Siao Jia chose to use the affair between Chang Xiujuan and Siao Fan primarily because she knew that if she revealed her own issues, her motives for taking revenge on Xu Ke would seem weak in front of Ye Chen.

But to her surprise, Ye Chen didn't care at all and trusted her completely.

This made Siao Jia even happier.

As long as I play the part of a pure, innocent maiden in front of Ye Chen, what can't I get?

「The next day.」

When Xu Ke woke up, it was exactly seven in the morning.

A new message was in his phone's inbox.

"Xu Ke, you're dead."

It was from Siao Jia.

Seeing it, Xu Ke deleted the message without a change in expression.

I can't let someone disgust me first thing in the morning.

Afterward, he began to busy himself with his own affairs.

His luck was quite good.

Even though he had stopped offering nutritional meal plans and had declined several customers' requests, he still received work.

Online fitness coaching for three clients.

He began to create customized fitness plans for them based on the information he had on file.

Later, when I have time, I'll go over to their homes to check on their physical condition and see if anything needs improvement...

...

While Xu Ke was busy, Huang Qi sought out an elderly woman.

Ouyang Shuang.

Aside from the Huang Family's hidden, unnamed powerhouse and the personal guard of the Family Head, Ouyang Shuang was the strongest publicly known force in the Huang Family.

Furthermore, Ouyang Shuang was one of the two great Venerable Patrons of the Huang Family, alongside Chang Yi. Her strength was formidable, her internal energy reaching a state of perfection.

Every year, the Huang Family had to supply them with vast wealth in exchange for their intervention in a single crisis.

If the family wanted them to act under normal circumstances, it would require an additional payment, and even then, there was no guarantee they would agree.

This was precisely why Huang Qi had initially wanted Huang Sheng to persuade Elder Yee, Chang Yi, to act.

If he made the request himself, the other party might not agree.

But now, at his wit's end, Huang Qi had no choice but to come and ask Elder Shuang to intervene personally.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Elder Shuang, it is Huang Qi. I have an important matter and request an audience," Huang Qi said respectfully from outside the door.

He was somewhat nervous.

"Come in," a hoarse voice responded from inside.

Huang Qi pushed open the door. An old woman in black robes sat cross-legged on the floor, her gaze distant and unfocused as she stared out the floor-to-ceiling window.

After entering the room, Huang Qi didn't dare make small talk. He simply placed the fine tea he had brought down and spoke in a low, respectful tone, "Elder Shuang, Huang Qi wishes to request your intervention, just this once."

"For what reason?" Ouyang Shuang asked indifferently.

"To deal with Wong Qifu's fiancé," Huang Qi gritted his teeth.

Ouyang Shuang didn't even turn her head. "Are you certain?"

"I am not entirely certain."

Huang Qi took a deep breath. "But if the gamble pays off, we can grasp Wong Qifu's lifeline and threaten her."

A hint of mockery entered Ouyang Shuang's voice. "You dare come to me when you aren't certain? Have you no sense of propriety?"

As she spoke, a powerful aura erupted from Ouyang Shuang, forcing Huang Qi to stagger backward.

"I..."

Huang Qi took another deep breath, his head bowed even lower. "If I am wrong, I will accept any punishment. Please, Elder Shuang, I ask you to agree. This is a small token of my sincerity."

He placed a package with unidentifiable contents on the floor, pushing it toward Ouyang Shuang.

For Huang Qi, his current situation couldn't be any worse.

Only with hindsight did he realize that the family's handling of his humiliation by Wong Qifu clearly showed he had been abandoned.

If he couldn't find an opportunity to prove his worth, he would be marginalized for life.

This was a fate Huang Qi simply could not accept.

He refused to accept it!

Only then did Ouyang Shuang turn her head and gaze intently at the package.

Huang Qi remained silent.

Silence stretched for a long moment.

"Let's go. We make our move tonight. If it isn't him, I'll cripple one of your legs," Ouyang Shuang said indifferently.

Huang Qi was greatly alarmed, but the arrow was already nocked and had to be fired. He gritted his teeth. "Yes."

In his heart, Huang Qi began to pray frantically.

That useless trash is wearing Elder Patriarch Wang's ring. Please, let him be Wong Qifu's fiancé!

...

In the afternoon, Xu Ke left his apartment.

The demands of his three clients kept him busy until 10:30 PM.

When he emerged from the subway station, the small alley leading home was already mostly deserted.

It was the route he had to take home, and it was rather remote.

Normally, Xu Ke wouldn't have thought twice about it, but at this moment, his expression darkened.

Not far ahead, several people were walking toward him.

The two in the lead were a man and a woman.

The man was handsome and dashing, wearing a shirt from an unknown brand; the fabric was of superb quality, clearly an expensive material.

The woman, meanwhile, held the man's arm, her gaze cold as she looked at Xu Ke.

Ye Chen and Siao Jia.

Behind them stood a middle-aged man in a Tang suit.

The man had an unremarkable appearance and a blank expression, but Xu Ke could already feel a hint of danger emanating from him.

Wang Wu, watching from the shadows, saw Ye Chen and the middle-aged man, and his expression instantly changed.

How could this be? Why would they appear here to target Xu Ke?

Xu Ke didn't plan on a direct confrontation.

Realizing the situation was against him, he prepared to turn and flee.

But just as he turned, six burly men blocked his path from behind.

"What's the rush to leave?" Siao Jia spoke up. "You don't normally take a detour on your way home, do you?"

"What do you want?" Xu Ke asked, looking at Siao Jia with a grim expression.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to leave today without paying a price in blood.

"What do I want?" Siao Jia sneered, looking down on Xu Ke with contempt. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You keep harassing my family, turning my mother and brother's lives upside down. What is it that *you* want?"

Xu Ke scoffed, "They brought it upon themselves."

"They're innocent!" Siao Jia retorted, her voice a mixture of anger and pain. "You're a bastard, Xu Ke! We broke up. I could tolerate you harassing me, but why would you go after my family? They never did anything wrong!"

Xu Ke laughed, his tone full of sarcasm. "Siao Jia, your acting has certainly improved. You've really put in a lot of effort to fool this Young Master Ye beside you."

"What did you say?"

Siao Jia's expression darkened. Is he going to expose my past?

"Nothing." Xu Ke smiled faintly, turning to look at Ye Chen. "Young Master Ye, you don't look like a fool. How can you not see that this woman, Siao Jia, has malicious intentions?"

"Malicious intentions?" Ye Chen finally spoke, a mocking smile on his face. "Just by listening to you speak, I can tell you have a real talent for twisting the truth."

Seeing this, Siao Jia immediately gloated.

She had Ye Chen wrapped so tightly around her little finger.

Hearing this, Xu Ke revealed a mocking smile. "Young Master Ye, only you would treat this 'public bus' like a treasure. Oh, right! Did you know she's carrying Li Jun's child?"

At that remark, Siao Jia's face changed drastically.

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