Xia Zi was stunned upon hearing what Guan Zijue just said.
âYou mean, Su Xiaoran wants to destroy Guan Zixuan?â
âItâs not that she wants to. She has already done it!â
Xia Zi was in disbelief. âSheâs the culprit behind everything?â
âMm!â Guan Zijue nodded and said, âSheâs the one behind all of this. Those photos where he was allegedly taking drugs were taken from when they hung out at the bar a long time ago. Itâs true that Zixuan didnât live a saintly lifestyle before he became a celebrity, but he probably didnât think that his past would end up destroying him like that.â
Xia Zi then asked, âWhat do we do now? Is there anything we can do to alleviate the situation? Iâm sure thereâs a way, right? Also, what does Su Xiaoran stand to gain from all of this? Isnât she afraid that the Guan family might start targeting her like this?â
Guan Zijue was rather impressed with Xia Ziâs quick analysis, finding her intelligent and astute.
âSomething she stands to gain...â Guan Zijue smirked. âSu Xiaoran is taking a gamble. If she wins, sheâll be able to be with Guan Zixuan, and I guess sheâs ready to face the music if she loses the bet!â
Xia Zi shook her head. âI donât quite understand though!â
Guan Zijue continued, âThere are two options if we want to save Zixuan. The first to get him to marry Su Xiaoran. If she can expose those photos, then sheâll definitely be able to speak up and clear up the misunderstanding. If Zixuan agrees to marry her, sheâll definitely help him out on this. So all sheâs doing now is taking a gamble on his life. Sheâs betting on the chance that Zixuan would choose to marry her in order to save his career!â
Xia Zi scoffed at this. Su Xiaoran didnât know Guan Zixuan at all. He might look no different from a hobo at times, but he wasnât someone who would yield that easily.
âWhatâs our other option?â
Guan Zijue watched Xia Zi as he thought, Zixuan was right about her. Someone who doesnât back down in the face of adversity. Itâs no wonder Zixuan fell for her.
âItâs to make the Su family fall from grace!â
Xia Ziâs eyes widened. Make the Su family fall? She always knew that Guan Zijue was not someone to be trifled with, but she never thought that she could actually be this vicious. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
In Emperor City, the Su family was only second to the Guan family in terms of status, and it would not be an easy task to make their family fall from grace. If Guan Zijue says this is an option, then it was highly likely that he was more than confident of being able to succeed.
She looked at Guan Zijue with a resolute gaze. âOkay! I agree with that second option of yours. You just need to tell me what to do!â
âYou...â Guan Zijue was rather surprised at this, and he was unsure of what Xia Zi meant.
Instead of explaining herself, Xia Zi immediately kicked at him. Guan Zijue dodged it easily, but he could feel the power from her kick, and he knew it was not something that an ordinary lady could manage.
He felt excited all of a sudden.
He began to spar with her, first attacking with a hand and then aiming at her hip with his right leg. Xia Zi dodged all his attacks nimbly and tried to immobilize him by grabbing his elbow. However, he was able to struggle free in less than a second.
What power. But Iâm no meek kitten either!?Xia Zi trapped his ankle with her legs and started aiming punches at him.
The both of them were extremely agile and if any experienced combatant had seen them spar, they would have definitely sung their praises!
With every move, the surprise in Guan Zijue grew. He never expected Xia Zi to have such superb combat skills. Who is she, really?
The sparring match ended in a draw.
Guan Zijue looked at Xia Zi, obviously impressed.
âWho are you, really? Where did you get those skills?â
He never found out even though Xia Zi actually stayed in the same house with him for five years.
âXia Zi from Interpol! Big Brother, I hope you donât mind. Guan Zixuan wouldnât have been able to bring me over if it werenât for my amnesia five years ago, and I wouldnât have gotten to know the Guan family otherwise.â
He stared at her in disbelief as all the doubts circling Guan Zijueâs mind were instantly clarified. Sheâs none other than THE White Rose. Itâs no wonder sheâs so skilled.
Seems like Iâve found the right person for the job. Her skill set is exactly suitable for some parts of my plan, and it would be best if we could save Zixuan too!
