Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Beicheng.

A curtain of summer rain shrouded the earth. Xia Wanzhi hurriedly ducked under the eaves of a tiled roof to tidy her damp clothes as the wind whipped the rain against her face.

The lights overhead flickered and buzzed intermittently, creating an eerie atmosphere. Xia Wanzhi shielded a painting in her arms and tried calling that unresponsive number again.

The moment a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, the call finally connected. However, she was so startled by the thunder that her hand slipped, accidentally hanging up the call she had worked so hard to get through.

Staring blankly at her phone screen, Xia Wanzhi didn’t choose to call back, and the other party didn’t call again either.

The dark night magnified her fears. Leaning against the wall, she felt an invisible gaze fixed upon her, and a sudden chill crept into her heart.

The rain grew heavier, and the air was filled with the sound of distant barking dogs. From the other end of the alley came a strange, pained groan, followed by the faint sound of voices.

Men’s voices.

And more than one.

Xia Wanzhi looked toward the source of the sound. Though the scene in the distance was somewhat blurred, it struck her eyes with startling clarity.

It was over.

She had stumbled upon a crime scene.

Xia Wanzhi’s heart skipped a beat, and she slowly held her breath.

In a dark corner, a man stood with his back to her, holding an umbrella. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she could feel the chilling aura radiating from him.

The man narrowed his long, thin eyes, staring coldly at the person lying half-prone on the ground, covered in blood. “Where is the person?”

“I… I don’t know.” The person on the ground was a middle-aged man. He tried his best to lift his head, only to have the man’s bodyguard press his neck down and grind his face into the ground.

“I suggest you think carefully before you answer.” The man’s tone was bone-chilling.

The middle-aged man had blood stuck in his throat. After suppressing his panic, he coughed several times before he could make a sound. “I really don’t know… who this Yao Qin you’re talking about is…”

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds. Sensing the drop in his boss’s pressure, the bodyguard raised his fist and struck him again. “You damn…”

Before he could finish, the man raised a hand to stop him, signaling for the bodyguard to step aside.

“Twenty years ago, someone from the Xie Family gave you a sum of money and told you to go to Yangliu Lane to find a lady named Yao Qin. Now that I’ve put it that way, do you… remember?” Cold light reflected off his glasses. He took a step forward and slowly crouched down, grabbing the middle-aged man by the back of his collar to force him into eye contact.

Upon seeing who it was, the middle-aged man’s pupils constricted. Terror reached the depths of his eyes as he stammered, “Xie… Xie Qiyan…”

“No! It wasn’t me! This has nothing to do with me!” He struggled to escape, and in the process, rain mixed with blood smeared onto the man’s clothes.

Frowning, the man stood up and took a step back, exuding a natural authority. “Knock him out and take him away.”

“Yes, sir.” Receiving the order, the bodyguard raised his hand and delivered a sharp blow to the back of the man’s neck. The man went still as a corpse.

The scent of rain mixed with the heavy smell of blood. Xie Qiyan relaxed his clenched fist and unhurriedly pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket to wipe his hands.

As he turned, his peripheral vision seemed to catch a glimpse of a graceful figure. Xie Qiyan paused for two seconds and slightly raised his umbrella. His gaze was sharp, yet his face remained expressionless.

Across the curtain of rain in the night, Xia Wanzhi met the man’s gaze. She involuntarily squeezed her palms, her brain momentarily freezing up.

The dim light highlighted an exceptionally striking face. He stood motionless, his aura cold and imposing, his gaze locking onto her like a predator onto its prey.

The bodyguard, carrying the man over his shoulder, noticed his boss’s movement and looked over. Wiping the rain from his face, he asked tentatively, “President Xie?”

Xie Qiyan said nothing.

After a moment, the bodyguard set the middle-aged man down and prepared to walk straight toward Xia Wanzhi.

Xie Qiyan asked in a deep voice, “What are you doing?”

The bodyguard paused, slightly stunned. “Didn’t you mean for me to knock her out and take her away too?”

Xia Wanzhi, standing in the distance, couldn’t hear them clearly. But seeing the stance of the two men, she automatically assumed they were going to deal with her, the witness.

In other words, the legendary ‘silencing the witness.’
Sure enough, the title of Unlucky Saint Physique wasn’t just for show.

