Chapter Forty-Seven: The Prelude to the Coming Storm

He Family

He Xuan Yi, Zhao Xu’er, He Yu Rou, Zhao Yi Ya, and Zhao Guang Xiong sat around the tea table. Sitting in the central seat, He Xuan Yi took a deep drag from his pipe, his expression grave, brows furrowed as he looked at Zhao Yi Ya sitting opposite him, who was crying so hard her face was drenched in tears. After slowly exhaling the smoke, his heavy voice broke the silence, “Yi Ya, what are you thinking right now?”

Wiping the tears from her face, Zhao Yi Ya’s cheekbones flushed red, perhaps from crying. She sniffed, her tone somewhat forceful, “I love Zhe Yu deeply. All I want is for that woman to vanish completely from Zhe Yu’s life.”

She bit her words fiercely, especially the phrase “completely vanish.”

The corners of He Xuan Yi’s mouth twitched. Looking at Zhao Yi Ya, he saw nothing of the frail girl who had entered the room; her eyes were now filled with murderous intent. After a pause, he spoke with some disapproval, “I didn’t expect my niece Yi Ya to be so ruthless in her methods. But this is a society governed by law—making a living person disappear out of thin air is a bit...”

Before he could finish, Zhao Xu’er, sitting beside him, sensed his dissatisfaction and quickly explained, “Xuan Yi, you’re misunderstanding her. Yi Ya is a kind-hearted girl. She couldn’t possibly harbor such malicious intentions. What she means is to quietly send that girl abroad or somewhere else, just so she won’t have another chance to entangle herself with Zhe Yu.” As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at Zhao Yi Ya across the table.

Zhao Guang Xiong echoed, “Exactly, exactly. Our family is a distinguished, scholarly household. How could we ever entertain such disgraceful notions?”

He Yu Rou added, “Grandfather, you’ve probably misunderstood Yi Ya’s intentions.”

Upon hearing this, the murderous look in Zhao Yi Ya’s eyes faded considerably, her tone softened, and she spoke awkwardly, “Uncle, you really misunderstood me. Just as Aunt said, I only want her to lose any opportunity to interfere with Zhe Yu. I spoke hastily earlier, which may have caused confusion.”

Seeing that He Xuan Yi remained silent, Zhao Xu’er pressed on, “Right now, our priority is figuring out how to lure Zhe Yu home, and then quietly send that girl away.”

He Xuan Yi removed his pipe and asked, “How do you plan to trick him? It’s easy to say.” He took another puff and continued, “If I hadn’t feigned illness last time, he wouldn’t have come home at all.”

Zhao Xu’er suggested, “Let’s use illness again to bring him back.”

Zhao Guang Xiong objected, “Using the same trick twice—you’re not being very clever.”

Zhao Xu’er clarified, “Notice I said ‘illness,’ not ‘feigned illness.’”

He Yu Rou laughed, “Third Aunt wants Grandfather to fall ill? Are you joking? You can’t just get sick on command, unless...” Everyone paused for a few seconds. He Yu Rou continued, “Unless Grandfather eats peanuts.”

Zhao Yi Ya looked at He Yu Rou in confusion, “Eat peanuts? What do you mean?”

He Yu Rou explained, “My grandfather is allergic to peanuts. If he eats them, he’ll struggle to breathe, and if not treated quickly, it could be life-threatening. That’s why our family never eats peanuts.”

Zhao Guang Xiong looked at He Xuan Yi and said, “Old friend, for the sake of taking that bullet for you, can you bear this little hardship?”