Ch. 366..370: Mr CEO Ex-wife Escapes Again Chapter 366-370

Chapter 366: Chapter 366: The Past

When Xiahou Jingmu arrived at Xiahou Yi’s sickroom, the old butler, Uncle Zhong, was taking care of Xiahou Yi.

"He hit you?"

Even though the old butler tried his best to hide it.

But, as he was wiping Xiahou Yi’s body with water, Xiahou Yi still saw the bruises on his arm.

An old man of nearly his own age, those scars on Uncle Zhong’s body deeply pained Xiahou Yi’s eyes.

"No, the old general has seen wrong." The pitiful old butler still tried to cover it up, not wanting to worry him.

Xiahou Yi finally became furious.

"Clang!" He swung his arm and knocked the basin to the floor.

Just at that moment, Xiahou Jingmu arrived and saw the overturned basin rolling on the floor.

There was also, water spilled all over the place.

"What? I come here, and this makes you so angry?"

He was wheeled in, and that was the first thing he blurted out.

When Xiahou Yi heard this, he abruptly turned his head, his eyes fixed on this ungrateful bastard, even the blood vessels in them bursting out.

"You monster, who let you do this? Uncle Zhong used to take care of you when you were growing up, how dare you lay a hand on him?"

He bellowed, his voice making the whole sickroom buzz.

Xiahou Jingmu was taken aback for a moment, then realized that the old man was furious about Uncle Zhong.

"That’s because he wouldn’t listen. I said long ago, as long as he hands over the items, I wouldn’t make him suffer, but he just wouldn’t see sense!"

He retorted sulkily.

Xiahou Yi, upon hearing this, trembled in anger on the hospital bed.

"I used to only know you were dim-witted, not as quick as others, but now it seems what you’ve stuffed inside there is all shit!" he cursed furiously.

Indeed, if it wasn’t for shit, he wouldn’t have done such a beastly thing. All these years, all the manners, integrity, and morals he was taught have gone to the dogs.

Xiahou Jingmu, upon being cursed, lost even the last bit of conscience and shame on his face.

"Yes, isn’t that how you always saw me? Because my head’s full of shit, so from a young age you used me as a pawn, because I wouldn’t think, and I wouldn’t doubt the goodness you showed me, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Xiahou Yi didn’t understand at all.

Seeing this, Xiahou Jingmu let out a cold laugh from his wheelchair.

"Pretending to be confused? It doesn’t matter, it’s not important anymore, Xiahou Yi, I now just want to take back what’s mine. If you don’t want to die, then have your bastard son obediently return the items, and I can spare you and your son’s lives."

He began to brazenly talk about giving Xiahou Yi, and Sheng Siyuan who was in the psychiatric hospital, a way out.

Xiahou Yi was furious to the extreme, and he fell silent.

He just sat on the hospital bed, coldly staring at this person, with disappointment and heartache, but more than that, what ultimately covered everything in his eyes was regret.

Indeed, this was the most regrettable thing he had ever done in his life.

And the blindest.

"Xiahou Jingmu, what do you want to take back? Tell me, what belongs to you?"

He calmed down and asked.

Seeing this, Xiahou Jingmu immediately replied with a hint of resentment, "What do you think? You’ve carefully groomed me from a young age, what were you going to give me?"

"What? The position of heir?"

"Isn’t it?" Xiahou Jingmu became even more agitated when he finally heard the old man mention it.

To his surprise, after looking at him for a while, Xiahou Yi actually nodded.

"Yes, that’s it!" he sighed.

"I have indeed always treated you as the heir, grooming you for the role. Your talents, your personality, up until now, I have always believed you were the most outstanding candidate. Because of this, my own son, Xiahou Maolin, who is already fifty, has never been offered to take over the Xiahou Family."

"..."

"Furthermore, his two sons, Xiahou Xiu is actually quite good, but sadly, he was too involved in personal affections and died in Jiangbei. As for his older brother, Chu Yan, someone who would betray even his own younger brother for his own benefits, doesn’t even have the qualifications to stay in the Xiahou Family, let alone be the heir."