âYou can start by looking into these people. They seem pretty close with the Su family...â
Guan Zijue outlined his plan, to which Xia Zi agreed. She was willing to do anything as long as it could save Guan Zixuan.
According to Guan Zijue, he already had most of the pertinent information on hand. It seemed like he had been collecting the information for years, but there were some major pieces of evidence that he had not yet been able to conveniently get his hands on. No one would expect that he would get Xia Ziâs help for the job either. With her aid, they had a huge chance of winning!
Xia Zi watched Guan Zijue. This man is too dangerous. Iâd better not get on his bad side.
Before she left, she suddenly recalled the most important reason she was here.
She asked, âOh, do you know where Zixuan is right now?â
âYou donât?â Guan Zijue asked in surprise.
âI came here to look for you because I donât!â
Guan Zijue sighed. âI thought you already knew and that you decided to come to me to discuss possible solutions. Zixuan was taken away by the disciplinary committee yesterday! The Guan family has many complex ties, and apart from the drug scandal, there are some other individuals who took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, hoping that the committee will add to his charges. From what I know, the evidence that these people have presented are barely enough. Youâll just have to wait for my final blow. It will definitely ensure Zixuanâs safety!â
Xia Zi nodded. âOkay. Iâll be going now. Iâll go get that first piece of evidence for you tonight.â
Guan Zijue nodded in response as he walked her out of their home.
----
When night fell, Xia Zi entered Emperor Cityâs Shengshi Hotel in a light blue evening gown with a red invitation card embossed with gold lettering.
There was a banquet happening in Shengshi Hotel tonight.
It was a charity banquet on the surface, but there were many underlying motivations and goals behind it. The Su family were the organizers.
Her first mission would be to find evidence of the Su family pulling the strings in the background.
Xia Zi had handled countless similar large-scale cases, and she knew that it was easier to get hold of the evidence in the late game. She thus sat elegantly at a quiet corner, ignoring everyone else.
Though she looked rather imposing, there was an elegant charm about her that made her hard to miss.
Su Jing spotted Xia Zi almost immediately.
He walked over and took a seat beside her. âMy dear lady, might we have met?â
Initially, Xia Zi did not want to entertain playboys like him whose pick-up lines were overused, but she decided to engage him in conversation when she looked up at him and recognized him as Su Jing. Su Jing was the oldest son in the Su family, and he was the main decision-maker.
She smiled at him. âIs that so? You might have forgotten then. Weâve indeed met.â
âOh...â Su Jing answered noncommittally as he continued being enamored with Xia Zi. He did not ask her where they had met.
Because of his status, he was usually swarmed by everyone wherever he went.
This woman is interesting. She says that weâve met. Thereâs a chance here!
Someone called for him at this very moment and it seemed like he had to attend to some matters as the banquet was about to start.
He stood up and whispered into Xia Ziâs ear, âWait for me after the banquet ends!â
Xia Zi remained placid and betrayed nothing on her face. She simply looked up at him with a purposeful gaze.
This made Su Jing find her all the more intriguing. He then left, laughing to himself.
Xia Zi was supposed to help Guan Zijue out on three matters, two of which had to do with Su Jing. She never expected to be able to bait Su Jing so quickly.
She thus sat there waiting for the banquet to end. Su Jing returned shortly after, and just as he was about to whisper in her ear again, she stood up abruptly.
Losing her balance, she toppled forward onto Su Jing. He supported her quickly.
After finding her footing again, Xia Zi said, âThank you!â before she lowered her head and remained silent.
Su Jing loved that he was able to embrace a beautiful woman like her, and his grin grew wider as he saw Xia Zi lower her head nervously.
He looked down at her and took her in an embrace.
âWait for me, donât go anywhere. Iâll be able to find you no matter where you go!â
An expression of surprise appeared on Xia Zi after he spoke. Satisfied with his own performance, Su Jing left in all smiles.
Xia Zi simply stood in place. To bystanders, it would look like she had been frightened by that encounter.
But no one knew that she had already secretly placed a camera on Su Jing when she fell on him earlier. It was placed near his chest and barely noticeable.
Xia Zi gave an imperceptible smirk as Su Jing left. That was easy!