Chapter Forty-One: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

“You’re Yuan Xinghan?” Xiao Cheng scrutinized the portly old man before him, brows furrowing in curiosity. What on earth did this Yuan Xinghan have against his beloved Yu’er?

“Yes, Young Master Xiao, at your service.” Yuan Xinghan hurriedly grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself.

Seeing Yuan Xinghan’s complete change in attitude, Xiao Cheng smiled in satisfaction. He sat down on the sofa, drained his glass of red wine in one gulp, and asked, “Let’s not beat around the bush. Tell me straight—why did you go after my sister-in-law? Or rather, who put you up to it?”

Yuan Xinghan wasn’t a fool. Since Xiao Cheng had come all the way here, he must already know the gist of things. Yuan didn’t dare play games with his life, so he lowered his voice with a fawning smile, “Young Master Xiao, your foresight is truly unmatched. I never imagined you’d visit my humble abode in person. What an honor...”

Irritated, Xiao Cheng shot Yuan Xinghan a glare. Yuan awkwardly cut off his flattery and shifted his tone. “I did do it, but only because I was forced, threatened by someone else.”

Xiao Cheng gave a cold snort. Threatened? He saw no sign of coercion in this old scoundrel. Was he threatened with beautiful women? Did they threaten him all the way to bed?

Yuan Xinghan didn’t care whether Xiao Cheng believed him or not—he was a clever man. In situations like these, truth hardly mattered; what mattered was giving the other party a reason not to kill you.

“Just say who it was,” Xiao Cheng said impatiently, unwilling to listen to any more evasions.

Yuan Xinghan gritted his teeth. If he didn’t speak, he’d surely be killed; but if he did, he might also end up dead. If he wanted to survive, he had to prove his worth.

A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind. He knew everyone had their desires: some craved beauty, others power, and still others, wealth. Xiao Cheng, judging by his actions—he’d just killed Yu Qiuer without hesitation—clearly wasn’t after women. As for money, the Xiao family had no shortage of it. That left power.

So what kind of power would Xiao Cheng want? It had to be related to the family. The Xiao clan was a prominent one, and Xiao Cheng, as the only male heir of his generation, must want to control it.

Testing the waters, Yuan Xinghan asked, “Young Master Xiao, I know a bit about your esteemed family. You’re the only direct male heir of your generation. Would you like to seize the reins of power a little earlier?”

He thought his words would at least elicit some reaction. What man didn’t want power, with all its attendant benefits? But Xiao Cheng gave him no chance to observe his expression. Instead, he suddenly stood up and kicked Yuan Xinghan across the room.

Yuan Xinghan tumbled through the air, blood spewing from his mouth, his heart turning to ice. He refused to believe Xiao Cheng was some kind of saint without desires.

“You talk too much. Just say it—who told you to do this? Was it Xiao Guowei?”

At this moment, Xiao Cheng was certain that his fourth uncle, Xiao Guowei, was behind it all.

The Xiao family guarded their secrets jealously. Since this old scoundrel knew so much about them, he must have dealings with someone inside. As for who’d have a motive to target his sister-in-law, only Xiao Guowei fit the bill. Who else would go after a woman with no ambitions or desires?

“How did you know?”

Yuan Xinghan stared in disbelief at Xiao Cheng’s words. How could he possibly know about his covert dealings with Xiao Guowei? Their connection was so secret that no one else was aware—not a soul except the two of them.

How did Xiao Cheng know all this? It was impossible. Absolutely impossible.

He’d thought the secret he carried would be his last bargaining chip, his final hope for survival, but Xiao Cheng already knew everything.

With Yuan Xinghan’s confirmation, murderous intent surged in Xiao Cheng’s heart. So it was indeed his fourth uncle. Hmph! After failing to take down his sister-in-law by helping Qiao Yifeng, now he’d hired someone to do it directly. So even in his previous life, when his sister-in-law was in that car accident, it was all orchestrated by Xiao Guowei. Fortunately, she’d been lucky enough to survive.

Xiao Cheng had always suspected Xiao Guowei was behind the accident, but now he finally had proof. What a venomous man—betraying his own family and even plotting Yu’er’s death.

Of course, Xiao Cheng didn’t bother explaining to Yuan Xinghan how he knew all this. It was all based on his knowledge of the future; since he knew Xiao Guowei would defect from the family with Shanghai Xiao Pharmaceuticals two years from now, the rest was easy to deduce.

Only Xiao Cheng could have made these connections; anyone else would have found it impossible. Xiao Guowei had always kept his true nature hidden. Even Fang Yujia couldn’t pin anything on him, and the rest of the family had no idea what kind of person he really was. Most thought he was a decent, honest man.

As Xiao Cheng drew closer, Yuan Xinghan trembled in terror, the blanket slipping from his body without his even noticing.

“Don’t kill me, Young Master Xiao! I’m still useful to you. I know a lot about Xiao Guowei—I can help you bring him down, even control him!” Yuan Xinghan blurted out in desperation.

“Why bring him down? Why control him?” Xiao Cheng smiled coldly. “Wouldn’t it be simpler to just kill him?”

“But he’s your elder. Killing him would ruin your reputation. I can help you deal with him quietly—” Yuan Xinghan’s words were cut short, never to be spoken again.

A thin red line appeared across Yuan Xinghan’s neck, blood welling from the wound. He clutched at his throat, but it was useless. Foam bubbled from his mouth as regret consumed him. Why had he ever tried to harm Fang Yujia? Why did Fang Yujia have such a monstrous brother-in-law?

Xiao Cheng watched the dying Yuan Xinghan writhing on the floor without a trace of pity. He’d brought this on himself—of all people to target, he’d chosen Xiao Cheng’s sister-in-law. For anything else, perhaps Xiao Cheng could have shown mercy, but this had crossed his bottom line.

Following the same method as when he arrived, Xiao Cheng formed a seal with his left hand and, as if stepping through a curtain of water, walked straight through the wall and vanished.

Not yet fully dead, Yuan Xinghan watched this scene in shock, eyes wide with terror. There were people who could walk through walls—walk through walls... The horror filled his heart, but it was a secret he would never have the chance to share.

His pupils dilated, his body convulsed, and all life left him.

Xiao Cheng exited the villa. The bodyguards inside sensed nothing, assuming their employer was still enjoying himself in the bedroom, wholly unaware he was now a corpse.

Leaving the villa complex, Xiao Cheng drove straight to his fourth uncle Xiao Guowei’s residence. At first, he hadn’t planned to deal with Xiao Guowei so soon, but after tonight, he had no reason to hesitate.

He had no way out now—having just killed Yuan Xinghan, it wouldn’t be long before Xiao Guowei found out. Once he was on guard, it would be even harder to deal with him.

Though Xiao Cheng was only at the peak of the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment and likely no match for Xiao Guowei, a master of internal martial arts, he figured he’d never know unless he tried. Even if he couldn’t win, he could at least protect himself.

Xiao Guowei didn’t live with the family but stayed in a seaside villa. Xiao Cheng floored the accelerator, speeding there at the limit.

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[There should be another chapter later tonight. Thank you all for your support!]

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