As Xiahou Yi spoke of this past event, his eyes still held the regret for his young grandson’s untimely death.

Yes, if Xiahou Xiu hadn’t died, perhaps today’s situation might have been different.

Xiahou Jingmu had been listening, stupefied.

He had never thought that he was actually the designated heir within the Xiahou Family.

But why did his father tell him that he was just a stepping stone, a pawn, only to pave the way for this old man’s sons and grandsons?

Why?

He suddenly felt lost, and a bit panicked.

"Then... what about Sheng Siyuan? He is so outstanding, haven’t you ever thought about making him the heir to the Xiahou Family?"

In his panic, he finally found another question, and immediately threw it out.

However, facing this question, the look Xiahou Yi gave him again was clearly filled with more resentment and dimness.

"I never thought about acknowledging him. Back then, when his mother, Wang Wanjun, climbed onto my bed while I was drunk, his existence has always been a disgrace to me. Every time I see him, I remember his shameless mother!"

"If it hadn’t been for Jian Zhongzhou starting to give him trouble, forcing him to come to Chongzhou to find me, I would probably have never seen him."

Xiahou Yi had never been so candidly admitted his attitude towards this matter in front of anyone before.

Yes, back then, he truly loathed Wang Wanjun. There was almost a twenty-year age difference between them, and at the time, Xiahou Yi was someone who valued his own reputation immensely, a leading figure of the imperial capital’s first family of royal descent.

What resentment could have come from being spoiled by such a woman?

Hence, when Wang Wanjun hastily chose to marry through matchmaking, it was actually him exerting pressure behind the scenes, eager to erase this stain.

Luckily, Wang Wanjun married soon after, to the Jiangbei’s Sheng Family.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

But not long after, he heard that the woman had a son, prematurely born two months early.

At that time, his heart chilled again.

Fortunately, later on, Sheng Huang wasn’t a very careful man. When Wang Wanjun said she had a premature birth, he took it at face value, even though the child was born with the Xiahou family’s hereditary heart disease.

But still, he raised him dearly as his own.

And that was why later, after Sheng Siyuan went to Chongzhou, he agreed to stand up for Shengshi Group. No matter what, he still owed Sheng Huang.

"It’s impossible, you’re lying to me. How could you not want to see him? He’s so outstanding, so powerful, and he inherited the best of your Xiahou Yi’s genes. How could you not want him to come back?"

Xiahou Jingmu, hearing all this, was already starting to unravel.

He refused to accept what he heard, still believing that from the very start, Xiahou Yi’s intent had been to welcome back this illegitimate son.

Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Chess Piece

Xiahou Yi, upon seeing this, didn’t respond to him but simply stared with an icy gaze and coldly threw out another question, "Then tell me, where exactly did you learn all this from?"

"..."

It was like a thunderbolt out of the blue.

Xiahou Jingmu immediately became so silent that he couldn’t utter a single sound.

Xiahou Yi continued, "Was it your father Xiahou Maoqing?"

Xiahou Jingmu: "!!!!"

Completely drained of color.

Seeing this, Xiahou Yi let out a heavy sigh, no longer wanting to utter a word.

This great-nephew of his was actually good in many ways, but he was too easily swayed and, moreover, he lacked vigilance towards the people around him.

And Xiahou Yi had known this since the moment he had picked him out.

"Old Zhong, go and bring his father here. Tonight, I will make him see clearly the kind of deception he has fallen for," Xiahou Yi ordered.

The old butler showed a look of joy at this time and immediately agreed before going out.

As things had developed to this point, if they could verbally pull back this misled person, that would certainly be preferable – no need for a showdown, no need for innocent blood to be shed.

The old butler left.

Xiahou Yi stayed in the sickroom, waiting.

However, it was only about ten minutes later that he suddenly heard the sound of Xiahou Jingmu’s mobile phone ringing. Jingmu, sitting in a wheelchair and also waiting in the room, picked up his phone and looked at it, and his face changed.

