I feel like dying. Writing up my thesis is so painful. I can’t guarantee a chapter next week, but we’ll try… Our apologies in advanced if that is the case.

Chapter 13: Life History is a Mystery

Bai Xi stood still with a superficial smile on her face, her appearance not like one of a murderer. For her to say that she killed Xia Xue to show them was shocking. How could they not be intimidated?

Zhang Shu Yi reacted quickly. The panic and surprise disappeared, and instead she smirked. At any rate, this situation was exactly what she wanted before, wasn't it? She wanted to stab Xue'r's arm and then blame it on Bai Xi, the cheap little thing. In this way, she could topple the cheap little thing's place in master's heart. Then, she could expel Bai Xi from the Bai residence. Although the plans had changed somewhat, the results were the same. She believed that this cheap little thing wasn't far from death now.

"Older brother, do you think that Xi'r's skill has improved?" Bai Xi asked, her tone one of pride. She moved over to Bai Yu Jie with a smile as she took a hold of his arm.

"Mm, it really has improved greatly, especially the accuracy. Xi'r, next time you should try throwing it a hundred metres. However, before you do, you need to increase your strength, then there is a greater chance of the enemy being killed." Bai Yu Jie smiled faintly. There wasn't a shred of blame in his response, only praise.

"Okay."

"Nonsense! Jie'r, Bai Xi killed your cousin, not an enemy, and still you stand with her! How do you explain this to your aunt Yao? How do you explain this to your uncle?" Zhang Shu Yi did not expect her son to side with that cheap little thing. The murder was a big event, but Jie'r really…

"Mother, Xi'r is my younger sister. Of course your son is going to side with her. As for Xia Xue's incident, mother does not need to get involved," Bai Yu Jie replied.

"You…" Zhang Shu Yi's expression darkened. In the end, she could only put all her hopes on Bai Jin Hang. She walked over to him and asked, "Does master plan to continue to indulge Bai Xi and not investigate this murder?"

Bai Jin Hang glanced at the corpse before looking over at the smiling Bai Xi. His gaze finally landed on his wife. "Wife, this matter will be left to Jie'r to handle."

Zhang Shu Yi staggered, falling backwards. Her eyes were full of disbelief. Her son is like this, and even her husband is like this. Why did all of them show favouritism to this cheap little thing? Why?

"Madam Bai, you want older brother and I to say that I want that woman to be my sister-in-law? You really think that older brother can marry a corpse? Bai Xi smiled sweetly.

"It's you! It's all you! You snatched my husband and son from me and killed my unborn daughter! Now it's Xue'r! Slut, why won't you die?! Why don't you go die!" Zhang Shu Yi looked at the smile on Bai Xi's face and all her resentment surged forth. Everyone else faded away until she could only see the face that she had long hated.

Zhang Shu Yi launched herself forward to strangle Bai Xi, the person she had hated for many years. But before she could get close to Bai Xi, she was knocked unconscious by Bai Jin Hang and her body went limp in his arms.

"Xi'r, do not blame your mother. She only says such things when she loses her rationality for a while."

"Dad, Xi'r only wants to know this one thing. Is Xi'r dad's daughter?" She recalled that Zhang Shu Yi had said that she didn't know where she came from and that she wasn't born in the Bai residence. Perhaps she really wasn't a member of the Bai family.

"Nonsense. You are definitely dad's daughter. You will forever be our Bai family's second young lady," Bai Jin Hang answered immediately. "Okay. Jie'r, this matter is for you to handle."

As soon as Bai Jin Hang had finished speaking, he left, taking Zhang Shu Yi with him. Bai Xi watched her father leave in a hurry. She already knew the answer.

"Xi'r, don't let your imagination run wild." Bai Yu Jie patted Bai Xi's head affectionately, but his brilliant black eyes flashed a trace of unknown emotion.

"Okay. Why did dad and older brother come to Xi Yuan?" Her older brother, who she had not seen for many days, had suddenly come to Xi Yuan, and her dad had also come along. She did not think that they were here just to see Zhang Shu Yi cause her trouble in Xi Yuan.

"Did you encounter the assassin today when you left the residence?" He and father had just returned from the palace when had they received news from the hidden guards, and quickly returned to Xi Yuan.

"How does older brother know Xi'r left the residence?"

"After the incident with the assassin last time, dad and I have assigned some hidden guards to protect you at all times. Xi'r, dad is doing this for your own good. Please don't blame him." Dad was only doing this to avoid Xi'r from being injured again.

"Mm, Xi'r knows. Older brother should know that the assassin's target was not Xi'r, rather someone else." She was actually unable to sense that someone was in the dark nearby. Was the other party's skill really that formidable, or was she not alert enough?

"Xi'r, older brother wants to warn you not to provoke Feng Ming¹. This person is very dangerous." When he had found out that Xi'r had thrown a rock at Feng Ming's carriage, his heart had almost stopped.

"Feng Ming?"

"The Feng family's patriarch."

"Oh. I've heard that he is known as the Ice Lord." Bai Xi raised her eyebrows, as if she only just found out about this.

"Xi'r, remember what older brother has said. Do not go and provoke him." He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that his Xi'r was getting further away from him.

"Don't worry, older brother. I treasure my life." She wasn't going to go around and provoke people. But, if one day she was provoked, then she would definitely pay them back 1000-fold.

Bai Yu Jie nodded, but the feeling in his heart grew stronger.

"As for the corpse… Older brother really doesn't blame Xi'r for killing older sister Xia?" She had already planned what to say, but apparently she didn't need it. She did not expect that her dad and older brother would take her side on this matter.

"Xi'r only ended her life earlier, nothing more."

"Mm?"

Bai Yu Jie smiled lightly, not offering any detailed explanation. Soon after, he arranged for some people to carry out Xia Xue's corpse.

It was two days later when Bai Xi finally understood her brother's words.

Originally, Xia Xue's father, Xia Zhi Hui² was corrupt and accepted bribes. The emperor had beheaded him, and all members of the family had been put in jail, awaiting death. The evidence of Xia Zhi Hui's corruption was largely gathered by Bai Yu Jie. The reason for his marriage was to collect evidence of the crime.

"Young miss, you really want to go visit madam? If madam speaks to the young miss like she did yesterday, then what can this servant do? Why doesn't the young miss wait for master or young master to return from court before going to visit?" Mu Qiu trotted after her young miss. She did not understand why her young miss wanted to go visit the madam. Previously, the young miss would not take the initiative to go to You Yuan. Besides, the madam insulted the young miss yesterday, and now the young miss wanted to go see the madam. She didn't understand.

"Little Qiu Qiu, after yesterday, do you think that your family's young miss is afraid of a woman like Zhang Shu Yi?" Bai Xi asked as she slowed down to allow Mu Qiu to catch up to her.

"This… What young miss said is right, but…" Mu Qiu thought about what her young miss said and figured she was right. The young miss was completely different from before.

"Don't worry. I only want to go and ask something." The reason why she went to visit Zhang Shu Yi early in the morning was to get a definite answer to her suspicions.

^{1.(鳳冥) - Feng means phoenix, and Ming means 'dark' or 'underworld'.↩}

^{2.(夏志輝) - Zhi Hui means 'shining aspirations', so he really went for it with that name.↩}