Chapter 033
Chapter 33: A Fake Act
Shi Zi Chu gazed at Chu Zhi Rou, who had fainted without a hint of flaw, and her eyes shimmered with a longing for knowledge.
Xu Zhou Ye, who had rushed forward to catch Chu Zhi Rou, looked down at the pale, fragile face in his arms, and his eyes overflowed with tenderness.
He lifted his head and shouted at Shi Zi Chu, “Shi Zi Chu, can’t you stop being so aggressive?”
Shi Zi Chu blinked.
“This mess was caused by you. You better go solve it now! Otherwise, I’ll drag you to Cloud Riding Bank myself to fix it!”
With those final words, Xu Zhou Ye swiftly turned, carrying Chu Zhi Rou in his arms as he made his way out.
As Chu Zhi Rou fainted, Pei Qing You lost his ability to think. His mind and heart were completely consumed by his love for her.
Indeed, he was the young master of the Returning Cloud Sect, and before leaving, he even remembered to bow respectfully to Ye He Qi.
After they left, Shi Zi Chu turned her gaze to Ye He Qi, then raised her hand to clutch her chest, showing an expression of pain.
Seeing her act this way, Ye He Qi’s eyes flickered with clear distaste. His soft, elegant voice was as sharp as a poisoned blade, “So fake.”
“It shouldn’t be like this,” Shi Zi Chu said as she reflected for a moment, “Did I not perform it well enough?”
Ye He Qi glanced at her face, which was unreasonably flushed with good health, and spoke slowly, “Why don’t you look in the mirror?”
Shi Zi Chu raised her hand to touch her own face.
Realizing her flawless complexion, Shi Zi Chu gave up on the act, took up her chopsticks, and continued eating her breakfast.
After finishing the meal, Ye He Qi led Shi Zi Chu to his study.
The Study
The quiet study was filled with the calming fragrance of sandalwood incense, its smoke curling up and spreading in the air.
Ye He Qi sat, handling documents, while Shi Zi Chu sat in a side chair, studying a martial art technique.
The book in her hands, titled Sudden Rain Torrent, was the highlight of last night’s auction.
“Clan Chief, Madam Liu Cui Yu seeks an audience,” came a voice from outside the door, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.
Shi Zi Chu looked up, meeting Ye He Qi’s eyes.
Ye He Qi glanced at the screen behind him, signaling for Shi Zi Chu to step behind it.
Shi Zi Chu closed the book and moved behind the screen.
The bamboo screen divided the study into two spaces—one for handling matters and meetings, and the other a private resting area.
Though meant as a resting space, it was tastefully decorated with soft lounges, tables, chairs, and even potted flowers and plants.
Shi Zi Chu casually found a chair to sit and continued flipping through her technique book.
Liu Cui Yu entered the study, briefly glancing at her son sitting in the armchair, before heading straight to a side to sit.
Before Ye He Qi could ask about her visit, Liu Cui Yu spoke up, her tone sharp, “How did Rou Rou faint in your Bamboo Cloud Courtyard?”
“She was already injured and ran around,” Ye He Qi’s voice remained calm and refined, as always.
“Hmph,” Liu Cui Yu sneered, “It was clearly Shi Zi Chu who bullied Rou Rou! I already know about the Cloud Riding Bank incident!”
Almost a hundred million spirit stones!
It was definitely that little wretch Shi Zi Chu who bribed the steward at Cloud Riding Bank!
Ye He Qi lifted a cup of tea, intending to drink, but he paused as Liu Cui Yu continued to rage, “She’s just an orphan, and she dares to collude with a steward to bully Rou Rou. I’ll make her pay for this!”
His hand froze mid-air, but he then calmly took a sip of tea.
Liu Cui Yu eyed her son, her tone shifting to one of a mother’s authority, “He Qi, Rou Rou is your little sister! How can you let her be treated this way without doing anything?”
Ye He Qi set down his tea cup and replied with his usual gentle voice, “If Venerable Xing Lan knew you sent Yu Wen Ying into the Floating Flower Secret Realm, what would he say?”
Liu Cui Yu’s face froze for a moment before she sneered, “She’s just an orphan! How important can she be to Venerable Xing Lan? Besides, isn’t Rou Rou his personal disciple?”