"What happened?" Xiahou Yi, keenly observant, immediately asked.

But Xiahou Jingmu ignored him.

He just asked to be pushed out of the sickroom. After a moment, to Xiahou Yi’s surprise, Jingmu even had the door to the sickroom locked from the outside.

"Xiahou Jingmu, what are you doing? You curse, haven’t you understood anything after all I’ve said?" Xiahou Yi roared as he saw what was happening from inside the sickroom.

However, there was no response.

The departing Xiahou Jingmu just gave him a cold glance before being wheeled away quickly.

Xiahou Yi: "..."

The man who had felt so confident a moment ago suddenly felt a cold sweat breaking out on his palms.

Had some emergency arisen?

--

The next day.

The psychiatric hospital.

When Yin Hehe finally opened her eyes from the warm cocoon of her blankets, she saw a tall, straight figure already dressed and neat in the sickroom.

"Sheng Siyuan, you’re going alone?" she noticed and instantly sprang up in bed, startled.

The man, who was adjusting his cuffs by the window, turned to look at her. When he saw the woman hurriedly sitting up from the bed, her blanket falling without her noticing, revealing much of her body, his Adam’s apple bobbed...

"What? Mrs. Sheng hasn’t had her fill yet?"

"!!!!" Yin Hehe, who was slow to realize, immediately grabbed the blanket to cover her front.

This bastard, he still had the mood to look at this at such a time.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"To Chongzhou," he admitted openly this time.

Yin Hehe’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she stood up again, clutching the blanket.

However, as soon as she did, she felt a ripping pain from a certain part of her body, and immediately she was forced to fall back down.

"Then... what about me?" she was so frustrated she was nearly in tears.

The man, seeing her like this, couldn’t help but want to laugh, but to spare himself from having to kneel on durians later, he held it in.

"Don’t rush, hear me out," he said.

He came over, wrapped her and the blanket together into his embrace, and then reached out to smooth her messy hair behind her ear.

"I didn’t want to get you involved in danger, but you were right about one thing—I can’t always be the one to collect my own corpse. So, if you’re willing, I’d like you to stay in the capital city."

"The capital city?"

Yin Hehe was delighted to hear him agree to let her stay.

But why the capital city still?

"Yes, the capital city. You might not know, but just at dawn, Xiahou Jingmu’s parents suddenly disappeared."

Sheng Siyuan grimly announced such astonishing news with a frown.

Yin Hehe was stunned.

Xiahou Jingmu’s parents could actually disappear? Wasn’t the capital under his control now? How could his parents still go missing?

Yin Hehe’s eyes widened as she looked at the man before her.

The man spread his hands: "I didn’t do it. If I had, I wouldn’t be telling you in this tone."

Yin Hehe: "..."

This was even more horrifying.

If it wasn’t this man’s doing, and it certainly wasn’t Xiahou Yi—the old man was still lying in the hospital.

So...

"I’ve actually had a premonition that Xiahou Jingmu is not a very smart person. How did he manage to seize control of the entire capital in such a short span of time?"

"..."

Yin Hehe was literally at a loss for words.

All she felt was a chill all over her body, making her tremble even under the blankets.

"What’s wrong? Cold? Then let’s get you dressed first," the man holding her noticed.

He didn’t even continue discussing the serious matter at hand and instead grabbed some clothes to help Yin Hehe get dressed.

Yin Hehe felt like crying out of frustration.

"President Sheng, are you really not scared at all? The situation has gotten so serious, how can you still be so flippant?"

She felt the hand that was already reaching in and said with a face as red as if it were dripping blood.

But the man still had a carefree attitude.

"What’s there to be afraid of? It has nothing to do with me. If it comes down to it, our whole family can just emigrate abroad. After all, I’ve already sold my company."

"..."

Okay, he wins!

Yin Hehe finally stopped talking and resigned herself to let him dress her.

