Chapter 51: Investigating Xu Yunzhu

All morning, Pei Jin had nothing to show for his efforts.

Pei Qiaonian, distracted, hadn’t paid much attention to anything either.

At noon, during the break, Pei Qiaonian retreated to the room he’d been assigned. The standalone villa had three floors in total.

The six of them were staying on the first and second floors, but he had chosen the third, simply to keep as much distance as possible from the others.

Yet, for reasons unknown to anyone sane, Yan Feixing also chose the third floor, right next door to him.

He claimed it was because he was worried Pei would be afraid alone upstairs and wanted to keep him company.

Pei Qiaonian merely sneered. Of course—how could someone as beautiful as Xu Yunzhu fail to attract men?

They’d only met a few times, and already he was trailing after her like a devoted puppy.

Ah, if it weren’t for him, Xu Yunzhu would surely be deceived by another man.

He was determined to keep these men far away from her.

So, even though Yan Feixing was his next-door neighbor, Pei Qiaonian made no effort to be friendly.

He hoped the cold shoulder would drive the other away, but Yan Feixing only seemed more determined.

Within the villa, they were responsible for their own meals.

Gu Qi was the first to announce he couldn’t cook. Pei Jin, though equally helpless in the kitchen, offered a pleasant smile, “I can help wash the vegetables. If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

Ning Qinghuan pressed her lips into a gentle smile. “I can cook, but don’t set your expectations too high.”

[Wow, are they all so down-to-earth? I get that the movie star can’t cook, but Qinghuan actually can? Can’t wait to see it!]

[What can Young Master Gu do besides eat and loaf around? What about the others? Are they really going to make just the two of them cook?]

Hu Biting shrugged helplessly. “My cooking is terrible—even my dog won’t go near it. But if you don’t mind, I’ll give it a try.”

Yan Feixing shot her a look. “Better not—I don’t want to be poisoned. I can cook too. Let me show you what I can do.”

Then he glanced upstairs. “Yunzhu hasn’t eaten all morning. When the food’s ready, I’ll call her.”

Hu Biting instantly put on a gossipy expression, teasing, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you two are a couple, you can’t go a sentence without mentioning her!”

Yan Feixing looked a little awkward, pressing his lips together. “It’s not what you think.”

He had no way to explain to everyone that he simply felt a strange sense of familiarity whenever he looked at Xu Yunzhu—a fondness he couldn’t put into words.

Xie Zhiyuan gave Yan Feixing a glance and smiled gently. “I’ll help Qinghuan out, then.”

The group laughed and joked their way into the kitchen.

The scene was harmonious.

[Where’s my wild girl? Why should she get to rest while everyone else is cooking?]

[Can she throw a few punches during the break? I’d love to see it.]

[Sister Zhuo, please do a live combat demo! I’ll be your first viewer—if I don’t support you, I’m a dog.]

Nearly all the comments revolved around Xu Yunzhu.

Meanwhile, the person in question was about to take a nap.

Before she could lie down, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen—it was an unremarked number. Normally, she’d ignore such calls, but after several attempts, she finally picked up. “Hello? Who is this?”

An icy female voice soon came through: “Xu Yunzhu, you don’t even know how to call your mother anymore? You ungrateful wretch. I should have thrown you out five years ago instead of letting you live comfortably all this time.”

Pei Qiaonian instantly knew who it was.

It was Mrs. Xu, Xu Yunzhu’s supposed biological mother, though her tone was nothing like that of a real mother.

Pei Qiaonian had no warmth for her. “What do you want?”

The woman replied, barely restraining her anger, “Come back to the Yun family tomorrow. Your grandmother keeps crying and demanding to see you. If you don’t come, I won’t hesitate to send someone to the show to drag you back.”

“Mother, stop wasting time on her. She’ll come back. Take a look at this dress for me, will you?” A girl’s voice—Xu Muning—cut in.

Mrs. Xu’s tone instantly softened. “Coming, darling, coming.”

With that, she hung up.

Pei Qiaonian stared at the phone, deep in thought.

Why was Mrs. Xu in Haicheng?

And why was she at the Yun family’s house in Haicheng?

After not returning to her own family for more than a decade, she suddenly reappeared—and brought the fake heiress Xu Muning to live with the Yun family as well.

According to the schedule, tomorrow Xu Yunzhu would have to visit the Yun family under his name.

How calculating—Mr. Xu had clearly decided that since the eldest daughter was ruined, it was time to pawn off the foster daughter.

Did they really think someone like Pei Qiaonian would ever look twice at someone like Xu Muning?

He didn’t dwell on it for long and instead messaged Xu Yunzhu to ask about her contract signing with Fu Tianze that day.

Xu Yunzhu gave a straightforward account, and Pei Qiaonian got the gist of it.

He could only regret not inhabiting his own body right now—otherwise, he’d have made Fu pay dearly for his audacity.

Xu Yunzhu then asked what he planned to do.

Pei Qiaonian told her not to worry and to wait until they returned to the capital to handle matters. He also warned her that her mother and that fake sister would be going to the Yun family tomorrow, so she should be on her guard.

Their conversation ended.

Yan Feixing came to knock on her door. “Yunzhu, lunch is ready. Come eat.”

Pei Qiaonian, unwilling to quarrel with his stomach, replied, “Coming.”

Meanwhile, at the Yuemu Hotel.

Xu Yunzhu, upon returning, spotted Wei Zhichen yet again.

He was like a lingering ghost, haunting her everywhere.

He was currently watching—on repeat—the video of her feigning a fall, then looked at her face.

“You’re back,” he greeted, then turned back to the video.

Xu Yunzhu: “…”

She went to sit on a sofa several meters away. “I already asked the front desk—there are vacant rooms. I’ve asked Assistant Gao to book one for you. Don’t loiter here.”

Wei Zhichen made no reply, watching the decisive moves of “Xu Yunzhu” in the video before glancing over at the real Xu Yunzhu.

“I investigated Xu Yunzhu last night.”

Xu Yunzhu: “?”

Wei Zhichen set down his tablet on the sofa, his voice deep and unhurried. “She went missing at five years old, was trafficked through several hands, and eventually ended up with her adoptive parents. She didn’t have a good life there—she dropped out of middle school and was forced to work in their local town to support her alcoholic, abusive father. Her adoptive mother was a typical farmer, and the whole family survived on a few plots of farmland. When she was sixteen, she fell into a river and hit her head, which finally jogged her memory and led her back to the Xu family.”

Xu Yunzhu looked at him calmly. “And? Why did you investigate her so thoroughly?”

Wei Zhichen gave a low chuckle. “Didn’t you claim Xu Yunzhu was your wife? She’s been chasing Pei Jin for five years—everyone knows it. I’ve been wondering what it is about her that attracts you. But from the records, she’s just a middle school dropout, probably barely literate. And those impressive moves of hers—could someone from her background really have learned such things?”