A beautiful summer night

North City.

The summer night rain enveloped the earth. Xia Wanzhi hurriedly hid under the eaves to tidy her half-wet clothes. The wind, mixed with raindrops, rushed towards her face.

The overhead lights flickered and crackled intermittently, creating an eerie atmosphere. Xia Wanzhi, protecting a painting, continued dialing the unanswered number.

The moment thunder struck the sky, the call was answered, but she was so startled that she accidentally hung up the phone after all the effort it had taken to get through.

Xia Wanzhi stared blankly at her phone screen for a moment, then decided not to call back, and the other party did not call back either.

The darkness amplified people's fears infinitely. Xia Wanzhi leaned against the wall, feeling something watching her, and a chill instantly ran through her heart.

The rain was getting heavier, and the sounds of dogs barking all around were mixed in with the sounds of rain. From the other end of the alley came a strange and painful groan, and the sound of people talking could be faintly heard.

A man's voice.

More than one.

Xia Wanzhi looked in the direction of the sound, and although the scene not far away was somewhat blurry, it still pierced her eyes.

It’s over.

It is the crime scene.

Xia Wanzhi's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly held her breath.

In a dark corner, a man stood with his back to her, holding an umbrella. Although her face was not visible, she could feel the chill emanating from him.

The man narrowed his long, narrow eyes, staring coldly at the person who was covered in blood and half-lying on the ground: "Where is he?"

"I...don't know." The man lying on the ground was a middle-aged man. He tried his best to lift his head, but his bodyguard grabbed him by the back of his neck and slammed him hard against the ground.

"I advise you to think carefully before you answer." The man's tone was chilling.

The middle-aged man choked on a mouthful of blood. Suppressing his panic, he coughed several times before finally speaking: "I have no idea... who this Yao Qin you're talking about is..."

Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds. The bodyguard, sensing his boss's icy demeanor, raised his fist and punched him again: "You son of a bitch..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man raised his hand to stop him, signaling the bodyguard to get up and move aside.

"Twenty years ago, someone from the Xie family gave you a sum of money and asked you to go to Yangliu Lane to find a lady named Yao Qin. Now that I say this, do you remember?" His glasses reflected a cold light as he took a step forward, slowly squatted down, grabbed the middle-aged man on the ground by the back of his collar, lifted him up, and stared at him.

Upon recognizing the other person, the middle-aged man's pupils contracted, fear reaching the depths of his eyes. He stammered, "Thank... thank you Qi Yan..."

"No! It wasn't me, this has nothing to do with me..." He struggled to escape, and in the struggle, rainwater mixed with bloodstains smeared onto the man's body.

The man frowned, stood up, took a step back, and said with an air of authority: "Knock him out and take him away."

"Yes." The bodyguard received the order, raised his hand, and struck the man hard on the back of the neck, rendering him motionless as if he were dead.

The rainwater carried a strong smell of blood. Xie Qiyan loosened his clenched fist and slowly pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket to wipe his hands.

As he turned around, Xie Qiyan seemed to catch a glimpse of a pretty figure out of the corner of his eye. He paused for two seconds, slightly raised his umbrella, his gaze sharp, but his face remained expressionless.

Xia Wanzhi met the man's gaze through the rain-soaked night, and unconsciously pinched her palm, her mind going blank for a moment.

The dim light highlighted a striking face. He stood motionless, exuding a cold aura, his gaze fixed on her as if he were locking onto prey.

The bodyguard, carrying someone on his shoulder, noticed his superior's movement and looked over. He wiped the rain from his face and tentatively asked, "Mr. Xie?"

Xie Qiyan remained silent.

A moment later, the bodyguard put down the middle-aged man he was carrying on his shoulder and was about to walk straight toward Xia Wanzhi.

Xie Qiyan asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"

The bodyguard was slightly taken aback: "You mean, you don't mean to knock them out and take them with you?"

Xia Wanzhi, who was in the distance, couldn't hear clearly, but judging from the two men's posture, she automatically assumed that they were going to deal with her, the witness, as well.

This is what is known as murder to silence witnesses.

Sure enough, the nickname "Unlucky Holy Body" is well-deserved.

