattress!"
When Lin Chuxing found out what happened outside, she was so furious she smashed everything in her room!
'Fine, so he doesn't want to touch me!'
'But to change all the sheets I sat on, and not even spare the mattress? What's that supposed to mean?'
'Is he saying I'm dirty?'
'Or does he just look down on me?'
Fuming, Lin Chuxing stomped to the mirror. Looking at her own beautiful face and body, she declared, "I'm so much better than Lin Chuyue!"
Just then, her phone buzzed.
She quickly picked it up. As she expected, it was a message from Ouyang Xin: "You're the best girl I've ever met. Don't sell yourself short."
"That Lin Chuyue can't compare to you at all. If it were up to me, I'd choose you in a heartbeat!"
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
Lin Chuxing's heart pounded in her chest.
'This is how someone should act when they like you!'
"Hmph, Xiao Ye, you may look down on me, but there are others who like me!"
Ouyang Xin was from the Ouyang Family, one of the four great Hidden Clans. They were even more powerful than the Xiao Family!
After what happened tonight, Lin Chuxing's favorable impression of Ouyang Xin grew, and her heart began to stray.
She even started to wonder what it would be like if she left Xiao Ye and married Ouyang Xin.
Even if she couldn't be the Lady of the House for the Ouyang Family, she would still be a young mistress.
Lin Chuxing clutched her phone, texting late into the night before finally falling asleep.
The next day, Xiao Ye got out of bed.
As expected, he didn't see any sign of Lin Chuxing in the dining room.
At first, she had come every day, trying every trick in the book to create opportunities to spend time with him.
But ever since meeting Ouyang Xin, she had barely shown up at all.
Xiao Ye was happy for the peace and quiet. After breakfast, he went to his study to continue handling his affairs.
A subordinate reported in, "Patriarch, we've investigated several times and can now confirm that the man... he has no identity!"
Xiao Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. "An undocumented person?"
"Yes, that's more or less it. We ran his face through the database, searching and comparing, but found no match."
"Unless he's undocumented, it's impossible for him not to be in the database."
"Patriarch, what are your orders?"
If they couldn't find his identity, the rest of the investigation would be very difficult to proceed with.
After all, the person's identity was the foundation. They had to find a starting point before they could branch out into countless other leads.
"Intercept Mu Xiang and ask her who that man is! No, I'll ask her myself!"
「In a small county town near the Imperial City.」
Mu Xiang had stayed here for two days. Today was the third, and she planned to leave.
Using this as her starting point, she would head south and take the opportunity to visit some of her master's old friends.
She had just walked out of the inn when two men blocked her path. "Miss Mu Xiang, our Patriarch would like to see you."
Mu Xiang glanced at the men's faces and physiques, then nodded. "Alright."
'Since I'm no match for them, there's no need to fight. It would just be a waste of time.'
A van was parked not far away.
When she got in, she found it was completely empty except for a computer.
A video call was active. On the other end was Xiao Ye.
Mu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in her seat. "Oh, it's you. What do you want from me?"
Xiao Ye got straight to the point. "Who was the man you met at the teahouse two days ago?"
Mu Xiang was taken aback. "You're following me."
"That's right. You stayed with the Xiao Family for a long time, after all. I need to ensure your safety."
"You also know I'm in trouble. A lot of people are watching me, including those close to me. I'm doing this to protect you."
Hearing this, Mu Xiang didn't press the issue. "I don't know that man either."
"The day before I left, I received a message on my phone. The person said he wanted to meet me. I asked who he was, and he said he was an old acquaintance of my master."
"Since it involved my master, I had to go meet him. I wanted to know who he was, too."
"But I'd never seen him before, and I don't know him."
Xiao Ye pressed on, "Then what did you talk about?"
Mu Xiang crossed her arms. "That's my private business. There's no need to tell you, is there?"
"I'll ask again, what did you two talk about?"
Seeing his harsh tone, Mu Xiang caved.
She was all alone. How could she possibly be a match for Xiao Ye?
"Fine, might makes right. He just told me a few things about the past, related to my master."
Mu Xiang's master used to frequently help people with feng shui, face reading, fortune-telling, and the like.
So he was somewhat famous and had made many acquaintances.
The man in the mask had come because of her master's reputation, having sought him out for a feng shui consultation before.
He had only come to find her now because he had a few questions.
Even though her master had passed away, she still had to provide good after-sales service so as not to tarnish his reputation.
Xiao Ye stared at Mu Xiang's face, confirming she wasn't lying, before finally saying, "Alright. I'm also just looking out for your safety."
"Don't go meeting strangers so casually in the future."
With that, he hung up the video call.
Mu Xiang got out of the van, muttering, "If you weren't so powerful, I wouldn't listen to you..."
On the other side of the video call, Xiao Ye leaned back in his chair.
'That man has no identity, and he also happens to wear a mask. Could he be the "godfather" Lin Chuxing mentioned before?'
'It seems the trail has gone cold again.'
'If I really can't find anything else, then I'll have to start with Red Night...'
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of January.
The Imperial City had entered the depths of winter, and the weather grew colder by the day.
In another week, it would be New Year's Eve, the most important festival in the Dragon Country.
The Xiao Family had started preparations early, and the whole estate was bustling with activity.
Lin Chuxing, who normally loved a lively atmosphere, was hiding in her room.
Jian Qiuyan knocked several times before she finally opened the door, her face full of impatience. "Mom, what do you want?"
"I came to get you to help. You're going to be the Lady of the House for the Xiao Family someday, so you should be learning how to manage the household now."
"As it happens, Xiao Ye said to put you in charge of purchasing the New Year's goods this time. You should get ready."
"I'm not going!" Lin Chuxing heard her phone vibrate from inside the room and grew even more agitated. "I'm not feeling well, you go!"
SLAM!
She slammed the door shut, immediately threw herself onto the bed, and started replying to Ouyang Xin.
「Jiangcheng.」
The New Year was just around the corner.
But Lin Chuyue couldn't feel happy at all. The hustle and bustle of the world seemed to have nothing to do with her.
She gazed out the window, an image of Xiao Ye appearing in her mind. She gave a bitter smile. 'Why can't I forget you...?'