Chapter 228 Strategizing

Before she could even ask, Si Youlin suddenly scoffed, "Why are you back?"

The words were full of sarcasm, and Si Yanxiao's expression hardened, a shadow of gloom flashing between his brows.

Jiang Ran quickly rebuked, "Ah Lin!"

Upon hearing this, Si Youlin suppressed his displeasure and looked coldly at Si Yanxiao.

Si Yanxiao knew that they were extremely hostile towards him because of what happened at the hospital, but he didn't care. He looked up at Jiang Ran, and his gaze swept over her, noticing her injuries. A look of surprise flashed across his face.

"Are you injured?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran recalled the scene of him taking Bai Zhuwei away without permission. Her eyes turned cold, and she was about to respond in a cold voice when Si Zuochen spoke first in a deep voice.

"So you can still see. I thought you only had eyes for that woman."

A hint of sarcasm flashed in their words. Si Yanxiao sensed the sarcasm in their conversation, and his expression darkened. Jiang Ran noticed that his expression was strange.

Before he could reprimand her, she glanced at Si Zuochen and said in a deep voice, "You all go out first."

Upon hearing this, Si Zuochen looked up at her, his face showing displeasure. Si Youlin chimed in with a cold sneer, "If we're going to leave, we shouldn't be the ones leaving first."

Seeing that they were being unreasonable, Jiang Ran's eyes sharpened and her brows furrowed.

Compared to Si Youlin's directness, Si Zuochen's gaze lingered on Si Yanxiao for a while before slowly withdrawing his eyes.

She got up and walked outside, whispering as she passed Si Youlin, "Let's go."

Seeing that he had backed down, Si Youlin frowned slightly. He was about to question him when Si Zuochen pulled him back, leaving him no room to say anything more.

Jiang Ran watched their departing figures, her eyebrows slightly raised, a hint of surprise flashing across her face. She watched them walk out of the room and close the door behind them before turning back to look at Si Yanxiao.

A hint of disdain flickered across his face, followed by a cold, mocking tone: "How come your standing in their eyes has suddenly plummeted?"

Si Yanxiao sensed the sarcasm in her words, his face turned cold, and his expression became inscrutable.

Si Zuochen and Si Youlin had always treated him with great respect, and this was the first time he had encountered such a yin-yang situation. He didn't know how to explain or get along with them.

Even after so many years in the business world, he had never encountered such a difficult situation when faced with a cooperation worth hundreds of millions.

But now that he was facing Jiang Ran, Si Yanxiao's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he naturally wouldn't be at a disadvantage in front of her.

He then coldly retorted, "What's it to you?"

"But you, you used to have a terrible relationship with them, how come you've suddenly become so familiar with them?"

Jiang Ran lowered her gaze slightly as she listened to his question: "You should ask them about this yourself."

As she spoke, she paused slightly, looked up at Si Yanxiao, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes, and then said, "Maybe he's disappointed in you and is trying to get some attention from me?"

Si Yanxiao sensed the sarcasm in her words, his brows furrowed slightly, his expression darkened, and he replied coldly, "Seeing this situation, aren't you just getting what you wanted?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran's face flashed with doubt, then she asked in a cold voice, "What do you mean?"

Seeing her puzzled expression, Si Yanxiao assumed she was pretending not to understand and suddenly scoffed, "Wasn't it your deliberate arrangement that they were able to find the hospital so easily?"

"If that's the case, why hide it? Why use the child to cover it up? Why bother?"

Jiang Ran's gaze suddenly darkened when she saw the sarcastic tone in his words.

It turns out that Si Yanxiao came specifically for this matter; she had thought he had a change of heart.

She suddenly realized that her decision to become a hostage was completely unnecessary; she felt like a pawn to be discarded.

They come when called and leave when dismissed.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ran felt a chill run down her spine. Her eyes narrowed, and a hint of displeasure flashed across her face. She suddenly asked, "Using a child?"

"What you're saying is interesting. They both have their own thoughts and judgments. Even if I have the best methods, can I control their minds?"

As Jiang Ran spoke, a hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes. It was truly remarkable that he could come up with such a thing. If she were really that capable, how could there have been a situation where they disliked each other before?