"President, there’s news. Xiahou Jingmu received several fingers, apparently from his mother," Xu Guannan, coming from outside, brought such shocking news.

Yin Hehe immediately turned to look at the man.

Yet she found that, in the time it takes to utter a sentence, the man who had just been teasing and joking had turned icy cold, a chill finally rising in his handsome brows and eyes.

"It looks like they’re forcing him to make a move," he said.

"So what do we do now? If Xiahou Jingmu goes all out, you might not be able to fly out of the capital."

"..."

"And about Xiahou Yi, if we don’t get him out of the hospital soon, it’s more likely to be bad news than good," Xu Guannan said urgently from outside.

So, the person who kidnapped Xiahou Jingmu’s parents was actually forcing him to kill Xiahou Yi and the man before her.

Because in the capital, only by eliminating this father and son would nobody stand in the way of that overwhelming power.

"Husband..." Yin Hehe also understood and immediately tightened her grip on the man’s arm as she looked at him.

"Don’t worry," he said.

Thankfully, when he looked at her, his gaze was still as tender and bright.

Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Sheng Siyuan, You Cannot Escape the Palm of My Hand

When Xiahou Jingmu arrived at the mental hospital with his men,

Sheng Siyuan had not yet left.

He kicked open the door of the ward and saw Yin Hehe and this man inside.

"Husband!" Yin Hehe saw him, and immediately turned deathly pale, clutching Sheng Siyuan’s arm.

Seeing this, Xiahou Jingmu burst into a proud and scornful laugh.

"I thought you had run away, but it turns out, that’s all the ability you have," he said, stepping inside and jeering at the man.

Hearing this, Yin Hehe didn’t wait for Sheng Siyuan to speak, and she frantically yet assertively charged forward.

"Xiahou Jingmu, what exactly do you want to do? This is the Imperial Capital, do you really intend to unleash a massacre?"

She challenged him furiously.

At her words, Xiahou Jingmu looked at her, and something contorted in his eyes, his expression suddenly became terrifyingly grim.

"When did I ever say I would unleash a massacre? The only thing I’ve wanted from start to finish is his life!"

He pointed at Sheng Siyuan and stated.

This was the first time he had ever spoken of his intentions so plainly.

Yin Hehe trembled with rage and spat out, "What has he done to you? Why must you kill him?"

"Because he also bears the name Xiahou!" Xiahou Jingmu roared furiously again.

"Yin Hehe, do you still not understand? As long as they, father and son, exist, I will never be able to sit securely on my throne. That’s why, making them disappear from this world is my goal tonight!"

"..."

No more sounds followed.

When these words came out of his mouth, the whole ward plunged into an abyss of fear, and Yin Hehe’s face was drained of all color.

Because she heard the words "father and son."

So, had Xiahou Yi also fallen into his hands?

Yin Hehe was in utter despair.

"Heh heh~~" But at that moment, the man beside her suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"You want me dead? Don’t you think you’re a bit delusional?"

He stood there like a specter, his voice dripping with mockery, and in an instant, everyone heard a clicking sound.

"No good! There’s a timed bomb!"

In an instant, the people there, who dealt with weapons regularly, recognized the sound, and their faces drastically changed. They turned around and ran out of the ward.

Xiahou Jingmu’s complexion changed too!

"Sheng Siyuan, you’ve got guts!" His eyes bloodshot, he stared at the man and cursed, racing back toward the ward.

The man behind simply shrugged his shoulders, about to seize the woman next to him and jump out of the window with her.

But just then, Xiahou Jingmu, who was at the doorway, suddenly fired a shot.

"Bang!"

The man, who was rushing towards the window with Yin Hehe, stumbled, and when he looked down, he saw a blossom of blood exploding across his chest.

"No, don’t..."

Yin Hehe saw it too, and instantly, her complexion became as pale as her husband’s, her hand desperately covering the man’s wound.

But it was useless.

The blood from the wound gushed like a sprung fountain, her fingers utterly unable to contain it, the warm liquid shooting through the gaps in her fingers. In no time at all, she was covered in blood too.

