Chapter 32: Hiring an Assassin  

At bedtime, Zhao Jiaying once again hugged her little yellow duck and brought Tangyuan along as she knocked on Ou Zichen’s bedroom door.  

“Yingbao, do you want to sleep with Daddy again tonight?”  

It had only been a few days since she last slept with him, and now she was back so soon.  

Zhao Jiaying nodded. She stood at the door in her cute little pajamas, but this time, she didn’t barge in recklessly. The last time she had done so, Ou Zichen had told her that she must not enter someone else’s bedroom without permission—it was very impolite.  

Seeing her adorable and innocent expression, Ou Zichen’s heart melted completely. He nodded at her. “Come in.”  

As soon as she got permission, Zhao Jiaying dashed inside, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. Tangyuan, as usual, curled up in his usual spot to sleep.  

“Daddy, starting today, until Mommy comes back, Yingbao will sleep with Daddy every night!” she said in her sweet, childlike voice.  

“Why?”  

Zhao Jiaying wasn’t usually such a clingy child. Why was she suddenly insisting on sleeping with him?  

“Because Yingbao doesn’t want to become Cinderella!”  

Cinderella? Who was that? What did she have to do with Zhao Jiaying?  

Ou Zichen was full of questions. “Yingbao, who is Cinderella? What does she have to do with you?”  

Zhao Jiaying covered her face. How could Daddy not even know who Cinderella was? He was definitely not a qualified father! Patiently, she explained the entire fairy tale of Cinderella to Ou Zichen.  

After listening, Ou Zichen finally understood. So this was what she meant by not wanting to become Cinderella!

It seemed that Yang Xiaoyun’s visit to their home today had made Zhao Jiaying mistakenly believe that he was going to marry Yang Xiaoyun and that she would become her stepmother. With her sharp instincts, she was even more afraid that Yang Xiaoyun, as a stepmother, would mistreat her. That was why she said she didn’t want to become Cinderella.  

It was clear that he had not handled this matter well, causing Zhao Jiaying unnecessary worry. He pulled her into his arms and said gently, “Daddy promises Yingbao that you will never become Cinderella. Instead, you will be a carefree little princess.”  

Zhao Jiaying tilted her small head and looked up at Ou Zichen with her big, round eyes. “Really, Daddy? Yingbao really won’t become Cinderella?”  

“Of course. When has Daddy ever lied to Yingbao? Don’t worry, Daddy won’t marry Big Sister Xiaoyun, so she will never become Yingbao’s stepmother!”  

Ou Zichen told Zhao Jiaying his true thoughts. Firstly, he had never planned to marry Yang Xiaoyun in the first place. Secondly, he wanted to reassure Zhao Jiaying’s young heart.  

He had heard plenty of stories about children being mistreated by their stepmothers. Having grown up without a mother himself, alongside Ou Zilong, he understood how important motherly love was for a child. If a child not only lacked a mother’s love but was also mistreated by a stepmother, it would be no different from ruining their life.  

He absolutely would not let his adorable daughter be harmed by anyone. He had to take care of her and stay by her side until her Mommy came back. If her Mommy was willing, he would marry her without hesitation!  

Hearing Ou Zichen’s words, Zhao Jiaying cheered on the bed and cupped his face in her small hands, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek.  

“Daddy is the best! Yingbao loves Daddy the most!”  

Even though Ou Zichen had reassured her that he wouldn’t marry Yang Xiaoyun, Zhao Jiaying was still not entirely at ease. If not Yang Xiaoyun, there could always be another Yang Xiaoyun. After all, her Daddy was so handsome, so capable, and the big boss of his company—there were plenty of women eyeing him and trying to get close to him.  

So before Mommy came back, she still had to guard Ou Zichen!  

“Now can you sleep like a good girl?”  

Ou Zichen thought that since she knew he wouldn’t marry Yang Xiaoyun, she should be able to sleep peacefully now. It was already late, and staying up too long wasn’t good for a child’s health.  

But to his surprise, Zhao Jiaying shook her head.  

“Daddy hasn’t told Yingbao a bedtime story yet!”  

Ah, right. He had forgotten the most important thing. No wonder the little one refused to sleep.  

