Chapter Seventy-Three: So That's How It Is

Yun Tingyu was very considerate. Noticing that Xiao Cheng had serious matters to attend to, she sat gracefully by his side, resting her delicate chin in her hand as she watched the computer screen, quiet and demure, like a young girl from next door who had yet to grow up.

All these videos were from the time frame between one and one-thirty that night. Yun Hongliang had arranged everything meticulously—each video file was numbered, and at the end, he had even provided a traffic map, with the video numbers corresponding perfectly to points on the map. This saved Xiao Cheng a great deal of effort.

He opened the first surveillance video. As it was nighttime footage, the images were rather dim, but the license plates and car colors were still clear enough to make out, so it wasn't a problem. He fast-forwarded through the footage, finding nothing out of the ordinary, but he memorized all the license plates anyway. Opening the second video, he began to sift through them, retaining only the useful plate numbers.

It wasn't until the fifth video that Xiao Cheng noticed something amiss. His interest piqued, he replayed the fifth segment and discovered a black Audi A8. There was nothing remarkable about this car—except for the license plate, which was all too familiar to him: XS999.

This Audi A8 was the personal vehicle of the old master.

Why would this car appear here so late at night? Xiao Cheng was puzzled and continued to watch the next video. He saw that the Audi A8 traveled south along Guilin Road and disappeared after passing Guilin Park. In the subsequent footage, the car was nowhere to be seen.

Yet, fifteen minutes later, the same Audi A8 reappeared on North Qinzhou Road.

Xiao Cheng let out a cold chuckle. The time during which the Audi vanished coincided exactly with the time of Qiao Junhao’s lover’s death. Moreover, Tianhe Residential Area was right at the end of Guilin Road. Could it be that the mastermind behind everything was the old master?

He shook his head. There was no reason for the old master to go to such lengths against him. It wasn't just because of their relationship, but also due to the old master's character. The old man cared deeply about his reputation and would never stoop to such underhanded methods. Besides, even if he wanted to deal with Xiao Cheng, he had no need to involve Guanyu Security.

Then it could only be Wang Qiyi!

Only Wang Qiyi had the authority to use this Audi A8; no one else had the keys.

Yes, it must be Wang Qiyi.

Xiao Cheng nodded to himself. What happened that night seemed directed at Zhuo Qinglian, but in truth, it was aimed at him. He didn’t understand why Wang Qiyi would want to harm him, but Wang Qiyi was indeed a variable. If Wang Qiyi was involved, then many recent doubts would be resolved.

Why had rumors of his “illicit affair” with Fang Yujia spread? The old master valued his reputation and would never publicize such things, so it must have been Wang Qiyi. If Wang Qiyi had long sought to harm him, spreading such rumors made perfect sense.

How did the Qiao family come into contact with Guanyu Security? Wang Qiyi would certainly have the means to make that connection.

Why hadn’t the Qiao family chosen the renowned Bloodguard Security in Shanghai? Families of the Qiao and Hongde Pavilion’s status would never know that Bloodguard Security belonged to the Xiao family, so why look further afield? Clearly, Wang Qiyi knew Bloodguard Security was a Xiao family enterprise and that they would never kill their own young master, so another company had to be chosen.

Of course, to judge Wang Qiyi as the mastermind based on this alone would be rash, even reckless—there were still many people who could fit these criteria.

But Xiao Cheng knew the key fact: in his previous life, during the family’s extermination, Wang Qiyi, who was the old master’s right-hand dog and the clan’s top expert, had vanished without a trace and never appeared at all.

He had thought of this before, but had dismissed it as coincidence. Now, with so many coincidences strung together, it was no longer possible to explain it away. It was fact.

So it was Wang Qiyi behind all of this, hiding himself deeply. Xiao Cheng smiled coldly, his expression glacial. If not for being reborn, he would never have uncovered the dangers lurking beneath the surface.

It seemed Wang Qiyi’s identity was far from simple. Otherwise, how could he have escaped the disaster that wiped out the family?

Now that he knew Wang Qiyi was the culprit, Xiao Cheng felt oddly at ease. Such people always plotted carefully and would never expose themselves easily. In the short term, he would not act rashly. As for what Wang Qiyi hoped to gain by remaining in the family, or why he targeted Xiao Cheng, those were questions Xiao Cheng could neither answer nor care to consider.

Since he now knew Wang Qiyi was trouble, Xiao Cheng had plenty of ways to play along.

“Cheng-ge, you look so wicked when you smile—like a villain!” Yun Tingyu blinked her large eyes and pouted at him, pretending to be scared, utterly adorable.

She had seen his cold smile just now, but far from being frightened, she thought it was amusing.

“A villain? Oh! I am a villain, and now I’m going to rob you!” Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but laugh. He had no immunity to Yun Tingyu’s cuteness. Playing along with her little games was a joy in itself.

“Wahaha, are you after my money or my looks?” Yun Tingyu put on a pitiful face, crossing her arms over her chest as if to ward him off.

Xiao Cheng’s lips twitched in embarrassment. “Well, I suppose I’ll just rob you of your money then!”

“Bah, how boring! I’m not playing anymore!” Yun Tingyu pouted and plopped herself down in the chair, ignoring him entirely.

Xiao Cheng sighed again. Girls these days were impossible to understand. Why would she feel bored if he didn’t rob her of her looks, as if that was what he was supposed to do? She was a budding beauty, but did she not realize how young she still was?

Just then, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He opened it to find a text from Zhuo Qinglian.

“Your grandfather has come to Jade Buddha Temple looking for you. He made it clear he’ll wait until you arrive… But don’t worry, we have plenty of people on our side. He won’t do anything.”

Seeing this message, Xiao Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. He knew Zhuo Qinglian’s nature—she was extremely tough. If she could handle things, she’d never have sent him a text. She even mentioned that they had the numbers, so could things have gotten physical?

“I’ll be there within an hour!” Xiao Cheng replied immediately.

He didn’t understand why the old master, who had always cherished his reputation, would do something as unseemly as blocking the door and demanding someone come out. Why this sudden change? Was this more of Wang Qiyi’s meddling?

Ever since the incident with Zhuo Qinglian six years ago, which caused his power to dissipate, the Xiao family had believed she led him astray, and their attitude toward her had been cold ever since. For the old master to seek her out personally now suggested the matter was grave. Xiao Cheng was deeply concerned for Zhuo Qinglian’s safety.

“Tingyu, I have to go out for a bit. You’ll be home alone for a while—your mother will be back in about two hours, so you should—”

He paused mid-sentence, suddenly feeling it was unwise to leave Yun Tingyu home alone, given her current unstable condition. If her illness acted up, what then?

“Never mind, you’d better come with me. But you must behave!” Xiao Cheng changed tack.

“Yay!” Yun Tingyu jumped three feet high, her glossy bangs bouncing with excitement.

She hadn’t been out in ages, usually confined to home, with the beach as the farthest destination. Although the beach was beautiful, it grew tiresome after a while. Now, being invited out was something she couldn’t wish for more.

With the lively girl in tow, Xiao Cheng made his way swiftly to Jade Buddha Temple, arriving in just forty minutes.

Stepping into the temple, he walked to the north wing. The scene before him made him stop in his tracks—Zhuo Qinglian’s people were truly formidable in number.

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[It just feels odd not to say something at the end of the page, so here I am—rolling on the ground begging for votes, collections, likes, and everything else! Rolling on the ground, really!]