Everyone Thought The Fake Heiress Had Her Reasons Ch. 16
The shores of Stillwater Lake offered pleasant scenery and a comfortable atmosphere. But the night had grown deep, and even the residents who loved strolling along the lakeside had long since departed.
Under the night sky, the lake water seemed dyed with ink, appearing from afar like a massive black gemstone.
A man stood by the lake, letting the evening wind whip his clothes into a fluttering frenzy. The cold moonlight cast upon him made his figure appear particularly upright, while adding a touch of stern lethality to his handsome profile—a stark contrast to his usual amiable and lively demeanor.
This man was naturally Xie Chu, whom Ming Jiao and Tang Xiaoyu had discussed at length not long ago.
He stood quietly by the lake for a while before suddenly turning his head toward a certain direction, as if sensing something.
In that direction, a massive black mist had inexplicably materialized in the void, and soon, a man carrying a long black blade emerged from within.
Whether it were Ming Jiao or Tang Xiaoyu present, they would have recognized this man as the ability user criminal codenamed “Wild Ghost,” also known as a hunter—a notorious bounty killer with a fearsome reputation.
As he appeared, the black mist quickly dissipated, leaving no trace behind, as though it had never been there.
Xie Chu showed no inclination for pleasantries. He glanced at the killer, his tone laced with sarcasm. “You truly live up to your reputation as a renowned killer. To think you failed to kill an ordinary person—she’s still alive and kicking, completely unscathed.”
The killer was momentarily taken aback, but being quick-witted, he immediately recalled that his recent target was only one person. If that person hadn’t died… but how was that possible?
“She’s just an ordinary person. Even if she were an ability user, no one could survive having their heart pierced through.”
Xie Chu frowned. “Are you certain?”
He had assumed the killer had underestimated Ming Jiao as an ordinary person and made a careless mistake, allowing her to escape with her life.
But now, everything seemed shrouded in strangeness. Even if the killer had been negligent, his attack should have left her severely wounded and on the brink of death. How could she appear in public, perfectly fine, let alone attend some trivial banquet in high spirits?
At this thought, Xie Chu’s tone turned grim. “I saw her with my own eyes at a banquet, and she looked completely unharmed.”
The killer found the situation genuinely peculiar. He knew better than anyone how lethal his strikes were—there was no way his target could have survived.
A flicker of excitement stirred within him. He chuckled lightly. “Two possibilities: either she can resurrect from the dead, or someone is impersonating her.”
Xie Chu’s expression remained icy. He dismissed the first possibility as utter nonsense—even an ability user with powerful regenerative abilities might not survive a pierced heart, let alone return from the dead.
But the second possibility was equally bizarre. Although he hadn’t interacted directly with Ming Jiao that evening, he could tell it was her. Her appearance, voice, demeanor, and habitual mannerisms were all identical.
After all, having grown up together, he was confident in his ability to recognize Ming Jiao.
Yet he refrained from immediate rebuttal.
The killer was not one to indulge in mystification, at least not in front of his employer. He soon added, “On the night I attacked the target, I ran into an old acquaintance. She must have recognized me. Since she didn’t pursue me immediately, it means she discovered the person I had targeted.”
His smile carried a meaningful undertone. “I believe she’s the one impersonating the deceased.”
Xie Chu asked, “Who is she?”
“Nightingale.”
Information about this ability user instantly surfaced in Xie Chu’s mind. “Someone from the Flying Bird Guild.”
“You have grievances with her too,” he remarked, though he wasn’t particularly concerned about the specific conflicts between the assassin and Nightingale. He simply added, “From what I know, she isn’t a shapeshifter-type ability user.”
He didn’t understand exactly what type of abilities Nightingale possessed, but he was certain it couldn’t just be the most basic and common type—gathering energy for attacks—that she displayed in front of others.
“She isn’t, but there might be someone like that within the Flying Bird Guild,” the assassin said. “No matter what the truth is, at least one thing I can confirm: she wants to capture me, to kill me.”
