The moment Fifth Brother saw Yu Xiaxing, he immediately turned his face away and hurriedly shifted his gaze.
As children raised by the same parents, the two of them should have been the closest of all.
And they had indeed been close when they were young. She was always clinging to her brother, while he protected her. The two siblings had always gotten along far better than the children of the other two branches of the family.
Until one thing happened.
It made her realize just how selfish and cold-blooded her brother was at heart…
In the end, they became the people who hated each other most.
Yu Xiaxing turned and left, refusing to get involved. Her relationship with him was already terrible—she had no intention of getting caught up in his affairs.
She carried Diandian back to her room.
After flopping down onto the sofa, however, her brows gradually drew together.
Something wasn’t right.
That news story from her previous life had been so significant that she remembered it particularly clearly. She could even recall the dead man’s address… Building 7, Apartment 501. The victim was an elderly man from the countryside who had come to the city to live with his son and daughter-in-law. If she remembered correctly, the news had said his surname was Zhao.
His family had made a huge fuss for quite some time afterward. It was also after this incident that Grandpa had fallen into depression and begun to suffer from health problems.
The image of Grandpa’s utterly disappointed face flashed through Yu Xiaxing’s mind.
When she had first been reborn, she had been filled with resentment toward everyone in the Yu family. She had felt that all her efforts had gone to waste. Even if she had merely been an ordinary employee, they shouldn’t have fired her without giving her a single cent in severance pay.
But now that she had calmed down, she realized there were many people in the Yu family she simply couldn’t bring herself to hate.
Grandpa had always treated her well and valued her greatly.
Although he had decreed that “only those carrying the Yu family bloodline may inherit the estate,” he had no idea she wasn’t actually a member of the Yu family. He hadn’t been targeting her.
I’d better investigate this myself.
As far as possible, I can’t let any of my brothers or sisters be eliminated before me.
Otherwise, with fewer competitors, wouldn’t my grand elimination scheme become even more difficult?
But who should I ask to investigate it…?
Yu Xiaxing suddenly thought of another underling from her previous life.
The private detective, Ruan Tian.
Another person who was rotten to the core.
But she was extremely capable. She investigated things quickly and thoroughly. In her previous life, she had been the one who helped Yu Xiaxing discover that Lu Yanzhao was Fifth Brother’s fiercely loyal operative…
But she had one enormous flaw.
Once she got paid, she would betray her client.
She was the private detective with the least professional ethics in the entire world.
That was why, after working with her once in her previous life, Yu Xiaxing had never contacted her again.
But in this life…
Hee hee hee, I’m going to gather every villain around me!
Everyone is welcome to betray me and sell me out!
She immediately searched online for the number of Ruan Tian’s agency and called.
“Hello? Who’s this?” The woman’s voice was slightly hoarse, carrying the exhaustion of someone who had suffered from long-term sleep deprivation.
“Ruan Tian? Are you taking jobs?” Yu Xiaxing got straight to the point.
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then came the sounds of a chair scraping across the floor and a door closing.
Once the background noise had faded, Ruan Tian’s voice became clearer. “Hello, I’m private detective Ruan Tian! What would you like me to investigate? I specialize in finding cats and dogs, catching cheaters, and collecting evidence for divorces… I don’t do anything illegal.”
After a pause, she added in a small voice, “Unless you pay extra.”
Yu Xiaxing’s brows rose slightly.
Her old friend was still as shameless and lacking in principles as ever. That put her at ease.
She said, “It’s simple. I want you to investigate a family—their household members, financial situation, whether they have any conflicts… The more detailed, the better.”
“I’ll send you the address. It’s an old man surnamed Zhao who lives with his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.”
Ruan Tian clicked her tongue on the other end. “Family conflicts, huh? Those are the most troublesome. Even the wisest judge can’t settle a family dispute…”
“One day’s work. I’ll pay you ten thousand yuan. I’ll transfer two thousand as a deposit right now.” Yu Xiaxing cut her off.
