Everyone Thought The Fake Heiress Had Her Reasons Ch. 30
At the same time, Xie Chu listened to his subordinate’s report and casually tossed the documents he had been holding back onto the table. “Ming Lang is investigating me.”
Under the bright lights, shadows contrasted sharply. He sat by the window, half his face hidden in the dim light filtering through, making him appear somewhat inscrutable.
His tone carried a mix of annoyance and nonchalance. “Why has she suddenly set her sights on me?”
It might not necessarily be targeting—perhaps just suspicion.
Xie Chu thought. Ming Jiao trusted her aunt the most. After the incident, she might not tell anyone else, but she would definitely seek her aunt’s help.
Though Ming Jiao was a fool, her aunt seemed to have some clarity and brains. And while he himself always put on a thorough act, from a purely utilitarian perspective, he still had suspicions.
So it wasn’t strange for the aunt to suspect him.
Thinking this, a playful smile appeared on Xie Chu’s handsome face. “With her methods, she won’t find anything. But we shouldn’t underestimate her too much.”
His tone gradually turned cold. “Keep a close watch on her. Make sure she doesn’t stumble upon any other clues among the fools in the family by accident.”
The subordinate acknowledged the order but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he added, “There’s one more thing. Her relationship with the Ming family’s second young lady might not be as simple as it seems on the surface.”
Although Ming Jiao and Tang Xiaoyu were born on the same day, the Ming family’s investigation confirmed that Ming Jiao was the elder of the two. When ranking them, she remained the second, Tang Xiaoyu became the third, and Ming Yue was relegated to fourth.
The subordinate had been with Xie Chu for many years and still used the old habit of referring to Ming Jiao, not having adjusted yet.
Of course, Xie Chu didn’t care about such trivial matters, and the subordinate didn’t beat around the bush in front of his boss.
He had just reported things in order of importance and now continued without delay, explaining how they had reverse-tracked and investigated after discovering the aunt’s movements.
They later found that the aunt’s previous deployment of people to guard the Rose Garden was likely not to protect Ming Jiao but to monitor her. There were also other traces suggesting this wasn’t the first time the aunt had taken similar actions, though further investigation was needed to learn more.
Xie Chu’s expression turned astonished. No matter how much he had speculated, he never expected such a situation. Moreover, he wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the aunt.
In his perception, the aunt and Ming Jiao were extremely close. There was no reason or possibility for the aunt to treat her this way.
Was it that the Ming family harbored many secrets, or had his subordinates made an error in their investigation, leading to some mistaken assumptions?
Compared to the latter, he leaned more toward the former.
After pondering for a while, Xie Chu asked his subordinate, “Is there a written report on this?”
The subordinate nodded toward the stack of documents on the table. “Yes, it’s at the bottom.”
Xie Chu pulled out the few pages stapled together at the very bottom and skimmed through them. The investigation process was clearly outlined, with orderly records of the occasions the monitors had appeared and their interactions with the aunt.
They had even prepared a written investigation report, and such a detailed one at that. Unless his subordinates had been misled by someone with ulterior motives, it had to be true.
He was already more than halfway convinced.
“How interesting,” Xie Chu remarked with a sarcastic curl of his lips. “You…”
He was about to say something when he suddenly sensed something and gestured for his subordinate to leave. “You may go now.”
The subordinate withdrew silently as usual, and the moment the door closed, the empty chair opposite Xie Chu was suddenly enveloped in a dark mist.
From the mist emerged a pair of powerful arms, followed by long legs, quickly revealing the figure of a man in black—the hunter.
“Did you hear what we were discussing?” Xie Chu turned to face him directly.
The hunter nodded. “I did.”
With a wave of his hand, a wisp of dark mist, like a slender serpent, lifted a photograph from the table and swiftly delivered it to his hand.
The hunter raised the photo. The person in it was smiling radiantly, exuding unparalleled beauty—it was Ming Jiao.
