"This isn’t my fault."

The man in "colorful clothes" shook his head, his voice high and thin, as if squeezed from a pinhole.

"Not your fault?"

Zhao Xinhua laughed. "You found the men, you picked the spot, and you swore up and down to me that there would be no problems..."

"And what happened?"

Zhao Xinhua’s expression turned savage, and his voice became cold. "I could have overlooked you grabbing an extra person."

"But then Fu Juemin had to show up out of nowhere and ruin every single one of our plans!"

"How was I supposed to know those idiot bandits would get it in their heads to grab an extra person? Once I saw they’d brought the target to the location, I rushed off to let you know. How could I have possibly guessed someone would just happen to stumble upon them?"

The man’s voice was high and thin, and his movements were unnervingly feminine. Paired with a face that was somehow both bewitching and ugly, it made Zhao Xinhua’s brow knit in disgust.

"A coincidence? Was it really a coincidence? He was tailing you the entire way, and you didn’t even notice..."

"Impossible!"

The man cried out. "Why would he follow me for no reason? I even changed my clothes and washed my face!"

"Then how can there be such a coincidence in this world? That of all people, it had to be Fu Juemin who stumbled upon it..."

"Why not? This is the only forest for miles around!"

"Enough!"

Zhao Xinhua suddenly cut off their argument. He took a deep breath, composing himself. "There’s no point arguing about this now."

"The priority now is figuring out how to fix this..."

He looked up at the tall, thin man before him and said coldly, "If we mess up Marshal Ming’s plans, you know how severe the consequences will be."

At the mention of Marshal Ming’s name, the tall, thin man’s expression faltered, despite his sinister air.

"Tell me, then. How do we fix this?"

the man asked.

Zhao Xinhua’s eyes glinted as he spoke slowly. "The original plan was for you to have your men rape Xu Leyi. Then I would show up with my own people, and once the scandal broke, the marriage contract between the Xu and Fu Families would have to be terminated.

With Xu Leyi’s reputation ruined, it’s unlikely anyone else in Luan River County would be willing to marry her.

Then, I would graciously overlook her ’shame,’ and using the leverage of having ’rescued’ her, I would offer to marry into the family. Given the rapport I’ve built with Xu Leyi recently, Xu Shirong would surely give his permission. I’d move into the Xu Family household, bide my time, and then coordinate with Marshal Ming from the inside..."

"But now... I’m afraid that plan is no longer viable."

"Stop beating around the bush,"

the tall, thin man snapped impatiently. "Get to the point."

Zhao Xinhua adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and said flatly, "I need you to kill Fu Juemin."

"What’s the point of killing him?"

The tall, thin man frowned.

"If we kill Fu Juemin, Xu Leyi will be without a fiancé, and I’ll still have my chance. What’s more, with Fu Juemin dead—given the Fu Family’s power and the tempers of the brothers Fu Guosheng and Fu Guoping—Luan River will descend into chaos. That will make it much easier for us to make our move..."

"The Fu Family has a master martial artist."

A flicker of fear crossed the tall, thin man’s eyes. "I’ve heard his heartbeat. It’s as strong as a battle drum. I’m no match for him."

"No matter how good that master is, he can’t be with Fu Juemin twenty-four hours a day. Can’t you just lure him out?"

Zhao Xinhua said coldly, "You have to get this done. You chose to cooperate with our Fire Cloud Army; there’s no backing out now.

You should know what Marshal Ming is capable of. If you displease him... never mind you, even that ’master’ of yours... Heh heh..."

Zhao Xinhua let out a cold laugh.

The threat was palpable. The tall, thin man’s expression flickered.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth. "This is the last time. Next time, it won’t matter if you try to use Marshal Ming to threaten me.

You don’t call all the shots in the Fire Cloud Army, Zhao Xinhua..." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

With that, the man stepped back and quickly vanished into the shadows of the trees.