"No, husband, please, no, I beg you, don’t..."

She had completely lost her reason, crying, pleading, trembling... hoping that this might end the ordeal.

But...

"Thud!"

Sheng Siyuan fell to the ground.

Just like before in the Chongzhou Hotel, as soon as he hit the floor, copious amounts of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

"Ahh—" Yin Hehe screamed in agony.

Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had completely lost her mind, and she turned to glare fiercely at Xiahou Jingmu behind her.

"Are you satisfied now? You’ve killed him! Are you finally satisfied? Now, with no one to stop you from ruling and reigning supreme, do you feel content?"

She screamed until she was hoarse, and at that moment, her normally beautiful face looked as if it had been slashed open, her expression was terrifying, filled with hatred...

Like a vengeful ghost crawling out of Hell!

Xiahou Jingmu paused.

In fact, his shot just now wasn’t meant to be fatal; it was because of the panic within him that made his aim go awry.

Now, seeing that the usually calm and composed woman was driven mad by this scene, he felt a twinge of regret.

"Someone, take him out for me!"

He finally shouted from the doorway of the hospital room.

So inside the room, Yin Hehe, driven mad with delirium, only saw people come in and take the man, whose tattoos were covered in blood, away from her.

"Where are you taking him? Give him back to me!"

She chased after them like a lunatic.

A few minutes later, just as Xiahou Jingmu was leaving the hospital, a massive explosion boomed from behind him, and the hospital was finally blown up, a huge flame soaring into the sky, casting the city in a crimson hue.

This war had, at last, begun.

Half an hour later, Xiahou Jingmu, holding a bloodstained bullet and a bloodied Royal Seal, picked up his cell phone with an ashen face to make a call.

"The two people you wanted, I’ve taken care of that for you. When are you going to release my parents?"

"Is that so?"

A voice quickly came through the phone.

The voice, old and carrying a sense of weariness and a sinister touch, said,

"A blood-stained garment, a bullet, and you say you’ve done as I asked, Xiahou Jingmu. Do you remember what I demanded? I told you, I want their lives—the lives of the father and son!"

With just that simple sentence, the color drained even further from Xiahou Jingmu’s face.

"Rest assured, Sheng Siyuan has been shot by me; even if he doesn’t die, he’ll never wake up again in this lifetime. And Xiahou Yi is already a cripple; what difference does it make whether he’s dead when I have his seal?"

He clenched his teeth hard, enduring for a long time before he could reply.

Hearing this, the person on the phone—perhaps seeing that his patience was at its limit, not wishing to push him to desperation—didn’t make things more difficult for him.

"Fine, then bring me both of them!"

"..."

Another long silence followed.

But after the silence, Xiahou Jingmu agreed.

So at dawn’s first light, a black van took the barely bandaged, severely injured and unconscious Sheng Siyuan, as well as Xiahou Yi, bound hand and foot with a cloth stuffed in his mouth, and threw them into the van.

When Yin Hehe woke up in the hospital, everything around was deserted, and she could no longer see anyone...

Chapter 369: Chapter 369 She’s Crazy

Yin Hehe has gone mad!

She burst out of the hospital, smashed a random car in the parking lot, and drove like lightning toward the direction of He’anli.

Xiahou Jingmu lived in He’anli.

About twenty minutes later, she arrived at He’anli and immediately spotted the courtyard that she had visited last time for the funeral—it was open, and now, voices were coming from inside.

"Mom, are you okay? Does it still hurt?"

It was Xiahou Jingmu’s voice.

Yin Hehe instantly rushed in, storming into the family’s living room.

However, she found that when she came in, Xiahou Maoqing and the lady of the house had both returned, and at that moment, they were lying pale-faced on the couch, their hands wrapped in thick bandages.

Had they come back?

Did it mean that this beast had taken two other people and exchanged them for his parents?

Yin Hehe’s eyes reddened again.