“Abandoned by her family, targeted by her fiancé, and even those closest to her seem to have ulterior motives. A pitiful and tragic woman.”
He delivered his assessment without emotion, like a dragon looking down upon ants from on high.
Yet he hadn’t come all this way just to spout meaningless remarks.
Soon, he revealed the information he had gathered and his purpose. “As expected, she’s under the protection of the Flying Birds. But right now, only that kid, Shan Que, is with her.”
Xie Chu wasn’t particularly familiar with the Flying Birds, having only heard of a few active members and never meeting any of them formally.
The codename “Shan Que” brought to mind the most basic information: the youngest member of the Flying Birds.
He wasn’t one to discriminate by age, but still asked, “Only her? Are they not taking Ming Jiao’s situation seriously, or is there a trap waiting for you?”
The hunter replied, “Based on my understanding of their movements, they’re largely stretched thin.”
He continued, “The main force of the Flying Birds has gone to Qingshui Town in the neighboring city. They won’t be back anytime soon. So even if there is a trap, at most, it would only add Nightingale to the mix.”
Xie Chu thought to himself that the hunter was well-informed, though it wasn’t surprising for someone to keep tabs on a rival faction. “So, what do you plan to do?”
Was he here to share information or to ask Xie Chu, as the employer, to provide backup?
Clearly, it was the former. “Whatever the Flying Birds are planning, I’m confident I can send that pitiful woman and the kid to their graves before anyone else arrives. But after hearing your conversation, I wondered if I should do a little more—turn the person who suspects you into the murderer.”
He chuckled. “That kind of twist would surely be a delightful surprise for them.”
Whether Aunt would be surprised or not, Xie Chu didn’t know, but he would certainly be pleased if things went according to plan.
However, after the initial temptation, Xie Chu dismissed the idea. No matter what conflicts existed between them, in everyone’s eyes, Aunt was the closest to Ming Jiao. While anyone in the world might want Ming Jiao dead, Aunt wouldn’t—at least, that’s what he had believed until today, and others would think the same.
“Framing Ming Lang for this won’t convince anyone. It would only bring endless trouble. Stick to your original plan.”
The hunter felt a tinge of regret at not being able to orchestrate such a dramatic twist, but on second thought, avoiding unnecessary trouble wasn’t a bad thing. He nodded in agreement.
Just as he was about to outline his plan to facilitate Xie Chu’s cleanup, he noticed Xie Chu’s expression suddenly shift, as if struck by a thought. “You said something earlier that made a lot of sense.”
The hunter was taken aback.
Xie Chu repeated what he had just said, “Since we’re being suspected, let’s create a truth that satisfies her.”
If Aunt was the person least likely to kill Ming Jiao in this world, then there was one person who was most likely to kill her.
There was probably no one in this world more suited to be the murderer than Tang Xiaoyu. Compared to him, he believed Aunt would also suspect Tang Xiaoyu more. Besides, he didn’t believe Tang Xiaoyu didn’t hate Ming Jiao or had never thought about killing her.
In that case, he would help her fulfill this wish—only the price for fulfilling the wish would have to be paid by herself.
Xie Chu’s mind flashed with Tang Xiaoyu’s face, as elegant as pear blossoms and as cool as the moon, and for a moment he felt a pang of regret.
What a pity. Whether it was her face or her family background, she was a high-quality marriage target. Moreover, the unattainable flower always aroused a special desire for conquest.
But if one were to actually pursue her, there were aspects that would draw criticism. So no matter how beautiful or exquisite a piece of jade might be, once it has flaws, it can only be discarded and replaced with another—just like Ming Jiao before.
Thinking this, Xie Chu raised his head again to look at the assassin. “I have a new plan now that requires your cooperation.”
·
The next day, in what could no longer be considered early morning, Ming Jiao emerged from her room with her dark hair cascading loosely and wearing that white cotton nightgown.
