On the way to Phoenix Manor, Chu Yuxuan bought a new phone and replaced his SIM card. After the new card was activated, he logged onto WeChat and saw that, sure enough, Situ Jingyao had sent a friend request in the early hours of the morning.
Chu Yuxuan hesitated for a moment before accepting the request. He was still a bit shocked; he hadn't expected to encounter her under these circumstances.
The girl who used to wear her hair in a ponytail, who was often scorned and ridiculed, and who had endured beatings from her stepfather, had now transformed into a mysterious and unapproachable swan. Chu Yuxuan couldn't help but reflect on what she might have gone through and what she might have sacrificed. He felt a sense of admiration for her rather than disdain.
He completely understood the saying "One who hasn't experienced others' suffering shouldn't advise others to be kind."
Knowing Situ Jingyao's identity made her previous attentions easier to understand. Moreover, today, Situ Jingyao had remained silent about the Xue family. Chu Yuxuan had initially thought she was allied with Xue Can, but it seemed she might have been trying to protect him from unnecessary trouble. Still, Chu Yuxuan remained somewhat skeptical, as people could be unpredictable, and one should always be cautious.
Old Fourth, who was driving, suddenly turned and asked, "Shall we kill them?"
Chu Yuxuan responded, "Kill whom?"
"The girl, she obviously isn't a good person, and the Xue Can you mentioned—what happened last night must be related to them."
Chu Yuxuan smiled and said, "It's not certain for now. Let's hold off for the moment."
Old Fourth calmly replied, "We could just stab them and find out for sure. How about I go take care of Xue Can tonight?"
Chu Yuxuan said sternly, "The Xue family is probably not easy to deal with. We'll wait until we have more information."
Old Fourth said, "The equipment Old Five arranged will arrive tonight."
Chu Yuxuan knew what he meant and sighed helplessly. "Old Fourth, don't be so bloodthirsty. If Xue Can wasn't behind last night's incident, we don't need to provoke the Xue family."
Old Fourth fell silent.
After a moment, Chu Yuxuan abruptly asked, "How's it going with that psychologist?"
Old Fourth pursed his lips and said, "Crazy woman. I told her my identity, and she wasn't scared at all... She talks a lot and laughs endlessly. It's so annoying."
Chu Yuxuan looked out the window and muttered with a smile, "That's good..."
Upon arriving at Phoenix Manor, Chu Yuxuan went to find Chu Zhiqing, while Old Fourth waited in the car.
When father and son met, Chu Zhiqing saw the injuries on Chu Yuxuan's face and neck and frowned. "Is this what you call a small matter? What kind of small matter could leave you so hurt?"
Chu Yuxuan didn't answer directly but asked, "Have you figured it out?"
Chu Zhiqing's expression grew serious. "They're not from the Ye family."
Chu Yuxuan's eyes brightened. "So, the move we made using Liu Jun's case was effective!"
"Yes... They didn't succeed this time, but they'll likely act soon."
"Be careful. Take more bodyguards when you go out and try to capture one alive."
Chu Zhiqing sighed. "You should be careful too. If something happens to both of us, the attackers will surely be the same group."
He then abruptly said, "Don't mess with Xue Can."
Chu Yuxuan, puzzled, asked, "You know?"
Chu Zhiqing smiled and said, "Not long after I spoke with you this morning, Xue Can's father called me and mentioned what happened last night. He said he didn't want to hold a grudge against us and assured me he would discipline his son and not cause you trouble again."
Since Chu Zhiqing knew, Chu Yuxuan didn't hide anything and asked, "What is the Xue family's background? I'm really curious."
Chu Zhiqing gave a strange smile. "What Xue family? Is there an Xue family in Jiangcheng? Have you heard of it? Haha... That little b*st*rd isn't even surnamed Xue. He's just using the Xue name to deceive people."
"What?" Chu Yuxuan was taken aback.
"Xue Can is a born troublemaker. At fourteen, he started driving and, not only did he hit someone, but he also beat the victim half to death. At seventeen, he and his friends r*p*d a classmate... He's done so much evil, it's only a matter of time before heaven takes him."
Chu Yuxuan said coldly, "What if heaven is blind?"
Chu Zhiqing replied, "It's not related to us... You can probably guess that if our Chu family doesn't dare to easily provoke them, they must have connections with the authorities. Don't be curious and investigate. In any case, Xue Can was called away halfway through last night's pursuit by his father. Your troubles are definitely not related to him. There's no need to provoke him further."
It seemed Situ Jingyao hadn't lied. Last night's events were indeed unrelated to Xue Can.
Chu Yuxuan had no interest in delving into the Xue family's peculiarities or why Xue Can had provoked him. However, his expression suddenly grew serious.
In fact, he hoped it was Xue Can and not the mastermind from ten years ago.
Chu Zhiqing noticed his thoughts and sighed. "Son, I know what you're thinking. Are you worried that you'll drag Nan Nan into danger?"
Chu Yuxuan remained silent.
Chu Zhiqing continued, "What do you want to do? Divorce? Haha... Don't be naive. If she leaves you now, will she have a better life? Son, if I had been with your mother ten years ago, she wouldn't have ended up in trouble. You must not let yourself regret it."
Chu Yuxuan was in turmoil. Since those people had ill intentions toward him, Zhao Yanan would undoubtedly be pulled into unknown dangers.
If he divorced Zhao Yanan, he could easily deal with those plotting against her in secret. But if Zhao Yanan stayed by his side, with enemies in the dark and him in the open, and considering the methods of these people, it wouldn't be easy to handle!
After a long silence, Chu Yuxuan lit a cigarette. His eyes flickered as he smoked. Once he finished, it seemed he had made a decision, and his gaze became resolute. After a brief conversation with Chu Zhiqing, he got up and left.
At the same time, in the Xue family's mansion.
Xue Can was sleeping soundly when the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. An older man, slightly older than Xue Can, stormed into the room with a baseball bat. Without saying a word, he pulled back the covers and began to hit Xue Can!
"Get up! You b*st*rd! What time is it, still sleeping?!"
The man showed no mercy, repeatedly striking Xue Can with the bat.
Xue Can was jolted awake and, seeing it was his older brother, immediately curled up and covered his head, clearly used to this treatment—he had probably been beaten before.
"Always causing trouble! You're twenty-seven, and still acting like you're seventeen! Get up!"
The man, while berating him, saw the white powder on the bedside table and became even angrier. He struck Xue Can on the neck and shouted, "Still using drugs! Didn't you say you were quitting? Huh?! B*st*rd, I almost want to kill you right now!"