The current situation in the Xie family is somewhat related to that incident from back then.

Back then, we were young and didn't like being at home or being controlled by adults. The Xie family happened to have an empty house on Zhuque Street, so Xie Xiangdong stole the key and turned the house into their secret base.

During that period, the group of them often skipped classes to go there and eat and drink.

Xie Xiaoxi is a good cook, and she often goes there to cook for them when she has free time.

The reason she thought she could outmaneuver He Chaoyang was because she had practically become their personal chef during that period.

Although Xie Xiaoxi's idea was good and she was well-prepared, she successfully sent everyone else away, leaving only herself and He Chaoyang.

Everything went smoothly, but Xie Xiaoxi neglected her own mental fortitude and underestimated He Chaoyang's observational skills.

He Chaoyang sensed something was wrong the moment Xie Xiaoxi sent everyone away, so he naturally wouldn't drink the chicken soup Xie Xiaoxi brought.

The moment he saw the chicken soup, he understood Xie Xiaoxi's intention and turned to leave, ignoring Xie Xiaoxi's cries and attempts to stop him.

So he didn't know what happened to Xie Xiaoxi in that house, and he didn't understand why Xie Xiaoxi would drink the chicken soup that had been poisoned.

So many years have passed, and everyone thought this matter would remain a mystery forever, but unexpectedly, a man suddenly came to the Xie family not long ago.

He not only had Xie Xiaoxi's underwear from back then, but also photos of Xie Xiaoxi having sex with someone at the time. Of course, the photos only showed Xie Xiaoxi's face, and the man's body was only partially visible.

The man used this as leverage to demand that the Xie family do something for them, promising to return everything related to that day to the Xie family after the matter was settled, or else they would release the photos.

In the past two years, the Xie family has been in decline due to the passing of Old Master Xie, and has almost been destroyed several times. It wasn't until two years ago, when Xie Xiaoxi married into the Wei family, which was in the exact opposite direction of the Xie family's current decline, that the Xie family, which was on the verge of collapse, finally managed to stabilize.

The Xie family had clearly concealed Xie Xiaoxi's past from the Wei family; otherwise, given the arrogant nature of the youngest son of the Wei family, how could he have tolerated his wife having such an experience?

So when the Xie family received those photos, they panicked. On the surface, they agreed to the man's request, but behind the scenes, they secretly investigated the man's backing.

Unexpectedly, the Xie family's actions angered the force behind the Xie family that was threatening them.

Not only did they release Xie Xiaoxi's old photos, they also turned around and blamed the Xie family for all the crimes committed by a rising force that they had asked the Xie family to suppress.

This move plunged the Xie family into an unprecedented predicament.

The Wei family's suppression and the framing incident caught the Xie family off guard, leaving them unable to cope.

Although Jiang Xinmin and the others were trying to mediate and help, the distribution of power among the various families was different. Now that the Xie family's troubles were with the Ministry of Public Security, they could only worry and couldn't get involved.

Xie Xiangdong, that stubborn fellow, refused to come to He Chaoyang no matter what, so Jiang Xinmin went out of his way to approach He Chaoyang, hoping that he could help the Xie family out of consideration for their past relationship.

He Chaoyang frowned after hearing what had happened; he knew this matter was extremely troublesome.

If not handled properly, not only will the Xie family suffer huge losses, but it may even affect the situation in the entire capital.

He Chaoyang pondered for a moment, then said to Jiang Xinmin, "I will find a way to handle this matter. Tell the Xie family not to make any rash moves."

Jiang Xinmin nodded, then said, "That force is very powerful. Since they've come after the Xie family, they definitely won't let it go. You need to be careful."

He Chaoyang smiled and said, "I know, don't worry. What new forces? They're just a few companies. Even if we can't catch the people behind them, we can just suppress the people they put in the open. Then we'll see what they choose."

Whether they abandon this obvious piece or expose themselves to protect it, we can handle it.

Jiang Xinmin breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that He Chaoyang had grasped the key point of the matter immediately.

Although the brothers have been busy with their own things in recent years, and some of them, like He Chaoyang, have gone to other places, their childhood friendship remains, and no matter whose family is in trouble, none of them will sit idly by.

He Chaoyang sat in his chair, pondered for a moment, and then said to Jiang Xinmin next to him, "Go find Xiang Dong later and have him investigate the photos. Xie Xiaoxi's incident was sudden, and the person who took the photos certainly wouldn't have known beforehand or prepared the camera in advance."

So that person's job at the time must have been related to photography. Seven years ago, there were only a few professions in Beijing that required the use of cameras, and the fact that he happened to be a man in the Zhuque Lane area should not be difficult to find out.

"Find that person first. Regardless of whether he's involved in this matter or not, he was the one who hurt Xie Xiaoxi back then. Doesn't Xie Xiangdong want to settle that score?"

“Alright, I’ll go talk to Xiang Dong about this later. That’s why we need someone with your expertise to handle this. After the Xie family’s incident, we discussed it several times, but none of us thought to start the investigation from the photos.”

He Chaoyang rolled his eyes at Jiang Xinmin, then said, "Don't flatter me. With Xie Xiangdong's shrewdness, he probably checked the photos as soon as he got them."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!