The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

Yao Yingxi leaned against the wall, her legs weak. She stared in shock at the stairwell, panting heavily.

Her face was pale, her lips trembled, and her eyes were filled with unease, drawing glances from passersby.

The waiter also noticed Yao Yingxi and stepped forward to ask, "Miss, do you need any help?"

Yao Yingxi snapped out of her daze, glanced to the side and saw the waiter standing in front of her, looking at her with concern and confusion.

"Miss, do you need any help?" the waiter asked again.

Yao Yingxi shook her head: "No, no, thank you."

She stood there for a while before finally returning to the private room.

When Xi Yuanchen saw her come in, her lips were pale, he quickly got up from the dining table: "What's wrong?" He looked at Yao Yingxi with a serious expression.

Yao Yingxi looked up, her eyes fixed on Xi Yuanchen: "Has the Liang family really gone bankrupt?"

Xi Yuanchen asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

“I just saw Liang Pingyin.” Yao Yingxi’s gaze was still on Xi Yuanchen, trying to find clues from his expression.

Upon hearing this, Xi Yuanchen was shocked: "Liang Pingyin? Where did you see her?"

Instead of answering, Yao Yingxi asked, "Is Liang Yuan dead?"

Xi Yuanchen frowned, but still answered Yao Yingxi's question: "Yes." He didn't want to tell Yao Yingxi about Liang Yuansheng's death because he felt it was unnecessary. Now that Yao Yingxi asked, he guessed that Liang Pingyin had already told her, and he had no need to hide it from her.

"What's the reason?" Yao Yingxi asked coldly.

Liang Yuansheng happened to pass away around that time, and she worried that Xi Yuanchen was responsible. Although she hated Liang Pingyin, she didn't want to involve anyone else, and even less did she want Xi Yuanchen to be the one to take revenge for her.

"He fell to his death," Xi Yuanchen answered truthfully. Yao Yingxi frowned, and Xi Yuanchen continued, "Do you remember the first time I told you about Liang Yuansheng being hospitalized?"

How could he not guess that Yao Yingxi's persistent questioning was because she suspected him of being the one who did it?

Who lives and who dies is a trivial matter to Xi Yuanchen. In the past, he would not have cared at all. But faced with Yao Yingxi's suspicion, Xi Yuanchen felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes were also on Yao Yingxi.

Yao Yingxi nodded: "Yes, I remember."

“I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but Liang Yuansheng was hospitalized because of high blood pressure and was too emotionally agitated. When he died, it was also because of the stimulation that his high blood pressure rose, causing him to fall to his death.”

Upon hearing this, Yao Yingxi was completely shocked: "Why was I provoked? Did you do it?"

Xi Yuanchen smiled bitterly: "Yingxi, you keep saying I don't trust you, but what about you?" He looked away: "When have you ever trusted me?" His eyes revealed hurt.

Hearing this and seeing Xi Yuanchen's gaze, Yao Yingxi was shocked. She lowered her eyes and said, "I'm sorry." Then she raised her head again: "But I still want to know clearly, did you do it? Because I don't want you to have someone else's blood on your hands because of me."

"No." Xi Yuanchen answered indifferently, then turned back to look at Yao Yingxi, his dark eyes filled with worry: "You should tell me where you met Liang Pingyin."

Fearing Yao Yingxi might be hiding something, Xi Yuanchen continued, "I've had people following her because I was worried she might be traumatized by Liang Yuansheng's death and do something to harm you. But she disappeared right under the bodyguards' noses a few days ago, and we still don't know where she went."

“The Liang family is now bankrupt and being chased by major banks for debt. Liang Pingyin is penniless. I’m afraid she’ll be desperate and might do anything. Where did you see her?” Xi Yuanchen continued to ask, his gaze fixed on Yao Yingxi. “You can’t hide anything from me. I’m your boyfriend, your support, and the person you love most. On the other hand, if you treat me the same way, tell me if you don’t want me to worry.”

Yao Yingxi was just hesitating about how to tell Xi Yuanchen, but she didn't expect him to suddenly say something romantic. She was stunned for a moment, then her lips curled up slightly. At this moment, her heart, which had been pounding and feeling lost, finally calmed down. She reached out and took Xi Yuanchen's hand: "In the restroom, she seemed a little mentally unstable." Otherwise, no normal person would allow their hair to be messy, let alone Liang Pingyin, who always cared the most about her image.

Xi Yuanchen frowned: "And then?"

"She had a knife and tried to kill me, so I ran away. I don't know if she was caught."

Upon hearing this, Xi Yuanchen's heart jumped. He looked at Yao Yingxi anxiously, pulled her close, and checked her over from head to toe. Only when he saw that she was unharmed did he feel relieved: "These next few days, wherever you go, you must take bodyguards with you and be aware of your surroundings."

After saying that, he took Yao Yingxi's hand and walked out of the private room: "From now on, you have to be in my sight. I won't feel at ease if you don't keep an eye on me."

He planned to go and see if Liang Pingyin had been caught or had escaped.

He headed towards the restroom, and people passing by couldn't help but glance at Yao Yingxi and Xi Yuanchen, after all, the two were just too good-looking.

"Is it here?"

Yao Yingxi shook her head: "No, it was in the women's restroom. It's probably gone now. Why don't you check the restaurant's surveillance footage?"

Xi Yuanchen remained silent, glanced at the time on his watch, and led Yao Yingxi to the front desk.

Yao Yingxi thought Xi Yuanchen would take her to ask the front desk if they could access the surveillance footage, but she was surprised.

"Check, room 409. I'm in a hurry." As he spoke, Xi Yuanchen took out his card and handed it to the cashier at the front desk. Yao Yingxi looked at him with surprise.

The cashier took the card, paid the bill, and handed it back to Xi Yuanchen. Yao Yingxi was still in a daze.

After the two left the restaurant, Yao Yingxi asked, "Weren't you looking for Liang Pingyin? Why didn't you ask for the surveillance video?"

Xi Yuanchen glanced down at his watch: "It's past seven o'clock. Don't you have class? Go to Tom's first. I'll have Anan come over to handle it later."

Hearing this, Yao Yingxi's anger completely dissipated. She never expected Xi Yuanchen to put her needs first. She nodded and followed Xi Yuanchen into the car, sitting in the passenger seat.

Xi Yuanchen's eyes lit up as he watched her open the car door herself.

After starting the car, Xi Yuanchen called Anan and then asked Yao Yingxi, "Tom, did you say what time you get out of class?"

"I don't know if it's ten o'clock or eleven o'clock."

"Ten o'clock, you have class tomorrow morning. When I go, I'll send Tom a message and tell him not to overwork himself."

Yao Yingxi hesitated, after all, there were still more than ten days left before Zhong Enming's show, and she was worried that she would not be able to finish the design draft and would disappoint Zhong Enming.

Of course, this fashion show also marked her first real step into the world of design.

"We'll see when the time comes. If you have something to do, just go ahead and do it. You can just have the bodyguard pick me up later."

Xi Yuanchen was pleased to see Yao Yingxi speaking to him so kindly. He shook his head and said, "I'll pick you up when I'm done with my work. It'll be ten o'clock. That's settled then."

Yao Yingxi had no choice but to agree: "Okay then, I'll tell Tom later." The two of them hadn't had a proper conversation during the two-day holiday, so it was good to go back early.

I'll complete the design draft during my lunch break.