"Xiahou Jingmu, you beast, give me Ayuan back!" She charged in and, once in front of this man, she grabbed his collar tightly.

Xiahou Jingmu was just feeding his mother something to eat.

After being kidnapped, their fingers had been chopped off, and they hadn’t eaten a grain of rice, yet suddenly, this woman burst in.

He wasn’t prepared for it, and the bowl fell to the ground with a "clang."

"Yin Hehe!" His teeth were gnashing violently.

But at this time, Yin Hehe, far from being scared by his gnashing teeth, wished she could tear him to pieces straight away.

"Let me tell you, Xiahou Jingmu, if you don’t return the people to me, even if you’ve saved your parents, I will kill them just the same."

She was crazed to the extreme, flinging the man away forcefully, then picking up a broken piece from the ground and pressing it against the lady of the house’s throat.

"Don’t be reckless!" When Xiahou Jingmu saw this, his expression finally changed.

"Yin Hehe, do you know what you’re doing? Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to leave this courtyard?"

"Haha..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yin Hehe, who had already lost her reason, let out a cold laugh on the spot.

"If he’s gone, do you think I want to walk out of this courtyard?"

"..."

No more sound was heard.

He had known that this woman would not care about her own life for the sake of that man, but hearing it for real in this moment.

He was jealous to the point of madness.

Does she really love that man so much?

Xiahou Jingmu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Yin Hehe, if you truly wish to rescue them, it’s best not to cause a fuss. Once I’m in charge of the world’s affairs, I will naturally return them to you."

He finally gave her a promise.

The world’s affairs?

But as soon as these words fell, the woman in front of him revealed a thick sneer at the corner of her mouth.

"Are you treating me like a three-year-old? You are already under someone’s control; what chance do you have to take charge of the world’s affairs? With all you’ve done, you’re probably just preparing a dowry for someone else, right?"

She sarcastically said with a sharp edge.

Suddenly, upon hearing this, Xiahou Jingmu felt as though he’d been pierced by something sharply, his face turning green with rage as he glared at the woman.

"What nonsense are you spouting? If you don’t believe it, you can wait until tomorrow. I’ll show you then!"

"Fine." Yin Hehe agreed.

"I’ll take a gamble with you, but Xiahou Jingmu, before that, you must ensure their safety. Otherwise, come tomorrow, even if you have the world at your feet, I, Yin Hehe, will still use your parents as a sacrifice!"

She uttered the most venomous words she had ever spoken in her life.

Yes, she might not be capable of handling big things, but she could easily have someone take care of such small matters.

Why would she be afraid of him?

Xiahou Jingmu’s face turned ugly once again.

But in the end, even though he was also very tired, he did not argue with this woman any further.

Before long, Yin Hehe left He’anli, and he gestured to call his assistant over.

"Go and deliver a message, I hope that when I stand in the highest position of power tomorrow, both Sheng Siyuan and Xiahou Yi will see it."

"Yes!"

The assistant immediately went out.

Yes, for Xiahou Jingmu to ultimately obtain the symbol of this world was to become the person with the highest authority.

And before him, that position belonged to Chu Fengcheng.

--

The royal mansion.

After returning, just as Yin Hehe crossed the lofty threshold, she couldn’t catch her breath and collapsed to the ground.

"Xiaoyin—"

Uncle Zhong, who had been waiting in the royal mansion, saw this and quickly ran over with others.

About half an hour later, Yin Hehe, who had been carried to the grand hall, finally woke up in the spacious Taishi Chair.

"You’re finally awake?" The old housekeeper, seeing her finally come to, immediately wept with joy.

The head kitchen maid was also there, and seeing Yin Hehe awake, she too was excited beyond words.

"Madam, you’re finally back. We were worried... that the royal mansion couldn’t be preserved."

She wiped her tears.

Yin Hehe swallowed to moisten her dry throat and after a long while, she sat up straight and looked at the two of them calmly.

"It won’t happen. This is the old general’s residence; who dares to take it away?"

"Yes!"

