Chen Hede stared at her for a long time, his teacup trembling in his hand: "Just because he caught the butler harassing the madam, he wants to kill you? Can Cheng Muyun just sit idly by?"

Xu Zhuohua ran her fingertips along the cracks in the teacup and said in a low voice, "I didn't tell him."

"Are you crazy?" Chen Hede slammed his teacup on the table, spilling a few drops of tea. "You live in the Cheng mansion, what if that old bastard really dares to make a move—"

She raised her hand to interrupt him, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes: "That's why I came to you. I need your help to kill Li Qirui."

He frowned and rubbed his temples: "Killing a butler isn't difficult, but why don't you just have Cheng Muyun do it?"

The shadows of the trees outside the window swayed. She gazed at the dusty candlesticks on the altar, her voice heavy as if soaked with water: "Li Qirui is from Madam Cheng's maternal family. He's been with the Cheng family for over thirty years, and he's carried Cheng Muyun since he was a baby. Do you think he could bring himself to do it if he knew...?"

The rising steam from the tea blurred the resolute look in her eyes. "I practically watched Cheng Muyun grow up. He might not be able to do it."

Moreover, Xu Zhuohua did not want Cheng Muyun to become enemies with Li Qirui.

Otherwise, things would get worse. Historically, it was Li Qirui who led the rebellion against Cheng Muyun, which resulted in Cheng Muyun's wife being burned alive.

Xu Zhuohua sought out Chen Hede because she wanted Chen Hede to deal with Li Qirui first, in order to prevent the conflict between Li Qirui and Cheng Muyun from escalating.

When Xu Zhuohua looked up at him, her eyelashes seemed to be glistening with tears, and that pleading look was like a fine needle gently pricking Chen Hede's heart.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally looked away and sighed softly, "Alright, I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

Her smile was like a ray of light breaking through the clouds, and a faint dimple appeared on her cheek: "Thank you, Chen Hede."

The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the window lattice, falling on the corners of her upturned eyes, and the shadows of her eyelashes reflected the light in dappled patterns beneath her eyes.

As Chen Hede gazed into her strikingly bright eyes, he suddenly felt a dryness in his throat—the heat from the sun during the climb and the aching soreness from his shoes all dissipated into a wisp of smoke in her smile.