"Please, Fourth Lord, give another chance. I will definitely find the goods for you."
"Hmm!" The woman released Yao Zheng, and her ethereal figure flashed in front of him, disappearing as silently as she had entered. Deflated, Yao Zheng collapsed to the ground; just monts ago, he felt as if he had brushed past the edge of death. He let out a heavy breath and lay motionless on the carpet.
"Are you sure these items are untouched?" Hua Qingyi pondered while driving, flooring the accelerator towards the northern district. The items he had painstakingly retrieved were deed useless—impossible! He banged on the steering wheel in frustration, unsure of how to face Xiao Lin. Gazing at the ss of numbers, texts, and unintelligible calligraphy, he wished he could dig the deceased out of their urn and demand answers.
At this very mont, Xiao Lin was leisurely sitting in the dining hall of the guesthouse. On the table was a freshly brewed pot of tea, several newspapers, an ashtray, and a pack of cigarettes. He was incredibly idle today, so much so that he felt he might grow mushrooms from the inactivity.
The four-legged chair he sat on tilted back as he looked out at the steady rain. Xiao Lin sighed helplessly. It was an uneventful day, and nature wasn't cooperating—the sunny days had given way again to drizzling rain.
Lazily, he put a cigarette to his lips without lighting it, savoring the unburned tobacco taste as a novel experience.
The report from the press conference, cut and trimd, had removed a large portion of the content. Yao Zheng still focuses too much on superficial matters. Randomly picking up a newspaper, the headlines about courageously fighting cri were unavoidable.
He truly admired the writers who managed to spin such sensational tales out of nothing. The skill of twisting context into sothing remarkable showed a progressively artistic flair in piecing narratives together.
As society advanced, fabricating facts continued to evolve, blurring the line between truth and falsehood. But it didn't matter; the public loved the fake parts, and in his eyes, Yao Zheng's tactics appeared rather naive. Drawing unrelated individuals into this ss would indeed be challenging.
Not to ntion whether 'Black Crow' would beco involved due to Consort Ling, it was apparent that Ying was not an idle person. anwhile, Yao Zheng's ultimate goal was to pin the responsibility on Yan Juanjuan. Doing so to soone already in his clutches seed pointless.
Or perhaps he already knew who sent those people and deliberately exposed 'Black Crow' to incite conflict between the two factions, using Yan Juanjuan's criminal acts to evade his own responsibilities?
The raindrops pattered on the window sill, and prolonged observation evoked the notion of dripping water hollowing out stone.
Li Zhenghan had ntioned that Yao Zheng acted this way because he suspected Yan Juanjuan of embezzling a batch of goods. That's why the Fourth Lord had people shadowing him. If he finds the goods, perhaps he'll catch them red-handed.
"What are you thinking about?" The guesthouse owner approached with a tea pot in hand, his other hand behind his back. It was already Friday, yet during a typically bustling ti, it felt unusually desolate. He and Xiao Lin were old friends; renting rooms by the year and settling in cash made any proprietor smile.
"Business isn't good today!" The guesthouse owner pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at the newspaper headlines while shaking his head with a playful glint in his eyes. "You aren't worried about this news?"
"Not worth reading this stuff. Who speaks ill of themselves? A district governnt, a national office, and a few people just barged in undisturbed and killed several folks. Isn't it laughable?" The guesthouse owner made a slurping sound as he drank his tea. "They ntioned guns, right? You'd definitely hear gunshots. Do you believe the whole building was completely silent?"
"Your analysis is indeed unique; let's chat. What do you think the story is here?"
"It's all an act!"
"Yao Zheng staging a play for himself? Seems a bit too realistic."
"Real people, maybe not real events." The guesthouse owner shook his head, sleep-laden eyes drooping, eyelids almost closing.
"Not the Fourth Lord, but sothing Yao Zheng stirred up himself? And what's his goal?" Xiao Lin pondered aloud to the suddenly silent man. "People may be Fourth Lord's, but the matter may not be his. Is that what you're hinting at?"
After the initial shock, the guesthouse owner gradually relaxed. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know this Fourth Lord."
"Yes, you're right. But if you ever et soone called Fourth Lord, relay a ssage from : she's next." Xiao Lin chuckled; the guesthouse suddenly seed to bother him, and he soon stood up. Despite maintaining a steady pace, balance was lost within his heart.
Surprised by Xiao Lin's straightforwardness, the owner was caught off guard. In these undercurrents, he needed more to protect his hidden identity. Even after his wife's murder, the hate in his heart remained concealed, yet today, the rain shattered it easily. He retreated behind the counter, curling up in a perennial chair, slumping over the table in a daze.
Xiao Lin watched the guesthouse owner thoughtfully. Real people, perhaps not real events—what did it an? Was this a ssage from the Fourth Lord directed to him?
With a click, he lit the cigarette, the dampened smoke tasting slightly bitter. If Yao Zheng orchestrated the entire scenario, while the real target was Xia Xue from the start, Xiao Lin had mistakenly thought he was the Fourth Lord's target, focusing instead on that side.
If otherwise, Yao Zheng's drama was probing Xia Xue's limits, or he genuinely intended to capture Xia Xue for so purpose, which wasn't impossible.
If it was the latter, then Yao Zheng underestimated the powerful figure beside Xia Xue. That's why when those rcenaries died at Consort Ling's hands, his reaction wasn't just shock but also astonishnt. By now, Yao Zheng should know his identity, which isn't bad. It allows him to co into the open from the shadows. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to cast a recomndation vote or a monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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