Si Yanxiao listened to her explanation and his brows furrowed slightly.

Jiang Ran frowned, her eyes turning colder as she looked at him, and she directly ordered him to leave.

"If you're here just to hold someone accountable, you don't need to. You should spend more time with your Miss Bai instead."

His words were full of mockery, and Si Yanxiao's expression froze upon hearing them, the atmosphere in the air instantly dropping to freezing point.

The two locked eyes, neither willing to back down an inch. Si Yanxiao stared at her coldly, his eyes filled with icy intent.

After a long silence, Si Yanxiao parted his thin lips and scoffed, "If you have so much free time, you should mind your own business!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Jiang Ran watched his departing figure, her eyes filled with countless thoughts.

After Si Yanxiao left, he saw Gu Nan and Si Zuochen talking about something downstairs. When Si Zuochen turned around and noticed him, he turned and left.

As if deliberately avoiding him, Si Yanxiao's expression instantly turned somewhat ugly after realizing this.

Gu Nan couldn't help but chuckle softly, then slowly teased, "You can't have everything. Who told you not to be fair?"

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao pursed his lips slightly, his brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.

Gu Nan noticed the change in his expression and stopped joking. She then asked seriously, "What are you doing here?"

Si Yanxiao didn't offer any explanation, but instead changed the subject, coldly stating, "I might need to handle some personal matters during this time. As for Jiang Ran..."

He paused slightly as if deep in thought, then continued, "Please take good care of her."

Upon hearing this, Gu Nan's face flashed with surprise. She hadn't expected these words to come from Si Yanxiao.

He then went straight to the point and asked, "Take care of Jiang Ran? Did I hear that right?!"

Si Yanxiao stared at him coldly, a cold glint flashing across his face. Ignoring his expression, he turned and left.

Gu Nan was left standing there, stunned, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

After all, Si Yanxiao and Jiang Ran have never gotten along, not to mention the current situation is extremely complicated. The mastermind behind the murder has not yet been found, and Bai Zhuwei's ambiguous relationship is also a concern.

In this situation, he still managed to take care of Jiang Ran. Although he had a cold expression, one could still sense the warmth in his eyes.

Thinking of this, Gu Nan pursed her lips, the shock in her heart lingering.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Si Zuochen and Si Youlin were frowning with worry because of this matter in their room.

They hadn't expected Bai Zhuwei to appear as such a variable, instantly disrupting their plans.

Originally, all that was needed was to bring the two of them together, but who would have thought that they would now be beset by internal and external troubles, with Bai Zhuwei also eyeing them covetously.

Si Youlin frowned as he recalled Bai Zhuwei's meaningful smile to them in the hospital room, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

He then asked in a deep voice, "We need to deal with that woman's problem first before we can consider the next step."

"Hmm." Si Zuochen pursed his lips and responded in a low voice.

But deep down he was filled with worries. After all, this wasn't the first time he had met Bai Zhuwei. The first time, that woman had tried to win him over with both soft and hard tactics.

Furthermore, the fact that she can feign a pitiful appearance in front of others without arousing suspicion shows that she is a difficult character to deal with.

"But he's under his dad's protection now, what can we do?"

As Si Youlin spoke, his brow furrowed slightly, and he hesitated.

After hearing this, Si Zuochen lowered his eyes and stared blankly at a certain spot, pondering various possibilities in his mind.

As he was pondering this, a sudden inspiration struck him. He looked up and exclaimed, "We can ask Grandpa! He might have a solution!"

Upon hearing this, Si Youlin raised an eyebrow, his face showing delight, and softly agreed, "I think it's feasible!"

After all, Old Master Si's dislike for Bai Zhuwei was obvious to all, and he also had a certain amount of influence in front of Si Yanxiao, making him the best choice for a solution.

After Si Zuochen proposed this method, his brow did not relax, and his lips drooped slightly. He then said, "But we can't explain this to him so directly. If we make it too dangerous, I'm afraid Grandpa's body won't be able to handle it."

"Hmm." Si Youlin listened, nodded slightly, then a look of doubt flashed across his face as he asked softly, "So how should we subtly explain this to him now?"