Chapter 21.2

Looking left and right to confirm it was not her own phone ringing, Xie Shuyun finally looked toward Cheng Lingxue, only to discover that Cheng Lingxue had already turned and walked back to the spot where she had been sitting earlier.

She picked up her phone. As if she had seen something, her brows furrowed slightly.

Xie Shuyun did not know if it was her imagination, but she kept feeling that Cheng Lingxue glanced at her. There seemed to be a trace of wariness in her eyes.

In the end, however, she still answered the call.

“…Hello…”

“Miss… you… come… Second Master brought people here… I… beep, beep, beep…”

The other end of the call seemed very noisy. Xie Shuyun could only hear broken fragments of speech. The only clear words were “Miss” and a few other meaningful phrases.

Someone who called Cheng Lingxue “Miss”…

Could it be someone from the former Cheng family?

She was puzzled inwardly, but was suddenly made to shiver by the drop in temperature around her.

The source of that cold air was none other than Cheng Lingxue, who was staring at the phone screen showing that the call had ended.

At this moment, Cheng Lingxue’s face was terrifyingly dark. Her white teeth bit tightly into her lips, her eyes trembled slightly, and anger surfaced within them. The fingertips gripping her phone trembled faintly and turned pale. Her breathing was chaotic.

This was also the first time Xie Shuyun had seen the other girl’s emotions exposed so openly.

The cold air rushing toward her seemed as if it could freeze a person into an ice pop, and there even seemed to be killing intent within it.

Xie Shuyun sucked in a breath and subconsciously wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, moving backward a little in an attempt to get farther away from Cheng Lingxue, who had become terrifying.

In the next second, the cold young girl turned sideways neatly and strode quickly toward the door.

Seeing this, Xie Shuyun no longer cared about anything else. She hurriedly grabbed the blanket with one hand and supported herself against the low cabinet with the other, dragging her weak body up as she asked in panic,

“Wait, it’s so late. Are you going out?”

Cheng Lingxue’s hand, which was about to touch the doorknob, paused. She did not turn back, but her gaze shifted over.

Even though it was half-hidden by her hair, Xie Shuyun could still feel the sharpness inside.

“…Lend me the driver.”

After saying that, Cheng Lingxue pulled the door open and quickly closed it, shutting the voice calling after her inside.

Cheng Lingxue, who had just come out, happened to run into Qin Yu, who was coming upstairs while carrying something.

Looking at the girl who had been taking care of Eldest Miss, Qin Yu’s favorable impression of her was even better than before. A gentle smile curved on her face as she said,

“Miss Cheng? Are you going back to your room to rest? Thank you for taking care of Eldest Miss. I’ll take over from here.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble Housekeeper Qin. I have something to handle and need to go out.”

“Eh? What—”

Before Qin Yu could even ask, she saw Cheng Lingxue rush into her own room, put on a coat, and quickly head downstairs.

Qin Yu was left stunned, completely unable to understand the situation.

Then she heard a collision from Xie Shuyun’s room. Her expression changed, and she hurriedly pushed the door open and went in.

“Eldest Miss! What happened?”

In the end, she saw Xie Shuyun hugging her knees, grimacing in pain, her eyes filled with tears. It could be said that silence spoke louder than words.

“Ahem. Qin Yu, you came at just the right time. Where’s Lingxue?”

“She rushed out.”

Hearing Qin Yu’s words, Xie Shuyun wanted to question why she had not stopped Cheng Lingxue, but when she saw Qin Yu carrying the things she had brought for her, she forcefully swallowed those words down. Tugging the blanket around herself, she shakily stood up.

“I’m going out too.”

“Stop joking, Eldest Miss. How can your body go out in this state?”

Qin Yu’s face changed. She immediately stepped forward and pressed down on Xie Shuyun’s shoulders to stop her from moving. In the next second, however, her wrist was grabbed.

Meeting Xie Shuyun’s eyes, which carried a trace of ruthlessness, Qin Yu froze again.

Since the last change, how long had it been since Eldest Miss had shown such an expression?

But the slight pain coming from her wrist made Qin Yu realize that Xie Shuyun’s words at this moment allowed no argument.

