Chapter 139: The Hidden Thoughts

This was Qiao Zi Yu’s first time coming to Yun Bian Village.

He was the eldest son of the county magistrate, and his usual routine consisted of studying or reading. His parents didn’t allow him to waste time on anything else.

This time, he had come to Yun Bian Village secretly.

Accompanied by a servant, they didn’t dare to be too conspicuous. They left their carriage at the village entrance and quietly made their way to the Xiao family.

When Ye Xin Ran heard the knock on the door, she thought it was Lu Chang Qing.

But when she opened the door, she realized she was mistaken.

The man standing before her was both unfamiliar and familiar.

Ye Xin Ran was momentarily stunned before she recalled.

“Young Master Qiao, what brings you here?”

Qiao Zi Yu hadn’t expected Ye Xin Ran’s situation to be so poor.

The roof was covered with grass, looking as though it could collapse at any moment.

Seeing her momentary daze, he felt a strange unease.

Had she really forgotten about him?

“Don’t worry, I’m not here for you. Call Ye Xin Yao out. I’m here to take her away.”

“Ye Xin Yao?” Ye Xin Ran was confused.

“How could she be here?”

Qiao Zi Yu sneered, “Don’t pretend. If she’s not at home, she must be here.”

“We’ve already severed ties with the Ye family,” Ye Xin Ran replied.

“So what if you’ve severed ties? Ye Xin Yao doesn’t lie. If she said she came here, then she’s definitely here.”

Ye Xin Ran couldn’t help but laugh at his words.

“Whether she lies or not is not your reason to bark at my doorstep.”

Cursing under her breath, Ye Xin Ran reached for the door to close it.

But Qiao Zi Yu hadn’t achieved his goal yet, so he immediately stepped forward to block the door.

“If you don’t hand Xin Yao over, I’ll tell my father to send someone to arrest you and bring you back to the county office for questioning… Ah!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp cry escaped him.

A stone hit the back of his hand, causing him to immediately release his grip.

“You… You dare to harm the young master of my family? Are you looking to die?”

The servant, seeing this, stepped forward and planted a foot on the door, shielding Qiao Zi Yu behind him.

“Which of your eyes saw me doing anything? Qiao Zi Yu, can’t you and your ridiculous family keep your problems to yourselves instead of causing trouble at my door?”

“This is the most unfortunate thing in my life,” Ye Xin Ran spat angrily. “Getting engaged to you was the worst decision I ever made. Once you’re involved, it’s a lifetime of bad luck that you can’t shake off. If you have problems, handle them at home, don’t come here to vent your madness!”

As she spoke, Ye Xin Ran pushed the door with all her strength.

The servant tried to block it with his leg, but was kicked out of the way by Xiao Huai’an.

“Ye Xin Ran, I know you hate me, but you can’t destroy me just because I broke off the engagement,” Qiao Zi Yu shouted from outside.

Xiao Huai’an frowned and made a move to open the door.

“What are you doing?” Ye Xin Ran stopped him.

“Going to shut him up,” Xiao Huai’an replied.

“He’s still the son of a county magistrate, we should avoid direct confrontation,” Ye Xin Ran said.

Xiao Huai’an’s gaze darkened.

Avoid conflict? Only a dead person would stay silent.

Qiao Zi Yu, hearing no response from inside, tried to shout louder. But just as he was about to continue, a voice came from behind him.

“What kind of person shouts in front of someone else’s door early in the morning?”

Qiao Zi Yu turned around, surprised to see two familiar faces.

One of them was the son of Wei Jing Zhi, the director of the academy.

The fact that Wei Jing Zhi’s son and nephew were studying at the academy was known to only a few people. Wei Jing Zhi hadn’t made a big deal of it, nor had he given them special privileges.

But everyone who knew about it was eager to make connections with them, hoping they could speak a good word on their behalf.

Qiao Zi Yu was one of those people.

However, Wei Jing Zhi’s son and Lu Chang Qing, as usual, kept to themselves and rarely interacted with others.

Qiao Zi Yu had tried to get close several times, but both of them had ignored him.

He hadn’t expected to encounter them here.

“What’s going on here?” Qiao Zi Yu asked, surprised.

Neither Wei Jing Zhi’s son nor Lu Chang Qing had expected to meet Qiao Zi Yu here.

They had heard that Qiao Zi Yu was the only direct disciple of Wei Jing Zhi, but after interacting with him a few times, both Wei Jing Zhi’s son and Lu Chang Qing were not impressed.

“What are you doing here?” Wei Jing Zhi’s son spoke first.

“I… I came to discuss something with the head of this house,” Qiao Zi Yu stammered, feeling an uneasy premonition rise within him.

And his premonition was confirmed the next moment.

Hearing the voices of the two men in the yard, Ye Xin Ran immediately opened the door. “Why are you here so early today?”

Lu Chang Qing immediately broke into a smile. “Sister, my aunt agreed to let me stay here.”

“Sister?”

Qiao Zi Yu was stunned.

The person he had tried so hard to connect with, who had always been out of reach, was calling Ye Xin Ran “Sister”?

Wasn’t Lu Chang Qing from the Jing An Marquis’ family? How could he call Ye Xin Ran “Sister”?

And Ye Xin Ran didn’t seem surprised at all, accepting the title with calm composure.

“Come in quickly, before you get tainted by bad luck,” Ye Xin Ran urged them inside.

Wei Jing Zhi’s son, however, stopped at the door and asked, “Qiao Zi Yu, why aren’t you at the academy studying? What are you doing here?”

Qiao Zi Yu was immediately drenched in cold sweat.

He had just taken sick leave from the academy today, and now, if they caught him, his lie would be exposed.

If Wei Jing Zhi found out he had lied, would he be punished?

“I…” he hesitated.

Ye Xin Ran, finding it a waste of time, answered for him. “He came here to find someone.”

Wei Jing Zhi’s son, not knowing the full situation, asked, “Who are you looking for? How did you end up here?”

Ye Xin Ran replied, “He’s looking for his former fiancée, who is also my younger sister before I severed ties with the Ye family.”

“The Ye family’s younger sister?” Lu Chang Qing asked.

“Yes!”

Seeing their curiosity, Ye Xin Ran knew they would ask more questions later, so she briefly explained the situation in front of Qiao Zi Yu.

After hearing Ye Xin Ran’s account, Lu Chang Qing’s face darkened. “Qiao Zi Yu, you heartless and ungrateful man, what face do you have to show up here? Do you really think my sister can be bullied by you?”

“I, I’m not…” Qiao Zi Yu panicked.

“If there really was a missing person, you should have reported it to the authorities, not come here and pressure an innocent woman to explain,” Lu Chang Qing continued.

“When we arrived, we saw a carriage at the village entrance,” Wei Jing Zhi’s son spoke up. “Looking at the emblem on the carriage, it seems to be from a certain stable. So, you didn’t dare use the family’s carriage, but hired one to come here, right?”

Seeing that they didn’t deny it, Wei Jing Zhi’s son continued, “Since you didn’t dare alert your family, and parked the carriage at the village entrance to avoid drawing attention from the villagers, it shows that your actions are something shady and have to be done in secret.”

At this point, Wei Jing Zhi’s son stood right in front of Qiao Zi Yu. “What’s the reason you had to sneak around looking for someone? Did you hide some kind of shameful secret?”