☆, Chapter 392 The Real Culprit Behind the Scenes

Thinking of this, Si Jiliang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and a sinister look appeared between his brows. He had already made up his mind.

He had originally been doing his best to find Si Zuochen's whereabouts, but now, in order to avoid any accidents, he has given up the search and is even going so far as to create some false clues to confuse the public.

Jiang Ran and Si Yanxiao are currently overwhelmed with work; Bai Zhuwei alone is enough to give them a headache, leaving them no time to attend to anything else.

This, however, gave him just enough time to fabricate clues out of thin air.

Just as he was lost in thought, a sudden ringtone interrupted his plans. He looked down at the unfamiliar caller ID, his gaze darkened, and he swiped to answer the call.

Hearing the whispers coming from the other end, Si Jiliang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he replied in a low voice, "Okay."

He ended the call concisely.

Then, using the excuse of having his assistant handle something, he simply left him stranded on the road and drove away.

As the figure gradually disappeared into the distance, a hint of helplessness flashed across the assistant's face. Bearing the sorrow of being a corporate slave, he could only resign himself to taking a taxi to the company.

On the other side, Si Jiliang turned off all communication devices and drove directly to the outskirts of the city, where he found a deserted place with only an old villa standing there.

Si Jiliang drove towards the villa. After parking the car, a middle-aged man came up to him, nodded slightly, and respectfully said, "Young Master."

Si Jiliang nodded slightly, as if to acknowledge the gesture.

Then the man spoke again, saying, "The lady is upstairs."

"Okay." Si Yanxiao responded in a low voice and walked inside.

The man withdrew, and apart from the two people, there were no other superfluous people in the huge villa.

Si Jiliang walked unimpeded to the study, knocked lightly on the door twice, and a hoarse female voice came from inside: "Come in!"

Having received permission, Si Jiliang pushed open the door and entered.

Before them stood a middle-aged woman, watering the flowers and plants with a sprinkler. She was dignified and beautiful. Upon closer inspection, Si Jiliang's features even bore a resemblance to her.

"They're here." The woman spoke slowly as she continued her movements.

Si Jiliang walked in slowly and called out softly, "Mother."

The woman before them was Si Jiliang's birth mother, and also the one the old man had mistakenly thought was lost due to war and therefore had not gone to look for.

The woman looked up at Si Jiliang. A scar ran from the corner of her eye down to her chin on the left side of her originally beautiful face, making her look particularly ferocious.

Then she reached out and gently stroked Si Jiliang's cheek, her eyes tender, and asked softly, "Why haven't you visited your mother in so long..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed drastically. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped Si Jiliang hard. With a loud 'smack,' a clear five-finger mark appeared on Si Jiliang's face.

Si Jiliang turned his head slightly, a trace of blood faintly seeping from the corner of his lips, which he wiped away with his hand.

He then looked down at the woman, his expression full of pity, but he did not utter a word of rebuke.

The woman seemed startled by her own actions, covering her head with her hand and a look of panic flashed across her face. She quickly moved closer to Si Jiliang and reached out to touch the redness and swelling on his cheek.

Suddenly at a loss, she stammered, "I...I didn't mean to, Ji Liang, are you alright? Are you okay?"

His eyes were full of worry, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor, as if he were a completely different person.

Si Jiliang seemed to be used to the situation. He reached out and gently patted her back, softly reassuring her, "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt, don't worry."

"I really don't want this!" A struggle flashed across Si Jiliang's mother's face as she reached out and pulled him, eager to explain.

Si Jiliang interrupted her directly, and kept gently comforting her from the side, as if he was already used to it.

While trying to soothe him, a ruthless glint flashed in Si Jiliang's eyes.

Grandpa Si thought his mother had passed away, but he never expected that she would stay in the same city as him and keep an eye on his every move.

The reason Si Jiliang hated the old man so much was because his mother's condition was fluctuating.

She often exhibits a dual personality, both loving and hating him. On one hand, she despises his resemblance to the old man, while on the other hand, she feels sorry for her child. Under the pressure of this duality, she often exhibits the behavior just now.

