Zhu Linya said: “You didn’t look for her? Then what were you doing running around in that dirty and dilapidated old city district?”
Cheng Guangchen exclaimed: “There’s such a thing! How come I didn’t know!”
Summer Zheng was also surprised: “You were following me?”
This matter was somewhat embarrassing, so Zhu Linya said vaguely: “I just happened to run into you.”
Summer Zheng laughed coldly inside and said: “If I were really still with Zhao Meiqi, how could I let her live in such a place? I went to the old city district just to look at the real estate.”
At this moment, when Summer Zheng spoke, Zhu Linya recalled this bizarre incident and Zhao Meiqi, who looked similar to Lou Miao, and felt a chill down her spine.
Her momentum weakened, and Cheng Guangchen said fiercely beside her: “You know how much I’ve done for you. Anyway, you’re not allowed to have any contact with that woman in the future! If you don’t listen to me, you’ll face the consequences!”
Summer Zheng’s voice softened: “Okay, I understand…”
Luo Mingbai, feeling there was nothing more to hear, withdrew his spell and lay on Summer Xian Ning’s bed, thinking about the conversation.
First, even before hearing this conversation, Luo Mingbai could sense that the interaction between Summer Zheng and Zhu Linya was incredibly strange. It seemed more like Zhu Linya, who had sent Summer Zheng to the orphanage, was the one in the wrong. Why did she act as if Summer Zheng owed her a huge favor?
They say a mother’s status rises through her son. Without Zhu Linya and Cheng Guangchen, Summer Zheng would still be the bloodline of the Summer family. But without Summer Zheng, what right did Zhu Linya and Cheng Guangchen have to sit in this room?
Another point was that Summer Zheng seemed to have hidden his trip to the ghost market from his mother and wife. The watch was bought by the female ghost’s mother before Summer Zheng was born, so… could the watch be related to Zhu Linya?
The bedroom door was pushed open, and Summer Xian Ning walked in with a kraft paper envelope, his expression slightly strange.
His blanket was already rolled up by Luo Mingbai. Luo Mingbai smiled at Summer Xian Ning and raised his hand, signaling him to pull him up. Summer Xian Ning bent down, hugged him, and placed him further into the bed, then lay down beside him.
Luo Mingbai smiled: “What, going to sleep so early?”
“Not sleeping,” Summer Xian Ning sighed. “You probably can’t stay here tonight. After dinner in a few hours, I’ll send you home.”
Luo Mingbai: “???”
He suddenly sat up, nervously saying: “Really? What happened? I even brought a gift! A ring in exchange for staying the night. Don’t scare me!”
Summer Xian Ning pressed him back onto the bed, both angry and amused: “Don’t panic. It’s not your problem. Grandpa wants me to avoid suspicion.”
Luo Mingbai couldn’t understand: “Avoid what suspicion?”
Summer Xian Ning said: “Two unmarried men, you sleeping in my home isn’t appropriate. It might affect your reputation.”
Luo Mingbai: “…”
He pondered the logic and suddenly widened his eyes: “Xian Ning, did you just come clean with Grandpa???”
Summer Xian Ning calmly said: “Half-true. I actually told him before that I like men, but didn’t specify our relationship – don’t open your eyes so wide, I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
Luo Yingbai slipped out of Xia Xianning’s bedroom, went up another floor, found Xia Zheng’s study door locked, and entered the adjacent study through the window.
Luo Yingbai closed Xia Zheng’s bookshelf, pulled open the desk drawer, which was empty. Although Xia Xianning was on lookout, he was still somewhat nervous, occasionally looking back.
Fortunately, the house was very quiet, with no footsteps in the hallway. Luo Yingbai quickly searched the study and finally found a red velvet box in the pencil holder, which contained a delicate ladies’ watch.
The watch’s hands were still moving. Luo Yingbai examined it briefly and could tell it was well-crafted and certainly valuable, likely the watch the female ghost mentioned.
He carefully checked it from top to bottom. The watch was old, with the case well-preserved and the leather strap slightly worn, faintly exuding a trace of blood. Otherwise, there was nothing unusual.
Luo Yingbai thought for a moment, quickly ran downstairs, and returned to Xia Xianning’s bedroom. Xia Xianning was holding a tablet, looked up and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Luo Yingbai, not noticing his expression, asked anxiously: “Any situation?”
Xia Xianning said: “Zhu Linya and Cheng Guangchen have left. Xia Zheng is alone in his room, nothing happening for now.”
Luo Yingbai hurriedly took out the watch: “Look, this is it!”
Wearing gloves, Luo Yingbai held the watch for Xia Xianning to examine. Xia Xianning said: “It looks like it has blood on it.”
Luo Yingbai replied: “I thought so too, but the watch is so old and has changed hands several times, so it’s hard to tell where the blood is from.”
The strap was dark, and they sensed the blood rather than seeing it. Xia Xianning said: “Let’s put it back to avoid alerting Xia Zheng. We’ll decide what to do after getting the pawn shop records.”
Luo Yingbai scraped a layer of powder from the watch strap with a blade, wrapped it in clean paper, and was about to leave when a door suddenly sounded next door.
Luo Yingbai said: “Oh no, Xia Zheng is coming out!”
Xia Xianning said: “I’ll distract him. You escape through the window and return the watch!”
This tragic story is about Luo Yingbai, who entered the palace as a eunuch from childhood. Through a series of schemes, he poisoned the former emperor and supported the infant Summer Xianning to the throne, controlling power by manipulating the young emperor.
Later, the young emperor Summer Xianning grew up, powerless and seemingly useless but deeply cunning. He actively seduced Luo Yingbai and gradually used him to reclaim his country.
The final outcome was the two facing each other on the battlefield. However, when a cold arrow was shot toward Summer Xianning, Luo Yingbai died protecting him.
Luo Yingbai simply couldn’t imagine what kind of face and tongue Summer Xianning had to read these words without changing expression.
A thought gradually took shape in Xia Xianning’s mind.
“Xianning.” At this moment, Luo Yingbai beside him called out to him, touching his forehead and saying, “Do you think the person who killed Hu Weichao might be Zhu Linya?”
Xia Xianning asked, “What is your reasoning?”
Luo Yingbai pointed to the computer and said, “There happens to be some gossip news online about Third Uncle and Zhu Linya from back then.”
Look, Xianning, it says that after receiving the expensive watch from the third young master of the Xia family, Zhu Linya was ecstatic and never took it off.
However, Luo Yingbai was reminded and found a clue.
He picked up a carbon pen as if it were a dagger and thrust it towards Xia Xianning’s chest: “According to the two housekeepers at your home, Hu Weichao should have been stabbed to death like this, and there was a lot of blood at the time. So, in this scenario, blood would have splattered and inevitably gotten on the killer’s body. Assuming the killer is indeed Zhu Linya, she could change her clothes and dispose of the murder weapon after the crime, but she wouldn’t want to throw away this expensive watch nor keep it. So, she chose to pawn it.”
Xia Xianning nodded, acknowledging that this method of killing was not wise and would easily expose the perpetrator. Zhu Linya might have committed a crime of passion, which would explain why she forgot to remove the watch during the act.
