Taming The Hidden Bigshot By Kissing Him
Chapter 444: If One Plan Fails, Devise Another

Chapter 444: Chapter 444: If One Plan Fails, Devise Another

"I’m a rat, a fly?"

Lu Yan burst into angered laughter, "She dares to say such things! Who in the Imperial Capital does not show some respect to the Lu Family, and yet she behaves so arrogantly because she relies on the Liu and Huo Families. Does she think that a prestigious family from Haicheng can also thrive in the Imperial Capital?"

His eyes gloomed darkly.

"Hu Lao Er, get out of here."

"Ah, alright."

Hu Lao Er hurriedly left the contentious site.

Sitting opposite Lu Yan, Xiang Ze let out a faint smile, "Why so angry? She didn’t explicitly name or curse you, so don’t take it to heart."

Lu Yan was unable to contain his anger, "Xiang Ze, she is too arrogant! Is the Xiang Family really going to just let this go? She is the main culprit behind your brother Xiang Huai being imprisoned!"

Xiang Ze’s not-so-handsome face grew cold, "Of course not! Mere trifles are useless, and in the Imperial Capital, many things can be deeply buried. So..."

He looked at Lu Yan, "If we play, let’s play big, preferably by using others to achieve our ends."

Lu Yan became interested, "What do you have in mind?"

Xiang Ze mentioned, "The Guan Family’s longevity banquet is coming up, and it is almost the end of the year. Shouldn’t the rankings of the Four Great Families be shuffled a bit?"

Lu Yan paused for a moment, revealing a malicious smile.

In the Imperial Capital, the Four Great Families were led by the Zhong Family, followed by the Pei and Guan Families, and finally the Xiang Family.

But the Xiang Family’s current standing was only possible with the support of the Lu Family. The two families were closely linked and virtually indistinct, with the Lu Family even having a more prominent reputation.

In front of Xiang Ze, Lu Yan was also not inferior, maintaining an equal stance.

Among the Four Great Families, the Zhong Family always kept a low profile, hardly participating in such gatherings. The Pei Family’s roots were overseas, an old-fashioned family with less involvement in the intricacies of the Imperial Capital.

The Guan Family was the third-ranked family, with ancestors from the Gua’erjia Clan of the Manchu Eight Banners, specifically the Zhenghuang Banner. Nowadays, the family had changed their surname to Guan, reportedly in high regard of Guan Yu.

And the Imperial Capital Guan Family was a branch of that lineage.

The Gua’erjia Clan was known for producing beauties!

This generation’s heir to the Guan Family was also quite exceptional!

Exceptional enough that everyone wanted to dethrone the Guan Family, to see if they could share in the spoils!

The Xiang Family also wanted to bring down the Guan Family to claim the third seat for themselves.

Xiang Ze’s plan to strike at Qiao Xi using the schemes on the Guan Family, appeared as using one to defeat another, but in reality, it was killing two birds with one stone.

Lu Yan chuckled and said, "Xiang Ze, in terms of cunning, who in the Xiang Family can compare with you! Even your dad is not your match, right?"

The two, one a cousin to Lu Yingxue and the other her second cousin.

Together, they had managed quite a few feats in the Imperial Capital.

...

Twilight enveloped everything.

The Bentley traveled through the unfamiliar city and finally arrived at Cat Alley.

Old Chen parked in a nearby parking lot, closely following Qiao Xi, afraid that some mishap might occur again.

Sun Weimeng, bored to death, scrolled through his phone and said, "Fairy, what are you looking for?"

Qiao Xi walked into the Cat Alley, paved with bluestone tiles, surrounded by an ancient air, carefully inspecting every part of the verdigris tile walls.

Hearing Sun Weimeng’s question, she said, "It’s a mark left by Grandpa Cheng. In front of others, don’t call me ’Fairy’; it’s rather awkward."

Sun Weimeng pursed his lips and replied, "Okay. I also find this nickname unpleasant, especially after those mindless people have called Lu Yingxue. But since she can accept others calling her ’Living Guanyin,’ ’Divine Doctor Lu,’ you should also be a bit thick-skinned."

Qiao Xi hooked up the corners of her mouth, "Alright."

She actually loved hearing Huo Xingzhou calling her "Little Divine Doctor." Every time he softly and tenderly addressed her, her heart melted, making her want to comply with him in every way.