“Have someone prepare a car. Huff… huff… Also, bring all the bodyguards the Xie family can bring… Go… go…”

Because of her blocked nose and her emotional agitation, Xie Shuyun’s speech came in broken fragments, and she kept panting uncomfortably.

Her slightly feverish mind was muddled, but from the few words in Cheng Lingxue’s phone call just now, Xie Shuyun quickly came to an answer.

“Go to Lingxue’s house… the Cheng family’s old residence. Hurry.”

The last two words came out hoarse and resolute, making Qin Yu lower her head.

“I understand. I’ll notify everyone immediately. Twenty minutes—no, within ten minutes, everyone will be assembled. Eldest Miss, please put on some clothes first so you don’t catch another chill.”

After preparing clothes for Xie Shuyun to go out in, Qin Yu nodded slightly and quickly left, leaving Xie Shuyun sitting on the bed.

She let out a long breath, her gaze looking out the window at the pitch-black night with almost no moonlight.

Cheng Lingxue, you have to be okay…

===

Ten minutes later, a large convoy of cars drove out from the Xie family’s gates. A row of dark black sedans traveled along the streets. Although they used the cover of night and chose roads with fewer people, they still startled quite a few passersby.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Qin Yu’s phone kept ringing. Basically, the moment she hung up one call, another immediately came in.

She glanced at the rearview mirror. In the back, the girl was propping her chin up with one hand, staring blankly out the window. Her face still had an abnormal, sickly blush.

Afraid of disturbing her, Qin Yu pressed a button, and a partition slowly rose, separating the front and back compartments into two spaces.

Xie Shuyun’s fingertips kept tapping against her aching temple as she tried hard to recall the plot.

The tip of her tongue kept licking her canine tooth. She only felt that the area kept itching, like electric currents constantly attacking her nerves. It seriously disturbed her thoughts and was very annoying.

After searching her memories for a long time, Xie Shuyun finally dug out the “Second Uncle” Cheng Lingxue had mentioned.

There had been very little description of him in the book. All she knew was that this second uncle’s family were not good people. Their relationship with Cheng Lingxue’s parents had already been poor to begin with, and after the accident, it was even more impossible for them to treat Cheng Lingxue well.

It could be said that they were one of the reasons [Read on BaiLianTales]Cheng Lingxue became the Xie family’s adopted daughter.

As for other details, there seemed to be some, but their scenes were too thin. No matter how Xie Shuyun thought, she could not remember them.

The tingling itch in her canine tooth rose another level, making her feel abnormally irritated. She slowly closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm herself.

Elsewhere, a black sedan sped into a courtyard.

This was a villa built on the basis of English-style architecture. It belonged to the former head of the Cheng family, which meant it was the place where Cheng Lingxue’s family had lived before.

Like the Xie family residence, there was a fountain, a garden, and other designs outside. Even though no one had lived there for a long time, everything was clean and orderly. It was very clear that someone had been managing it.

But this originally quiet villa had now been invaded by many uninvited guests.

The villa’s doors were wide open. Inside, it did not look like nighttime at all. Instead, the place was brightly lit. Outside, several men stood or sat around, cigarettes in their mouths and fierce expressions on their faces.

Cheng Lingxue only glanced at them before knowing that this group was the “bodyguards” her second uncle had hired.

She could not help sneering.

As expected, what kind of master raised what kind of dogs.

Lowering her head, she saw the flowers and plants outside the villa, as well as cigarette butts, betel nut residue, and even wine bottles scattered all over the ground.

The fire in Cheng Lingxue’s eyes burned hotter and hotter. She directly opened the car door and stepped out.

The sudden arrival of a car naturally attracted the attention of the bodyguards.

Seeing such a beautiful girl get out of the car, frivolous whistles rose one after another.

The driver immediately got out and came to Cheng Lingxue’s side to back her up.

The Xie family’s driver had also once been a bodyguard. Wearing sunglasses and a suit, he had a sturdy build, and his expressionless face carried quite a bit of intimidation. It made the bodyguards who wanted to approach fill with wariness.

But thinking of their employer’s identity, they immediately gained confidence again.

A man who looked like their leader stepped forward and asked in a deep voice,

“Who are you? Don’t you know this is private property?”