With Si Jiliang's comforting words, her emotions quickly calmed down, and she gently pushed Si Jiliang away.

His gaze darkened slightly, and he asked softly, "How is the matter progressing?"

Her tone was cold and completely different from before. Looking at the injury on Si Jiliang's cheek, her eyes flickered with a hint of heartache.

Si Jiliang acted as if he hadn't seen anything, and quietly recounted all the recent events, including the old man's coma.

Upon hearing this, she curled her lips slightly and suddenly let out a cold laugh: "What goes around comes around! He's finally getting his comeuppance!"

"All my years of painstaking planning have not been in vain!"

Looking at her slightly manic expression, Si Jiliang pursed his lips and asked again, "How is Bai Zhuwei doing?"

Upon hearing this, the woman glanced at him sideways, a hint of suspicion flashing across her face, and asked in a cold voice, "Why did you suddenly think of caring about her?"

The two had always worked separately and without interfering with each other. In the beginning, Si Jiliang took the initiative to say that he would not interfere in their affairs, so now she couldn't help but have some doubts.

Seeing the hesitation on her face and her lowered gaze, Si Jiliang asked in a cold voice, "The situation is unpredictable now. If we are not prepared, I'm afraid Si Yanxiao will become suspicious."

"So you'd better make sure your men don't make any mistakes!"

Hearing his words, the woman's eyes narrowed slightly, and she suddenly let out a cold laugh: "Him? What a joke! How could I, Ji Yun, possibly fall into his hands!"

"The real show has only just begun. Si Chengting is one of them, and that woman's child shouldn't get away either!"

His tone was full of ruthlessness.

Si Jiliang knew that Si Chengting, whom she mentioned, was the name of Old Master Si. He pursed his lips slightly, his expression inscrutable.

Seeing that he lowered his eyes and remained silent, Ji Yun continued, "Don't worry, I will handle Bai Zhuwei's matter properly and won't leave you with any leverage."

"Rumor has it that you and that woman..."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, looked up at Si Jiliang with a serious expression, and his eyes were full of scrutiny.

Before she could finish speaking, Si Jiliang realized that she was referring to Jiang Ran. He lowered his eyes and replied coldly, "My affairs are none of your concern."

"We'll continue in the same way as before, without interfering with each other."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yun suddenly scoffed, "In that case, my plan will inevitably affect others, and things will likely get out of control. I can't guarantee what dangers the hostages might face."

"No!" Si Jiliang spoke up to stop her, then noticed the ambiguous smile on her face and instantly understood her intention.

His gaze darkened slightly as he slowly spoke, "I have only one condition: no matter what, you must not harm her."

It was rare to see Si Jiliang show such an expression, and Ji Yun instantly understood. However, when she thought of the entanglement between that woman and Si Yanxiao, a cold look flashed across her face, and she immediately reprimanded him.

"What kind of woman can't you have? Why did you suddenly fall for her?"

Although her tone was displeased, she did not directly refute his words.

Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door.

Ji Yun's conversation was interrupted, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She said in a cold voice, "Come in!"

A man pushed open the door and entered. It was the same man Si Jiliang had just encountered outside. Upon closer inspection, he was also the one who frequently exchanged information with Bai Zhuwei and issued warnings.

The man nodded slightly to Si Jiliang, then turned to Ji Yun, nodded slightly, and said respectfully, "Madam, Bai Zhuwei is now in a close relationship with Si Yanxiao, and has repeatedly refused our orders..."

Ji Yun instantly understood the meaning behind his words, her eyes suddenly sharpened, and she scoffed coldly: "It's alright, she wouldn't dare to expose those things anyway."

"If you keep a close watch, there's no point in keeping useless pieces."

His tone was flat, but the words he spoke were icy and chilling.

The man instantly understood the implication in her words: if necessary, Bai Zhuwei could be disposed of.

After receiving an affirmative answer, the man turned and walked out.

The large study fell silent again in an instant. Ji Yun turned to look at Si Jiliang, her expression slightly meaningful.