Xie Chu glanced at him, noticing his eager expression, tinged with bloodthirsty excitement. He originally wanted to say that since Ming Jiao was already dead, there was no need to provoke the Flying Bird Guild further. But he knew very well that although they had an employer-employee relationship, the assassin wouldn’t necessarily obey his every command.
Moreover, whether Ming Jiao was truly dead or not cast a shadow of doubt in his mind. This person’s life or death was crucial to him.
“Whatever you plan to do, I have only one demand of you: make sure Ming Jiao disappears completely from this world. Whether she’s alive or dead, she can only be a corpse.”
The assassin nodded. As long as the target was still “alive,” the mission wasn’t completed. Out of professional integrity, he would continue to carry out the assignment.
He vanished into the dark mist just as he had arrived. With his departure, the lakeside grew even quieter.
Xie Chu gazed at the lake’s surface, rippling in layers under the wind, much like his own unsettled heart.
Relying solely on the assassin’s account of whether Ming Jiao was dead or alive wasn’t entirely trustworthy. Who knew if he had encountered Nightingale and hadn’t had the chance to deliver the fatal blow to Ming Jiao? Or perhaps some other mishap had occurred, and he was fabricating absurd excuses to add mystery to the incident and cover up his own failure.
He decided to send another group of subordinates to keep a close watch on Ming Jiao. However, they couldn’t be the ones to kill her. If anything went wrong in the future and the Ming family traced it back to him, it would spell trouble.
Although the Ming family might not care much about her fate now, that aunt of hers had always doted on her. Bringing her to the banquet today showed she hadn’t given up on her entirely.
Then there were the ability users who had taken action against the extraterrestrial demons today, and the person who had hidden with them without making a move—who were they?
It was a pity that the villa’s surveillance during that time would inevitably be affected and wouldn’t record anything useful. If he rashly tried to retrieve the footage, it would only draw attention from those who were watching. He had no choice but to let it go for now.
Better to focus on dealing with Ming Jiao’s matter.
Xie Chu looked up at the starry night sky, seeing only endless darkness.
She was a withering flower destined to fall into the mud. Reaching out to protect her would stain his hands, but letting go would invite criticism.
So, the only solution was to ask her to disappear voluntarily.
·
The long night finally passed.
Ming Jiao lazily stretched and yawned as she stepped out of her room. Last night, after returning from the banquet, she had discussed Xie Chu with Tang Xiaoyu until late. Though tired, when she finally went back to her room to rest, she couldn’t sleep, constantly thinking about how to investigate him and where to start.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that she felt drowsy, leaving her with poor sleep.
However, the lack of sleep wasn’t entirely a bad thing—at least she had already made up her mind.
A calm and resolute determination flashed in Ming Jiao’s eyes.
The house was quiet. She glanced at the sky through the window and estimated that Tang Xiaoyu probably hadn’t gotten up yet. Although the other usually woke earlier than her, this time was still too early.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard some movement from the direction of the bathroom. Soon, Tang Xiaoyu emerged, fully dressed.
Perhaps because the weather was getting hotter, she had been wearing her cloak less often lately, and her attire had become increasingly simple.
Like now, she was wearing an apricot-colored dress. The solid-colored dress had neither embroidery nor any other intricate designs—the only adornment was the thin leather belt at her waist, making it look both neat and elegant.
Probably because she had just washed her hair, her beautiful, seaweed-like long hair was still slightly damp, but it also appeared even darker, glossier, and smoother.
When she saw Ming Jiao, a flicker of surprise passed through Tang Xiaoyu’s jet-black eyes. “You’re up so early.”
Ming Jiao casually ran her fingers through her hair. “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?”
Then she answered Tang Xiaoyu’s earlier question, “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep.”
Tang Xiaoyu instinctively adjusted the glasses on her delicate nose, confirming she hadn’t forgotten to wear them. The slight turbulence in her heart settled back into calm. “Since you’re up, don’t go back to sleep. I’ll make breakfast.”