I came to deliver a painting to a client, got lost, and then got caught in a storm. Now, while trying to find shelter from the rain, I've stumbled into the territory of a group of thugs in suits.

Xie Qiyan's gaze sharpened slightly, and he was about to speak when he saw that the girl who had been sheltering from the rain not far away had already turned her back to them, whether out of fear or something else, he couldn't tell.

"Mr. Xie?"

"Yu Fei." The two said in unison.

"Please give your instructions, Mr. Xie." Yu Fei straightened his back.

Xie Qiyan withdrew his gaze and glanced at Yu Fei: "I'm a respectable person."

Yu Fei was silent for a moment, then explained, "If she calls the police..."

At this moment, the slender figure with her back to them moved slightly and then let out a soft cough.

Xie Qiyan looked up and his gaze fell on Xia Wanzhi's slender back. His tone was indifferent: "She won't."

Yu Fei was stunned for a moment. Seeing that his boss had already walked away, he quickly picked up the person on the ground and followed: "Does President Xie know this girl?"

Xie Qiyan replied without hesitation, "I don't know him."

Once everyone left, Xia Wanzhi wiped the sweat from her palms and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had escaped unscathed.

Just then, Xia Wanzhi answered the phone, and the other person launched into a tirade without taking a breath: "Hey, Miss! Where are you?! You disappeared in the short time I was gone?"

Xia Wanzhi sighed helplessly, "I came here to deliver a painting to a client, but I couldn't get in touch with them."

"Where are the customers? It's raining so hard, aren't you getting wet? Never mind, send me your location, I'll pick you up first." Zhu Zi's voice was a little deep, and some words were stuck in her throat and she didn't say them.

Xia Wanzhi understood the implication. After hanging up the phone, she sent her location to Zhu Zi, her gaze somewhat blank.

This is already the eighth customer to cancel their contract this month.

Ever since the Xia family went bankrupt, these people have been toying with her, repeatedly challenging her bottom line.

In just one month, Xia Wanzhi went from being the fawned eldest daughter of the Xia family to becoming the talk of the town among the wealthy.

These people wanted to see her make a fool of herself, but she acted like she was dead, completely unaffected. Not only did she not suffer any setbacks, but she was also taken to her fiancé's house where she was treated to good food and drink. This only made those who wanted to see her fail furious.

"Where is your newly appointed fiancé?"

"When you go out to deliver paintings, doesn't he know to provide you with a driver?"

"You know to seek shelter from the rain, but you don't know to call him to come pick you up?"

On the way back, Zhu Zi kept asking questions, and Xia Wanzhi couldn't get any peace. After yawning, she shrugged indifferently and said, "I called, but no one answered."

"What use is he!" Bamboo's face puffed up with anger.

"Busy, huh?" Xia Wanzhi replied perfunctorily, her mind filled with the people and events she had just encountered.

The distance wasn't very far at the time. The man holding the umbrella had a powerful aura and was accompanied by a well-trained bodyguard. It was clear at a glance that he was no ordinary person.

What caught her attention even more was the "President Xie" she heard at that time.

His surname is Xie.

In this circle, the surname Xie is quite prestigious.

Coincidentally, rumors about the Xie family in Beicheng have been circulating recently.

It's said that overnight, the position of the head of the Xie family was taken over by an illegitimate son who had just returned from abroad.

The person in power was only 26 years old.

You should know that the Xie family is a murky place. To be able to rise from the filth of the Xie family and seize that position, this person must be a ruthless individual.

"Xia Wanzhi!" After calling her name countless times without getting a response, Zhu Zi shouted Xia Wanzhi's full name fiercely.

"Huh? We've arrived?" Xia Wanzhi snapped out of her daze, glanced at the Zhou family's gate through the car window, stretched, and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Bamboo rolled her eyes: "Get your act together, sis. You're still daydreaming at a time like this. What are you thinking about?"

Xia Wanzhi stared at the swaying windshield wipers ahead, her lips moving slightly: "Thinking of someone."

"Who goes there?" Bamboo asked, her eyes bright.

“A man.” Xia Wanzhi’s gaze was calm, but her memories drifted away.

"A really annoying man." [New book arrived, welcome to read! [Emoji]]