She had come to deliver a painting to a client, only to get lost and caught in a rainstorm. Now, while seeking shelter from the rain, she had accidentally stumbled into the territory of a Suit Thug.

Xie Qiyan’s gaze narrowed slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the girl taking shelter nearby had already withdrawn her gaze and turned her back to them, whether out of fear or something else.

“President Xie?”

“Yu Fei.” The two spoke in unison.

“At your command, President Xie.” Yu Fei straightened his back.

Xie Qiyan withdrew his gaze and looked sideways at Yu Fei. “I am a decent man.”

Yu Fei was silent for a moment before explaining, “If she calls the police…”

At that moment, the delicate figure with her back to them moved slightly, followed by a faint sound of coughing.

Xie Qiyan looked up, his gaze falling on Xia Wanzhi’s thin back. His voice was indifferent. “She won’t.”

Yu Fei was dazed for a moment. Seeing his boss already walking away, he quickly hoisted the person on the ground onto his shoulder and followed. “Does President Xie know this girl?”

Xie Qiyan didn’t even think about it. “I don’t.”

Once they were gone, Xia Wanzhi wiped the sweat from her palms and let out a soft sigh of relief, thankful she had escaped a disaster.

Her young assistant, Zhuzi, called at that exact moment. As soon as Xia Wanzhi picked up, the other party launched into a breathless tirade: “I say, Eldest Miss! Where are you? I was only gone for a second and you’ve disappeared!”

Xia Wanzhi sighed helplessly. “I came to deliver a painting to a client, but I can’t reach them.”

“What client? It’s pouring out there! Did you get soaked? Forget it, send me your location. I’ll come pick you up first.” Zhuzi’s voice grew heavy, some words catching in her throat, ultimately left unsaid.

Xia Wanzhi understood the underlying meaning. After hanging up, she sent her location to Zhuzi, her gaze somewhat vacant.

This was already the eighth client to break a contract this month.

Ever since the Xia Family went bankrupt, these people had been treating her like a toy, repeatedly challenging her bottom line.

In just one short month, Xia Wanzhi had gone from the flattered Eldest Miss of the Xia Family to the laughingstock of the illustrious family circle.

These people wanted to see her make a fool of herself, but she maintained an air of indifference, as if none of it concerned her. Not only did she seem completely unaffected, but she had also been taken into her fiancé’s home to be well-fed and cared for, leaving those who wanted to mock her gnashing their teeth in frustration.

“Where’s that newly appointed fiancé of yours?”

“He didn’t know to give you a driver when you went out to deliver a painting?”

“You knew to hide from the rain, but you didn’t know to call him to pick you up?”

On the way back, Zhuzi asked several questions in a row. Xia Wanzhi’s ears had no peace. After a yawn, she shrugged nonchalantly. “I called. No one picked up.”

“What’s the use of having him then!” Zhuzi’s face puffed up with anger.

“He’s probably busy,” Xia Wanzhi replied perfunctorily, her mind filled with the person and events from earlier.

The distance hadn’t been that far. The man holding the umbrella had a powerful aura and was accompanied by a well-trained bodyguard; one look was enough to know he was no minor figure.

What caught her attention even more was the title she had heard: “President Xie.”

Surnamed Xie.

In this circle, the surname Xie was extraordinary.

Coincidentally, rumors about the Beicheng Xie Family had been flying thick and fast lately.

They said that overnight, the position of the Xie Family’s head had been seized by an illegitimate son who had just returned to the country.

A head of the family who was only twenty-six years old.

One had to know that the waters of the Xie Family ran deep. To be able to fight one’s way out of that muddy pool and take that position, this person was bound to be a ruthless character.

“Xia Wanzhi!” After calling her name countless times without a response, Zhuzi shouted Xia Wanzhi’s full name fiercely.

“Hmm? Are we there?” Xia Wanzhi snapped back to reality. She glanced at the gates of the Zhou Family through the car window, stretched, and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Zhuzi rolled her eyes. “Get your head in the game, girl. It’s already this late and you’re still daydreaming. What are you thinking about?”

Xia Wanzhi stared at the swaying windshield wipers in front of her, her lips moving slightly. “I’m thinking about a person.”

“Who?” Zhuzi’s eyes lit up.

“A man.” Xia Wanzhi’s gaze was calm, but her memories drifted far away.

“A very annoying man.”