Early the next morning.
The first rays of sunlight slipped through the blinds and spilled into the guest room.
Yue Xiaofei sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly exhaled. A night of breathing exercises had left him refreshed.
Bzz, bzz, bzz...
The Encrypted Communicator vibrated softly.
It was a reply from Han Duoduo.
Efficient as ever.
[Xiaofei, your little mouse stayed up all night digging up dirt for you! This Cao Ruolin is no ordinary woman!]
[She's the eldest daughter of the Cao Family's previous generation, a true prodigy! Her older brother is Cao Tianxiao, the current head of the Cao Family!]
[But she withdrew from public view long ago, and her whereabouts are extremely secretive.]
[Her grudge against Ye Qingmei goes back so far that I haven't uncovered the heart of it yet. But I found an interesting lead: not long after Ye Qingmei visited the Cao Family, Cao Tianxiao suddenly broke off his engagement to the Flower Family, one of the Eight Great Clans. It caused a huge uproar at the time!]
[Xiaofei, I think there's a lot more to this!]
The Cao Family head's own younger sister!
Cao Tianxiao's broken engagement!
Each crucial detail made Yue Xiaofei's gaze grow graver.
What did his mother have to do with any of this?
He put away the communicator, got up, and went downstairs.
In the dining room, Jiang Lan had already prepared a lavish breakfast.
Millet porridge, steamed soup dumplings, and authentic Imperial City Fermented Bean Juice...
"Xiaofei, come have breakfast."
Jiang Lan beckoned warmly.
Su Guohua sat at the head of the table, drinking coffee and reading the financial paper. He ignored Yue Xiaofei completely, as though he hadn't been the one who lost face last night.
Yue Xiaofei had barely sat down when shuffling footsteps sounded on