Qiao Xi’s fingers traced the rough alleyway, with patches of deep green moss peeking through the cracks.

This stretch of Cat Alley was very long.

Sun Weimeng and Old Chen also didn’t know what exactly she was looking for, but they helped in searching too, immediately calling her to look whenever they noticed something amiss.

After more than an hour of searching, they finally found a very concealed mark in an inconspicuous corner.

"Found it!"

Old Chen exclaimed, "Young Madam, does this look like a signal?"

Qiao Xi quickly walked over and confirmed it.

Sun Weimeng tapped his sore legs and asked, "Is this what we are looking for? A small circle with a slash through it, what does this mean?"

Qiao Xi crouched down, touched the small mark engraved on the stone, and said, "This means the person is safe, no worries."

"What would be the mark for danger then? Share with us so if we ever run into trouble, we can leave you a similar signal."

Qiao Xi stood up and said, "The danger is represented by a small triangle."

"So it is. These marks are quite secretive, and no one tends to notice them. After all, in this day and age, who would think of making marks in places like this?"

A hint of nostalgia shone in Qiao Xi’s eyes. "Yes. Back when I used to go up the mountain to collect herbs, Grandpa Cheng and I would carve marks on the trees. Sometimes there’s no signal at all in the deep woods."

Sun Weimeng looked at her, his voice serious with emotion, "Then you must have had a tough time before. Even without living in a wealthy family, you still managed to live well on your own."

"Thank you for the compliment, Young Master Sun."

Only now did Qiao Xi feel in the mood to jest.

Having found this safety signal, the heavy stone in her heart seemed to have dropped to the ground. Although she couldn’t contact Grandpa Cheng, she thought that with his skill, he might be somewhere nearby.

As long as she stayed in the Imperial Capital, she was sure to discover his whereabouts.

"It’s getting late, and since we just arrived in the Imperial Capital, we need to visit the Li Family. The Liu Family told me that the Li Family has prepared a welcome feast tonight. Old Chen, are our gifts ready?"

Qiao Xi didn’t really want to bother the host, but it was a matter of courtesy that they had to pay a visit. Their intentions were good, and she didn’t want to disappoint them.

"Everything is ready, Young Madam."

"Then let’s head over."

Their schedule today was hectic, and despite their exhaustion, they mustered their energy and made their way to the Li Family.

The Imperial Capital was brightly lit, reminiscent of Haicheng’s nights.

Qiao Xi glanced at the empty seat beside her.

She missed Huo Xingzhou!

The Li Family of the Imperial Capital, originally from the Longxi Li Clan, were not among the Four Great Families—merely a second or third-tier family dealing in ancient jewelry. Old Mrs. Liu and Old Madam Li of the Li Family were swaddling buddies, bound by life-saving friendship.

The Liu Family’s jewelry business was the most famous nationwide, with countless branches.

This time, asking for the Li Family’s care had cost a big price; the Liu Family had directly given the Li Family a jewelry franchise in the Imperial Capital.

The Li Family was situated in the rich district of the Imperial Capital. They had sold their old house during hard times years ago. The younger generation was struggling on their own outside, rarely coming home. The house was usually inhabited by the elderly madam and Li Nianqi, a granddaughter of the Li Family.

At the moment.

The Li House was brightly lit.

The long dining table was already set, and the cooks and servants were bustling about in order.

The Old Madam, dressed in an old cheongsam, sat elegantly on the sofa, sipping tea from a gilded cup, occasionally glancing at the doorway.

The fair-faced Li Nianqi sat demurely beside her, lips pursed, feeling displeased.

All because of a woman from Haicheng, her grandmother had the entire Li Household busy all day.

Continuously talking about how talented and unfortunate the granddaughter of her old sister-friend was, listening made Nianqi feel sympathetic toward Qiao Xi, whom she had never even met, and quite jealous.

Her grandmother had always been strict with her, never showing such a tender demeanor.

"Old Madam, the car has arrived!"

"They are here, they have driven in!"

The servants joyously reported.

Old Madam Li rose with a smile on her face, "I’ll go greet them myself!"

Watching her grandmother’s brisk steps, Li Nianqi bit her lip, stomped her foot, and followed behind.

She wanted to see what this Qiao Xi, who supposedly possessed extraordinary abilities, actually looked like!

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.