Hearing those words come from this person’s mouth truly made Cheng Lingxue want to laugh coldly.

She swept her gaze around the villa, and her cold voice came from her mouth.

“This place is indeed private property. And I am the owner of this property. You are the ones trespassing.”

Cheng Lingxue’s words made several bodyguards glance at each other in surprise. It seemed they did not know much either.

But that did not stop Cheng Lingxue from doing what she needed to do.

She turned her head to the driver and said,

“Driver, I’m sorry to trouble you, but please help me take photos and keep evidence. When legal responsibility is pursued later, we’ll have proof.”

The driver immediately took out his phone. Before the bodyguards’ expressions changed and they could come forward to try to subdue the two of them, he turned on the video recording.

At the same time, he took off his sunglasses, revealing the sharp gaze beneath them. His fists clenched, making crisp cracking sounds.

“Don’t act recklessly. Otherwise, I won’t hold back.”

Seeing that they did not [unauthorized copy]dare move around anymore, a trace of disappointment actually flashed through the driver’s eyes.

He escorted Cheng Lingxue to the villa entrance, but Cheng Lingxue insisted on going in by herself.

Unable to do anything, the driver could only guard the door outside for her while also monitoring every move of the bodyguards outside.

Arriving in the living room, the situation inside made Cheng Lingxue’s pupils shrink.

There were also several bodyguards inside, guarding three older female betas. One of them had a very obvious slap mark on her face. On the ground was a phone that had been smashed and stepped on.

“Master Bei, what do you think of this house? It was designed by a famous designer. How about a fixed price of fifty million?”

A voice came over, attracting Cheng Lingxue’s gaze.

On the sofa sat a middle-aged fat man who looked very much like a nouveau riche. He wore gold and silver on his hands, and there was a gold chain around his neck. His gaze was picky as he looked over the furnishings in the house.

Beside the fat man was the man who had just spoken. He looked fairly refined and bore three parts resemblance to Cheng Lingxue, but his features, which should have been handsome, were slightly twisted by his expression. His mouth was full of flattering smiles, adding a rat-like ugliness to him.

Not far behind the man stood a girl with heavy makeup. Although she had clearly come with the man, her eyes kept sweeping over the furnishings here, filled with jealousy and satisfaction.

“Who allowed you to come in?”

Cheng Lingxue’s cold shout rang out, making everyone present turn their attention toward her.

“Who is this?”

The fat man looked at Cheng Lingxue’s clear and beautiful face, a trace of covetousness flashing through his eyes as he asked with interest.

“Ah, Master Bei, this is my niece. I don’t know why she suddenly ran here.”

As the man spoke, he quickly walked to Cheng Lingxue. The flattery on his face vanished, replaced by a condescending air.

“Cheng Lingxue, I know you came because you received a call, but that’s just as well. Master Bei has taken a liking to this house today. You’ll sign the papers later.”

Facing the man’s shameless yet self-righteous tone, Cheng Lingxue was almost angered into laughing. She questioned him word by word.

“On what basis?”

“…You…”

“The owner of this house is me. Cheng Wenchi, what right do you have to sell it?”

Cheng Lingxue furrowed her brows and very impolitely pushed the man aside, standing in front of Master Bei.

“You don’t need to question me. This is your family matter. But you aren’t an adult yet, right? You should obediently listen to your second uncle.”

As Master Bei spoke, his eyes swept toward Cheng Wenchi, who had been frozen in place after being shouted at by his young niece. A trace of disdain flashed through his pupils.

Cheng Wenchi had originally felt somewhat embarrassed, but those last few words gave him full confidence.

He once again came to stand in front of Cheng Lingxue and scolded,

“I’m your second uncle. How can you call me by my full name? As expected, you’ve forgotten all family etiquette. If your deceased parents saw you like this, what would they think of you?”

These words directly stepped on Cheng Lingxue’s landmine.

Her eyes gradually turned red, and her fists clenched with cracking sounds. The ruthlessness inside made Cheng Wenchi subconsciously take a step back, but he still stiffened his neck and continued,

“Even if this is your attitude, I’m still your second uncle. Right now, you’re underage, so I can act as proxy and handle your assets.”

