Chapter 587 — The Girl of the Yu Family

Zhao Guangyin did not believe there was no more to this than met the eye, so he resolved that once he returned, he would first have a word with Yu Xiaojin. After all, she already knew about Zhao Qibing, which made her something of a "senior wife" to him; even if the Yu family had been behind it, they would at least offer an explanation.

Zhao Guangyin took his leave of Old Master Zhao and returned to his own villa, where he sought out his wife, Yu Xiaojin, and told her what had happened with Zhao Qibing. He candidly admitted the mistakes he had committed in his youth, and earnestly begged his wife's forgiveness.

Yu Xiaojin said nothing. She only listened to her husband with a smile, then shook her head. "I have known about Zhao Qibing for a long time. I was merely waiting to see when you would come clean with me. And it is not only I who knows — my father knows as well. So I do not think it was our Yu family who struck. If we had wanted to teach him a lesson, we would have done so long ago."

Zhao Guangyin feigned astonishment, and his gratitude was near to tears. "Xiaojin, so you knew all along! I... truly do not know what to say."

"Our union was nothing more than a matter of family interest, but over these years we have grown to care for one another, and we have a child. I do not wish to dwell on the past. I have only one condition: that child of yours must never return to the Zhao family." Yu Xiaojin spoke with perfect clarity.

"He will not." Zhao Guangyin pledged it again and again.

"As for whether that Wei Zhao is one of the Yu family, I will ask my elder brother for you," Yu Xiaojin said.

Zhao Guangyin breathed a sigh of relief. So long as the man was not of the Yu family, matters would be simple. The Yu family was a colossus among the hidden clans. By some twist of fate, who could ever have imagined that the Yu family of the four great mundane-world clans — a cast-off bastard son — would go on to found the Yu family anew, reducing the very Yu family that had once stood first among the four great mundane clans to a mere vassal? It sounded like a joke, yet it was the plain truth.

Of course, it was said that this bastard son — Yu Xiaojin's father — had once stumbled upon a remarkable stroke of fortune, breaking through to the Earth Rank in a single bound and becoming a Heaven Rank expert. And that was more than ten years ago; what his strength might be now, no one could say.

What lay beyond the Heaven Rank, only that legendary mysterious figure who once shook the four corners of the world could know.

The Yu family was the envy of every clan, and yet also a mountain none could imitate or surpass. Who could help it if their luck was so good?

Wei Zhao's wanted notice was swiftly circulated — among the hidden clans only, of course. As for the four great clans and the five minor clans, Zhao Guangyin could not be bothered to look into them at all. Those few mundane-world clans could not possibly harbor an expert like Wei Zhao.

In a place like a hidden paradise of green hills and clear waters stood several old European-style castle buildings.

A young girl, lovely as a fairy, sat by the window, painting something on a sketchpad, now frowning, now smiling softly.

Hearing footsteps at the door, the girl swiftly closed the sketchpad in her hands, smoothed the hair at her brow, and struggled to compose her expression. She had barely turned around when the door was pushed open.

The girl's heart tightened, then the corners of her mouth curved into a pretty arc, and two small dimples appeared on her fair, rosy cheeks. "Brother, why did you not knock again?"

"Hey, you did not lock the door, did you?" A very handsome boy strode carelessly into the room, grinning. "Huh? Little sister, why is your face so red? You were not indulging in your little fantasies again, were you?"

The girl frowned. "Brother, what are you saying? That sounds so crude!"

"Hehe, let me see what you drew!" The boy bounded over to her in a few quick steps and made a grab for the sketchpad on her desk.

Startled, the girl clutched the sketchpad tightly with both hands, refusing to let him snatch it away. But she was no match for the boy's strength, and she grew vexed. "Let go!"

The boy would not let go, tugging hard at the sketchpad.

Fearing he would ruin the piece she had spent nearly a month on, the girl had no choice but to release it. Her lovely eyes, however, blazed with anger as she glared at the boy.

"Ha! And you said you were not fantasizing. Look, they are even holding hands in the drawing! Hahahahaha!" The boy burst out laughing.

"None of your business!" Seizing her chance while the boy was off guard, the girl snatched the drawing back from his hands and closed the sketchpad.

It was a most exquisite sketch. In it, a girl and a young man ran joyfully hand in hand across a meadow alive with birdsong and flowers — and the girl was unmistakably herself.

"Little sister, Father took a phone call just now, and I think I heard a certain name mentioned..." The boy looked at her with a grin.

The girl's heart gave a slight squeeze, but she said, "What person? What has that to do with me?"

"You do not want to know? Then never mind. Pretend I never came." With that, the boy turned to leave.

"Brother, tell me, what did Father say?" The girl grew anxious and glared at him. "If you do not tell me, I will never speak to you again!"

"Father took a phone call just now. I think it was Auntie asking whether our Yu family had anyone named Wei Zhao... That is all I heard, I swear I know nothing else!" The boy hurriedly spilled what he had overheard.

"Auntie? Calling Father?" The girl was slightly taken aback, unable to fathom why her aunt would suddenly ask about such a thing. "What did Father say?"

"Father said he did not know him..." The boy shrugged. "I reckon even if he did know him, he would say he did not..."

The girl longed to pick up the phone and call her aunt right then, but that would only make matters more complicated. In the end she set the phone down and said softly, "Brother, help me."

"Of course I will help." The boy grinned. "Wei Zhao is my brother, and I want him for a brother-in-law too. Do not worry, leave it to me! I will keep asking around for you!"

……………………

Fat Lai kept anxious watch at the door of Wei Zhao's room, with no idea how Wei Zhao was faring. He dared not go in to ask, for fear of disturbing Wei Zhao's healing.

"Old Lai, who is in there? Why are you so nervous? How could you bring a stranger into our home just like that?" Fat Lai's wife looked at him and asked in puzzlement.

"What do you know? That is my boss! I am in his crew now!" Fat Lai glared at his wife. "Say less and go fix me something to eat. I am starving to death!"

Seeing how frightening Fat Lai's manner had become, his wife dared not say another word and hurried off to cook. In truth, what she feared was that Fat Lai had brought home some half-dead patient coughing up blood — if the man died in their house, there would be no explaining it away.

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