An Xin frowned slightly. Why was Xu Chongyan suddenly bullying her parents so much? Was it because of old grudges? That old fox, how could he be so stupid? Knowing that she was close to Yan Zhen, why did he still openly bully her parents?
Why did Yan Zhen help him again? Xu Chongyan seems to be getting closer to Jing Lan. She should be secretly pleased that she punished Xu Chongyan, so why did Yan Zhen stop her? And why was she so determined to stop her?
An Xin felt a fire rising in her heart again, and she tried to calm herself down. Ever since the Fengxian Village case, one thing after another had happened: first the headless corpse case, then Feng Yi's disappearance, then the skeletons in the hot spring pool, and then Xu Chongyan's sudden falling out with her father. No, there were many other details, such as the mysterious masked man, the waistband embroidered with Feng Yi's birth date and time, and Yan Zhen's transformation...
What connections are hidden among these seemingly unrelated events?
"Sister Xin'er?" An Jin's voice pulled An Xin back from her reverie. An Xin closed her eyelashes and hummed in response.
"Sister Xin'er, are you alright?" An Jin asked cautiously, looking at An Xin's changing expression.
"It's nothing." An Xin's thoughts were a little chaotic. In fact, she didn't like her thoughts to be chaotic. She preferred to sort everything out in an orderly manner, as if she had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder about order.
An Jin blinked and whispered, "Jin'er has a secret to tell her older sister."
An Xin wasn't very interested, but she still asked, "What secret?"
An Jin whispered a few words in An Xin's ear, and An Xin's eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed him and said, "Where did you find it? Take me there."
An Jin smiled and said, "If Sister Xin'er smiles, Jin'er will take you there."
An Xin's lips twitched. Was this kid trying to make her laugh? Who gave him such audacity!
She was in a terrible mood, not to mention laughing, she didn't even want to make a face. An Jin said cautiously, "Sister Xin'er, smile."
An Xin forced a smile, revealing an expression that was even more unsightly than crying.
Shen Suya said with a sour smile, "He's making you laugh, not cry. It's so ugly."
An Xin gave An Jin a sharp look and pulled her outside.
Just outside the gate, they bumped into an uninvited guest. An Xin looked at Ming Jiao, who was beaming with pride, with some surprise, but didn't say anything. She pulled An Jin along and brushed past her.
Mingjiao's smug expression froze for a moment, then she turned around angrily and said, "Anxin, do you know where the Right Prime Minister is?"
An Xin paused in her steps.
"In my house!" Mingjiao's expression grew even more smug. She crossed her arms and raised her chin, saying, "Do you want to know what he thinks of you? Arrogant, haughty, lawless, and rebellious. He even said that a woman like you can't be kept around!"
An Xin admitted that she hadn't intended to listen to Ming Jiao's words, but she seemed to subconsciously listen to what Yan Zhen was saying. When she heard Ming Jiao's words, her heart felt like it was being pierced by a long, sharp needle, causing her excruciating pain.
Since Mingjiao
She'd come all this way, so she probably wouldn't make up something to lie to her. Maybe she really was lying to spite her, and she'd be more inclined to believe the latter.
An Xin snapped out of her reverie, raised an eyebrow, and said calmly, "Are you done?"
Mingjiao still didn't understand Anxin at all. She originally thought that Anxin would be furious after hearing about this, at least her face would be pale. But Anxin's expression was too calm, as if she had heard her talking about a complete stranger! This feeling was not good, not good at all!
"The Right Prime Minister's interest in you was just a passing fancy, An Xin. You're nothing more than a worn-out shoe he's used and discarded. He's tired of you, so he threw you away. You're so pathetic!" Ming Jiao tried with utmost malice to pierce the cold, indifferent mask of the woman before her, but alas…
An Xin raised her lips and sneered, "Then what right do you, a worn-out shoe, have to talk to me? And can you get lost?"
Mingjiao's face turned ashen, and she gritted her teeth as she roared, "Anxin, do you really think no one dares to touch you? Without the protection of the Right Prime Minister, you are nothing!"
An Xin's expression was indifferent, and there was a hint of sadness in her tone, making it hard to understand. Her voice was cold and indifferent, as if she didn't care at all, saying, "Without his protection, I am free."
Chapter Ninety-Six: Not Serious
Since the palace was built here, it must be a place with excellent feng shui. However, such an ominous scene appeared on this place with excellent feng shui. An Xin stared wide-eyed in shock.
An Jin whispered, "Sister Xin'er, I've noticed that these skeletons have a common feature."
An Xin glanced at him and asked, "What features?" Having shaken off Ming Jiao, she was already in an extremely bad mood, but at this moment, she couldn't care less about that! The white bones in front of her shone with a ghastly white light under the sunlight, which was truly terrifying.
It was bad enough that a pile of bones was found at the bottom of the hot spring pavilion, but now another pile of bones has been found here... The matter seems chaotic yet unrelated, and even she is somewhat unable to make sense of it.
“These bones don’t have heads.” An Jin’s words completely disrupted An Xin’s train of thought. An Xin suddenly looked up and saw that among the piles of bones, there wasn’t a single human skull!
An Xin narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the skeletons. How come no one noticed these skeletons here? This place is extremely close to the palace, and the surrounding area must be under very tight surveillance. There's no reason why they wouldn't have been discovered.
"Jin'er, when did you discover there were bones here?" An Xin asked.
An Jin blinked her big eyes and said, "Three days ago."
Three days ago? An Xin frowned, casually picking up a skeleton with her handkerchief to examine it closely. These people had been dead for at least three years, and no one had discovered them in all that time, yet An Jin had found them three days ago. This meant that it was possible these skeletons hadn't been here before, but had been suddenly transported here a few days prior. If this hypothesis was true, then who transported the skeletons here? Why were they transported here? Why were all the skeletons headless? And what was the connection between these skeletons and the headless corpses?
An Xin felt as if she had fallen into a deep, bottomless pit. She had solved countless cases, but she had never encountered one as intricate as this one. If this whole case were considered as a person, then that person must be a master with a mind as deep as the sea. No matter how she tried to manipulate things, he could easily turn the tide.
An Xin suddenly remembered a story: a man who could open any lock. Later, he made a bet with someone who presented him with an extremely complex lock, saying he would win if he could open it. But no matter what he did, he couldn't open it. Dejected, he slumped to the ground against the lock, only to find it opened. Was she now like that gambler, trapped in a complex lock? And was the truth she so desperately seeking actually right beside her?
An Xin experienced firsthand what it meant to be utterly distraught.
When they returned to the villa, it was already dark. An Xin's figure was stretched long by the setting sun, but she kept her eyelashes down, seemingly lost in thought. It wasn't until An Jin tugged at her sleeve that she came back to her senses and looked at An Jin. An Jin whispered, "That big brother is here."
An Xin raised her eyelashes and glanced at it, then paused slightly.
Shen Suya pulled An Jin back to the courtyard. The alley, which was not usually deserted, was now unusually quiet. The wind ruffled her hair and his clothes, adding to the desolation.
"Is Lord An feeling any better?" He pursed his lips and spoke slowly.
An Xin thought that perhaps he had his reasons for stopping her and helping Xu Chongyan, but everyone has their own reasons for living in this world, so why should others pay for your reasons?
She was furious, extremely furious.
"What's it to you?" she said coldly and ruthlessly.
"Xin'er, about this matter..."