She knew Ming Jiao had a habit of lazing in bed—even if she woke up, she wouldn’t get up early, and if she did get up, she could easily lie back down.
Ming Jiao had originally intended to go wash up, bypassing her, but paused at her words. “Don’t bother. It’s rare for me to wake up this early—let’s eat out.”
Tang Xiaoyu’s thin lips curved slightly. “So you do know it’s rare.”
Ming Jiao was momentarily dazed by her smile, her thoughts drifting again as she caught the faint scent of shampoo.
It was the same scent she often used and was accustomed to, but when Tang Xiaoyu used it, it felt distinctly different—especially when carried in by the gentle breeze from outside, as if mingled with the freshness and coolness of morning grass, inexplicably alluring.
It stirred in her a desire to reach out and touch that beautiful long hair. She forced herself to act nonchalant and coughed lightly. “Anyway, I’d feel bad making you go through all that trouble.”
Tang Xiaoyu thought back over the past few days and hadn’t seen any hint of her feeling the least bit sorry. On the contrary, she seemed perfectly at ease.
Her gaze swept over Ming Jiao, and just as she was about to say something, her eyes landed on an expanse of snowy white, prompting her to immediately look away.
Although this white cotton spaghetti-strap nightgown looked beautiful on Ming Jiao—both innocent and seductive—she couldn’t help feeling the dress was too loose.
The graceful curve of her neck and shoulders, smooth as fine jade, would inadvertently drift into her line of sight, occupying her thoughts uninvitedly when her mind was idle.
Seeing Tang Xiaoyu avert her gaze, Ming Jiao couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. In truth, this wasn’t the first time she’d noticed Tang Xiaoyu’s well-concealed discomfort—the almost shy evasion.
It was kind of adorable.
Her mischievous side stirred again, barely containable. “We’re both girls—what’s there to be shy about?”
She deliberately twirled in front of Tang Xiaoyu, then leaned in close to her shoulder with a laugh. “Besides, didn’t you see everything the night you saved me? If this were ancient times, you’d definitely have to take responsibility for me.”
Tang Xiaoyu felt a tickling sensation, too.
Ming Jiao’s hair was different from hers—it was the classic straight black hair, but when it brushed against her shoulder, it was just as soft, soft enough to make her feel itchy, itchy enough to unsettle her.
Yet, faced with such teasing, a competitive urge surged within her—a childish, uncontrollable desire not to lose.
She tilted her head and lifted her gaze, staring intently at Ming Jiao’s face. “Is that so?”
Ming Jiao met Tang Xiaoyu’s eyes through the cold, transparent lenses. The real and the illusory, yet equally beautiful faces alternated in her mind, and a faint, inexplicable sense of loss suddenly enveloped her.
She quickly snapped out of it. “Just kidding.”
·
In the bathroom, Ming Jiao casually tied her long hair into a ponytail and bent down to wash her face with cold water.
The System didn’t understand why her mood had suddenly soured after she had been chatting and laughing pleasantly with Tang Xiaoyu. It asked, 【Host, what’s wrong?】
【It’s nothing. I just find the current situation a bit troublesome.】
The System didn’t question further.
Ming Jiao bent down again, cupped another handful of water, and splashed it onto her face, hoping to wash away the lingering melancholy in her heart.
She had been quite content with her current interactions with Nightingale, even if she and Nightingale couldn’t exactly be called friends.
After all, fleeting connections could also be beautiful, untainted by any past grievances.
But Nightingale was, after all, just a part of Tang Xiaoyu, and it seemed she was no longer satisfied with just that part—she wanted more.
Human nature is indeed greedy.
A self-mocking smile curved her lips, but she quickly suppressed it. By the time she lifted her head again, her expression and mood had returned to calm.
However, when she caught a glimpse of the apricot-colored skirt from the corner of her eye, she froze instinctively.
She turned her head slowly and saw Tang Xiaoyu standing at the doorway, her dark jade-like eyes fixed unblinkingly on her. “You’ve removed all the bandages from your body.”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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