Hidden Marriage: Spoiled by the Imperial Commander-Chapter 370: Really Just Friends?

Pei Yuexuan continued his report, "Yun Mu also won, performed very well, wasn’t cultivated in vain."

Mu Yunlie gave a slight nod, then asked, "Where is she now?"

"He?" Pei Yuexuan was taken aback.

His first reaction was to think that Mu Yunlie was asking about Yun Mu, but then he realized, "Are you asking about Yan Qianyi?"

Mu Yunlie did not answer.

That was confirmation.

Pei Yuexuan said, "She has already left the school, now she’s at..."

Suddenly, Pei Yuexuan stopped, not daring to continue.

Mu Yunlie turned around, his frosty gaze falling on Pei Yuexuan.

Feeling the authority in his eyes, Pei Yuexuan had no choice but to continue, "Now she is in the cafe with Prince Ziyu."

Mu Yunlie’s gaze grew even colder as he slightly lowered his eyes.

He sat down on the sofa and lit a cigarette.

The white smoke drifted and spread, making Pei Yuexuan struggle to see his expression clearly. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

But he could vaguely see that his brows were deeply furrowed.

Pei Yuexuan thought to himself that the master must be overthinking the relationship between Yan Qianyi and Prince Ziyu.

He wished he had not taken the initiative to report.

It was his fault for being nosy, assuming that although the master hadn’t gone, he must be worried about Yan Qianyi’s situation, so he took it upon himself to report.

Who knew the master would ask where Yan Qianyi was.

Now, he stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to stay or leave.

And he didn’t dare to speak further.

Mu Yunlie tapped off the ash from his cigarette and gestured with his hand for Pei Yuexuan to leave.

Pei Yuexuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly slipped away.

Ah Chang spoke up, "Master, Madam and Xia Ziyu are just friends, you shouldn’t overthink. I asked Xiao Ke..."

"Shut up!" Mu Yunlie interrupted Ah Chang sternly, "In the future, unless I ask you, keep your mouth shut!"

After the competition, they left their other friends behind and went to the cafe alone.

Is this just a friendship?

At her home before, when she had lied to him, saying Xia Ziyu was a patient, he never doubted their relationship.

But now, a seemingly unprovoked breakup, a single "we’re not suitable" cutting off several months of emotion.

He couldn’t help but overthink, were Yan Qianyi and Xia Ziyu really just friends?

In the cafe.

Yan Qianyi leaned back on the sofa, leisurely watching the man opposite her, Xia Ziyu.

He ate a pastry, took a sip of coffee, and asked, "Why aren’t you in a hurry to ask?"

"Waiting for you to eat and drink first, you’ll naturally talk when you’re ready."

By now, she had come to understand Xia Ziyu’s personality.

The more eager she showed herself to be, the more he took the opportunity to make demands.

Prince Ziyu smiled, "I just want you to be mentally prepared first, let your mind ease into it."

"Then I should thank you for being so considerate of me," Yan Qianyi scoffed with a laugh and leaned forward slightly, "Go ahead, I’m ready."

Prince Ziyu said seriously, "Your brother, Yan Yao, is not your biological brother, wait, he is a biological brother, but to be precise, he’s not your full brother."

Yan Qianyi let out a faint "Oh."

Seeing her unmoved expression, Prince Ziyu was surprised, "Why are you so indifferent? Aren’t you shocked at all?"

"After waking up, I guessed that my brother might not be Yan Hong’s biological child," Yan Qianyi said.

As the eldest son of Yan Hong, it was strange that he wasn’t favored at home.

Moreover, my brother had left the Yan Family quite early and even changed his nationality.

Later, I heard that my mother had a deep and unforgettable love affair before she met Yan Hong.

I had roughly guessed the truth, but I didn’t delve into it.

"A guess? Haven’t you thought about finding out for sure?" Prince Ziyu asked.

Yan Qianyi shook her head, "I don’t want to meddle. Now my brother is the Prince of the Morris Empire. He must have doubted his own identity and investigated it; that’s why he has never returned to the Yan Family. Since he hasn’t told me, why should I expose it?"

"You’re right to think that way, but it ultimately relates to that accident you and your mother were in back then. I think it’s necessary to understand clearly all the people who have hostile relationships with your mother."

Yan Qianyi frowned, puzzled, "Are you suggesting that someone else harmed my mother?"

"I haven’t suspected that, but since I can’t find Xu Zhiqiang, I changed my approach. Looking at your mother’s social relationships, I tried to see if anyone had dealings with Xu Zhiqiang, and then I discovered a person who probably hates your mother a lot."

"Who?"

"Your brother’s biological father’s current wife—Mrs. Ning."

"What?" Yan Qianyi was surprised, "Mrs. Ning? Do you mean my brother’s biological father is Ning Nuan’s dad, Ning Xiuzhuo?!"

Seeing Yan Qianyi’s face finally show shock, Prince Ziyu enjoyed a sip of his coffee with satisfaction.

"Didn’t expect that I found it out, did you?"

Yan Qianyi furrowed her brow, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

"Do the Ning Family know about my brother’s identity?"

"I don’t know about that. I think they probably don’t know. There has been no interaction between your family and the Ning Family for these years. If the Ning Family knew of your brother’s existence, they likely wouldn’t pretend not to know, especially when Ning Xiuzhuo has only one daughter, Ning Nuan."

Yan Qianyi bit her lip and reflected for a moment, "No wonder Mrs. Ning said in front of me that my mother broke up someone’s relationship that day."

At that time, she intended to find a moment to ask Yan Hong about it, but she had been too busy to really concern herself with the matter.

"That’s just her slander from nothing. When Ning Xiuzhuo was with your mother, she wasn’t even in the picture. She’s the one who broke up a relationship, because it was after she appeared that your mother and Ning Xiuzhuo separated."

Yan Qianyi asked, "After so many years, how did you find out that she hates my mother?"

"Ning Xiuzhuo left the military to go into business because he got heart disease. Three years ago, during an exhibition, he had a sudden heart attack, and your mother just happened to be there, providing first aid. They reconnected after that encounter, and from then on, Ning Xiuzhuo often made contact with your mother, which was soon discovered by Mrs. Ning. Do you think Mrs. Ning wouldn’t hate your mother?"

Yan Qianyi nodded and sighed, "But even with these old incidents dug up, we can’t find Xu Zhiqiang."

"So you’ve concluded that Mu Huaner is behind Xu Zhiqiang?" Prince Ziyu asked.

"What else?" Yan Qianyi retorted, "Xu Zhiqiang grew up in the Mu Family and always followed Mu Huaner. Two years after my mother’s accident, Xu Zhiqiang left the Mu Family, and that day when I went to the Mu Family, Mu Huaner also expressed an obvious dislike for me. All signs point to her being the mastermind behind the scenes."

Prince Ziyu shook his head, "You’re usually more analytic and discerning than me. Maybe because you’re so deeply involved and eager for revenge, you haven’t considered everything. But I don’t think so. Whether Mu Huaner is really the mastermind behind everything, all these are our speculations without solid evidence. So, in order to find Xu Zhiqiang, I have to understand from multiple aspects, and look, I’ve unearthed Mrs. Ning, right?"

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