Reaping What Was Sown
1074 Words
“Yun’er, what precisely is the nature of Zihou’s entanglement with the mayor’s daughter?” inquired Liu Jiahui, Yun’er’s mother, who had hastened back to the Ye household upon receiving the news. Her voice trembled with urgency as she pressed, “Were you not betrothed to him? How could he become involved with the mayor’s daughter?”
“That vile Cheng Sixi ensnared Brother Hao!” Ye Ruyun shrieked, her chest heaving with fury.
Her gaze fell upon a photograph on her phone, her eyes blazing with a fire that seemed poised to reduce the alluring figure within to ashes.
Jiahui’s brow furrowed with concern, her tone grave. “This bodes ill for the matrimonial prospects of the Ye and Mu families.”
Ruyun’s countenance faltered, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Mother, with Zihou now mired in scandal, and the public presuming an affair with Cheng Sixi, does this mean I can never wed him?”
What then was the purpose of wresting Mu Zihou from Ye Yuyao years ago, or enduring the silent tribulations of this prolonged courtship?
Jiahui’s gaze softened with pity as she gently patted Ruyun’s back in solace. “Fret not, my dear. Your bond with him spans years. I shall ensure the Mu family provides you with a satisfactory resolution.”
Ruyun nodded, her expression softening slightly, though her heart seethed with a silent vow against Cheng Sixi.
“By the by, Yun’er, have our informants unearthed any news?” Jiahui asked in a hushed tone.
Ruyun’s visage darkened, her teeth clenched in frustration. “Not yet! Five years have passed, and that wretched girl was cunning enough to escape. Who knows where she’s concealed herself?”
She yearned to locate Ye Yuyao before Zihou could, to personally ensure that pauper’s demise and secure her peace of mind.
Jiahui’s expression grew pensive, and she cautioned solemnly, “Your brother returns from abroad in two days. Should he inquire about Yuyao, we shall relay the tale we’ve crafted.”
With vexations piling upon her heart, Ruyun waved a dismissive hand. “Understood.”
The following morn, Ye Yuyao savored her breakfast while perusing the burgeoning online discourse with keen interest.
This time, not only were Mu Zihou and Cheng Sixi the subjects of scrutiny, but Ruyun had also become a focal point of public conjecture.
After six years, even Ruyun faced the ignominy of betrayal!
Whether the affair was truth or fabrication, the strife between Ruyun and Sixi promised a spectacle worth beholding.
“What’s infidelity?” piped up Ye Qingqing’s tender, inquisitive voice.
Feng Yilin chewed thoughtfully on his poached egg, musing, “Hmm… perhaps it’s when a train derails.”
Yuyao snapped back to the present, following their gazes to the television, where the children’s program had given way to a salacious news segment about Zihou and Sixi.
Choking back a cough, Yuyao swiftly seized the remote and changed the channel. “Ahem, Qingqing, Xiaoheng, no more television. Finish your breakfast like good children.”
Such matters were hardly suitable for young eyes!
Concurrently, at the Feng family’s ancestral manor, Ye Yiheng sat at the dining table, his small ears attuned to the conversation of the adults.
As Ren Xu delivered his report, Feng Xuhan’s eyes narrowed. “So, yesterday, Zihou and his entourage were pursuing someone and inadvertently intruded upon my private booth?”
Ren Xu nodded, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face. “Indeed, which led to his entanglement in this scandal with Sixi. Clearing their names will prove arduous.”
Xuhan sneered coldly. “Both parties have merely reaped the consequences of their own deeds.”
His curiosity inexplicably piqued by Yuyao’s affairs, he pressed, “Have we discerned why Zihou’s group was so intent on pursuing that individual yesterday?”
Ren Xu hesitated, then replied, “It appears they were chasing a woman known only as ‘Ata,’ though her identity remains shrouded in mystery. Our sources suggest she possesses information Zihou deems critical, though the particulars elude us.”
Xuhan’s brow arched, his interest deepening. “Ata, you say? Ensure our people continue their inquiries. I want her found, and I want to know what Zihou seeks from her.”
As the conversation drifted to other matters, Yiheng’s young mind churned with questions. The name “Ata” lingered in his thoughts, a puzzle piece in a game he was too young to comprehend fully.
Meanwhile, across the city, Yuyao retreated to her study, her mind a whirl of calculations. The public’s fascination with Zihou’s scandal provided a convenient distraction, but she knew Ruyun’s wrath would soon turn toward her. The past five years had honed Yuyao’s instincts, teaching her to anticipate her adversary’s moves.
She opened her laptop, her fingers dancing across the keys as she accessed a encrypted file. Within lay the remnants of her former life—documents, photographs, and a meticulously crafted plan to reclaim what was stolen from her. Ruyun’s schemes had driven her into the shadows, but Yuyao had not been idle. She had built alliances, gathered resources, and waited for the opportune moment to strike.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her reverie. “Miss Ye,” called her assistant, “there’s a message from our contact. They’ve sighted someone matching Ata’s description near the eastern docks.”
Yuyao’s pulse quickened. “Prepare a discreet team. We move tonight.”
As dusk settled over the city, Ruyun paced her chambers, her mind a tempest of rage and calculation. The photograph of Zihou and Sixi haunted her, a symbol of her precarious position. She could not afford to lose him—not to Sixi, nor to the specter of Yuyao, who lingered like a ghost in her nightmares.
“Mother,” she said, summoning Jiahui, “we must act swiftly. If Yuyao resurfaces, all our plans will unravel.”
Jiahui’s eyes gleamed with resolve. “Leave it to me, Yun’er. I’ll ensure that girl never sees the light of day again.”
Unbeknownst to them, Yuyao was already in motion, her silhouette blending into the twilight as she approached the docks. The air was thick with the scent of salt and intrigue, and her heart pounded with the thrill of the hunt. Ata, whoever she was, held the key to unraveling Zihou’s motives—and perhaps to dismantling Ruyun’s carefully constructed empire.
The night promised revelations, and Yuyao was ready to seize them.
- Writer