Reassured by these words, the aunt immediately went out to prepare food for everyone.

The old housekeeper remained, and seeing that Yin Hehe’s mouth still looked very dry, he brought her another cup of water.

"Did you just make a fuss in He’anli?"

"Yes." Yin Hehe took a sip of water, "It was necessary to create a disturbance, or they would have become suspicious."

She swallowed the warm water and felt much better in her throat.

The old housekeeper agreed and nodded his head.

"What’s the plan then? The old general has been taken away, and he’s just regained consciousness; I’m afraid he won’t be able to withstand it."

"He will." Yin Hehe again gave a reassuring word.

"I just outmaneuvered him in front of Xiahou Jingmu. He’s not too bright. By tomorrow, they should be able to protect the lives of those two."

"That’s good to hear."

The old housekeeper heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.

However, he was still most concerned about another matter, so after pondering for a moment, he asked again, "Did you find out who is behind him?"

"Not yet." Upon mentioning this, Yin Hehe’s frown deepened.

"It seems that Xiahou Jingmu is deliberately covering for this person. Even though I confronted him head on, calling him out as a puppet, he still hasn’t revealed who that person is."

She stood up from the chair and walked to the center of the grand hall, speaking with frustration.

Upon hearing this, the old housekeeper also became stern.

"That makes things complicated. If we can’t find out who is behind the scenes, even if the young master brings reinforcements from Chongzhou, we still won’t know whom to fight. It can’t be that our Xiahou family is going to fight amongst ourselves, can it?"

He spoke anxiously.

The young master!

Indeed, no one knew that the person who was seriously injured by Xiahou Jingmu at the mental hospital in the early morning and then taken away, was not Sheng Siyuan at all.

The real Sheng Siyuan had already slipped away as another person, using the Face Changing Technique that he learned from Meishan Qiandai, which Yin Hehe had passed on to him.

Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Blood-Stained New Year’s Eve

So, the most important task for Yin Hehe, who remains here now, is to dig out the person behind Xiahou Jingmu!

Then, once Sheng Siyuan arrives with reinforcements, they can strike to kill in one fell swoop.

"Uncle Zhong, do you think, since this person has gone this far and still hides behind Xiahou Jingmu, not daring to show himself, is it possible that this is someone we all know?"

"What did you say?"

The old butler was startled by this conjecture.

"Someone we all know?"

"Yes, otherwise, why wouldn’t he dare to show his true face? Think about it, by staying hidden like this, he still has room for maneuver even if he fails tomorrow, right?"

Yin Hehe, with her sharp intelligence, had come to this realization, and suddenly, standing in this grand hall, her pupils contracted.

Because she suddenly thought, if this person was someone they knew, then they were undoubtedly being watched by a pair of invisible eyes.

Any slight carelessness, and all their plans could be exposed.

"Uncle Zhong, for safety’s sake, let’s not talk about these matters in private anymore."

"Okay!"

The old butler immediately agreed.

--

The next day.

When Yin Hehe woke up from a dizzying sleep, it was the continuous sound of firecrackers outside that woke her up.

What day is it?

She rubbed her throbbing forehead and climbed out of bed.

"Aunt Qin?"

"I’m here, young madam."

Upon hearing the call, the head chef aunt hurried in from the outside.

"Aunt Qin, what’s going on outside? Why are there firecrackers going off all the time?" Yin Hehe asked as she rubbed her head and saw her coming in.

The auntie paused for a moment and walked in.

"Young madam, don’t you remember the date? Today is New Year’s Eve."

"New Year’s Eve?" Yin Hehe was stunned.

It turned out that today was already New Year’s Eve, and she recalled that when she came over from Jiangbei, her father-in-law, the old Master Sheng, was still telling her to buy New Year’s goods.

But now, before she knew it, New Year’s Eve had arrived.

So, on this day when families across the world were supposed to reunite, was this city still to face such turmoil?

Yin Hehe could no longer sleep, and she threw off the covers and got out of bed.

