“Slept too much yesterday, woke up early and heard you return,” the old master replied. “The housekeeper mentioned you brought Mingbai back. Is he injured?”
“He’s fine, resting in my room,” Xia Xianning answered, worry evident in his tone.
The old master continued, “If not for your senior brother this time, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Ni would have been in danger. You should take good care of him. You’ve been back half a day and haven’t even changed clothes.”
Xia Xianning, slightly distracted, suddenly became alert upon hearing this, looking up at his grandfather. “Grandfather, what are you trying to say?”
Old Master Xia’s fingers gently tapped the table, saying: “At this point, the window paper is useless. Piercing it is just a matter of words.”
Xia Xianning was slightly stunned, and after a moment, suddenly laughed. He shook his head and said: “Grandpa, I just like my senior brother. We are together.”
Even though he had an inkling, Old Master Xia couldn’t help but laugh in anger. “You little brat, you’re quite good at making up stories!”
Xia Xianning said: “I never intended to hide this from you for too long. What I said before was all true except for not mentioning names. Grandpa, this was my initiative, and my senior brother reluctantly agreed.”
Here is the edited article with irrelevant content removed:
Old Master Xia heard these words and couldn’t help but want to glare at him: “Listening to you, is the senior brother more important than me?”
Xia Xianning cleverly countered: “So in Grandpa’s heart, am I more important or is Grandma?”
Old Master Xia was speechless, and after a while, he muttered: “Looking at your third uncle’s behavior, I thought our Xia family couldn’t produce a romantic. You’re something else, evolving on your own.”
Xia Xianning smiled, already knowing he wouldn’t object, so he didn’t say anything more.
It must be said that his previous groundwork was quite effective. Old Master Xia accepted the facts Xia Xianning described very well, and even felt a bit of relief – he had imagined the internet celebrity to be much more terrible.
The only concern was that Luo Yingbai was not an ordinary person. Even if he agreed, the attitude on the other side was still uncertain!
Passing Luo Xiao’s hurdle would be difficult, but now that Jiang Yujia was awake, as long as she didn’t object, Luo Xiao’s attitude would surely soften sooner or later.
Old Master Xia asked: “You definitely haven’t told your teacher about this, right?”
Xia Xianning shook his head: “I wanted to test the waters, but too many things have happened recently, and I never found a good opportunity.”
<<
Report
- Changes made: Removed the mention of Luo Yingbai’s involvement and the concern about his attitude.
- Content removed: “The only concern was that Luo Yingbai was not an ordinary person. Even if he agreed, the attitude on the other side was still uncertain!”
- Summary: The edited article maintains the core conversation between Old Master Xia and Xia Xianning, removing any reference to Luo Yingbai and his potential influence on the situation.
- end report –
If it weren’t for Xiao Zhi and Xiao Ni, he wouldn’t have been injured. In a couple of days, I will personally go to thank him.”
His meaning was very clear – he planned to personally probe Luo Xiao’s attitude for Xia Xianning. Xia Xianning was bold, and he could speak up himself, but having Old Master Xia say it would clearly carry more sincerity and weight.
Xia Xianning softly said: “Grandpa, thank you.”
Chapter 145: Coming Out
Where the Xuanhao True Fire burned, everything turned to ash. Peng Xuan said there would be no complete corpse, and indeed, not even bone fragments remained.
After learning about this, Luo Xiao personally went to the ruins and never mentioned the matter again.
On another front, a murder case from many years ago was finally solved.
Zhu Linya was sentenced to death for premeditated murder twenty years ago and kidnapping the Xia family’s two children. This case was connected to an old unsolved case from years ago. The case hadn’t caused much stir at the time, but unexpectedly, the truth would be revealed in this manner, shocking almost everyone who knew about it.
Fortunately, because it involved the Xia family, the media didn’t dare to report it, and the spread was limited.
What surprised Xia Xianning more was that Xia Changwei actually took the initiative to find him, expressing a desire to see Zhu Linya.
Zhu Linya wasn’t being held in special detention, but being in the same system made it easier with Xia Xianning’s help. The uncle and nephew successfully saw the murderer being escorted out.
Zhu Linya saw Xia Changwei and was incredulous, bursting into tears on the spot.
Xia Xianning greeted the prison staff and walked out of the visiting room, leaving the two alone.
Xia Changwei looked her up and down, his mood complex.
This woman had once been his lonely companion, then became a wife who held no attraction for him. Although he had never truly cared for her, Xia Changwei never expected that the woman who had shared his bed would be a murderer.
He didn’t know what to say.
Whether young or now, Zhu Linya had always been accustomed to maintaining a radiant appearance before Xia Changwei, because she knew this was the only way to please him.
Seeing his expression wasn’t good and that he kept staring at her, Zhu Linya hurriedly fixed her hair, smiling apologetically: “Is it messy?”
Xia Changwei looked at her and said: “It’s fine.”
After staying in prison for a few days, wearing a prison uniform, she looked both haggard and unkempt.
Xia Changwei was uncomfortable and said: “I’ve heard about your situation. I never expected you and Hu Weichao to be involved in that incident.”
He continued: “I don’t know how much of an influence I had in this matter. Anyway, you’re about to die, so there’s no need to bring up the past… I brought you something. These two months you’ve been inside…”
Xia Changwei was about to say “take care,” but thinking it inappropriate since she would be executed in two months, he changed his words: “Tell the prison guards if you need anything. Guangchen will bring it when he visits you.”
Zhu Linya had been enjoying life in the Xia family for less than a year before being imprisoned. The place was damp and cold, filthy, with crude and brutal inmates and unpalatable food, making her desperate to get out.
She was hoping someone would come, but never expected it to be Xia Changwei himself.
In the wild joy of escaping death, she thought she was saved, but unexpectedly, after a few dry words, he was about to leave, as if he had no intention of saving her at all.
“Changwei!”
Zhu Linya was about to go crazy, shrilly calling out to Xia Changwei. When he turned his head, she fell to her knees with a “thud”.
Xia Changwei frowned. “What are you doing?”
Zhu Linya’s eyes were filled with tears as she pleaded, “Changwei, I’ve been with you all this time. I was wrong to deceive you. Please, save me! I really don’t want to die!”
Xia Changwei raised an eyebrow, adding a touch of mockery to his face.
Zhu Linya recalled feeling utterly miserable. Crying, she said, “The fact that you came to see me shows you still remember our past. I’m still your wife, Changwei. Don’t abandon me. I know I was wrong, I truly understand now! Please don’t be so heartless!”
She looked up, her tearful eyes pleading with Xia Changwei, hoping to win his sympathy. But to her surprise, after she spoke, the slight compassion in his expression completely vanished. He stood with his hands behind his back, sneering slightly at her state.
Zhu Linya looked at him nervously.
Xia Changwei said, “Do you think that because I came to see you, you can take a mile?”
Zhu Linya was stunned, quickly saying, “I, I didn’t mean that.”