Ou Zichen shook his head, got out of bed, and picked up a storybook. He had no choice—right now, Zhao Jiaying was his little ancestor, and he had to serve her well.  

He opened the book to the story of The Three Little Pigs and began reading seriously.  

“Once upon a time, there were three little pig brothers who wanted to build houses of their own. The eldest built a house of straw, the second built a house of wood, while the youngest thought a brick house would be safer and worked hard to build it…”  

Lying in bed, Zhao Jiaying listened as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. But soon, she shook her head and forced herself to stay awake. The story was too good—she had to hear it to the end before sleeping.  

Ou Zichen’s voice continued,  

“One day, a big bad wolf came along and wanted to eat the little pigs. First, he blew down the eldest brother’s straw house, then he knocked down the second brother’s wooden house… In the end, the big bad wolf tried many ways but still couldn’t get into the brick house. He had no choice but to give up on eating the little pigs.”

Hearing the final two words of the story, Zhao Jiaying finally closed her eyes in peace and soon her breathing became steady and even.  

Ou Zichen tucked her in, gently kissed her forehead, then got out of bed to put the storybook away.  

Checking the time, he saw that it was 9:45 PM. For him, it was still early, so he went to his study to handle some company emails.  

—

The Next Day  

As soon as Yang Dapeng arrived at the company, he immediately instructed the finance department to transfer ten million yuan into Yang Xiaoyun’s personal account.  

Around ten in the morning, Yang Xiaoyun received a notification on her phone confirming that the money had been deposited. With this amount, she could finally do what she had been planning.  

Without wasting any time, she quickly freshened up, put on a pair of sunglasses, and drove out.  

She arrived at Bincheng’s Black Market Trading Center and found a man known as Brother Qiang. Handing over a photo of Zhao Jiaying, she said coldly, “I want this person taken care of.”  

By “taken care of.” she meant that the girl should not live to see the next sunrise.  

Brother Qiang took the photo and glanced at it. The girl in the picture was adorable and beautiful. Hesitating for a moment, he asked, “What kind of deep hatred do you have against this child that you want her dead?”  

“That’s none of your business. Just tell me if you’ll take the job or not.”  

Of course, Yang Xiaoyun wouldn’t explain the reason. This involved Ou Zichen, and she would never let anyone find out.  

“I’ll do it—so long as you can pay the price.”  

In this place, no one refused money. As long as the price was right, they would do anything.  

“How much? Name your price.”  

“Five million!” Brother Qiang stated directly.  

“Deal!”  

Yang Xiaoyun agreed without hesitation, sealing Zhao Jiaying’s fate for five million yuan.  

After all, the position of Madam Ou was worth far more than five million, and she was certain that once Zhao Jiaying was out of the picture, she would be able to marry Ou Zichen without any obstacles.  

Brother Qiang hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly and regretted not asking for more—maybe eight million instead! But now that the deal was struck, he couldn’t suddenly raise the price. Slapping his thigh, he said, “Straightforward! Deal! Send me the photo and her details.”  

Yang Xiaoyun sent him Zhao Jiaying’s photo along with information about her school, emphasizing that making a move at the school would be the easiest.  

She had obtained this information through a maid working for the Ou family, whom she had bribed. The maid had secretly provided her with Zhao Jiaying’s picture and school details.  

After receiving the information, Brother Qiang patted his chest confidently. “Don’t worry, the job will be done. Now, transfer a down payment of three million. The remaining two million will be paid after the job is completed.”  

Yang Xiaoyun did not hesitate. He picked up his phone and directly transferred three million to Brother Qiang.

“When will it be done?”

Brother Qiang replied: “That’s hard to say. It depends on the situation. But don’t worry, we’ll get it done as soon as possible. We want to collect the remaining payment quickly too!”

“Alright, handle it as soon as possible!”

Yang Xiaoyun did not want to see Zhao Jiaying for another second. Even letting her live one more minute felt like too much.

“Rest assured, just wait for our good news!”

After making sure everything was arranged, Yang Xiaoyun quickly left the Black Market trading area. That place was too chaotic—staying even a minute longer was unbearable. If it weren’t for needing to find someone to take care of Zhao Jiaying, he figured he would never have stepped foot in that place in his entire life.