“I think Venerable Xing Lan favors Rou Rou more,” Liu Cui Yu raised her eyebrows, a smug look on her face.
Ye He Qi smiled but said nothing.
Favored Chu Zhi Rou?
“By the way, Wan Yan Qian bought a drifting flower at auction. Rou Rou needs a rejuvenation pill to heal her injuries. Why don’t you buy the drifting flower from her?”
Seeing Liu Cui Yu’s air of entitlement, Ye He Qi smiled and replied, “Why not let Eldest Young Master Chen do it?”
With millions of spirit stones in hand, he wouldn’t waste them on Chu Zhi Rou!
Liu Cui Yu’s face darkened immediately, but Ye He Qi still maintained his calm smile.
“The Cloud Riding Bank matter has already reached Venerable Xing Lan. I won’t intervene.”
He snapped his fingers, and a guard immediately entered, bowing to Liu Cui Yu, “Madam, please!”
Liu Cui Yu stood up, furious, pointing at Ye He Qi, “You—!”
“You—you cold-blooded, heartless wretch!” Liu Cui Yu yelled.
Clearly frustrated that she hadn’t achieved her objective, she didn’t want to leave.
But this wasn’t a place where she could throw a tantrum. The guard swiftly escorted her out.
The door closed, and the study returned to its quiet solitude.
Ye He Qi, having finished reading a document, stood and walked toward the screen.
Seeing that Shi Zi Chu was nearly done with the book, he sat in a nearby chair and asked, “How is it?”
“As expected, it’s a rare offensive technique,” Shi Zi Chu spoke without looking up, “What does Clan Chief Ye want me to do for you?”
There was no such thing as a free lunch with Ye He Qi. If he had shown her the technique, it was clearly priced.
“It seems Young Master Jiang has no use for Daoist Shi,” Ye He Qi leaned lazily in his chair.
Shi Zi Chu kept her eyes on the book.
“I’ve discovered something interesting. Would you care to give me your opinion, Daoist Shi?”
His voice was tinged with a faint coldness. Shi Zi Chu glanced up, her gaze meeting his.
Seeing the frosty look in Ye He Qi’s eyes, she quickly turned away, not answering, but instead asking, “Has Clan Chief Ye resolved the gu venom?”
Given Jiang Wan Sheng’s abilities, dealing with such a venom would be simple for him.
Ye He Qi turned his head slowly, looking at Shi Zi Chu, his smile deepening. “I think Daoist Shi could solve the venom.”
Shi Zi Chu turned the page in her book, then countered, “What would I gain from lying to you?”
Ye He Qi paused in mock thought, “Are you trying to use my hand to find Young Master Jiang?”
Jiang Wan Sheng might be mad, but his status and power were clear, and in front of Shi Zi Chu, he was obviously in a lower position.
A weapon capable of cutting through anything had been lost, and she would surely find a way to retrieve it.
“What interesting thing?” Shi Zi Chu’s soft voice brought the conversation back.
Sometimes, an answer that didn’t address the question was itself an answer.
Moreover, Jiang Wan Sheng had come from the South Courtyard this morning, but his assigned quarters weren’t in that part of the estate.
“You tell me, who benefits the most if I die?” Ye He Qi’s voice was laced with a hint of amusement.
Noticing the curious look on Ye He Qi’s face, Shi Zi Chu leaned back in her chair and looked at his delicate, refined face.
If Ye He Qi died, the greatest beneficiary would be Chu Zhi Rou.
Shi Zi Chu narrowed her eyes.
She had previously forced the system to reveal the so-called plot.
Later in the story, Chu Zhi Rou did become the clan chief of the Ye family. This was partly because Ye He Qi’s line had been severed after his death and partly because Chu Zhi Rou had been taken on as a disciple by Venerable Xing Lan, reaching the Great Ascension stage by that time.
The cause of Ye He Qi’s death was most likely the gu venom. So where did the venom come from?
“Liu Cui Yu?”
The question came out of nowhere, but Ye He Qi understood immediately.
“How did you guess?”
Ye He Qi regarded Shi Zi Chu with more interest.
Since the time before, she had only met Liu Cui Yu twice.
With just those brief encounters, how had she figured out that Liu Cui Yu was the one who had poisoned him?