Drama Queen Reborn as a Top Student!

Chapter 1012 - 504: So That’s How It Is! (2)

Shen You’an pointed to the opposite side: "Sit."

Yan Xue sat down again on her knees, picked up the tea set and began a seamless flow of washing and brewing tea. Every step she took was so pleasing to the eye.

Yan Xue placed a cup of clear tea in front of Shen You’an: "Please enjoy, Mr. Amos."

Shen You’an quietly tasted the tea, waiting for her to speak first.

Yan Xue gazed at the young man opposite, and slowly opened her mouth.

"Seventy years ago, the Xiao Family Army was defeated in that great battle, and Xiao Chuo lost his only son, Xiao Heng. Although Xiao Chuo was a warrior, he had read military books and understood that the morale of his army was lost; to fight a hopeless battle would be just a futile sacrifice. So, he decisively retreated to Yunzhou, severing his past, and went into hiding under a false name."

"My grandfather was one of General Xiao Chuo’s deputies back then. From the notes my grandfather left behind, it is known that the reason General Xiao was defeated was because he was betrayed by another deputy."

Shen You’an lightly tapped the table: "Xie Hongfei."

Yan Xue, both surprised and unsurprised, replied, "Yes, it was Xie Hongfei. Speaking of him, there is some connection with Xie Beichun’s ancestors; they belong to the same clan but not the same source. Xie Hongfei climbed the ranks quickly but then, over forty years ago, he was implicated in a corruption scandal after being reported. This case was handled swiftly, and he committed suicide in prison after the verdict was announced. Not long after, Xie Beichun’s father became successful, and the origin of his initial wealth has always been a mystery. I recently went through the files my dad left behind and finally found the catch."

Yan Xue’s father, Yan Chen, focused on corruption in Chunzhou forty years ago, and Xie Hongfei’s case was one that he personally supervised, leaving behind firsthand records.

It turns out the person who reported Xie Hongfei was Xie Beichun’s father, Xie Hao. He held a lot of evidence and, with righteousness, sent Xie Hongfei to prison.

Her father had suspicions back then that there was indeed another manipulator behind Xie Hao, pointing to the Yu family. Yan Chen learned from his father the whole story of Xie Hongfei’s betrayal of Xiao Chuo, and that Xie Hongfei’s rise was backed by the Yu family. So, was Xie Hongfei’s downfall that day just the Yu family burning bridges after crossing them? After all, Xie Hongfei became increasingly uncontrollable, becoming a tyrant in Chunzhou. For the ruthless Yu family, only dead men can keep secrets.

But later, after deep investigation and analysis, her father discovered the driver behind Xie Hao wasn’t from Jingzhou, but from Yunzhou. That force was very mysterious with clear intentions, withdrawing once the mission was accomplished, leaving no trace.

Xie Hongfei’s guilt was evident and not falsely accused, so her father closed the case accordingly, but his suspicions didn’t cease. He didn’t tell anyone about his doubts, just inscribed everything in the notes.

It was only recently when Yan Xue read her father’s notes that she learned her father was transferred to Yunzhou. The time spent there wasn’t long, only two years, which was merely a speck in his political career.

However, her father met a like-minded friend in Yunzhou, whom he called Old Xiao. He said Old Xiao was a very interesting person; despite being older, his mind was pure like a child’s. Very intelligent, he understood things instantly. He was over forty and still unmarried, fully devoted to his career, over forty and hadn’t even touched a woman’s hand, such a "rarity."

Seeing his good friend alone, he played matchmaker, threading a romance line for him.

The young woman was in her early twenties, a recent college graduate. At that time, college graduates were precious. He wrote in his notes about feeling guilty for having a young, pretty, highly educated girl marry an old man who could be her father; it seemed sinful.

But the girl was single-minded, setting her sights on that old man, insisting on marrying.

This old-young pair of romance turned out to be a good match.

In the first year after marriage, they had a son. The child’s father named him Xiao Chou.

In his notes, the father made fun of the old man for playing wordplay, naming the child "relieving sorrow," knowing that drinking to relieve sorrow only makes more sorrow.

At that moment, a deep, foreign expression appeared on Old Xiao’s weathered yet increasingly dignified face, making him seem like a different person, as though two spirits were dwelling within one body.

This Old Xiao was so unfamiliar, as if he carried something heavy, suffocating him. I didn’t know what that was, but it must be very important.

These were the words her father wrote in his notes.

"Xiao Chou? The child is named Xiao Chou?"

Shen You’an’s hands trembled faintly around the cup.