"Aunt Qin, I need to go to He’anli, please inform Uncle Zhong."

"Ah?" Aunt Qin immediately panicked and ran after her, "But you haven’t eaten anything yet?"

"..."

Eat something?

At a time like this, how could she have any appetite?

Yin Hehe drove to He’anli again, and on her way there, she indeed saw many homes along the streets already adorned with new couplets and red lanterns at their doors, the whole view brimming with festive colors.

Yin Hehe’s eyes grew even more profound.

Forty or so minutes later, at He’anli.

"Amu, can’t you not go? I really don’t want any power, having our family safe and together is all I want."

In the courtyard of the Xiahou family’s main house, dressed in new clothes and preparing to set out, Xiahou Jingmu was stopped by his mother coming out behind him, weeping and pleading.

Xiahou Maoqing also came out, a middle-aged man who had also kept his ambition for power deeply hidden his whole life.

And at the critical moment, he also betrayed his family.

But at this time, having lost four fingers, he looked at his son and felt a surge of regret.

"If you... if you can avoid going, then don’t go. He just wants this world, you can let him have it," he said, hesitating for a long time before slowly walking over to persuade him.

However, looking at the two of them, Xiahou Jingmu’s lips curled into a bitter and mocking smile.

"Do you really think that I can back out now if I want to?"

"..."

"From the moment he had you approach me, I’ve been his pawn. If I don’t go today, then you’ll still die, and I will die too; all the Xiahou family will die!"

He looked up, his eyes hollow as he gazed into the space above.

It seemed... as if it was snowing.

He stretched out his hand to catch the snowflakes falling gently from above.

"Xiahou Jingmu, it’s already the second day. Why haven’t you brought them back yet? Are you simply incapable of getting them back?"

Just as he caught a snowflake, a sharp woman’s voice reached him.

When he looked up, he immediately saw a disheveled woman appearing at the courtyard entrance. She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and one of her shoes was long gone. Now, covered in bloodstains, she was angrily charging towards him.

Xiahou Jingmu: "..."

"Major, has she truly gone mad? Should we just get rid of her once and for all?"

The assistant witnessing the scene proposed impatiently.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Xiahou Jingmu slapped the assistant hard across the face.

"Get out!"

The assistant scrambled up and fled in disarray.

Yin Hehe, taken aback, stood there and didn’t move either for a moment.

Only when Xiahou Jingmu was about to leave did she, like a madwoman, rush over and grab his arm.

"Xiahou Jingmu, where are you going?"

"Didn’t you want to see him? Then come with me," Xiahou Jingmu said coldly, turning his head to look at her with only those words.

Upon hearing this, Yin Hehe immediately followed closely behind him.

Soon, a procession made its way downtown, heading towards the Pentagon Building, the symbol of the city’s ultimate power.

Here, although the four major families were immensely powerful, the place that really held the authority to command was the Pentagon Building.

Of course, the highest authority in this building had always been puppets, like Chu Fengcheng, who was controlled by Xiahou Yi.

But now it was different. If Xiahou Jingmu took that seat, then the Pentagon Building would be the true seat of power, and the whole world would have to bow to him.

"Major, they are already inside waiting," someone who had gone to gather intelligence returned with news that everyone inside the building had arrived.

On the eve of Chinese New Year, all were able to gather here.

It goes without saying, this was thanks to the person behind the scenes with whom he had made the deal.

So, from the very beginning, the two of them had collaborated: Xiahou Jingmu was responsible for the military side, while that person behind the scenes took care of the Pentagon Building. With this arrangement, once their coup was successful...

The world would be completely theirs.

Like today!

Xiahou Jingmu’s eyes sparked with delight as he got out of the car, then confidently strode towards the building.

Yin Hehe followed behind him.

She was finally about to meet the person behind all this.

However, just as the two entered the building, suddenly, the glass doors behind them "creaked" shut with a clang.

Yin Hehe immediately turned around. When she saw the iron gates starting to descend as well, her face drained of color: "It’s a trap!"