A shrill scream, sharp as a blade, tore through everything. In an instant, the entire street fell into a dead silence.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their ears.
'What… what did that woman just say?'
She said Liu Si killed the second young master of the Cao Family on the orders of the family's eldest young master?!
A commotion rippled through the crowd.
"Heavens! Is what she just said true?"
"Haven't the Cao brothers always been incredibly close? Why would the elder one brutally murder the younger one?!"
"That's right! I've often seen them coming and going together. They're blood brothers!"
Someone clicked their tongue, their tone strange.
"Blood brothers? Like hell! They have the same father but different mothers."
This comment instantly reminded everyone else, and they couldn't help but exchange glances.
'That's right! How could we have forgotten that?!'
But…
"Still, they grew up together. He wouldn't be that cruel, would he?"
Someone quickly retorted, "You can't be so sure! I heard Boss Cao heavily favored the second son and even planned to pass the family business to him. You think the eldest wouldn't get anxious?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Cao Chengwen's expression was ghastly.
Humiliation turned to rage. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
He never imagined this woman would dare say such a thing in front of so many people!
'But how could she know about this?! He'd made it perfectly clear to Liu Si that not a single word was to be leaked!'
'That Liu Si! I should have dealt with him sooner!'
Listening to the surrounding chatter and feeling the various gazes on him, Cao Chengwen's heart pounded so fast it felt like it would leap from his chest.
"You bitch! Don't you dare make baseless accusations!"
Mrs. Zhou had already thrown all caution to the wind and was not about to be intimidated by him. Seeing Cao Chengwen's eagerness to silence Liu Si, a storm of emotions churned in her chest, and she retorted without a second thought, "I'm not talking nonsense!"
She looked toward Wu Xu and the others, fell to her knees with a THUD, and swore a solemn oath to the heavens. "My Lords! I swear here and now: if a single word I've said is false, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
Seeing that she was about to continue, Cao Chengwen rushed forward and viciously kicked her in the shoulder.
"Open your eyes and see where you are! How dare you spout such lies! Liu Si killed my brother. A life for a life is the law of heaven and earth!"
As he looked ready to strike again, Wu Xu immediately stepped forward and blocked him.
Faced with a man from the government office, Cao Chengwen had no choice but to stop, his eyelid twitching rapidly.
"Mr. Wu, she's insane! You can't believe a word a madwoman says, can you?"
Wu Xu said in a heavy voice, "We will investigate for ourselves whether her words are true or false."
Cao Chengwen's heart sank.
'From the sound of it, they actually plan to continue the investigation?'
'It would be one thing if this bitch was just running her mouth, but what if she actually has some evidence… then…'
His mouth went dry, and he said urgently, "Mr. Wu, she is clearly framing me on purpose! I am innocent! Chengwu was my own brother! How could I possibly harm him! I really—"
Before he could finish, he met the other man's gaze and swallowed the rest of his words.
He had lost his composure.
Wu Xu lifted his head slightly and ordered, "Take her back to the government office!"
Cao Chengwen clenched his fists.
But at this point, if he continued to press the matter, it would only make him look guilty.
Wu Xu said, "Young Master Cao, don't worry. If she is indeed slandering you, we will certainly clear your name."
Knowing there was no turning back, Cao Chengwen swallowed his anger and finally said through gritted teeth, "Then… thank you!"
Mrs. Zhou was quickly led away. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something and whipped her head around to look at Ye Chutang, her eyes filled with tears.
"Doctor Ye, my child…"
Ye Chutang nodded lightly. "I will let Aunt Yang know."
Mrs. Zhou gave a pale smile and mouthed: Thank you.
And so the farce came to an end.
Watching their figures disappear into the government office, Ye Chutang, still holding her umbrella, turned to leave.
However, she had only taken a few steps before Cao Chengwen blocked her path.
He stood just a step away from Ye Chutang, his face dark, and bit out each word.
"You deliberately incited her to frame me, didn't you!?"
Ye Chutang blinked slowly, feigning curiosity. "Young Master Cao, whatever do you mean?"
Cao Chengwen sneered, took a step forward, and pressed her in a low voice, "What did you promise her just now that made her suddenly throw everything away? She didn't even seem to care about her own life."
'It must be because Ye Chutang resented them for initially pinning the blame on Ye Yunfeng. This must be her revenge!'
'He had seen it clearly. At the end, that bitch had looked back only at Ye Chutang!'
'There must be some secret deal between them!'
A slight smile touched Ye Chutang's lips. "Why such a strong reaction, Young Master Cao? If she's making a false accusation, this is the perfect opportunity to investigate thoroughly and clear your name."
Cao Chengwen's face froze. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
The young woman's eyes were dark and gentle, seemingly harmless, yet for some reason, he didn't dare to meet her gaze at that moment.
It was as if he was afraid she would see right through him.
Ye Chutang smiled faintly. "Besides, when there's no evidence, Young Master Cao should watch what he says. After all, a careless tongue can cause great trouble. By the way, Boss Cao should be back soon, right? I can't imagine how heartbroken he'll be to suddenly lose his beloved son. I also hope they can find the truth as soon as possible. Otherwise, if these rumors about fratricide reach Boss Cao's ears, he'll surely be even more devastated, don't you think?"
A chill shot up Cao Chengwen's spine.
'Could it be… could it be that Ye Chutang also knows something?!'
"You—"
Ye Chutang didn't give him another chance to speak. She gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
...
Aunt Yang went to Liu Si's house and brought the child back to her own home.
With neither of his parents around, the child cried for a long time.
Hearing the crying from the neighboring courtyard finally subsiding, Ye Jingyan put down his book and asked, "Sister, why did you help them? When Liu Si was working for Cao Chengwen, he was trying to get us killed."
If it weren't for your cleverness, A Feng would be the one in jail right now, waiting to die.
"When you seek revenge, you have to find the right target," Ye Chutang said casually, glancing outside. "Besides, A Feng is too impulsive. He needs to be taught a lesson."
'So he'll stop getting into fights and causing trouble outside. It's so annoying.'
Ye Jingyan: "..."
He suddenly felt that Cao Chengwen was rather unlucky.
After all that effort and meticulous planning, he had become nothing more than a feather duster that his sister casually used to teach A Feng a lesson…
The rain had lessened, but it continued to fall without end.
Ye Chutang closed her umbrella, and in the corner of her eye, she noticed more mud splatters on her shoes.
She entered the inner room. Beneath the bed sat another pair of dirtied shoes.
Overnight, the mud on them had already half-dried.
She changed into clean clothes and shoes, then remembered that Shen Yanchuan's medicine for the day hadn't been decocted yet, so she went to the pharmacy.
The small stove bubbled away, GURGLE GURGLE, and the bitter scent of medicine wafted through the damp air.
...
Hearing footsteps in the courtyard, Shen Yanchuan looked up, and the slender figure of the young woman came into view.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips.
"You go through quite a few dresses."