“…”
Ruan Tian was tempted.
Two seconds later, she tried to bargain. “No, wait, Miss Client, my schedule is completely packed. I already have two surveillance jobs tomorrow. Since you need it so urgently, you’ll have to pay extra…”
Yu Xiaxing said, “Forget it. I’ll find someone else.”
Although she had grown up in a wealthy family, her grandfather had started from nothing and disliked raising spoiled, extravagant children.
None of the children received much pocket money before they started working. Afterward, Grandpa would give them an allowance.
Yu Xiaxing had joined this competition right after graduating and didn’t have much money on hand. Ten thousand yuan was already a painful amount for her to fork over.
As expected, Ruan Tian gave in.
“I’ll take it, I’ll take it, I’ll take it…”
After hanging up, the two of them added each other as contacts.
Yu Xiaxing sent over the old man’s address and basic information, signed an electronic contract online, and transferred the deposit.
Once she had dealt with that, she searched online for public sentiment surrounding the incident.
News related to “Yu Corporation—Kangle Residential Community—property management” was, sure enough, filled with criticism.
Yu Xiaxing was so envious she could have died.
To be hated by the entire internet—what a wonderful privilege. When will it be my turn…?
—
Early Saturday morning, Yu Xiaxing changed into sportswear, slung a small bag over her shoulder, and went hiking.
She remembered what the doctor had told her in her previous life.
“It’s all the result of chronic overwork. The immense psychological pressure caused your immune system to collapse. How did you manage to wear out a twenty-one-year-old body until it was like that of a fifty-year-old?”
In this life, she was going to exercise!
She was going to relieve her mental stress!
The mountain was a wild one on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t especially popular, though there were still some people out enjoying the spring weather.
She climbed very slowly, stopping to rest every now and then as she observed the trees lining the trail and the occasional small animal darting past.
Her phone kept vibrating.
The parents’ group chat, the work group chat, the family group chat… She ignored them all.
Lu Yanzhao kept asking about her work arrangements for the following week.
She simply blocked him and planned to unblock him on Monday.
She had never seen an employee like him. Who kept chasing after their boss for work even on the weekend?
What a corporate slave!
A “corporate slave” was someone who secretly competed with everyone else in front of the boss, betraying ordinary workers and harming the interests of the collective.
Why don’t you take the initiative to dig up some dirt on me and betray me? What was the point of Fifth Brother raising you all these years?
Yu Xiaxing completely disconnected from work and relaxed as she enjoyed nature.
She had to admit, working nine to five, having weekends off, and secretly taking Friday off really was a more scientifically sound schedule.
She could feel that her body was in much better shape than it had been in her previous life, when she had worked herself to the bone seven days a week.
—
After spending the entire day living a healthy life outdoors, Yu Xiaxing emerged from the bathroom at eight that evening, fresh from her shower and toweling her hair dry.
Her phone had received an email from Ruan Tian.
The attachment was huge, labeled: “A Day in the Life of the Zhao Family.mp4.”
Ruan Tian had written: “Today I disguised myself as someone conducting a population census and secretly installed a camera in their home. Boss, please review.”
Yu Xiaxing sat down at her desk, opened her laptop, and clicked on the video.
The image was shaky at first, clearly recorded covertly.
But it soon became stable. Ruan Tian had probably installed the camera in a concealed location.
Yu Xiaxing dragged the progress bar forward and figured out the makeup of the household.
The victim who had failed to receive timely treatment because of a power outage in her previous life was an old man, probably in his seventies.
His son and daughter-in-law were both in their forties.
His grandson looked about twelve or thirteen.
She dragged the progress bar forward again, quickly skimming through the footage.
Before long, she found something useful.
Yu Xiaxing’s eyes widened slightly.
Holy crap! So there was actually this hidden truth!
Fourth Sister had been eliminated for absolutely no reason in her previous life!
