Chapter 121: I Want to Cooperate with You

“But my irreconcilable conflict with her has nothing to do with our two families,” Xiao Xue said. After all, she never cared about anything related to the Xiao family.

“Then what is it about?” Lin Qingyou asked.

“It’s because…” Xiao Xue thought for a moment, then scoffed.

“Back then, I was one of the hottest stars in the entertainment industry. Can you imagine…” The more she spoke, the angrier she became. “Can you imagine that the biggest smear campaign against me in the industry came from someone who wasn’t even part of it?”

“What do you mean?” Lin Qingyou was intrigued. “You two aren’t even in the same circle. How did she manage to slander you? And what did she gain from it? Was it to seek revenge for the Pei family?”

“Pff… Revenge for the Pei family? Since when was she so kind?”

Xiao Xue continued, “She built her reputation by stepping on me. Her title as the ‘Number One Socialite of the Imperial Capital’ was established by dragging me down.”

“After Gu Mingzhu, there were no more true socialites in the capital. She made her fame by feeding off my suffering…”

“At that time, I was at the peak of my stardom, attracting massive attention, and naturally, I was constantly embroiled in drama…”

“And she saw an opportunity in that. Otherwise, why was she the only one who became famous out of all the wealthy heiresses in the Imperial Capital? Do you really think it’s because she was breathtakingly beautiful? There were plenty of women prettier than her.”

“She used my popularity, my controversies, and my attention to boost her own name… She even spread rumors that I was the daughter of an aristocratic family, pushing me to the very peak of the entertainment industry’s pyramid.”

After all, a beautiful, wealthy heiress lowering herself to act in movies—it was the perfect selling point for the audience.

For a time, Xiao Xue’s fame and status reached an unprecedented height.

“But don’t misunderstand—she didn’t do it to help me. The higher I climbed, the higher she could climb as well.”

“She just needed a contrast. Look at us—two daughters of elite families. One chose to be a lowly actress, degrading herself, while the other spent her days donating to charity, like an angel descended to earth.”

“People love comparisons, love putting others down. Especially when it comes to two women, they instinctively compare beauty, figures, backgrounds, and even their men—just anything to compare…”

“At that time, I was dating a rookie actor with an average family background. And she? She got engaged to Yin Haoting, the number one heir of the Imperial Capital…”

Xiao Xue shot a glare at Yin Hanyu. “Your father, to be precise.”

“So, once again, she dragged me through the mud, making me look worthless!”

“Everyone started saying that I was only fit to date nobodies, while she was with the powerful and noble Yin Haoting.”

“My father was furious. To save face, he even went to the Yin family, demanding an immediate engagement between me and Lan Si. There had always been talk of such an arrangement since we were kids. Plus, Grandmother Yin liked me—she was even my fan—so she agreed readily.”

“But then Lan Si refused and directly broke off the engagement. That nearly killed my father all over again…”

How many times had he been angered to death?

Lin Qingyou twitched at the corner of her mouth as she listened.

What a mess!

She suddenly felt a little sorry for her grandfather.

“And then what happened?”

“And then?” Xiao Xue recalled, “Then, one night, the Pei family was suddenly wiped out. The entire estate was burned to the ground, and they say she died in that fire.”

“If she’s dead, what’s there to hold a grudge over?” That was why Xiao Xue had never mentioned Gu Mingzhu over the years.

“But now…” Xiao Xue slapped a photo of Gu Mingzhu viciously. “That woman never died. Her appearance changed, probably because the fire disfigured her.”

“But while faces can change, a person’s aura cannot.” Suddenly, Xiao Xue understood everything. “No wonder, all these years, whenever you and Leng Yifeng were closest, I suggested meeting her, but she always refused. She was afraid I would recognize her!”

That made sense. Lin Qingyou nodded in agreement.

“Aunt, how exactly was the Pei family destroyed?”

“Hmm…” Xiao Xue suddenly got up and locked the door tightly.

Lin Qingyou watched her actions and couldn’t help but complain—why was her aunt acting all mysterious, just like Yin Yixuan?

“Aunt, hurry up and tell me!” Lin Qingyou whined.

“Back then, a lot of people thought it was our Xiao family who did it!”

“What?!” Lin Qingyou was utterly shocked.

Xiao Xue chuckled and patted Lin Qingyou’s head. “It wasn’t us. Our Xiao family didn’t have that kind of power.”

She glanced at Yin Hanyu before pointing to the ceiling. “I heard it was ‘the higher-ups’ who did it.”

“‘The higher-ups’?” Lin Qingyou gasped.

Xiao Xue whispered, “It was Lan Si. They say even special military forces were deployed at the time.”

“Special forces?!” Lin Qingyou’s eyes widened. “It was that serious?”

“The Pei family was a deeply rooted noble clan. If not for direct intervention from above, who would dare wipe them out? And who could even do it?”

“Then why did the higher-ups suddenly decide to eliminate the Pei family?”

Xiao Xue shook her head. “Who knows? All I know is that after the Pei family was wiped out, all traces of them were erased…”

“So much so that people were too afraid to even mention them.”

“And now, decades have passed. It’s been so long that many people have forgotten the Pei family even existed in the Imperial Capital.”

“But…” Xiao Xue suddenly turned to Yin Hanyu. “Since Pei Mingzhu is still alive, she will definitely seek revenge for her family.”

“The fall of the Pei family is inextricably linked to the Yin family. Pei Mingzhu was a ruthless woman from a young age—you must protect Qingyou well. I’m afraid she might harm her because of you, or worse, use Qingyou to hurt you.”

“In any case, neither of you can get hurt…”

Lin Qingyou immediately tightened her grip on Yin Hanyu’s hand, and he held hers firmly, soothing her emotions.

“I will…”

Yin Hanyu nodded solemnly.

Deep inside, he silently made a decision.

—

Late at night, silence filled the air.

Lin Qingyou quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Once she was sound asleep, Yin Hanyu quietly left the room.

He drove to a nightclub filled with endless temptations and mysteries.

The nightclub, located in the busiest district of the Imperial Capital, was dazzling and extravagant.

Inside the first-floor hall, flashing lights flickered endlessly, deafening music roared, and the dance floor was a chaotic scene of men and women twisting their bodies wildly to the rhythm.

However, amidst this lively atmosphere, Yin Hanyu stood still like a cold statue, his expression full of disdain.

His deep eyes didn’t even glance at the dance floor. Instead, he called over the manager and said something to him.

The manager’s face instantly changed…

He made a phone call, and after a brief conversation, he led Yin Hanyu toward a special elevator.

The manager respectfully waited at the entrance.

Soon, the elevator doors slowly opened.

Yin Hanyu stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor.

As the elevator ascended, the noise gradually faded, replaced by an eerie silence.

When the doors finally opened, the scene before him was in stark contrast to the chaos below.

The top floor was quiet and mysterious, seemingly isolated from the world.

After about two minutes, a tightly shut door was gently pushed open, and a figure appeared in the doorway.

It was Ji Mo Sheng.

He showed no surprise at seeing Yin Hanyu, as if he had expected this visit.

“Kid, when did you find out I was here?”

“When isn’t important. What matters is that I not only know you’re here—I also know you’re the true owner of this nightclub.”

This place wasn’t just the largest nightclub in the Imperial Capital—it was also the biggest intelligence hub!

“What do you want?” Ji Mo Sheng asked bluntly.

Yin Hanyu replied with a smirk, “I want to cooperate with you…”