Yan family residence, study.
Where Yan Qingqiu should have been alone, a woman was now kneeling on one knee.
She wore an elegant red robe, her long hair flowing down her back like a waterfall.
Her skin was as white as snow, her figure slender and graceful, exuding an extraordinary aura.
"Master, according to our investigation, we've found one of the murderers."
The woman's voice was respectful.
At these words, Yan Qingqiu froze. A cold glint flashed across her brows.
She abruptly raised her head, standing up as murderous impatience surged within her.
Bang!
She slammed the book in her hand shut, the sound dull and heavy in the room.
Her gaze locked onto the woman, voice laced with killing intent.
"Tell me—who is it?"
For five years, Yan Qingqiu had been consumed by this hatred.
Now, at last, there is some progress.
Though this man was only one of those involved in the massacre, it meant she was one step closer to the true culprit.
The woman lowered her head further and reported,
"He belongs to an organization called Death Call. His name is Lin San."
Yan Qingqiu's eyes narrowed.
"Lin San? What kind of group is this Death Call?"
The woman, aware of the gravity of the matter, continued her report without hesitation.
"Master, when we tracked him, Lin San was already married and working as a small clerk at Wanli Group. As for Death Call—it's a notorious assassination syndicate, headquartered abroad.
All of its members are formidable, rigorously trained assassins. Their main source of profit comes from accepting assassination contracts on the dark web."
Hearing this, Yan Qingqiu's eyes burned with a frenzy of rage.
"Good… very good!!"
With a violent motion, she shoved the desk aside.
Her black shawl unfurled around her like a living shadow, swirling in the darkness as her killing intent filled the study.
She walked quickly to the window, and with a loud bang! the curtains creaked as she pulled them open.
The cold wind from outside rushed into the room, instantly freezing the air in the study.
Yan Qingqiu inhaled the icy air, forcing her heart—burning with murderous intent—to slowly cool down.
Hahaha… the Death Call.
An assassination organization.
Lin San…
Yan Qingqiu clenched the curtains tightly, never expecting this.
Back then, you took part in the massacre that nearly wiped out my Yan family.
And now, you've leisurely left the organization, returned to the country, gotten married, had children, and lived the life of an ordinary man?
How… do you have the nerve?!
To deprive others of their lives, yet live comfortably yourself?!
"Mei Xue."
Yan Qingqiu's voice was low and brimming with murderous intent.
"Find Lin San and extract every piece of useful information from him—by any means necessary.
Whether it's threatening his family or his friends.
I want… everything he knows!"
Her tone carried a chilling indifference, sending waves of terrifying pressure rippling through the study.
Mei Xue swallowed hard, cold sweat running down her face. She quickly lowered her head and responded,
"Y-yes, Master!"
As soon as the words fell, Mei Xue stood and left.
One second, two seconds, three seconds—
Only then did Yan Qingqiu finally return to his senses from the murderous haze.
She released the curtains and drew a deep breath.
Her heart gradually settled, though sorrow weighed heavily within it.
Father, Mother, Uncle, Aunt, Grandma…
Qingqiu swears to you—
I will uncover the truth and avenge you!
.....
She knew she had lost control for a moment. That shouldn't happen again. The enemies ahead would only grow more dangerous. She had to remain calm. Patient. Ruthless
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqiu reached for her crutch. If her calculations were correct, it should be noon by now.
Since Ling'er wasn't around, she would just make something to eat.
But at that moment—
Instead of finding the crutch, a strong, warm hand held hers.
A voice startled Yan Qingqiu.
"Qingqiu, what are you thinking about? Why are you just standing at the window in a daze?"
Gu Yan's doubtful gaze fell on her as he held her hand. When he had walked in just now, he saw her staring out the window.
The curtains were drawn, and the cold wind was still blowing in.
"Hiss… it's freezing. Qingqiu, your hands are like ice."
As Gu Yan spoke, he stepped forward and closed the window.
Yan Qingqiu remained silent.
Gu Yan… when did he come?
What exactly did he hear—or see?
Her thoughts churned with unease. Mei Xue was her greatest secret… her only reliance in finding the murderer.
She didn't dare gamble on whether Gu Yan had noticed anything, or pretended not to notice.
Nor did she dare gamble on whether the Gu family might have been involved in that incident back then.
If… if Gu Yan—
Yan Qingqiu's breathing grew uneven, her heart torn with conflict.
"Qingqiu, what's wrong?"
Gu Yan placed the back of his hand on her forehead, puzzled. "You don't have a fever."
At such a close distance…
One strike would be enough to kill him.
Her hand inched toward the drawer of the table—the one that hid a dagger.
Afterward, Mei Xue could clean up the body…
I… I have to do it…
I have to eliminate all hidden dangers…
Gu Yan smiled gently.
"Are you worried about Ling'er? Don't worry, he's fine. I got him to school safely."
That's right—not only had Ling'er been sent back to school, I had also reversed the bad plot in advance.
You really are such a kind person, Gu Yan.
"By the way, Qingqiu, are you hungry? What would you like for lunch today?"
