Chen Hede moved as fast as a drawn sword. In just one night, he uncovered all the details about Li Qirui. The file folder in front of him was bulging, with wrinkles on the edges from the overnight investigation.
As his fingertips traced the resume at the very top, Chen Hede's gaze suddenly darkened.
The most striking thing in the document is the intricate connection between Li Qirui and the lady of the Cheng family.
The silk shops along half a street in Xinhai City, the freight depots by the docks, and even the tea plantations on the outskirts of the city that have seen their prices skyrocket in recent years—all these businesses that ostensibly bear the name of Madam Cheng are actually all signed and sealed by Li Qirui.
What's even more amazing is yet to come.
As the only daughter of the Li family, Madam Cheng was the apple of her father's eye since childhood.
The details in the ledger were shocking: the farmland in the south of the city that connected three streets, the dozen or so shops in the city center along the river, the land alone that was registered filled two whole pages, not to mention the wineries and shopping malls hidden at the end of the list.
The dowry list of Madam Cheng, from the old house passed down from her ancestors to the gold bars stored in overseas banks, and even the monthly turnover of more than one million yuan, all the seals and signatures were in Li Qirui's handwriting.
The person sent out added in a very low voice: "After checking several major banks, as long as Li Qirui brings Madam Cheng's private seal, the bank manager has to come out to greet him personally—they don't care about Cheng Yuguang's reputation, but they only care about Li Qirui."
Chen Hede slammed the document shut. Li Qirui was no mere butler; he was clearly the invisible man who held half of the Cheng family's power.
In addition, Chen Hede also discovered that Li Qirui's recent whereabouts were very strange, as he was almost always by Madam Cheng's side.
Whether Madam Cheng went out for tea or to watch a play, Li Qirui clung to her like glue.
Li Qirui is quite old and has a sharp mind. He must have guessed something, which is why he dared not leave Madam Cheng.
Chen Hede was wary of Madam Cheng and Cheng Yuguang, and thus never succeeded.
Chen Hede and Xu Zhuohua met privately again, once again in a meditation room at Baiyun Temple.
The air in the meditation room of Baiyun Temple was still filled with the scent of sandalwood. As soon as Chen Hede lifted the bamboo curtain, the figure sitting by the window made his heart clench.
Xu Zhuohua leaned against the table, her elbows propped up. Moonlight streamed through the paper window, casting faint lines on her face. She was as white as an over-soaked steamed bun, her lips pale, and a sense of despondency hung between her brows. Like a flower wilted by the rain, she exuded an indescribable sense of ruin.
"Xu Zhuohua?" Chen Hede hurriedly grabbed the prayer mat to avoid falling, his surprise barely concealed. "What happened to you... how did you get like this?"
Xu Zhuohua slowly raised her eyes, her eye sockets were deeply sunken, and the dark circles under her eyes were several layers deeper than when they last met.
She tried to smile, but her lips were frozen in place, and her voice was as soft as a wisp of smoke: "Hmm?"
The bronze bell in the meditation room swayed gently, emitting a deep hum.
Chen Hede looked at her hands resting on her knees, her knuckles white, and felt as if all her energy had been drained away, leaving only an empty shell, weighed down by invisible worry.
Xu Zhuohua was worried. Cheng Muyun had to go to the military camp for duty every other day. When there was no one around, Xu Zhuohua couldn't sleep well and sometimes stayed up all night.
At her worst, she couldn't even eat without Cheng Muyun.
The name Li Qirui was like a poisoned needle, stuck in Xu Zhuohua's heart, seeping into his bones day and night.
As long as Li Qirui stood there safely, she felt as if her life hung by a thread, waiting every second for that sword hanging overhead to fall and shatter her into pieces.
Incense ash fell softly onto the prayer mat. Xu Zhuohua gazed at the Buddha statue with its eyes lowered in the shrine. The gilded robes flickered in the candlelight, reflecting a blankness in her eyes.
“Look at this Buddha, it knows everything, but it says nothing.” She raised her hand to press her throbbing temples, her voice filled with an unyielding bitterness, “I’m always afraid… afraid that something will collapse at any moment, sweeping Mu Yun in and crushing me.”
Chen Hede looked at her small, pale face, as white as rice paper, and how weak she sounded, her Adam's apple bobbing. In the end, he swallowed back the words, "Don't overthink it."
“Cheng Muyun protects you so well,” he tried to lighten his tone, but couldn’t hide the sincerity in his words, “Even if Li Qirui had the greatest courage, he wouldn’t dare to lay a finger on you.”
Xu Zhuohua twitched the corners of her mouth, wanting to echo her, but her heart felt blocked by something, suffocating and painful.
"Perhaps." She lowered her head, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the wood grain on the edge of the table. "But I just can't settle down. It's like having a pebble stuck in a pot of boiling oil, making me restless and uneasy."
The incense and candles burned to their end, the last flame struggling to leap before going out, leaving only a wisp of choking smoke, like the inexplicable fears in her heart, lingering and refusing to dissipate.
No one can remain calm when they know their death is imminent.
Xu Zhuohua originally thought she would be an exception, but she was also a living, breathing human being made of flesh and blood, and overestimated her ability to withstand hardship.
Chen Hede frowned and looked at Xu Zhuohua, "Why don't you go to a different temple or something, stop worshipping this god, and find a more powerful one?"
Xu Zhuohua was amused, and a smile appeared on her lips. "This is not a matter of gods. I am an egoist. I will worship whichever god is useful to me. Besides, I have never taken the one in front of you seriously. I don't even know him."
Chen Hede chuckled softly, the lines at the corners of his eyes softening slightly.
In my memory, Xu Zhuohua should be this kind of person, who doesn't take many things to heart.
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