Upon hearing Yan Xiao's words, Shen Muyi quickly guessed who Yan Xiao was referring to, and a look of understanding appeared in his eyes.
Lou Guyu and Shen Qiyue looked puzzled. What Lou Guyu couldn't understand even more was why Yan Xiao could immediately know who the person was, and be so certain that they knew them, even though he had racked his brains to think of them.
He was puzzled, so he asked directly:
"Sister Yan, who are you talking about? Why are you so sure?"
Since Yanxiao had already spoken, she wouldn't hide anything and readily replied:
"The person I'm talking about is Boss Qian of Duobao Pavilion."
"You mean him? How could that be?"
Lou Guyu's first reaction was that it was impossible, but then he realized that what he said was inappropriate and quickly added:
"Sister Yan, I don't mean to distrust you, it's just that I don't know him and we have no relationship. What reason does he have to help me so selflessly?"
If he had ulterior motives towards me, that would be understandable, but over the years, he has never asked me for anything in return, which is not in line with human nature.
Lou Guyu's thinking is understandable. Yan Xiao simply smiled upon hearing this, glanced at Shen Muzhi who was sitting to the side leisurely sipping his tea, and then asked:
"Do you know that your father once had a sworn brother named Situ Yunjing?"
How did you know about this?
Lou Guyu was surprised for a moment, then immediately replied:
“I’ve heard some stories about my parents’ past from the elders who raised me. My father did have a sworn brother, who I heard was a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), but I’ve never met him. Sister Yan, why are you suddenly bringing this up?”
Yan Xiao slightly curved her lips and smiled:
"There's something you might not know: the owner of Duobao Pavilion, surnamed Situ, is named Nanzhao."
"So what?"
Lou Guyu initially didn't take it seriously, but after the words left his mouth, he immediately froze, then his eyes widened and he jumped to his feet:
"Situ Yunjing, Situ Nanzhao? He's Situ Yunjing's son, my brother-in-law?"
What the hell did you say?
Shen Muzhi was sitting there leisurely drinking tea, but upon hearing Lou Guyu's next words, he immediately stood up, just like Lou Guyu had done.
His eyes widened, his brows furrowed, and he stared intently at Lou Guyu, startling Lou Guyu.
"Huh? Brother-in-law, I didn't call you."
Lou Guyu hadn't recovered from the shock of what had just happened. Seeing Shen Muzhi like this, he assumed that Shen Muzhi had misheard and thought that he was calling him.
But his words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire.
Shen Muzhi turned his gaze to Yan Xiao, who seemed unfazed, then looked at Lou Guyu and asked uncertainly:
How many older sisters do you have?
Lou Guyu was almost dumbfounded by the question, feeling that Shen Muzhi was somewhat inexplicable, but still answered honestly:
"I naturally only have one older sister, but she was killed by that wicked woman, the Miao King, before I was born."
Upon hearing this, Shen Muzhi frowned even more deeply.
"Then what did you mean by brother-in-law?"
Lou Guyu didn't answer directly, but asked with a puzzled look, "Brother-in-law, why are you suddenly interested in this?"
He belatedly realized that something seemed amiss; otherwise, there was no reason for someone like Shen Muzhi to lose his composure like this.
From the moment he met Shen Muzhi, Shen Muzhi, aside from his relationship with Yan Xiao, never...
Thinking of this, Lou Guyu's gaze suddenly shifted to Yan Xiao's face. After looking her up and down, it finally settled on Yan Xiao's eyes.
When he first saw Yan Xiao's true appearance, he was surprised by her eyes, which resembled his mother's, but he didn't think much of it at the time.
But now, considering Shen Muzhi's doting husband's reaction and looking at those eyes, his suspicion became hard to suppress.
But is there really such a coincidence in this world?
His lips moved slightly, but he dared not ask the question.
From the moment he was born, he was never favored by the heavens, and he even wondered if he was a cursed star destined to be alone.
Now, even though the answer has been presented to him, he doesn't dare to open it easily, fearing that it might be another joke played on him by fate.
He took a deep breath, but ultimately didn't ask directly. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and answered Shen Muzhi's question:
“I heard from my clansmen that my sister’s maiden name was Lou Qingxuan. When she was young, she was particularly attached to Uncle Jing’s son, Situ Nanzhao, and kept nagging that she wanted to marry him.”
Yan Xiao originally thought that there was nothing shameful about the original owner's childhood, and she never intended to hide the fact that the original owner had been engaged to Situ Nanzhao from Shen Muzhi, but she also didn't mean to make it so clear.
Upon hearing this, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Her survival instinct made her want to stop him immediately, but she was no match for Lou Guyu's quick tongue.
Lou Guyu continued without stopping: "My sister was young at the time, and my parents thought she didn't understand love and was just being willful and unreasonable."
In addition, Situ Nanzhao was a few years older, and if they were to get engaged, they would have to wait for many years. Feeling that this was inappropriate, they did not agree. As a result, my sister chose to go on a hunger strike.
She declared that she would not live if she could not marry Situ Nanzhao, and in the end, my parents had no choice but to agree, and discussed with Uncle Jing to arrange the engagement between the two.
As Shen Muzhi listened, his face grew darker and darker, his brows furrowed so deeply they could have trapped a row of flies.
Lou Guyu had been observing Shen Muzhi and Yan Xiao's expressions, and from their demeanor, he had a general idea of what was going on.
His feelings were very complicated at this moment; he was excited, aggrieved, and a little angry and confused.
If, as he thought, Yanxiao is indeed his biological sister, then why is she unwilling to acknowledge him, even though she knew his identity from the beginning?
Was it because they disliked his incompetence in failing to kill the Miao King and avenge their parents, or did they simply not want him as their younger brother?
Judging from Shen Muzhi's expression, he must already know Yan Xiao's identity. So, besides Shen Muzhi, is there anyone else who knows? And what is he then?
Thinking of this, Lou Guyu felt even more aggrieved, but dared not and did not want to do anything to Yan Xiao. In the end, he could only take it out on Shen Muzhi, as if afraid that Shen Muzhi was not depressed enough. After saying this, he did not forget to add:
"So, if Boss Qian really is Situ Nanzhao, then he is my brother-in-law. If, as Sister Yan said, the person who secretly helped me is him, then he is truly a kind and righteous man."
Looking at it this way, although my sister was young back then, she had a pretty good eye for men. If it weren't for my brother-in-law protecting me, I probably wouldn't have made it this far.
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