Chapter 61: Discovering the Mastermind  

Lin Zhenzhu saw that Xiaolan was still young and had likely been momentarily led astray. Not wanting to completely destroy her, she gave her a promise.  

“Xiaolan, as long as you tell us the truth about what happened, I won’t hold you accountable.”  

With Lin Zhenzhu’s assurance, Xiaolan gathered her courage and decided to reveal everything.  

“It was Young Miss Yang who asked me to trick Yingbao Young Miss into going to the lotus pond.”  

“Young Miss Yang? Which Young Miss Yang?”  

“It was Yang Xiaoyun Young Miss. She gave me a sum of money and told me to lure Yingbao Young Miss to the lotus pond, saying that she had something important to discuss with her. I really thought she had something to talk about, so I agreed to help her. I honestly don’t know why Yingbao Young Miss fell into the pond.”  

Hearing Yang Xiaoyun’s name, Lin Zhenzhu was utterly shocked. She had always believed that Yang Xiaoyun was a kind and good-hearted child. She had never imagined that she could be so calculating. Was it really her who had pushed Zhao Jiaying into the water? Why would she do such a thing?  

“Zichen, what do you think? Could it really be Yang Xiaoyun who pushed Yingbao into the lotus pond?” Lin Zhenzhu asked.  

Ou Zilong responded without hesitation: “There’s no need to guess—it was definitely her. I’ve always said that this woman is not simple. Earlier today, Yingbao publicly revealed that my brother has a wife, and my brother also denied their past relationship in front of everyone. She must have held a grudge and took her anger out on Yingbao.”  

Ou Zichen remained silent, not making any assumptions without concrete evidence.  

Shen Linghao then took out a bracelet he had found near the lotus pond, handed it to Lin Zhenzhu, and asked: “Great-grandma, do you recognize this bracelet?”

Lin Zhenzhu took the item and examined it closely. It looked very familiar—where had she seen it before? For a moment, she couldn’t recall.  

After thinking for a long time without an answer, Shen Linghao continued to ask: “Is it Aunt Yang Xiaoyun’s?”  

Lin Zhenzhu picked up the bracelet again and looked at it carefully. Suddenly, she remembered that she had once noticed Yang Xiaoyun’s bracelet was quite unique and had asked her where she bought it. Yang Xiaoyun had said that it was something her mother had left her.  

“Yes, yes, I remember now. It belongs to Yang Xiaoyun. But how did this bracelet end up in your hands?”  

“I picked it up on a small path near the lotus pond. At that time, I saw Aunt Yang Xiaoyun hurriedly passing by. I guessed she must have been in such a rush that she accidentally dropped it. Back then, I thought she was just wandering around out of boredom. But now, thinking about Yingbao falling into the lotus pond, she might really have something to do with it…”  

He blamed himself for being careless at the time. Fortunately, Zhao Jiaying was safe and sound; otherwise, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.  

“This Yang Xiaoyun… I never expected her to be such a vicious person. And to think I actually liked her so much.”  

Hearing Shen Linghao’s words, Lin Zhenzhu was furious. She was now certain that Zhao Jiaying had been pushed into the water by Yang Xiaoyun.  

She hated herself even more for being blind to the truth, for misjudging Yang Xiaoyun, and for allowing such a malicious woman to appear in the Ou family’s home. She had nearly harmed her precious great-granddaughter.  

Xiaolan suddenly remembered that some time ago, Yang Xiaoyun had asked her for Zhao Jiaying’s photo and school address.  

Now, hearing them say that Yang Xiaoyun was such a wicked woman, she realized that when Yang Xiaoyun had asked for Zhao Jiaying’s photo, it must have been for some sinister purpose.  

Since Lin Zhenzhu had given her a chance to speak, she felt she shouldn’t keep this matter from them, so she decided to tell the truth.  

“Madam, President Ou, there is something else I need to tell you!”  

“What is it? Speak quickly!” Lin Zhenzhu was already seething with anger.  

“A while ago, Young Miss Yang Xiaoyun asked me for Young Miss Yingbao’s photo and her school address.”  

Ou Zichen quickly connected the dots to Zhao Jiaying’s kidnapping and asked: “Xiaolan, do you remember when exactly this happened?”  

Xiaolan nodded. “Yes, I remember. It was on June 10th.”  

The reason she remembered the date so clearly was because it was payday.  

June 10th—this was before Zhao Jiaying’s kidnapping. Ou Zichen thought to himself, could it be that the kidnapping was also orchestrated by Yang Xiaoyun?  

At that moment, Ou Zichen’s phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Ma Liangyou, the director of the Public Security Bureau.  

He quickly pressed the answer button. “Hello, Director Ma.”  

Ma Liangyou said: “Hello, Major Ou. I have good news for you. We have successfully arrested the criminal known as Brother Qiang.”  

Ou Zichen asked: “Where is he now? Have you found out who was behind him?”

Ma Liangyou said: “We have brought him back to the Public Security Bureau. We received intelligence that Brother Qiang was hiding in a ruin in the eastern suburbs. When I led my men there, another suspect was attempting to assassinate Brother Qiang. Fortunately, we arrived in time; otherwise, he would have been silenced. We took both criminals back to the Public Security Bureau. After interrogation, Brother Qiang confessed that a woman named Yang Xiaoyun had paid them five million to abduct Young Miss Ou and have her killed. As for the suspect who attempted to assassinate Brother Qiang, he was also acting on Yang Xiaoyun’s orders. I suspect she feared Brother Qiang would be captured and expose her, so she sent someone to eliminate him.”  

The more Ou Zichen listened, the darker his expression became—it really was Yang Xiaoyun.  

At this moment, the fury he had felt when facing terrorists in the past surged within him once again. If Yang Xiaoyun were standing in front of him now, he feared he wouldn’t be able to control himself and would tear her apart with his own hands.  

However, this rage quickly subsided. He calmed himself down because he didn’t want his family to see the cold and ruthless side of him. Moreover, Zhao Jiaying was present, and he didn’t want to frighten her.  

Ou Zichen responded to Ma Liangyou: “Understood. Thank you and your team for your hard work. I will personally visit the bureau to express my gratitude another day. As for what comes next, handle it according to the law.”  

Ma Liangyou reassured him: “Major Ou, rest assured, we know what to do.”  

After hanging up the phone, Ou Zilong immediately asked: “Brother, now that Brother Qiang has been caught, does that mean we know who was behind everything?”  

“It was Yang Xiaoyun.”  

There was no longer any reason to hide the truth, so Ou Zichen stated it plainly.  

Lin Zhenzhu was utterly shocked. She staggered backward and nearly fell, but fortunately, Liu Lanzhi, who was beside her, caught her in time.  

“Madam, are you alright?”  

Lin Zhenzhu waved her hand. “I’m fine, don’t worry!”  

“This Yang Xiaoyun—her conscience must have been eaten by a dog! How could she commit such a heartless crime? Why hasn’t the heavens struck her down already? Keeping her in this world only allows her to continue harming others!” Lin Zhenzhu fumed.  

Ou Zilong said: “Grandmother, haven’t you heard the saying? ‘The good die young, while the wicked live for a thousand years.’ If you’re waiting for the heavens to deal with Yang Xiaoyun, that’s going to be difficult…”  

Hearing Ou Zilong’s words, Lin Zhenzhu grew even angrier. What nonsense about the good dying young while the wicked lived long—absolute rubbish!  

With a fierce expression, she straightened her back like the formidable Grandmother She and declared: “Since the heavens won’t deal with her, then I, Lin Zhenzhu, will personally take care of her today!”