Zhao Xinhua watched the man leave, his face expressionless. He reached up, straightened the collar of his Zhongshan suit, and then turned to depart.

........

The Xu Family’s car traveled along the dirt road back to town. The atmosphere inside was heavy. Xu Leyi sat silently in the back, her younger sister, Xu Xinyi, still nestled tightly against her side.

"Explain yourself. What exactly happened?"

Xu Shirong’s voice came from the front seat, tinged with an authority that brooked no argument.

Xu Leyi, who had been sitting stock-still, stirred. She began to speak slowly, "I had just finished my meeting with Sir Lawrence at the Shengchang Fragrance House..."

"How many times have I told you not to associate with that Westerner!"

Xu Leyi had barely begun to speak before Xu Shirong cut her off harshly. "Any business the Fu Family refuses is business the Xu Family is forbidden to touch! That is the rule, do you understand?!

"I put you in charge of the family business to help me, not to cause more trouble for me!"

"And why can’t we?!"

Xu Leyi suddenly grew agitated. "Father, I had someone in Shenghai investigate Lawrence’s background. He’s a Royal Knight from Viliduo, with several factories and thousands of acres of cotton fields to his name.

"If we can secure this connection, we won’t have to be at the beck and call of the Fu Family anymore..."

"Shut up!"

Xu Shirong cut her off, his voice cold. "You call those paltry connections of yours a network? Do you really think the information you dug up is true?

"Never mind."

Xu Shirong waved his hand in irritation. "Let’s drop this for now. Continue with what happened during the kidnapping."

Xu Leyi bit her lip and recounted the ordeal, her face expressionless.

The moment she finished, Xu Xinyi gasped. "Sis, are you saying... Brother Lingjun killed all the bandits by himself? That the whole bodyguard story was fake?"

"It’s just a guess."

Xu Leyi said, hesitating. "I was in the sack at the time, but I’m certain I only heard Fu Lingjun’s voice."

"Oh my god..."

Xu Xinyi covered her mouth with one hand, her pretty face a mask of disbelief. That expression quickly melted into one of unconcealed admiration and worship.

"I never knew Brother Lingjun was so incredible..."

She looked at Xu Leyi, her eyes swimming with envy. "Sister, it’s just like something out of a movie."

In the face of her sister’s romantic notions, Xu Leyi remained impassive.

She felt nothing romantic about it. Instead, a strong and inexplicable sense of humiliation washed over her.

Even now, she couldn’t get the image out of her head: the look in Fu Juemin’s eyes when he ripped open the burlap sack and saw her.

Shock, surprise... but not a trace of the joy she had longed to see.

It was as if... he had rescued a total stranger.

Xu Leyi unconsciously tightened her grip on the leather seat beneath her.

"This should have been a good thing..."

Xu Shirong suddenly snorted, his face ashen with fury. "But look at the mess you’ve made!

"As the eldest daughter of the Xu Family, already engaged, you’re still getting tangled up with other men! And to be seen by your fiancé’s family, to be made a laughingstock in front of everyone... How am I supposed to show my face in public?!"

"...Tomorrow, I will personally take you to the Fu Family to explain this whole affair."

"You had better pray the Fu Family holds no grudge over this. Otherwise..."

Xu Shirong’s voice was ice-cold, leaving no room for argument. "From this day forward, the family business is no longer your concern. You will just quietly be the family’s eldest daughter.

"As for the Fu Family..."

His gaze flickered to the back seat, landing on his younger daughter. "If necessary, we will have Xinyi marry into their family in your stead."

"Huh?!"

Caught completely off guard, Xu Xinyi let out a soft cry.

She froze for a moment. Then, subconsciously, slowly, inch by inch, she loosened her grip on her sister’s arm.

Xu Leyi watched as a rift instantly formed between her and her sister. She looked from her sister to the cold, indifferent back of her father in the front seat. In that moment, she suddenly felt as if the entire world had abandoned her.