Gu Yan's cheerful voice reached Yan Qingqiu's ears.
I don't know why... Why… why can't I do it…
Damn… damn…
In the end, she gave up.
Her hand dropped back down, and she lowered her head slightly.
Her mood turned heavy.
Gu Yan finally noticed something was wrong. His chest tightened in panic.
Damn, no way… what did I do wrong? What happened to my pure love?
"You… do you know that you're annoying?"
Yan Qingqiu raised her head, calm and expressionless.
"Hearing that, Gu Yan chuckled. He grabbed her hand, gently rubbing it as he said,"What nonsense! Qingqiu, you're so cute and beautiful. I wish I could stay by your side and annoy you every single day."
"Let me tell you, I'm not even this annoying to my dad—but with you, I am."
"You might be the only person in the whole world who gets this kind of treatment, so you should feel secretly happy!"
[Touched the pure love target, +1 point]
[Pure love partner's mood improves, +3 points]
Hearing Gu Yan's words, Yan Qingqiu chuckled inwardly.
This bastard… everyone knows he has the best relationship with his father. He nearly bankrupted a small country once because they disrespected him.
But on the surface, she only snorted lightly and lifted her chin.
"Who cares about you."
"I don't care about anything else, I only care about you, Qingqiu."
"Haha, smooth talk."
"Oh? Qingqiu, how do you know your husband's mouth is smooth? Otherwise, why don't you try it and see..."
"Get lost!"
Seeing Yan Qingqiu frown, Gu Yan couldn't help but chuckle, feeling even more excited.
Damn, did I awaken some weird habit? He laughed and said, "Alright, alright, stop joking. What do you want for lunch today? No bragging—I'll cook whatever you want."
Yan Qingqiu did feel hungry after hearing this, but couldn't let go of her pride. She said, "I don't want to eat. I was just planning to have something simple. Young Master Gu, please stop cooking for me like a servant."
He waved his hand and said, "Hey, Qingqiu, you can't just eat casually like that. That's really bad for your health. How about this—we'll keep it simple, I'll just stir-fry two dishes."
Yan Qingqiu heard this and, although she agreed in her heart, she still replied lightly: "It's up to you."
After lunch.
Yan Qingqiu sat on the sofa in a daze.
The sound of washing dishes from the kitchen echoed in her ears.
Ling'er's favorite gangster cartoon was playing on TV.
For some reason, her mood at this moment was extremely peaceful and harmonious.
Why do I feel this way?
I shouldn't be feeling this way.
Meixui and a few subordinates I've gathered do give me some power and a little information, but it's not enough.
If I can take over the Gu family, I'll have sufficient funds, superficial social status, and their power.
The combination of the two will definitely help me find the real culprit behind the scenes.
But…
Why, at this moment, does my heart feel so calm?
Why do I even feel like I want to stay in this state forever?
Yan Qingqiu took a deep breath and turned off the TV.
She pulled herself out of the comfortable state she had slipped into.
No, absolutely not.
I absolutely cannot allow myself to be content with the present.
One of the murderers has been found. What I must do next is continue according to the plan.
The true culprit must be uncovered, and the Gu family must also be taken.
"Qingqiu, the weather is so nice today, do you want to go out for a walk?"
Gu Yan wiped his hands, sat on the sofa very skillfully, and squeezed next to Yan Qingqiu.He stretched out a hand and placed it naturally on Yan Qingqiu's shoulder.
Feeling Gu Yan's movements, Yan Qingqiu frowned slightly, shook the shoulder that Gu Yan was holding, and tried to shake Gu Yan's hand off.But Gu Yan's hand was like a piece of taffy, and she just couldn't shake it off.
Helplessly, Yan Qingqiu didn't want to care anymore. She shook her head and said lightly: "No."
Time is already tight, and you still want me to go out and waste time? What a joke.
Gu Yan was not discouraged. He smiled cheerfully and said, "Good wife, no matter how hard you work, you must know how to balance work and rest."
"Besides, if you stay at home all the time, your skin will get moldy."
"Then why don't we just stay in the yard and bask in the sun?"
"To prevent osteoporosis in old age. You don't want to become like that, do you?"
"In my opinion, Qingqiu, you are just too shy, so you don't want to go out, right?"
"Don't be shy, you have a good husband like me by your side, so go out and get some sun..."
Yan Qingqiu felt as if there was a bee buzzing around her ear.She covered her ears and yelled, "Stop, stop, stop! Go, go, go!"
But as soon as she finished shouting, she regretted it in her heart and quickly said, "Wait..."But the words were not finished.
Gu Yan pulled her up, and his slightly happy voice reached Yan Qingqiu's ears: "Haha! That's great, Qingqiu! Let's go to the yard and bask in the sun!"
When Yan Qingqiu heard Gu Yan's happy voice, she wanted to refuse firmly, but for some reason she shut her mouth again.She thought to herself, forget it.
Anyway, I will take away the other person's Gu family later, so before that, let's make this bastard happy.
That's right, I didn't agree to this just because I saw the other person was happy.
It was simply a small compensation to the other party in order to take away the Gu family later.