Zombie Bodyguard
Chapter 72 - 71: Disbelief

Chapter 72: Chapter 71: Disbelief

"Ahem ahem..." Mrs. Xiao pretended to cough a couple of times, causing Xiao Manxue to feel so ashamed that she didn’t dare raise her head; she had never felt so embarrassed in front of her mother.

Lin Tian’s skin was a bit thicker, he pretended not to notice and, in an attempt to divert attention, said, "Mrs. Xiao, Miss, when I was talking with the Bai Family, I overheard something by chance and thought it necessary to mention it to you."

In light of Xiao Manxuan’s kindness towards him, he still thought he should remind them. As for the consequences? How they should face them? That was not Lin Tian’s concern.

"News? What news, is it about how much the Xiao Family offered you?" Xiao Manxue, having just been embarrassed, now spoke with a bit of spunk in her voice.

A good man does not quarrel with a woman, ignoring you altogether should suffice, right? Whenever something seems off, this woman acts as if she had gunpowder for breakfast.

"I happened to hear Bai Zhengchu say that there might be a problem with the batch of jadeite rough stones the Bai Family sold to you, it might be fake," Lin Tian said straightforwardly, not wanting to admit that he had overheard the information.

"The jadeite rough stones have a problem?"

"How is that possible!"

Mrs. Xiao wore a face full of doubt, while Xiao Manxue flat out disbelieved. It was understandable; the matter was too significant, involved too much, and the Xiao Family and the Bai Family had a long-term cooperation without previous issues. Even if there was competition behind the scenes, it was normal business competition. Anyone who suddenly heard this news would find it hard to believe.

He didn’t speak, letting the mother and daughter digest this bombshell.

"You got this news from Bai Zhengchu?" Xiao Manxue’s first concern was the source of the news. She stared intently at Lin Tian and said, "Don’t tell me you overheard it. The Bai Family’s surveillance is strict, and Bai Zhengchu’s natural hearing is better than ordinary people’s. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived countless times in Myanmar. Do you think he would let you get close enough to eavesdrop?"

What she said was true; Bai Zhengchu’s hearing was extremely sensitive, even surpassing some ancient martial artists. It was precisely because of this that he had managed to escape danger multiple times in Myanmar.

Some people are naturally intelligent, some have extraordinary memories, and so Bai Zhengchu was born with exceptional hearing, which Lin Tian found not surprising. This, however, was exactly what made Lin Tian’s source of information seem dubious.

He had learned about it through his super vision and hearing, but he couldn’t reveal the truth to them—it would sound unbelievable and might even make them think him a madman.

If Lin Tian were to make up some excuse, given Xiao Manxue’s shrewdness, she would find out it was false after a simple check. If the source of the news was doubtful, then how reliable could the news itself be?

Seeing that Lin Tian remained silent, Xiao Manxue thought he was feeling guilty, plus she recalled the incident with her underwear being touched and her bottom being slapped. She subconsciously felt that Lin Tian’s words were untrustworthy.

"Lin Tian, I don’t believe what you’re saying," Xiao Manxue said, thinking she had figured it out.

"Miss, what motives do you suspect me of having?" Lin Tian knew what she was thinking by the look on her face.

As an outsider suddenly bringing such news, it was bound to raise suspicion. Lin Tian didn’t really care, it was frustrating that his good intentions in telling her were met with doubt, his expression turning cold in an instant.

"Miss, believe it or not," if it weren’t for the naive Second Miss, would I bother sticking my nose into other people’s business? If it weren’t for Second Miss at the party, I would have been too lazy to even bother with your matters! If one day the Xiao Family is taken over by the Bai Family and you are forcibly married off to the playboy Bai Yuze, that’s your own doing. If the Xiao Family’s business is ruined by you, what about Second Miss? Do you want her to suffer with you?"

Family and the family business were the things she cherished most; she had always been diligent in her efforts for the Xiao Family, but now Lin Tian made her efforts sound so disgraceful. Remembering all the times she had been bullied by this scoundrel yet powerless to retaliate, she felt an infinite sense of grievance, and tears began to swirl in her eyes.

In order not to appear weak in front of this scoundrel, she desperately held back. Her nearly tearful appearance gave Lin Tian a huge shock. The Miss was such a formidable person, yet now she had been driven to tears by him.

Lin Tian had always found it hard to see women cry, and realizing that his tone might have been too harsh, he said, "Miss, I was a bit harsh, my bad, but I still stand by my words, what I said is true."

She might have been fine if he hadn’t apologized, but as soon as his tone softened, the tears in Xiao Manxue’s eyes found their outlet and started to pour out incessantly.

Oh no, she cries if spoken to kindly, she cries if scolded; what was he supposed to do? Lin Tian really didn’t understand.

"Xiao Tian, go back to your room; I’ll talk to her," Mrs. Xiao didn’t blame Lin Tian and told him to leave.

Staying in the study was quite awkward, Lin Tian nodded and walked out.

"Manxue, what’s wrong? I can tell that Xiao Tian meant no harm," Mrs. Xiao said, patting her back to comfort her.

"Mom... I’m alright," Xiao Manxue came to her senses. She had never lost her composure like this in front of her mother ever since she was sensible. She wiped away her tears and said indignantly, "It’s all because of that scoundrel’s aggravation."

"You are always so composed when handling affairs, why do you lose all composure whenever you encounter Xiao Tian? It’s not like your usual style of doing things," Mrs. Xiao observed.

Her mother’s words filled her with confusion. She didn’t know why, but every time she encountered Lin Tian, all her usual calm seemed to vanish.

"Mom, let’s not talk about him, what do you think about the news he brought?" Xiao Manxue quickly recovered and brought up the previous issue.

"Two masters from the Xiao Family Jewelry Store have both appraised that batch of jadeite rough stones, and besides charging a higher price, the cooperation with the Bai Family hasn’t had any problems. The partnership between the two families is mutually beneficial, and if there was to be any foul play, it wouldn’t have waited until today—unless..." Mrs. Xiao analyzed for a while but didn’t finish her sentence.

"Unless we cut open the rough stones to see the truth, but if there is indeed a problem after cutting, then there’s no way to remedy it," Xiao Manxue voiced out. After thinking for a moment, she continued, "There’s another way, we could ask Elder Zhou for an appraisal."

"Elder Zhou helps people based on his mood, and Xinyi Mall has a jewelry counter that can invite Elder Zhou because the owner behind the scenes and Elder Zhou are old friends. Our chances are slim if we want to invite him," Mrs. Xiao felt helpless, as some things can’t be done even with money.

Then she seemed to remember something and continued, "Lin Tian’s gemstone gambling skills are quite decent; at the party, he even managed to cut open top-grade jadeite. He had actually made achievements for the Xiao Family, and I was planning to reward him. But before I could give him the bank card, you two..."

"Let Xuanxuan handle it, I won’t withhold his bonus without reason." Speaking of withholding bonuses, Xiao Manxue remembered the last time she had threatened to deduct his salary, and her infuriated and petty attitude made her want to laugh and rage simultaneously. Hmph, this scoundrel is overbearing one moment, petty the next, then suddenly generous. She couldn’t tell which was the real him, and she couldn’t let this scoundrel get a hold of any leverage over her.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om