Looking at his smiling wife, Wu Ziyu suddenly realized that he didn't understand her at all. From the very first moment he met her, it was all under the guise of a transaction. Although he later wanted to get closer to her, in the face of his ideals turning sour, everything else became less important.
From the first moment he saw her at the Black Mansion, he wanted to have a proper talk with her, to ask how she was doing and if there was anything he could help her with. But now it seemed she was doing much better than he had imagined. Ah Feng was right; there must be a reason she could stay at the Black Mansion, so why should he be presumptuous?
Thinking about the plan that was about to take place, Wu Ziyu frowned, and his eyes gradually became firm.
"Wan'er, do you know what kind of person Commander Hei is? He is incredibly philandering. You must never reveal your gender in the manor, or no one can save you."
"you mean…?"
"It's nothing." Wu Ziyu took a step back. "I'm going back. If someone finds out we met in private, it'll be hard to explain."
"Hey, don't leave things unsaid. For the sake of our past marriage."
Wu Ziyu didn't look at Xiang Wan, but turned and left the grove. Xiang Wan stood there watching him until his figure disappeared.
This unexpected remark made Xiang Wan feel uneasy. She lost her desire to wander around and, after finding Hei Kang, followed him back to the Hei residence.
"Xiao Qi, do you know what Wu Ziyu has been up to lately?"
Lying in bed, Xiang Wan, though already somewhat aware of 007's unreliability, still couldn't help but ask it a question. A sudden, inexplicable unease made her vaguely sense that something big might happen in the next few days.
"This system knows, but I can't tell you. Disrupting the main characters' storyline will be punished."
"Oh? How come I didn't know there was such a thing? If Wu Ziyu is the main character, then I, an outsider, can just mess with their fates without any punishment? Put some effort into it, okay? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable, you brilliant and mighty 007 system?"
007 was stumped by Xiang Wan's question and was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he finally said, "It's not that this system doesn't want to tell you, but the punishment for overdrawing the plot is quite severe for this system, but it doesn't apply to you. However, if you want to ask about the situation of cannon fodder, that's no problem."
Well, it's better than nothing. Xiang Wan never expected to get anything out of the system, so learning about the cannon fodder's situation was unexpected.
"Alright then, can you tell me how Hei Kang died in his previous life?"
"Uh, Xiang Wan, you really know how to pick people."
"He's just cannon fodder, it's okay to talk about him."
"Okay, actually, Hei Kang in his previous life was angered to death. But this system can't say who angered him to death. His health wasn't good to begin with, so it's normal for him to die from a sudden surge of anger."
With this information, Xiang Wan could roughly guess the situation. Hei Kang's death in her previous life was definitely related to Wu Ziyu or Nangong Pei. The power of the Hei family was concentrated in the hands of Hei Dashuai. As long as his son died and there was no successor, Wu Ziyu and his group would have more room to maneuver.
"Oh, that's tragic? But the way Black Kang died... it feels kind of familiar..."
"Um, this system needs to update and is currently in hibernation. Do not disturb!"
007 had vanished, leaving Xiang Wan staring blankly at the bed curtains. She hadn't originally planned to pursue the matter of the system causing her to die of anger in her previous life, but seeing how guilty it seemed, she felt it would be a shame not to tease it a little.
Xiang Wan called 007 again, but the system was playing dead, which was speechless.
Since something big was going to happen these days, Xiang Wan, with the mindset that she would never mind having more medicine to protect herself and her life, asked Huan'er to find her a lot of medicinal herbs. Usually, apart from decocting medicine for Hei Kang, she would spend the rest of her time in the pharmacy.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. It wasn't until the Hei Mansion was decorated with lanterns and streamers that Xiang Wan belatedly realized it was a celebration of Commander Hei's birthday. Many people were coming and going from the mansion, mostly Hei Youde's subordinates with their families, as well as merchants, scholars, and local officials from various places. Among these people, Xiang Wan immediately spotted Wu Ziyu, who had entered with Nangong Feng.
The two men, dressed in military uniforms, exuded an imposing aura. Wu Ziyu, in particular, attracted the attention of many women as soon as he entered. Although Nangong Pei wasn't as handsome as Wu Ziyu, she was still quite beautiful. Many men tried to strike up a conversation, but they were all driven away by her cold expression.
Wherever Hei Kang went, Xiang Wan had to follow him. She didn't know what was wrong with this young master; he wouldn't let Xiang Wan be alone, claiming it was to take care of his health. After two years of recuperation, Hei Kang's body was practically as strong as an ordinary man's, so he couldn't even come up with a better excuse for wanting her to come along. But Xiang Wan really couldn't refuse; after all, he was her provider, and she couldn't afford to be negligent.
Amidst the clinking of glasses, Xiang Wan noticed that Nangong Feng seemed to be leaving with someone. The person's back looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't immediately place him.
Surrounded by beauties, Hei Dashuai was somewhat carried away, and with the added flattery, he drank a little too much. Wu Ziyu and the others helped the slightly overweight Hei Youde into the backyard.
Hei Kang had something to do, so he left Xiang Wan behind. There were few people in the courtyard that Xiang Wan knew, so she simply found a seat and focused on eating.
"Sister-in-law, it's been a long time!"
Nangong Feng appeared behind Xiang Wan at some point, his deep voice neither male nor female.
Xiang Wan looked up at Nangong Feng in her military uniform, who indeed had the air of a female hero. The height difference was a disadvantage, and Xiang Wan didn't want to be outshone by her, so she didn't stand up. Instead, she gestured to the side and said, "Yes, it's been a long time. Let's sit down and talk."
Nangong Feng didn't move, but leaned down and whispered in Xiang Wan's ear, "It's not convenient to talk here. Let's find a quiet place to catch up."
As he spoke, Nangong Feng quickly stood up, a slight smile on his face. He raised his head and gestured to the side, his gaze fixed on him with a hint of provocation and mockery, but without a trace of warmth towards an acquaintance.
Xiang Wan's alarm bells were ringing. She didn't know what Nangong Feng was planning, but she thought about how many self-defense medicines she had on her. If something really happened, it was hard to say who would fall.
"Alright, this banquet is rather boring. We're acquaintances, so why don't we find a place to chat?"
As she spoke, Xiang Wan took a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, clapped her hands, and followed Nangong Feng into the inner courtyard.
The noise gradually faded away. Nangong Feng's strides were rather long, perhaps due to his regular exercise, and Xiang Wan had to jog to keep up. Seeing that Nangong Feng was taking detours and choosing secluded spots, Xiang Wan slowed down and secretly reached into her bosom, clutching the kind of drug that was most likely to cause unconsciousness.
"We're here, sister-in-law. Let's go inside and talk."
Nangong Feng stopped in front of a courtyard gate, glanced back at Xiang Wan, then pushed open the gate and went inside first. Xiang Wan looked around carefully; she wasn't familiar with this courtyard, having never set foot here in the two years she'd been in the manor. There was no one guarding the place, and she had no idea how Nangong Feng had found it. The moment she stepped through the gate, she was stunned by what she saw.
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