Wang Yu was utterly bewildered by Zhou Yi Yi's sudden words.

Xu Ke and Li Lang are also collaborating? What does that mean?

Caught off guard by the direct question, Zhou Yi Yi began to stammer, "It just means... that Xu Ke might be collaborating with Li Lang..."

She didn't grasp what Wang Yu was trying to ask. In Zhou Yi Yi's eyes, Wang Yu and the crippled Wong Liqing were still the aunt and uncle respected by Wang Qiya and her sister.

So, this is something Wang Yu isn't supposed to know?

Seeing her reaction, Wang Yu emphasized, "What I meant to ask was, why did you say Xu Ke and Li Lang are *also* collaborating?"

"Has Xu Ke collaborated with someone else?"

As soon as she spoke, Zhou Yi Yi froze for a moment before replying, "Auntie Yu, so that's what you were asking..."

"The reason I said that is because back at the Golden K Bar, Xu Ke asked Ye Chong if he wanted to team up."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu's face turned pale with shock. "What?!"

"Are you serious?"

Xu Ke collaborating with Ye Chong? This is a huge deal! She had never imagined that coming to beg Wong Qifu for mercy today would lead her to discover such earth-shattering news. If there were solid evidence, couldn't she use it to bring down Xu Ke?!

"Of course, it's true."

Seeing Wang Yu's reaction, Zhou Yi Yi had a sudden realization. It seemed that neither Xu Ke nor Wang Qiya and the others had told Wang Yu about what had happened at the Golden K Bar.

"What's going on?" After getting Zhou Yi Yi's confirmation, Wang Yu frowned. "If Xu Ke is really colluding with the Ye Family, how would you know?"

Her unspoken subtext was: How could you, an outsider, be privy to such a secret of Xu Ke's?

Zhou Yi Yi, however, replied, "The conversation between him and Ye Chong took place at the Golden K Bar. I was there at the time. Didn't you know, Auntie Yu?"

"Oh?" Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. "And then?"

Zhou Yi Yi went on to recount the situation, her voice tinged with righteous indignation. After all, she had been genuinely concerned for Wang Qiya, only to be told she was overthinking things, which truly infuriated her.

To have her good intentions completely wasted!

After listening to Zhou Yi Yi's account, Wang Yu fell into deep thought. They had known that Xu Ke shattered Ye Chong's Dantian, and Wong Liqing had even used it as a reason to lash out at Xu Ke. But upon further reflection, they understood that in that situation, restoring Ye Chong's Dantian was the best way for Xu Ke to extricate himself, so they hadn't pressed the issue.

Now, unexpectedly, Zhou Yi Yi had provided a different version of events.

Then, Xu Ke's previous act of restoring Ye Chong's Dantian now gave her an opportunity to make a move. The corners of Wang Yu's mouth curled into a subtle smile.

It seems the trouble of coming here to beg Wong Qifu to restore my status might be unnecessary...

...

DING-DONG.

The doorbell rang again just after Wang Qiya had seen Zhou Yi Yi out.

Wang Wu went to open the door and immediately smiled. "Tang Brother, Miss Xu."

Xu Yi and Tang Yingchang had arrived.

Hearing the words "Miss Xu," Wang Qiya, who hadn't even sat down yet, immediately turned and hurried back to the door. She had been interested in Xu Yi from the moment she first heard her name.

"Hello, Uncle Wu!" Xu Yi first bowed politely. When she saw Wang Qiya approaching, her expression faltered. "You... Hello..."

At first, I was going to call her sister-in-law. After all, this good-looking woman, dressed in a white T-shirt and long pants, resembles the Wong Qifu I saw online. But... Wang Qiya, after all, lacks Wong Qifu's overwhelming, domineering presence.

Wang Qiya deftly defused Xu Yi's awkwardness, taking her hand. "You must be my brother-in-law's sister, right? I'm Wang Qiya. You can just call me Qiya."

Xu Ke walked over and added, "Remember to call her Sister, she's older than you."

The smile on Wang Qiya's face instantly vanished by half...

Xu Yi immediately understood and said hurriedly, "Sister Qiya, I'm Xu Yi!"

"Hello, Xiao Yi," Wang Qiya said, beaming, before throwing Xu Ke a meaningful glare.

Xu Ke was completely perplexed.

Did I say something wrong?

...

"My sister will be here in a moment. You must be tired, coming all the way from Tianhai University, right?" Wang Qiya poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Xu Yi.

"Not at all. If anyone's tired, it's Uncle Tang from the drive," Xu Yi said, a little embarrassed.

"No worries. Uncle Tang isn't like us; he doesn't get tired, ha ha..." Wang Qiya glanced over at Tang Yingchang, who was chatting with Xu Ke and Wang Wu on the balcony, and joked to Xu Yi in a conspiratorial whisper.

This simple act immediately made Xu Yi feel that the distance between her and Wang Qiya had shrunk considerably. After that, Xu Yi relaxed quite a bit.

...

「On the balcony.」

Seeing that Xu Yi and Wang Qiya were chatting comfortably, Xu Ke breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned to Tang Yingchang. "Did anyone suspicious show up around Xu Yi today?"

He had asked Tang Yingchang to drive Xu Yi to school instead of going himself for two reasons. First, he couldn't easily divide his attention. Second, Tang Yingchang was less likely to draw notice, which would help him better observe Xu Yi's environment at the university. If things really proved to be dangerous, Xu Ke would consider suggesting that Xu Yi take a leave of absence. Though it might greatly affect her, he would have to do it for her sake and for Xu Zhentai's.

"No," Tang Yingchang shook his head.

Xu Ke was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Tang Yingchang's tone shifted, his expression growing grim. "Because the people who appeared weren't 'suspicious.'"

"They were definitely 'problematic.'"

Xu Ke and Wang Wu were left speechless.

Tang Yingchang continued, "The Kang Family sent people to Miss Xu's academic building to inquire with the department head for her year..."

Xu Ke wasn't surprised. Having lost his son, it was only natural for Kang Chenghua to send someone to check the university.

Xu Ke then asked, "Did they announce the news of Kang Dehui's death?"

"No," Tang Yingchang shook his head.

Hearing this, Xu Ke breathed a sigh of relief.

That was one less thing to worry about. He had been concerned that the connection between Kang Dehui's death and Xu Yi would cause her trouble. However, since the official story was that Kang Dehui was killed by his 'kidnapping accomplices,' both the Kang Family and Tianhai University would likely keep a lid on it. They would never publicize such an embarrassing matter.

Then, Tang Yingchang added, "But the Kang Family isn't the main issue.

"I spotted two rather skilled Acquired-Realm Martial Artists at the school. They were nimble and agile, and they seemed to be observing Miss Xu.

"If my own cultivation weren't so profound, an ordinary person would likely never have detected them."

The moment Tang Yingchang finished speaking, Xu Ke's eyes narrowed.

For Tang Yingchang, a master at the peak of the Innate Great Perfection Realm, to praise Acquired-Realm Martial Artists... The implications behind that were immense.

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