Chapter 587 — The Rain Family Girl

Zhao Guangyin did not believe there was no more to it than met the eye, so he resolved that once he got back he would first sound out Yu Xiaojin. She already knew about Zhao Qibing, after all, which made her, in a manner of speaking, Zhao Qibing's "senior wife." Even if the Yu family had done it, they would at least give him 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 made in his youth, of course, and begged his wife's forgiveness.

Yu Xiaojin said nothing. She only heard her husband out with a smile, then shook her head. "I knew about Zhao Qibing long ago. I was just waiting to see when you would come clean with me. And I was not the only one — my father knew as well. So I doubt it was our Yu family who did it. If we had wanted to teach him a lesson, we would have done it long ago."

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

"Our marriage was nothing but an alliance of family interests, but over the years we have come to care for each other, and we have a child. I do not wish to dwell on what is past. I have only one condition: that child of yours must never come back to the Zhao family." Yu Xiaojin spoke plainly.

"He will not." Zhao Guangyin promised again and again.

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

Zhao Guangyin breathed a sigh of relief. So long as Wei Zhao was not of the Yu family, the matter would be simple. The Yu family was a leviathan among the hidden clans. Long ago, by a freak turn of chance, who would ever have guessed that a discarded bastard son of the Yu family — one of the four great houses of the mundane world — would go on to found the Yu family anew, reducing the Yu family, foremost of the four great houses of the mundane world, to a vassal of their own? Absurd as it sounded, it was plain fact.

Of course, it was said that this bastard son — Yu Xiaojin's father — had met with some extraordinary fortune in those days and broken through to Earth Rank in a single stroke, becoming a Heaven Rank expert. And that was more than ten years ago; what his strength might be now, no one knew.

What lay above Heaven Rank, only that mysterious figure of legend, once renowned throughout the world, could say.

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

The wanted notice for Wei Zhao was circulated swiftly — within the hidden clans only, of course. As for the four great houses and the five lesser houses, Zhao Guangyin could not even be bothered to look into them; it was impossible that any expert of Wei Zhao's caliber could come from those houses of the mundane world.

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

A girl lovely as a fairy sat by the window, drawing something on a sketchpad, now knitting her brows, now smiling softly to herself.

Hearing footsteps at the door of the room, the girl quickly 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 gave a lurch, and then the corners of her mouth curved into a pretty little arc, two dimples appearing on cheeks that were white with a blush of pink. "Brother, why did you not knock again?"

"Hey, you did not lock the door, did you?" A very handsome boy strode into the room carelessly, grinning as he said, "Hm? Little sister, why is your face so red? Do not tell me you were indulging in your own fantasies again?"

The girl frowned. "Brother, what kind of talk is that? So ugly!"

"Heh heh, let me see what you have drawn!" 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 with both hands and would not let him snatch it away. But she was no match for the boy's strength, and she grew cross in spite of herself. "Let go!"

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

Fearing he would ruin the work she had spent nearly a month on, the girl had no choice but to let go, though her lovely eyes were full of fury as she glared at him.

"Ha! And you say you were not fantasizing — look, they are even holding hands in the drawing! Hahahaha!" The boy burst out laughing.

"None of your business!" Catching him off guard, the girl snatched the drawing back from his hands and closed the sketchpad.

It was a very lovely sketch. In the picture, a girl and a young man ran happily hand in hand across a meadow of singing birds and fragrant flowers — and the girl was unmistakably herself.

"Little sister, Dad just took a phone call and it sounded like someone's name came up..." The young man grinned at the girl.

The girl's heart tightened ever so slightly, but she said, "Whose name? What does it have to do with me?"

"You don't want to know? Fine then, forget it - pretend I never came." With that, the young man turned to leave.

"Brother, hurry up and tell me - what did Dad say?" The girl grew anxious, glaring at him. "If you don't tell me, I'll never speak to you again!"

"Dad just took a call - it seemed like Auntie was asking whether our Yu family knows anyone named Wei Zhao... That's all I heard, I don't know anything else!" The young man hastily relayed what he had overheard.

"Auntie? Calling Dad?" The girl was momentarily taken aback, unable to understand why her aunt would suddenly bring this up. "What did Dad say?"

"He said he didn't know anyone..." The young man shrugged. "Even if he did know, he'd probably pretend not to..."

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

"Of course I'll help." The young man grinned. "Wei Zhao is my brother - I'd be more than happy to have him as my brother-in-law! Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll keep digging for you!"

……………………

Fat Lai kept anxious watch outside Wei Zhao's door, with no idea how Wei Zhao was faring. He didn't dare go in and ask, afraid of interrupting the healing process.

"Old Lai, who's in there? Why are you so on edge? How could you just bring a stranger into our house?" Fat Lai's wife looked at him, puzzled.

"What do you know? That's my boss! From now on I'm riding his coattails!" Fat Lai glared at his wife. "Less talk - go make me something to eat, I'm starving to death!"

Seeing how terrifying Fat Lai's manner was, his wife dared say nothing more and hurried off to cook. In truth, she was afraid that Fat Lai had dragged home some half-dead, blood-vomiting patient - if this man died in their house, there would be no explaining it away.