The bookstore was quiet. She instinctively glanced around when she heard the System say, 【Don’t look around, Host. The female lead left early in the morning.】
Hearing this, Ming Jiao felt somewhat disappointed. She then lazily stretched her slender yet strong waist, letting her disheveled long hair slide over her smooth shoulders.
【What I admire most about her is her ability to wake up early. The temptation of the morning bed is much stronger for me than at night.】
【But she’s always coming and going in such a hurry. We barely spoke a few words yesterday.】
System, 【…】
With how clingy you are toward the female lead, I don’t think you’ll ever leave in this lifetime.
Forget it. A good System should say things that make the Host happy.
【Host, although the female lead left early in the morning, she made breakfast for you.】
Ming Jiao, who was heading to the bathroom to wash up, paused. Delight spread in her beautiful peach-blossom eyes. 【Really? She…】
【She’s just too good,】 the System finished her thought. 【Absolutely considerate. Host, your repertoire of compliments is a bit limited. I have plenty of alternatives in my database. Listen to them later and use them next time you praise the female lead.】
Ming Jiao laughed. 【System, you’re very considerate too. Truly my soulmate in life.】
Jokes aside, after actually eating the breakfast Tang Xiaoyu had prepared, Ming Jiao felt an indescribable emotion stirring within her. Calling it gratitude felt too distant, calling it touched didn’t seem to capture the full complexity.
She couldn’t help but sigh and confide in her soulmate, 【System, this is really dangerous. Maybe one day I’ll fall for her completely.】
The System was surprised. 【Hasn’t your heart belonged to the female lead for a long time already?】
As for her body—if not for fear of repaying kindness with enmity, she might have already offered it.
Ming Jiao’s lips curved. The downside of usually bickering too much was that when she talked about serious matters, the System thought she was joking.
She suddenly remembered the soft, delicate warmth of the palm that had covered her eyes last night, and her heartbeat quickened unconsciously.
【I’m just… worried that she’s so good to me because she’s Nightingale.】
Viewing a victim who nearly suffered harm with absolute rationality, her gentle nature instinctively soothed and pitied her.
【Once this matter is over and she becomes Tang Xiaoyu again, she’ll never pay attention to me anymore.】
If Tang Xiaoyu were just Tang Xiaoyu, then she would be the person she most despised and perhaps even hated.
So Host, you really can’t walk away, the System thought.
But as an objective observer, it could perceive the gradual softening in Tang Xiaoyu’s attitude towards Ming Jiao.
Even knowing who she was, her attitude continued to soften. No matter what might happen next, their relationship likely wouldn’t take a terrible turn.
【Then Host, what kind of relationship do you actually want to have with the protagonist?】 the System asked.
If the goal was just friendly coexistence without being disliked, that should have already been achieved.
【Of course, to become friends with her.】 Ming Jiao’s words came out without hesitation.
She wanted to call her by name openly, without worrying that a slip of the tongue might shatter the current peace. She didn’t want to fear that once everything was over, she’d be relegated to the category of disliked strangers.
It would be even better if they could often be together—if they could meet every day, that would be ideal. Besides discussing necessary matters, occasional casual chats would be nice too.
As she pondered, a flicker of hesitation and confusion suddenly passed through Ming Jiao’s eyes. In her original world, she had many friends around her. Thinking back carefully, those friendships had formed naturally after they met and clicked.
None had ever made her feel so conflicted. So surely, she just wanted to be friends with Tang Xiaoyu, right?
Just as Ming Jiao was about to share her occasional worries and confusion with the System, the phone she had casually placed on the coffee table suddenly rang.
She instinctively turned to look, and the System promptly reported, 【Host, it’s your Aunt.】
This unexpected call interrupted Ming Jiao’s train of thought. Seeing the caller wiped away the occasional melancholy she had been feeling, replacing it with the thrill and determination of human interaction.
【Calling me so early in the morning—could it be that she’s made some progress?】
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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