“Are you my guardian?”

“Do you have proof that my parents entrusted me to your care?”

“I’ve already differentiated. Even if I haven’t reached legal adulthood in age, it isn’t difficult for me to inherit part of the estate early. You. On. What. Basis?”

One question after another came from Cheng Lingxue’s mouth as she stepped closer to Cheng Wenchi.

By the time she reached the final three words, her voice could be said to be powerful and resonant. The entire villa echoed with it.

“…You… I…”

“I am now the adopted daughter of the Xie family. If we’re talking about a guardian, then it would be the Xie family head, Xie Yun. Are you trying to overstep your authority? Who gave you the courage?”

Hearing Cheng Lingxue’s words, Cheng Wenchi had not yet reacted, but Master Bei had already frowned and stood up.

His calculations clicked rapidly in his heart. He had not expected that merely coming to look at a house would drag him into one of the biggest behemoths among the aristocratic families.

Getting involved in all this for the sake of one house was not worth it.

Those three words flashed through his mind.

Master Bei also stood up neatly and adjusted the gold chain around his neck.

“It seems you still need some time to reach an agreement. In that case, I won’t disturb you.”

“Wait… Master Bei… I… I…”

Cheng Wenchi still wanted to struggle, but he was stopped by a single look from Master Bei. He could only watch helplessly as Master Bei walked out of the villa, got into his car, and left.

He immediately turned around, pointed at Cheng Lingxue, and roared,

“Cheng Lingxue! Look at the good thing you’ve done!”

“I did indeed do a good thing. I protected my rights and defended my ownership.”

“You… you…”

Cheng Wenchi was so angry at Cheng Lingxue that his face turned red. He punched the sofa.

Seeing this, Cheng Lingxue said lightly,

“I’ll ask a lawyer to file a complaint about this matter. You trespassed into a private residence, damaged the villa’s facilities and plants, littered everywhere, and also… attacked ordinary citizens at will.”

Cheng Lingxue’s gaze landed on the female betas.

They were among the few old employees of the Cheng family who had been willing to remain. Of course, she was also willing to employ them and let them be responsible for helping her manage and clean the villa.

Now that they had been treated this way, she absolutely would not tolerate it.

“You want to sue me? I’m your second uncle!”

Cheng Wenchi pointed at himself in disbelief. At the same time, the way he looked at Cheng Lingxue was full of shock.

He remembered that his niece was not favored in the Xie family.

The last time he had seen her, she had even been bullied by the Xie family’s eldest miss.

How…

How had she become this sharp after only a few months?

This made his gaze waver slightly. It was as if that outstanding older sister who had always suppressed him in every way was standing before him again, making him feel stifled with frustration.

While his thoughts were drifting, he never expected that his daughter would be the first to explode.

With a sharp, unpleasant voice, she pointed at Cheng Lingxue and screamed,

“Cheng Lingxue! My dad is your elder no matter what. Is this the attitude you should have?”

“Then shouldn’t you respectfully call me Cousin?”

Cheng Lingxue sneered.

They did not even look at what they had done, yet they still wanted others to face them respectfully. Why didn’t they think about whether they were qualified?

“You… you…!”

The girl looked at Cheng Lingxue’s calm face. The jealousy and malice in her eyes could barely be concealed.

Without thinking, she actually swung her handbag hard toward Cheng Lingxue’s face.

Cheng Lingxue had not expected the other party to suddenly attack, but this girl’s clumsy attack posed no threat at all.

Cheng Lingxue frowned and easily dodged the range of the handbag’s swing.

But unexpectedly, in the next second—

Crash.

Something was knocked flying and smashed against the wall not far away. As if the force had been too strong, the object shattered on impact.

The glass frame broke apart and fell to the ground, while what had been wrapped inside was a piece of paper.

The paper drifted with the faint breeze and finally fell into the nearby fish tank.

But everyone clearly saw what was in the photo.

Inside were two young and beautiful women sitting together in an embrace. One of the women held a sweet and adorable little girl on her lap, and there was a golden puppy resting on the girl’s legs.

The family smiled at the camera, sweet and happy.

Clearly—

this was a family portrait.